Page 19 of Love in Development

I took the official-looking form from him and immediately balked at the number.“You deserve more.”

He shook his head and reached for the paper in my hand.

“If not, then no pay.”He made as if to rip up the bill, and I snatched it back while fighting tears.Man, I’d been emotional lately.

I handed him my debit card and took my laptop, hugging it close.

The girls congratulated me on my working computer.They were so supportive.Why had I treated them like that?When Lin gave me a ride home, Charisse sat up front as usual.

“Don’t forget aboutA Midsummer Night’s Dream.We’ve been practicing so much, and I know it’s going to be great.It will count as our semester final for my theater class, and the teacher said a percentage of our grade will be based on how full the audience is because we’re also in charge of marketing and selling tickets.”

Lin didn’t say anything.She didn’t need to.I knew it was time to show my support.I reached across the center console to the front seat and hugged Charisse, who reached back toward me.And I promised to be there as I got out of the car and headed up the crumbling cement stairs to the entrance of my apartment building.I hoped nothing would come up, forcing me to break my promise like Dad always did.

Chapter 6

Four days later, Ihugged Charisse backstage as she bounced up to greet us.Having friends was exhausting.They kept appropriating my gaming time.But they had given me a memorable experience at the dance—it had been fun dancing with them, until Ni—and then, stupid me, I’d ditched them without a word.They’d finally pardoned my behavior, but I’d been on parole all week.Lin and Charisse would lock me up and throw away the key if I missed the play.No matter how boring.Or how much I wanted to thank Ivory Knight for his advice.

Lin had insisted we be extra early so we could wish Charisse to break a leg.I never understood that saying.Why would anyone want things to go terribly wrong before a performance that took hundreds of hours of sweat and blood?

Charisse was extra bubbly and kept spouting her nonsensical lines.We left her practicing as she waited for her turn at wardrobe, while we went to find our seats.

Perhaps I had read one too many books or watched one too many movies.But the theater wasn’t draped in red like I expected.I had spent all semester here and should have guessed that it would be swathed in school colors...after all, everything else was black and gold.It also lacked the expected aroma of stale popcorn and sticky-sweet soda spills.Instead, it exuded hard work, dreams, and hopes.

The well-lit area allowed the audience to move around easily and revealed the age of the floors and the edge of the stage.Despite the wear, our school must have had some decent money for a separate theater like this.

Luckily, the tickets were numbered, so we wouldn’t have to worry about finding a seat.And almost no one was here yet.Lin and I just needed to find the right ones.Our seats were front and center.We would be close enough to actually see Charisse!Lin had probably purchased the best seats.I wouldn’t put it past her to bribe someone.

We settled into our seats, Lin on my left, while other audience members trickled in.As close as we were to the stage, and with so few people around us talking.I could hear the scraping and thudding of set pieces being moved, and the curtain continuously rippled.

There was a certain energy in the air that I had never experienced in a movie theater before.I was finally beginning to catch the excitement.My seat creaked slightly when I shifted in it.“How much longer before it starts?”

“At least twenty minutes.”Lin kept swiveling in her own chair, scanning the gathering mass of people.

“Is Charisse the main lead?”

“I’m not sure.She usually gets good parts, though she’s almost always the understudy.”Her attention remained on the entrance doors as she spoke.I smiled to myself.Lin was still obsessed with Maddox.I had a mind to tell the burly football player about her crush, but I wouldn’t betray her trust like that.I wondered if Ni would come to watch the play.If Charisse saw him, it would make her day.By now the crowd was thick and finding a single person impossible.People settled in on either side of us.Lin turned to the person next to her and whispered.What did she have to whisper about?She pressed back against her chair, and the person on the other side leaned around her toward me.