She seems to be waiting for something He sits up not sure what to do He coughs He doesn’t really need to cough but he feels like he should do something Dane the teacher asks Yes Ms Burke Dane responds eyes widening He tilts his head to indicate he’s not quite sure what she’s getting at Do you know the answer she asks patiently Dane swallows Um can you repeat the question Ms Burke lifts an eyebrow and waits a long moment Dane feels everyone in the room turning to look at him The lesson might be boring but now that there’s a chance to see someone getting embarrassed embarrassed the class is starting to show some interest Prashant Dane’s best friend lets out a low whistle That’s enough Prashant says Ms Burke The question is Dane in which city did the Battle of the Plains of Abraham take place Ummm says Dane Chicago The room erupts with laughter Not even close says Ms Burke Perhaps if you spent more time listening and less time staring at Penny you’d pick up some of these details 2 Tom Ryan
Dane drops his head onto his desk and groans From behind him Prashant leans in and whispers whispers Don’t worry Dane love is the greatest lesson of all Cut The laughter abruptly stops and I sit back up in my seat A short man with a cool haircut dressed all in black hurries up the aisle from the back of the room Chill Bill Lee stands next to Ms Burke and turns to speak to the class Nice work guys he says Let’s run through it one last time and then we’ll break for lunch Then he looks right at me Good job Aiden This time try to make Dane look even more lovesick when he’s staring at Penny okay He makes a goofy goggle-eyed face and we all laugh He turns to Anais who plays Penny Don’t worry Anais he says with a wink He’s just acting She rolls her eyes and turns around to grin at me I smile back trying to look like I’m in on the joke The thing is I’m starting to wonder if my crush on Anais ummm I mean Penny really is just acting 3 PoP quiz
Bill points at Satri the kid who plays Prashant Good job Satri but try to whisper a bit louder this time Got it says Satri Everybody ready asks Bill moving to the back of the room Pauline the hair and makeup lady comes over to me and powders my cheek and then lightly musses my hair She pulls back and squints then gives a thumbs-up Looking good Aiden she says Around the edges of the room the elec trics who are responsible for lights check with the camera operators and equipment is shifted around and tweaked once again for another run through of the scene Through the window I catch a glimpse of some kids strolling down the sidewalk They’re chatting away towels around their necks I assume they’re heading to the community pool It’s the dead of summer and school is out for another whole month But for those of us who attend Cherry Lane High School class is still in session Cherry Lane High School clhs for short is the fictitious secondary school that has been the 4 Tom Ryan
main setting for the popular cable tv show Pop Quiz for nine seasons For the past two years I’ve played a supporting role on the show Even though I spend a lot of my summer vacations working I love it As far as I’m concerned it’s the most fun job a fifteen-year-old could ask for I’ve been performing since I was a little kid When other kids my age were starting to play hockey or practice piano I was writing plays and performing them in my backyard Eventually my parents got the hint and enrolled me in acting lessons For years they drove me to private and group lessons twice a week and to make a long story short it paid off When I turned thirteen I was finally old enough to audition for Pop Quiz To my surprise I got a part Because the show relies on teenage actors production has to take place during the summer months It doesn’t bother me at all since this is how I want to spend my time anyway I know the rest of my castmates feel the same way Acting is fun and I won’t lie it’s pretty cool to be on tv Pop Quiz isn’t a massive hit or anything but it’s popular enough to keep chugging along and we definitely have a following I get recognized 5 PoP quiz
