#Chapter 23 - Drama Club

Ruby After my fight with Donna on Monday, I’m suspended from school for three days. It doesn’t feel much like a punishment, since I would rather be anywhere than inside that school after those photos were posted of me. The only thing that particularly burns about not being in school is that I have to wait to try and talk to Nancy. I wake on Wednesday morning to Alice’s lovely voice. “Rise and shine, princess,” Alice says annoyedly. It seems as though I’m not moving fast enough for her, because she stomps over to my side of the bed and yanks the covers down, then tosses a bundle of plain clothes into my lap: a pair of black jeans and a gray wool cardigan with toggle buttons and a hood. I must look confused, because Alice rolls her eyes and tosses the clothes down onto the bed. “Despite your misbehavior in school and your three-day suspension, the King has decided to take you on a da-” she stops herself mid-sentence, then continues: “an outing.” It’s clear t