Tasha texted me before school on Monday that at least the production couldn't get any worse. That must have been what jinxed it.

Carson saw Juan and Samantha kissing in an empty English classroom during lunch. He texted Hugh, who texted Novah, who mentioned it to Jules, who forwarded it to me.

When theater rehearsal started, the five of us stood around sweating while Novah gave us the scoop. Hugh was cleaning invisible dirt off his glasses. Kai was pacing back and forth while Jules leaned against the wall coolly.

From what Novah had gathered from her contact on the cheerleading squad, this had been going on for at least a week, and no one had told Shayna. Novah wanted to tell her. Kai was hoping that it was a misunderstanding. Hugh thought we should tell her after the production for the sanity of the play.

I agreed with Novah. Shayna needed to know. If the cheerleaders weren't going to tell her, we had to. That's what friends were for.

We'd all been too scared to mention this in the group text. I hadn't seen Juan or Samantha the rest of the time we'd been at school. Jules said that Samantha was acting smug in gym class.

"What do we do?" I asked. I don't think we can keep this from Shayna. It's not fair to her not to know what Juan is doing behind her back."

"But what happens to the play?" Hugh asked. "I mean, Jack... he wouldn't make this worse, would he?"

"Probably not intentionally," Jules said. 

"Maybe this will all resolve itself," Kai suggested.

Carson had texted Jack during school about the conundrum. Jack had told Carson he didn't know that Juan was cheating on Shayna and that he hadn't heard anything about it from the football team.

In Jack's opinion, we should tell Shayna in front of Juan, but Carson thought we should disregard it since Jack never thought all that clearly when it came to his costar. Not to mention that idea might get a lot of people's feelings hurt.

Jules shook their head. "It's been going on for at least a week. Shayna will be hurt no matter how she finds out."

"I can tell her. Women have to stand up for each other," Novah said. "We don't deserve to be walked all over by men."

"We should let her find out naturally," Jules said.

"Calm down," I said. "It won't help if we turn on each other."

We all froze as the theater door opened behind us, and Samantha walked in. Today, she wore an electric blue pixie cut wig with a white crop top, short jean cut-offs, fishnets, and gold high-heeled sandals.

She couldn't hear us anyway. She had on expensive rose gold plated headphones and sang along to the chorus of "Rumor Has It" by Adele. She walked past us straight into the dressing room without so much as a hello.

I angled my head in the direction that Samantha had gone. "Seriously, what are we going to do about her?"

Hugh held up his hands in full surrender. "You expect me to know? I don't deal with dating drama."

"Maybe we should talk to Juan first?" Kai suggested.

"Shayna deserves to know," Novah insisted.

Hugh started polishing his glasses again. "Either way, heads are going to roll."

And we were right back where we started. Jules and Novah were advocating to tell her, and the boys were too scared.

"I'll talk to Shayna after rehearsal," I volunteered.

"Are you sure?" Kai asked.

Of the five of us, I was the best candidate for the job. None of us were especially close with Shayna, but I could deliver the news the easiest. Besides, everyone else seemed a little too scared or nervous.

"Somebody has to tell her," I said, and I summoned one of my father's favorite Shakespearian quotes. "'Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.'"

Hugh looked impressed. "Dropping Julius Caesar today, are we?"

"She won't take it well," Kai said.

From what I knew about Kai, he and Shayna had been friends as children but had grown apart. Their mothers were still friends, and Kai sometimes offered to help Shayna with homework.

I hated to think what might happen if we didn't tell her. I couldn't imagine the betrayal she might feel if she found out that we all knew without telling her. No one deserved a cheating boyfriend, but not finding out about a cheater when everyone else knew and didn't say anything seemed worse.

It was the mark of bad friends. I didn't want to be seen as a bad friend. Shayna had never been mean to me or disregarded my opinion because I was the new kid. I owed her the same kindness.

"It will be worse if we don't tell her," I inwardly shuddered, imagining what would happen if she found out that we kept this from her. "'A man can die but once.'"

"Henry IV," Hugh said.

My face heated. I needed to stop making Shakespeare references. It was turning me into my father and making me look like a big nerd. I was just glad Hugh understood my references.

"Maybe she already knows?" Kai suggested again.

"She doesn't," I said. "Shayna would not be okay with this."

"Fine, we have to tell her," Jules said. "All in agreement?"

I raised my hand. Hugh nodded and added his hand. Kai let out a loud breath and begrudgingly raised his hand third. Novah smiled and raised her hand to make it unanimous.

