Sabotage Stage Left by Casey Lyall

Author:Casey Lyall [Lyall, Casey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sterling Children's Books

Chapter Fifteen

Ivy and I walked into the senior center on Saturday full of secret knowledge and the urge to wield it.

Ashi caught us at the door, her grim face stopping us in our tracks.

“New blog post,” was all she said before thrusting her phone into my hand.

“Empty Shop of Horrors,” I read aloud. Ivy and I skimmed through Leyla’s latest. She highlighted sluggish ticket sales and questioned if the show would break even.

“I know they say no PR is bad PR,” Ashi said mournfully. “But it doesn’t feel like it.”

“Leyla here?”

Ashi nodded as I pressed her phone back into her hand. She and Ivy followed as I strode into the auditorium. Leyla was on a bench in the corner, painting her nails to match the vibrant blue of her bangs.

“Before you start yelling,” she said as we approached. “Remember that none of it was a lie. Ticket sales were sad. The Drama Club is a small group. We can’t rely on friends and family alone.”

“You think making it sound like the play’s going to tank will sell tickets?” Ivy put her hands on her hips as she stared down at Leyla.

“I know it will,” Leyla said. “I had to capitalize on the costume story. People love drama, and we needed to keep their attention.” She swooshed her fingers through the air before inspecting her handiwork. “This is a sportscentric town. Takes a little extra oomph to get people to come out for a show.”

“That’s your logic, but is it working?” I asked.

“Of course it is,” Leyla said with a smug grin. “Ten more sales already this morning. And my blog has twenty new subscribers.” Her eyes gleamed as she finished off her last nail with a flourish.

I didn’t like her methods, but it was hard to argue against the results. I beat back the nagging voice at the back of my brain. More attention on the play might make it more difficult for us to operate, but Parker had to work under the same scrutiny. I could deal with road blocks as long as they were equal opportunity road blocks.

“Can everyone gather round please?” Parker’s voice drew our attention to the front of the room. “Up here, up here, take a seat,” he said.

Ivy and I kept to the back, angling for the best view for whatever was about to play out.

“Many of you have seen the news about our ticket sales,” Parker began, taking a moment to glare at Leyla. “I know you’re worried about whether people are going to come see the show. And you should be.” He continued on over the swell of confused mutterings. “I was in this club for years, and I worked my butt off every day. Mediocre is not going to cut it. People don’t show up for amateurs. They come out for stars.”

Ellis stepped out from the crowd, moving to stand beside Parker. “That’s a little harsh, don’t you think? Everyone’s trying their best here.”

“Are they?” He pointed at Bradley. “Your co-lead over there messed up his solo seven times yesterday.

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