Page 110 of Reaching Avery
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Maverick
I peeked out of the curtain from backstage, seeing everyone as they wandered into the theater and took their seats. A lump was wedged in my throat, and my hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
Last year when I’d played Brom inThe Legend of Sleepy Hollowplay, I’d been nervous before going on stage, but once I’d gotten out there, I’d had a lot of fun.
However, this time I was going to be singing, dancing,andhaving to remember all of my lines. For once, I was thankful I hadn’t gotten the part of the Beast. Not sure I could’ve handled all that pressure.
“Mavy!” Sarah pulled me away from the curtain. She was dressed in the peasant Belle outfit and didn’t look nervous at all. “How are you feeling?”
“Is ‘dead man walking’ a valid answer?”
“Oh stop,” she said. “You’re going to be amazing. Just remember to breathe and not fall off the stage. Again.”
“How are you so calm?” I asked, envying her confidence, which was ironic since I was playing a guy with an ego the size of the sun.
“I’m nervous,” she admitted, walking with me to the shop, where all the props were made and stored. “But this is my passion, and I refuse to let the fear of messing up stop me from pursuing it.”
The five minute ‘til show time announcement was made backstage and Sarah had to rush off to get in place. I worked on my breathing, deeply inhaling before releasing it slowly.
Oh my freaking god, what is my first scene again?
I needed to go check my script. All of my lines seemed to leave my head in a flash. With hands shaking and my heart rate spiking, I stood there and fought off an anxiety attack.
Then arms came around me from behind.
“You okay, big guy?” Avery asked, resting his chin on my shoulder.
Almost instantly, I relaxed and turned around to face him, enfolding him in my arms. He was going to be a stagehand that night, helping with the set changes.
“Yeah,” I said in a tone that contradicted it. “Well, as okay as I can be. Do you have any spells you can cast that’ll give me, like, super confidence? Hell, I’d even settle for a little.”
“Remember what I told you months ago, when we were at the tracks?” he asked, staring at me with thoughtful blue eyes. “It may be scary, but you have to have faith in yourself and do it anyway. You don’t need magic to be awesome, Mav. Because you already are.”
Mr. Lee rounded the corner and gave an excited smile. “You ready? Show’s about to begin.”
I nodded, and once Mr. Lee left, I looked back at Avery. He was dressed in all black—as usual—and I tucked a piece of his dark hair behind his ear. More eyeliner covered his lids that day, fanning out at the sides of his eyes and going into a sharp point.
My gothic beauty.
I kissed him beneath his right eye, and he did the unexpected and brushed his lips across my throat. It sent shivers down my spine.
“Break a leg,” he whispered, and I felt him smile against my neck.
“Hey, you remembered,” I said, moving back to meet his amused gaze. It seemed like ages ago when he’d showed up at my audition after school, telling me to break a foot.
We’ve come a long way since then.
But we still had a ways to go.
About two weeks had passed since the Halloween party, and he still hadn’t told me whatever it was that’d made him freak out on me that night. I wasn’t exactly a creative person, but the possibilities I’d conjured in my mind to explain it weren’t exactly reassuring, especially having a general idea of the abuse he’d suffered.
Hearing the opening of the musical, every muscle in my body tensed at once. My face must’ve reflected my horror, because Avery pulled me to him and kissed beneath my jaw.
“Just go out there and have fun,” he said against my skin. “I’ll be in the wings watching.”
And funny enough that actually made me feel better.
