Page 50 of The Perfect Hit

The cast started to filter into the auditorium, dressed in their costumes and ready to go for the final dress rehearsal. With every opening of the door, I kept hoping Colt would walk through it so I could at least tell him I was sorry.I owed him that for turning away from him every time he wanted to talk. I hadn’t seen him in his usual hangout places all day.

“Should we get started?” Mrs. Sanderson asked, taking her seat in the second row of the auditorium.

“I think Colt is missing,” Scott said, triumph in his voice. “I knew he wouldn’t make it to the final performance. It’s a good thing I’m here.”

Standing, I walked over and glared up at him, wishing I had another couple inches to add intimidation to the fact that I was fuming.

“He is part of this cast, and I don’t care what your personal feelings are. We put this cast together in the best way we knew how with the talent we had to work with. To be honest, Scott, I debated whether or not to put Colt in as the lead because of how genuine he would be in the role.” I paused a moment, watching as disbelief flickered in his eyes. “Would you like to continue with us through the performance? Because we’ll manage even if you’re not here.”

Taking a step back, Scott’s eyes dropped, and he nodded. “I’ll stay.”

“Good.” I glanced around at the rest of the cast, letting out a deep breath. “This is our final run-through. No matter what happens tomorrow night, you’ve done an exceptional job of bringing this script to life, better than I thought it could be. Let’s give it our all and go from there.”

I resumed my seat next to Mrs. Sanderson, and she tapped me on the leg. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been so proud as I have at this moment.”

I frowned, trying to figure out what she was talking about. “You mean my outburst?”

She nodded. “Hazel, you have a fire in you that shouldn’t just be used on the stage. You’re a leader; you just need to remember to communicate what needs to be done.”

I tried to understand what she meant by that but had to refocus on the cast.

“Have you seen Colt?” I asked in a last-ditch effort to curb my inner turmoil about him not being here.

Mrs. Sanderson smiled. “He told me he wouldn’t make the rehearsal today because he had a few things he had to take care of.”

I panicked and turned to face her completely. “Is he quitting the play?”

She shook her head. “No, I think he’s trying to get everything lined up for it to work out this weekend. He was in my classroom practicing lines for most of the day, so I wouldn’t worry about him too much.”

So that’s why I hadn’t seen him in between classes or at lunch. I was partially relieved that he wasn’t completely ditching out on the play, but I hoped he wasn’t also using it as an excuse to avoid me until the performance took place.

33

Colt

I’d wiped my hands on my pants nearly five times as I waited for practice to begin. I’d been sitting out in the hot Texas sun, going through every scenario possible.

When Coach Maddox walked up, I stood, hoping I could say everything I wanted to say. I’d meant to tell him sooner, but he’d gone in for an emergency surgery to remove his appendix that had burst, causing him to be in the hospital longer than normal.

“Hey, Coach,” I said, hitting one fist into my palm. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

He sat down gingerly on a bucket of balls and turned to me. “What’s up, Buttars?”

I breathed out quickly, hoping I’d be able to do this without stumbling over my words. “Well, I joined the play back during the first of the season, and I probably should’ve told you about it then.”

Coach Maddox gave me a half-smile and nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been waiting to see how long it would take you to tell me. I just couldn’t believe you made it to the performances before talking to me about it.”

“W-what? How’d you know?”

“It helps when your stepmom is the drama director.” Coach Maddox grinned as the realization hit my face.

“Your stepmom is Mrs. Sanderson? Why the different last names?”

He shrugged. “I think it was easier to keep Sanderson as her professional name when they got married. She uses Maddox for everything else.”

All of that finally sank in, and I tried to smile. “I want to be here for the team; I want to help take the team to the state championship. But I also want to do this.”

The anxiety of the unknown ate at my stomach, wrapping everything up in knots. What would he say to that?

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