"So, that's settled," Kai said. "So, who's going to tell her?"

"And when?" Hugh added.

Hugh was too nervous. Kai seemed the least likely to follow through with a promise to tell her. Jules didn't have the sunniest temperament for this type of news, and Novah was too eager. That left one person to deliver the blow. Me.

"Get them apart after rehearsal," I said. "I'll do it."

"Annoying, Juan," Kai nodded. "Not hard. I don't see what Shayna sees in him."

He and Hugh walked into the theater. Jules and Novah followed on their heels. I went backstage to retrieve my green paint-stained clothes. They were hanging right where I left them. The paint was dry, but I still put them in a plastic bag to ensure it didn't ruin my homework.

I walked back to the lobby to see Lilly and Jack had arrived. I paused to tell Jack and Carson the group's decision, but I didn't want to interrupt their conversation, so I waited.

"How's your arm?" Carson asked.

Lilly shrugged. "Fine."

"They actually kicked you off the volleyball team because you got hurt?" Carson asked.

"What's it to you?" Lilly rubbed her cast. "I can't play anyway."

"I thought volleyball ended last week," Carson raised an eyebrow.

I didn't have the greatest knowledge of high school sports, but my older sister Mara played volleyball in high school before she went off to college. Usually, the season was over by this time of year.

Lilly squirmed. She looked uncomfortable under Carson's barrage of questions. I stepped backward to enter the theater from backstage, but I paused.

"Lilly, why don't you run to the sound booth?" Jack suggested.

"Sure thing," Lilly said, walking into the theater. "That's why I'm here anyway."

Once Lilly was gone, Carson turned back to Jack. "How's your mom? Haven't seen her in a while."

"Carson, you're our neighbor," Jack said. "Don't be a stalker."

"I'm worried about you," Carson said. "I know it can't be easy-"

"We're fine," Jack insisted.

"Whatever, man," Carson sighed. "I'm just trying to help."

"Do you need something, Rita?" Jack asked, and I jumped.

"Yeah, um..." I hoped I hadn't heard anything they thought was confidential. "Hugh, Jules, Kai, Novah, and I were talking. We voted. I'll tell Shayna what was happening with Juan and Samantha."

"Didn't realize we voted on that kind of thing," Jack said.

"She'll probably take it better from Rita than you, dude," Carson said to Jack. "Sounds like a smart plan, Rita. In the meantime, don't do anything stupid, Jack."

Jack gave me a strange look of warning. "I don't want to see her get hurt. What Juan is doing to Shayn is messed up. She deserves better."

Carson slapped an arm around his shoulder. "I know, dude. Come on."

Anton was talking on his phone when I entered the theater behind them. That was probably the reason that Anton hadn't started rehearsal yet. Kai, Jules, and Hugh talked in hushed tones in the corner, eying Juan and Shayna in the theater's front row.

They held hands, and she was laughing at something he had said. Shayna looked so happy. They didn't look like they were fighting, which probably meant she was still in the dark.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. I could do this. It was time to implode their relationship completely. If I did it now, I wouldn't have to wait until rehearsal was over.

I walked to the row behind them and cleared my throat. Juan and Shayna turned. Juan looked annoyed, but Shayna smiled at me.

"What's up?" She asked.

I figured getting Juan away from Shayna when I delivered this news was best. "Shayna, can I borrow you?"

"Of course," Shayna stood just as I realized I was out of time.

"Thanks for the advice, Jamie. I'll see you next week," Anton hung up his phone and cleared his throat. "Okay, everybody, let's start."

He looked around at his scattered actors. He sighed when he saw Jack and Carson still standing by the door.

"Mr. Terrell, Mr. Garrison in the theater, please," he said. Mr. Perez, Miss Porter, your other half will still be here after rehearsal," he looked at Samantha, who walked into the theater from backstage with glittery magenta gloss and fake nails that I knew came from one of the makeup containers backstage. "Miss Chance, stage makeup is not a toy. Please start in Act I Scene III. I want to see passion."

"We can talk after rehearsal," Shayna said to me and skipped up the stage steps.

The window of opportunity had slammed shut. I was too late. The news would still be the same after rehearsal, so delaying it wasn't the end of the world.

As we began our rehearsal, Hugh took the stage beside a smug Samantha and an oblivious Shayna. I took my seat in the audience and prayed to the great ghost of Shakespeare that we'd make it through the rehearsal without anything happening before I had to deliver the bad news.