CHAPTER 1

The dressing room at Maple Hill High School was full of energy. It was a few hours before the drama club’s performance of the winter musical, and everyone was busy preparing for the show. Actors were gathering props, going over lines, and getting into costume, while members of the tech crew were perfecting the light and sound cues.

Connie, the lead actress of the show, was fixing her hair and makeup with her friends Sofia, Tessa, and Bree. The four of them were laughing about the mishaps from last night’s dress rehearsal.

“Remember when Austin forgot his jacket backstage?” Sofia said.

“That was hilarious!” Tessa laughed.

“I know,” Connie agreed. “I hope it doesn’t happen again tonight. We only get one chance, after all!”

“I’m sure it won’t,” Bree said. “You guys practiced a million times.”

Connie smiled. “Thanks, Bree. I hope you’re right!”

Connie loved spending time with these girls. They made the long rehearsal process so much more enjoyable.

As they all chatted, Lily, a supporting cast member, approached them. She had a platter of desserts in her hand.

“Hi, guys,” she said shyly. “I made cupcakes to celebrate the performance. Want some?”

“Sure!” Connie took a cupcake from the tray, and her friends did the same. “I didn’t know you liked to bake.”

Lily shrugged. “Oh, it’s just a new hobby of mine,” she said.

“You should be so proud of what you’ve done in the show,” Connie added, taking a bite of the cupcake. “Especially for your first production. You’ve put in so much work! I wouldn’t want anyone else to be my understudy.”

In addition to being in the supporting cast, Lily was also Connie’s understudy, which meant that if Connie couldn’t perform in her role, Lily would take over.

“Thanks,” Lily said. “Enjoy the cupcakes!”

After Lily left, Connie felt her throat start to itch, and soon it became hard for her to breathe. She looked into the mirror and saw a red rash beginning to form around her mouth. Her heart started beating faster.

She grabbed Bree, who immediately realized what had happened.

“Oh no!” she cried. “Your allergy!”

Connie had a dangerous allergy to strawberries, so there must have been some in the cupcakes.

Bree grabbed Connie’s EpiPen out of her bag and gave it to her. Connie took it and quickly injected the medicine into her leg, which slowed down the reaction.

Meanwhile, Tessa grabbed Connie’s phone and left the room. “I’ll call her mom,” she yelled to the others.

“I’ll tell Ms. Flattery,” Sofia said. She ran off to find their director, leaving Bree with Connie.

As Connie’s symptoms calmed down, she and Bree sat waiting for her mom and teacher to come.

“I’m so sorry this happened,” Bree said. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Better now,” Connie whispered. She could already feel her throat clearing up and heartbeat slowing to a normal pace.

“That’s good,” Bree said with a smile. “We’ll make sure you get the help you need. You’re in good hands, Connie.”

Connie smiled back, but her mind was focused on the show. Because her allergy was so serious, she would need to see a doctor. There was no way she would be able to perform tonight!

CHAPTER TWO

Later that evening, Connie sat on the couch at home, watching her favorite cooking show with her mom. Although her symptoms were much better, she was still feeling down about what happened.

“I can’t believe I’m missing the show,” she grumbled, sipping tea to help her throat. “All that hard work for nothing.”

“I know it’s frustrating,” her mom said, “but we needed to get to the hospital to make sure you were okay first. It wouldn’t be safe for you to perform, especially if the reaction continued. Besides, the doctor said singing after an incident like this could hurt your throat even more.”

“I know,” Connie said. “I just feel like I’m letting everyone down.”

“That’s not true,” her mom said. “Everyone knows how devoted you are to theater, and Lily is there to take over for you. Right?”

“Yeah,” Connie said, sulking. “I’m just upset because it was my first lead role. I was so excited.”

“You’ll have plenty of other lead roles,” her mom assured her in a comforting voice. “You’re so talented. And you don’t need a leading role to prove how great you are.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Of course, sweetie. Let me get you some more tea.”

By Monday, Connie felt well enough to go back to school. She sat with Sofia and Tessa at lunchtime to find out how the show went.

“Lily did great,” Tessa said. “We missed you, of course, but Lily filled in just fine. We could tell she wanted everything to go smoothly after what had happened.”

