Page 20 of Home Coming

Josie, finally glancing at Bailey, frowned. “Why aren’t you wearing your name tag?”

“They put Jane on it.”

Her frown deepened. “I think Jane is a nice name. It’s better than Josephine.” Josie scowled.

“But you’re not Josephine. You wanted people to call you Josie—which is totally adorable—and we do. So why can’t I be Bailey?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll try. I just keep forgetting. You were Jane for the whole time we were in school. And I still say it’s a perfectly good name.”

Bailey sighed. “Maybe it’s not the name. It’s that I don’t want to be who I was then.”

“I liked who you were then. You were my best friend.”

Were.Bailey’s heart clenched. The distance, both in miles and in friendship, was her fault.

“You’re still my best friend,” Bailey admitted.

Aside from her followers online, and Xander who was contractually bound to her, and her asshole ex-boyfriend Axel who was no longer part of her life, Josie really was the only person she could count as a friend.

“Aw. Thank you. And I’m so glad we’re still friends.” After a hug, Josie pulled back. “A friend I can keep calling Jane?” she asked

“No. I’m someone new now and I think that deserves a new name.”

“Okay. I get it.” Josie nodded. “So,Bailey,let’s get a drink.”

“Can I just run to the bathroom first?”

Nerves made her have to pee. Always had. Before the start of a show, even if she was behind the scenes on stage crew, she’d get so nervous she’d have to run to the bathroom.

She hadn’t felt like that in years. But here she was, rushing off to the bathroom to pee, even while her mouth was dry and she’d kill for a glass of water.

Of course, there was a line since the bar was packed.

The wait for the restroom didn’t bother her but the company did.

“Hello, Jane,” Cassie said.

Of course she’d run into Quinn’s high school girlfriend. This was a reunion. What did she expect? And dammit, Cassie was still willowy thin. Tall with perfect hair and teeth and clothes.

Fellow theater geek, Cassie was the girl who’d landed all the leads. Who got to be the star, which gave her a confidence Bailey would never attain.

She got to wear the pretty costumes and collect the flowers during curtain calls, while backstage Bailey had been dressed in all black to remain invisible during the dramas. Or she had been in the orchestra pit during the musicals. Again, unnoticed. One among many nameless faceless musicians.

In hindsight, that seemed all pretty symbolic since Cassie was the girl Quinn noticed. The one he dated. And Bailey—Jane—was the one he mostly ignored.

“Hi, Cass. And actually, it’s Bailey now.”

Cassie frowned. “Why?”

“Well, I—”

A scream, or maybe more of a squeal, interrupted.

“Cassie Hart! Oh my God. Look at you.” Cassie was pulled away by their former chorus teacher and school play director, Mrs. Rossi, before Bailey could dazzle her with her follower count.

The bathroom opened up and Bailey took that opportunity to slip inside. Between the wrap dress and the tights and her shape wear, it took longer to put herself back together than she’d anticipated within the confines of the small stall.

Someone knocking on the door had her rushing as she called, “Be right out!”

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