Page 18 of Selling Out
She looks straight ahead again. “It’s a terrifying thought, I’ll give you that.”
“What is?”
“The pants falling down thing.”
“You worried about yours too? Should’ve worn the dress.”
She scoffs. “First of all, there are plenty of wardrobe malfunctions just waiting to happen with a dress that short and tight. Second, I’m worried aboutyourpants falling down, not mine.”
I turn to her, crossing my arms over my chest and smiling. “You’ve got to stop thinking about my clothes coming off, Mia. I need you focused out there tomorrow.” I’m being a total and complete tool, but if it distracts her from her nervesandgets a little reaction out of her…
She turns and stares me down. “Here’s a novel idea: try selling your music instead of your body.”
“Hmm.” I squint, pretending to give it some thought, then I wrinkle my nose. “Nah.”
She shakes her head and turns toward the empty arena again. “Will it be full?”
“Pretty close to it, I think.” Oddly, Mia’s nerves are helping me relax.
She takes in a deep breath.
“Mia.” I wait until she looks at me. “We’ve got this.”
She holds my gaze for a second. “My audience is usually invisible. They’re just numbers on a screen—likes, comments, views. This? This is different.” She stares at the room, taking in a long, slow breath. A sudden hiccup bursts out of her, and she slaps a hand over her mouth, her eyes shifting to me.
I raise my brows. “You okay?”
“You’re scared of your pants falling down,” she says behind her hand. “Thisis what I’m afraid of.”
I frown. “Hiccups?”
Hic! “I get them when I’m really nervous.”
“Huh. Okay.” I’m not about to say it to her, but her fear is a lot more valid than mine. It’s not like my pants fall down whenever I’m nervous. “Let’s get you some water.” I move, but she stops me with a hand.
She waits for the nexthicbefore responding. “That doesn’t work for me. Trust me. This has been a thing for as long as I can remember. I’ve tried everything. Gosh, I wish Gemma was here.”
“Your sister?”
She nods.
“So, you just have to ride it out? How long do they last?”
“Hours sometimes. I’ve only found one thing that can consistently get rid of them.”
I wait expectantly.
“Surprise.”
“Surprise,” I repeat.
She nods.
I rub a hand over the bottom half of my face. I find this little quirk of Mia’s fascinating. And really inconvenient for her and this tour. I turn my head, thinking. “You mean surprise as inthis?” I whirl around toward her.
Hic! She grimaces apologetically. “I figured you’d do that. It’s what most people do when they find out the trick.”
“Dang.” I sigh.