“In fact, she was going around checking in on everyone like she was the director,” Sofia added. “You’d think this was her show!”

As Sofia and Tessa laughed, Connie frowned. She was surprised by what she was hearing. Lily never acted like that during rehearsals! She was usually very laid back.

That’s odd, Connie thought, but she kept her questions to herself.

CHAPTER 3

A few weeks later, auditions for the spring show took place. As Connie walked through the auditorium, she was met with a chorus of hellos from her drama club friends, who were all happy to see her in good health.

While everyone else was gathered in the center of the auditorium, Lily was standing in the corner, reading an audition script by herself.

Connie hadn’t seen Lily since the performance. The day after the show, she sent her a text message to congratulate her, but she never received a response back. Lily had also never reached out to Connie after her allergic reaction. Still, Connie was excited to talk to her.

“Hey, Lily,” Connie said, approaching her. “How’s it going?”

“Oh… Connie! Hi!” Lily said, quickly closing her audition packet. “I’m doing well. How are you?”

“Not bad,” Connie replied. “I just wanted to thank you for taking over my part during the winter musical. I heard you did amazing.”

Lily’s face lit up. “Thank you!” she said. “I’ve never had a lead role before, so it was really cool. I had my own bow at the end and everything!” She paused and looked up at Connie. “I feel bad that you didn’t get to perform, though. I’m sorry about the cupcakes. I wanted to do something nice for the cast, and—”

“It’s okay,” Connie said. “I just have to be more careful next time.”

“Yeah. Well, I’m happy you’re feeling better,” Lily said. “Break a leg today!” She winked and walked towards the stage. Multiple girls waved to her, but Lily ignored them.

After auditions, Connie went to her friend Maeve’s house to spend the night. The two of them often had sleepovers to catch up on their week.

“So you thought the auditions went well?” Maeve said. The girls sat on Maeve’s couch with a bowl of chips between them.

“Yeah,” Connie answered. “I talked to Lily before auditions, though, and it was odd. Something definitely felt off with her.”

“What do you mean?” Maeve asked, sitting up.

“She talked a lot about herself, which isn’t like her,” Connie answered, sounding puzzled. “She’s usually much quieter.”

“Maybe she was excited to share?” Maeve suggested. “This is new for her. She isn’t used to big roles like you are,” Maeve laughed.

“Ha! Well, this would have been my first lead, too!” Connie said. “But it still felt weird to me. During auditions, Lily didn’t talk to anyone except me. She didn’t even say hi to Bree, Audrey, or anyone else.”

She was about to say more, but a vibration from her phone caught her by surprise. She checked the notification and saw an email from Ms. Flattery: “SPRING SHOW CAST LIST.”

Connie gasped. “The cast list is out!” she told Maeve.

“Oh my gosh!” Maeve cried. “What does it say?”

Connie opened the email and read it out loud. Connie was cast in a supporting role, and Lily was cast in the leading role. At the sight of this, Connie’s face fell.

“That’s not bad!” Maeve said, noticing Connie’s disappointment. “You’ll still have fun!”

“I know,” Connie said. “I’m not upset about that. I’m just surprised about Lily. I know she’s talented, but this is suspicious. Something’s definitely changed about her since the last show.”

“What do you mean?”

“She went from being a quiet ensemble member to the star of the show,” Connie explained. “All because of my allergic reaction.”

“You think something’s up?” Maeve asked, shocked. “You think she stopped you from performing on purpose so she could take over?”

“It’s possible,” Connie replied. “She was the one who made the cupcakes, and I remember her saying that baking is new for her. Plus, she knows I’m allergic to strawberries. I told her at a cast party once.”

Maeve was silent for a minute.

“Connie, that’s bold,” she said. “You don’t know for sure. You and Lily seemed to be getting along just fine. Besides, that’s pretty serious. I would look into it more before saying anything.”

CHAPTER 4

The next week, rehearsals began for the spring musical. Connie enjoyed watching the show come together, but Lily's behavior stuck out.

“Stage left!” Lily yelled to a cast member. “The director said LEFT a thousand times! How hard is it for you to understand?!”

While Connie admired Lily’s dedication to the show, her bossy attitude was clearly upsetting for the rest of the cast. Not to mention her being so unsociable.

