5

“Benedick and Beatrice so love each other,” Shayla chirped, wrapping some braids around her fingers and tugging at them. “It’s obvious.”

“What makes you think they love each other?” asked Rachel. “Last week, Ryan pointed out that all they do is argue and insult one another.”

Shayla regarded Rachel with pity. “Miss Cooper, that means they like each other. Don’t you watch TV?”

Rachel laughed along with the class. “It is a common storytelling trope, straight out of Pride and Prejudice.” Rachel intended for the class to react to this comment, but they just stared at her. She decided to forgive them. It was first period, after all. And they hadn’t studied Pride and Prejudice yet.

Well, most of them hadn’t.

Jessica Potts cleared her throat. “Darcy and Elizabeth didn’t have a love-hate relationship. I mean, technically, Darcy never really hated Elizabeth. He liked her from the beginning. He just hated her social standing.”

Of course Jessica knew Pride and Prejudice. She was like a mini Lady Catherine, come to think of it. Focus, Rachel. “But back to the issue at hand. What makes you think that Benedick and Beatrice have a history together?”

“It says so in here.” Chris stabbed the front of his playbook with an indignant finger. “You already told us. I’m surprised you don’t remember, Miss Cooper.”

She’d hate to break it to him that after so many years of teaching the same stories over and over, she could no longer keep track of every single discussion she’d had with every single class. “Humor me and read it.”

He flipped to the opening scenes and hummed to himself while scanning the text. “Here we go. It’s in the first scene. They start shooting off their mouths as soon as they see each other, but then Benedick says something about how he wishes his horse could run as fast as she could talk, and then says, ‘I have done’, which is a cheap way to get the last word.”

“You would know,” Shayla muttered.

Chris continued. “And then Beatrice says, ‘You always end with a jade’s trick. I know you of old.’”

Rachel smiled. “So Shakespeare makes it pretty clear, right? I know you of old. He doesn’t want the audience to miss the fact that these two have a history, and that helps you understand that much of what they say to each other could have a double meaning that is only really clear to the two of them, and maybe to their closest friends, who might be in on the drama.”

Ryan raised his hand. “It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”

“What does?”

“I mean, Shakespeare makes Benedick and Beatrice tell us that they have a history together.”

“Right,” said Rachel. “And that affects our reading of their interactions, doesn’t it?”

Ryan nodded, still working through his thoughts. “But in real life, you don’t know. When you meet new people, you know your history with them, if there is any, but you don’t know other people’s history with each other.”

Rachel nodded. “Unless they tell you, of course.”

“Which they usually do,” Shayla put in. “I mean, if one of my ex-boyfriends showed up in class, you better believe I’d fill my friends in on who he was and why we broke up and what a jerk he was, or whatever.”

“Unless you decided you wanted to keep it a secret for some reason,” Rachel mused.

“Why would I do that?”

“Excellent question! I’d like each of you to give me a short paragraph tonight—” Rachel spoke over muffled groans, “—outlining a premise under which it would be best to keep your history with a new connection a secret from your friends. Or, if you find that too mentally taxing, I’d like a character analysis of Don John. Extra credit if you complete both.”

Looking alert, Jessica Potts scribbled this down. Rachel saw her put a star next to the words extra credit. Bless her heart.

Rather than complaining good-naturedly about the assignment, as was his usual routine, Chris sat silently, eyes riveted to his playbook. Rachel started to ask him if he was feeling well when the long bell rang, effectively dismissing the class.

~*~

When Rachel checked her phone at lunch and realized that Ann still hadn’t answered her messages, she knew something had to be done. She left Ann a jokey passive-aggressive voicemail, saying that if Ann didn’t return her call soon, she’d be forced to call Detective Smith; and that if that’s what Ann was really trying to accomplish, then Rachel would never forgive her. She then called Lynn, who said she hadn’t heard from Ann in two days either. That wasn’t unusual, since the two rarely communicated on their own if they weren’t scheming some sort of intervention on her.

But still. Rachel knew she needed to make herself clear. Just before her first afternoon class, she sent Ann one final text.

I’m not kidding—you’d better call me as soon as you get these messages.

~*~

Rachel didn’t see Chris again until that afternoon’s table reading for Murder Came Knocking.

Fortunately, he seemed fully recovered from his funk. He arrived with Shayla and her entourage. The little group clustered at the far end of the table, highlighting their lines and giggling.

In due time, Alice Claythorne drifted in alone, quietly taking a seat and staring down at her script.

At 3:30 exactly, Jessica Potts made her grand entrance, sweeping into the room, perching on the edge of her chair, and opening her script with a theatrical hair-flip. She twirled a pencil between her manicured fingers as she stared at the clock, seemingly willing Rachel to start.

Normally as prompt as the sunrise, Rachel took time to dig her water bottle from her bag and take a few sips. She then made small talk with Todd Perkins sitting on her right. Poor Todd couldn’t stop staring at Jessica, who stared at the clock. Rachel checked her phone one last time for a message from Ann (nothing) and started the reading precisely at 3:31.

“I trust you’ve had time to read your character descriptions and get a general idea of how you’d like to flesh out your characters. Don’t worry. I know it’s early, and if I sense you heading the wrong direction, I’ll let you know. Otherwise it’s up to you to explore your character’s personality and develop something distinctive to make your character unique and memorable. I don’t expect you to work all of that out today, however. The purpose of today’s reading is just for us all to get a feel for the play and the group dynamic before we start memorizing.

“For those of you who have been in one of our dramas before, welcome back. I know you’ll do everything you can to help our new players feel at home.” Rachel turned to smile reassuringly at Alice, the only cast member who was also a new student.

Alice stared at the table. Only the smallest nod and the flush of her cheeks showed that she’d been paying any attention to Rachel.

The reading went well. Very well. Any doubts about Rachel’s decision to cast Alice in the title role melted away by the second scene. The eyes of the cast members went round and slightly starry as they witnessed Alice’s transformation into the brilliant and devious Agatha Turnweed.

With the notable exception of Jessica Potts, the rest of the cast seemed impressed. Whenever she herself wasn’t speaking, Jessica Potts merely looked bored, as if she’d heard this all before.

At the end of the reading, Rachel checked her phone. Still nothing from Ann. Worry bubbled in her stomach. Calm down. Don’t jump to conclusions. It’s probably nothing.

There was only one way to find out.