Unscripted - Nicole Kronzer Page 0,57

me limp in. I tried to smile at everyone else as they entered, but no one made eye contact.

I attempted not to stare at Ben as he lifted one rehearsal block after another, his biceps flexing and straining against his UCB long-sleeve T-shirt.

He liked me. A really hot guy liked me. And I liked him. Right? He certainly made me feel things. Watching his body move on the stage and thinking about him touching me was making me feel warm all over.

Then he caught my eye. He pointed at his foot with a questioning look.

I gave him a small smile and a shrug. It’s okay.

He held my gaze two seconds short of being downright seductive, then clapped his hands. “Party Quirks. Brandon, get the suggestions. Xander, Cade, Trey, Jake, and Ellie, you’re up.”

I frowned a little as I climbed on stage. He wasn’t even going to mention what had happened yesterday? He’d told me they were writing apology notes. Where were they? And we were also leaping straight into a game structure without warming up? Were warm-ups suddenly on his long list of “crutches”?

“Brandon, start us off.” Ben sat backward on a folding chair in the audience, and Brandon hopped forward and flashed me a friendly smile.

I looked behind me. I was definitely the only one there . . . Okay. Then again, maybe Ben had talked to everyone already and didn’t want to beat a dead horse by bringing it up again.

Shake it off, I told myself. It’s fine. Trust yourself. Trust your partner. You can do this.

Brandon held out his hands. “Okay. You know when you throw a party and people show up whose names you know you’re supposed to remember but you can’t quite do it? We are those people.”

“Good explanation. It’ll get a laugh, too.” said Ben. “Keep going.”

I glanced up and down the line. Everyone shared my determined look. I smiled and faced forward.

“We are going to go to—” Brandon looked down the row of players. “Xander’s party. In a minute, I’ll be looking for suggestions as to who we all are, and then Xander will try to guess our identities. So Xander doesn’t hear the suggestions, can I get a volunteer to go with him into the hallway?”

Ben pretended to be an audience member. “Me! I’ll go!”

“Settle down, man, I don’t swing that way.” Xander chuckled and jogged out of the room.

“Uh,” I started, “that’s not exactly awesome in terms of gay—”

Brandon kept going like he hadn’t heard me. “See you soon, Xander!”

I looked at Ben to see if he was going to address Xander’s homophobic joke, but he was focused on Brandon.

Brandon pointed at High Ropes Jake. “For Jake here, I need a historical figure.”

“Abraham Lincoln,” Ben called.

“And Abe has a secret.”

“He’s gay,” Jake 2 hollered.

I rolled my eyes.

“Okay, for Trey, I need a movie star.”

“Will Smith,” Ben offered.

“Great. Will Smith has something he needs to give Abe Lincoln. What is it?”

“A punch in the face for not freeing the slaves earlier!” Jake 2 called. He turned to Donovan and clapped him on the back. “Right, my brother?”

My eyes grew huge. Anger flashed in Donovan’s eyes, but it was gone so quickly, I thought I might have imagined it.

“Right,” Donovan said. “Punch him hard, Trey.”

Trey mock-punched High Ropes Jake in the stomach, and Jake played along.

“Guys,” I said, meeting Donovan’s eyes, “maybe we should stay away from—”

“It’s just jokes, Ellie,” Donovan said. “Jokes always offend someone or they’re not jokes.”

I didn’t think that had to be true, but before I had a chance to respond, Ben inserted himself. “Let’s all remember I’m giving the suggestions here,” he said.

THAT was Ben’s way of trying to right the ship?

“Sure, but that was a good suggestion,” Brandon said. “I’ll take it. Damn you, Lincoln.”

Ben said nothing.

Donovan and Trey said nothing.

I said nothing.

But a new pit developed in my stomach. Had there been other crappy moments like Jake 2 calling Donovan “my brother,” but I’d been too focused on myself to notice?

Brandon clamped a hand on Cade’s shoulder. “Now for Ellie and Cade, I need two things that go together.”

Ben paused a moment. “The president and the vice president.”

I nodded. No prostitutes in sight.

“And they forgot something at Xander’s house.”

“The Constitution.”

Lovely. Okay. Things were looking up.

“Now, when Xander gets close to guessing who’s at his party, clap a little. When he gets closer, clap louder, and when he gets it, go crazy! Let’s call Xander back in. One, two, three—”

We all hollered, “Xander!”

Xander trotted back in the