One day during rehearsal, Connie decided to get another opinion on Lily’s recent behavior. She approached Katie, one of the other leads in the winter musical. She had spent a lot of time with Lily when she took over for Connie.

“I was wondering if you noticed anything weird going on with Lily,” Connie said. “Ever since the winter musical, she’s been acting differently.”

Katie thought for a moment. “Now that you mention it, she’s been sort of standoffish. She doesn’t talk to anyone, except to be rude.”

Austin, another cast member, approached the two girls.

“Are you guys talking about Lily?”

“Yes,” Connie replied. “Have you noticed anything strange about her lately?”

Austin was the male lead in the winter musical, so he also spent a lot of time with Lily during the performance.

“She was oddly talkative during the show,” Austin recalled. “Maybe she was just excited, but it felt like she had something to say about everything. She kept telling me she was excited about her ‘big break.’”

“Hm,” Connie said. Was it only by chance that Lily had her ‘big break’ because of Connie’s allergic reaction? Or had Lily planned for it to have gone that way?

Connie found Bree next and asked her the same question. Bree was in musical numbers with Lily and spent a lot of time with her in rehearsal.

“Lily was really bossy backstage during the performance,” Bree told Connie. “She was pushing the singers and dancers out of the way and telling us where to stand in the wings.”

This matched what Tessa and Sofia had said the other day and what she’d seen in rehearsals, but it was still a surprise to hear it from everyone.

“I never really thought about it before, but looking back, it was really strange,” Bree said. “Even though she always used to enjoy spending time with us, in that moment it was like we didn’t matter.”

“Wow,” Connie said. “I had no idea.”

Just then, the stage manager, Max, approached the two girls.

“Connie! There you are. I have to tell you something. I don’t have much time because Lily’s been watching me ever since I played the wrong sound cue during the winter musical.”

“Wait, what?” Connie cried.

“It was an accident,” Max explained. “I think I was just nervous about the performance. Lily got mad, and I apologized, but she’s been watching my every move at rehearsals ever since.”

Connie looked at them wide-eyed. “That’s not her job!”

Max chuckled. “Yeah, right? Anyway, during tech week of the winter musical, I overheard Lily talking with some girls backstage. She mentioned baking something for the cast and said she put strawberries in it. She sounded almost mean when she was talking.”

“Really?” Connie was shocked. It couldn’t be a coincidence that Lily was talking about strawberries.

“I know,” Max said with a frown. “I didn’t know what to make of it. I’m hoping it doesn’t have to do with your allergic reaction, but I can’t be sure. Lily’s been all out of sorts lately.”

Connie left Bree and Max and pulled out her phone to call Maeve. The call went to voicemail, so Connie left a message:

“I’ve decided I want to talk to Lily myself,” she said. “I think foul play was involved, and I want to get to the bottom of this.”

CHAPTER 5

Connie spent most of the next day thinking about how her conversation with Lily would go. She was anxious to find out what, if anything, had happened.

During lunchtime, Connie scanned the halls and found Lily a few feet ahead, walking by herself.

“Hi, Lily,” Connie greeted her. “Can we talk?”

“Oh, hi, Connie,” Lily answered. “Sure.”

Connie led Lily into an empty classroom, and the two girls sat down at desks opposite each other.

Connie met Lily’s eyes and took a deep breath. “I wanted to talk to you about what happened with the winter musical,” she said. “Ever since you took over for me, something’s been off. I noticed you were rude to the cast and crew during rehearsals last week, and I also heard you were very short-tempered with everyone during the winter musical.”

“What?” Lily cried. “That’s nonsense.”

“I also heard that you were talking to some girls about putting strawberries in the cupcakes you made, knowing that I was allergic,” Connie continued. “I want to know if this is true.”

Lily was quiet for a few moments, eyes facing the floor.

Finally, she looked up, and her green eyes darkened. “I did what I had to do,” she said. “And at least someone paid attention to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“All throughout rehearsals for the winter show, I was ignored and underappreciated. No one acknowledged my talent, and Ms. Flattery had the nerve to cast me in the ensemble,” she explained.

“It was only through my role as your understudy, Connie, that I had a chance to prove myself, so I took it. And it worked! When you went home, the stage was all mine.”

