Mrs. Quaid let us practice in our bunny costumes
at rehearsal that afternoon.
“We won’t do this often,” she said.
“But it helps give you a feel for your characters.”
Those soft, furry costumes
zipped right over our clothes.
And we each got a headband
with two giant ears attached!
My costume was lavender,
and Katie’s was yellow,
and Nicholas’s was pale blue.
We all had white bellies and paws and ears.
I liked seeing my friends as bunnies
and being one myself.
But still.
I dreaded the solo
and hugging Nicholas.
I got ready to punch freckly Ben
with my rabbit paw
if he started chanting anything.
I’d never punched anyone in my life.
But I’d never eaten pickles, either,
before that day.
I figured I’d punch Ben twice.
Once for me
and once for Ainsley.
When everyone was in costume,
Mrs. Quaid said, “Let’s begin with scene two.”
I closed my eyes for a second
knowing what was coming.
And sure enough,
as soon as I said my first “Honey Bun,”
Ben said, “Oooh.”
I stopped reading my lines then
and put my paws on my hips
and glared at him.
“That’s enough, Ben,”
Mrs. Quaid said,
very sharply.
And Katie said, “Definitely.”
And Nicholas said, “Yeah—definitely.”
Which was very nice of them.
Ben shrugged
and started pulling on one of Adam’s ears.
“Be careful, Ben!” Mrs. Quaid said.
“Those ears rip!”
Adam put his hand on his bunny ear then
and said,
“It’s bleeding! It’s bleeding!”
Everyone laughed.
And
from that moment on,
nobody paid any attention
to my lines.
It was so much easier, too,
to remember that it was just a play
when I was dressed as a rabbit.
So I read my lines loudly and clearly
and felt braver and braver.
Even the hugging scene went well,
because Nicholas and I just waved at each other
instead of hugging.
Mrs. Quaid shook her head and said,
“We’ll let that be enough for today.”
Then we kept going.
Best of all,
once again,
I didn’t have to sing my solo.
“We’ll focus on your song next time,”
Mrs. Quaid told me.
“But here’s your job, from now until the show.
You must practice convincing yourself
that you are not Eleanor.
You are a famous singer
who performs in front of crowds.
Do you have a favorite singer?”
“Not really,” I said.
“Give it some thought,” she said.
“My dad likes the Beatles,” I said.
“They’re famous, right? I could be one of them.”
“That would be perfect,” she said.
We took off our bunny costumes then.
And I realized
that my sweatshirt had gotten a little sweaty.
It was hot under all that fur!
I have to ask Mom to wash it, I thought.
Because I was still determined
to wear that sweatshirt every single day
until Ainsley forgave me.