Connie was speechless. Did she just admit to causing her allergic reaction?

“So you did put strawberries in the cupcakes,” she said slowly.

Lily said nothing.

“On purpose,” Connie searched for an answer. “Because you knew I was allergic.”

Once again, Lily said nothing. She refused to look up at Connie, and her silence told Connie everything she needed to know. Lily had given Connie a serious allergic reaction, all so that she could perform in her place!

Connie was stunned. This was the real Lily, who would endanger Connie’s health and safety for her own benefit.

“What about the spring show?”

“Oh, that was all talent,” Lily answered. “Ms. Flattery got it right this time. Now everyone gets to see how great I am.”

She smiled as if she were a movie star, but Connie simply shook her head.

“Lily, I can’t believe this,” she said. “I trusted you. I don’t understand how you could put me in danger like this. I’m sorry you feel that way about the drama club, but you didn’t have to do what you did. I thought we were friends.”

“What’s done is done,” Lily said. And then she left.

CHAPTER 6

Later that day, Connie tearfully told Maeve what had happened.

“Nothing mattered to her except the lead role,” Connie said as she wiped her eyes.

“That’s horrible,” Maeve said. “I had no idea she was like that.”

“Me neither,” Connie said. “When she was talking, she was like a completely different person. Or maybe the Lily I thought I knew doesn’t exist at all.”

“I’m so sorry, Connie,” Maeve said. “I feel terrible for you. You should talk to Ms. Flattery about it.”

“What would I say?” Connie asked with a sniffle. “I don’t want to seem like I’m jealous of her.”

“This is different,” Maeve said. “This is your safety we’re talking about. She took advantage of you in order to get what she wanted. She knew about your allergy and put strawberries in the cupcakes anyway.”

“But she never actually said that,” Connie pointed out.

“That doesn’t matter,” Maeve insisted. “Something is wrong, and Ms. Flattery needs to know about it.”

Connie met with Ms. Flattery before rehearsal the next day. She shared what Lily had told her the day before and what she had learned while speaking with fellow members of the drama club.

When Connie finished, Ms. Flattery shook her head.

“I’m afraid to say I’ve heard—and seen—similar things,” she said sadly. “Just yesterday, some of the tech crew members told me how Lily had set a bad tone backstage during the winter musical. And last week, someone almost dropped out of the show because of how she’s been acting.”

“What?!” Connie gasped.

Ms. Flattery nodded. “I was shocked, too, but it seems that Lily is the common factor. Given all this, I’ve decided to remove her from the show. Her behavior goes directly against what this club represents, and your suspicions about what she’s done are very serious.”

“Who will you cast in her place, then?” Connie wondered.

Ms. Flattery thought for a moment. “I’m not sure,” she said.

Connie thought about her friends in the drama club, many of whom were kind and talented. But one friend stood out in particular.

“I have a suggestion, if you don’t mind,” Connie piped up. “She’s sweet, friendly, and always wants to lend a hand. She’s helped me out a couple of times, and I’d be more than happy to return the favor.”

The next day, Connie entered the auditorium for rehearsal and spotted Ms. Flattery having a conversation with another student onstage.

“I’d like to offer you the lead role in this production,” she could hear Ms. Flattery saying. “A friend of yours told me you’d be a great fit, and I’d be happy to give you the part.”

Connie watched Bree’s face light up.

“Thank you,” she whispered, eyes wide. She was almost speechless.

“I know you’ll be a great example to the other actors,” Ms. Flattery continued. “We appreciate your positive attitude and kind spirit.”

When they finished talking, Bree turned around and noticed Connie. She knew right away that this had been Connie’s idea.

“Thank you,” Bree cried, running over to Connie and giving her a big hug.

“No, thank YOU,” Connie said. “You make theater at Maple Hill High what it’s supposed to be. You deserve this.”

CHAPTER 7

Three Months Later

Connie stood backstage, watching the show from the wings. She loved seeing her castmates’ hard work come to life onstage.

I’m so proud of her, Connie thought as she watched Bree perform. Throughout the rehearsal process, Bree had embraced the leading role with such grace and talent. Her presence had allowed the drama club to be a community of kindness and celebration.

Connie watched as Bree happily shared the stage with others, smiling widely as each actor had their moment in the spotlight.