Chapter Thirteen
Then
Instead of Allie’s sleek Mazda pulling into her driveway for school carpool that morning, Wyatt’s beat-up Chevy truck grumbled
up the drive, sputtering in protest when he put it into park and waved out the window at her.
“Allie had an early morning practice, so I thought I’d see if you wanted a ride.”
Of course she did. Piper had her license and the keys to her mom’s old Lexus, but she wasn’t a confident driver and avoided
navigating the Tetris-stacked parking lot of the high school. Wyatt knew that.
Because it was unseasonably mild for mid-February, Piper wore only a light coat over her navy tweed skirt and white blouse.
Knee-high leather boots kept her warm enough. She climbed into his truck, and her eyes widened at the biceps stretching Wyatt’s
T-shirt like rubber bands ready to snap. He hadn’t bothered with a jacket on this chance warm day and clearly had been keeping
his newly buff body under wraps with sweaters all season.
Despite her efforts not to stare, Wyatt caught her anyway.
“I need some new shirts.” He looked down at his tee, a stain of pink coloring his cheeks. “I know this looks like I’m auditioning
for a role in Grease, but I’ve been following some of the suggested workouts to get prepped for boot camp. It’s only about six months away now.”
“No. It looks good, err, fine. It looks normal.” Piper rolled her window down to cool her burning cheeks as Wyatt drove toward
the school. “I can’t believe you’re leaving so soon.” I’m going to miss you.
Every time she pictured Wyatt holding a gun or, worse, having a gun held against him, her bones ached. But thinking about
him away from her for so long hurt like a fresh wound. They’d always been close, but ever since he’d pulled her into the closet
at that summer party, the magnetic field between them had strengthened, drawing her even closer.
“Did you see Magic Realm is filming in Charlotte today?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Yes!” Piper had seen the posts on social media last night about crew trailers setting up. “I can’t believe they’re making
a TV show. And not far from here! It’s going to be so good.”
“We should go.”
“Go where?”
“To Charlotte to watch them film. Today.”
“We can’t, Wyatt. We have school,” Piper protested.
“Piper, you’ve already gotten into Carolina, and I’d bet my truck you’re making straight As in all your classes. One missed
day won’t change that. In fact, I think it’s required for a senior to play hooky at least once.”
Piper wrinkled her nose. “Isn’t that what senior skip day is for?”
“So, you only want to break the rules on a day when it’s encouraged?” Wyatt chuckled. “I should have guessed.”
“What about you? You’re finally turning your grades around. I don’t want you falling behind.”
“I got a B on my last stats test, and I’m passing all of my classes thanks to your tutoring. I think I’ve earned a day off.”
Piper shot him a long, stern look.
“Come on, Piper. When are we ever going to get to do this again? Please come with me.”
Piper leaned back against the headrest and looked upward as if she’d find the answer on the car’s ceiling. He was right. They were running out of time to make memories and do all the fun things senior year had promised them. Plus, how cool would it be to see the Magic Realm set?
She answered Wyatt with a toothy grin. “Let’s do it.”
But he was already a step ahead, turning onto the highway away from school and toward the city.
Using social media, they found the filming location at an open soccer field marked by orange blockades and piles and piles
of cords plugging in everything from cameras to lights to fans. Bright-colored crepe paper streamers hung above tents with
fairy lights, everything decorated to look like a Renaissance May Day celebration. In the middle of the field stood an actual
maypole. They weren’t actively filming yet, but crew members arranged set pieces and tested lights, scurrying like ants across
the field.
“This is the scene where Peregrine crashes the party to warn Dash he’s in danger,” Piper whispered as they crept closer. They
joined the crowd of onlookers peering over the fence that lined the field, waiting for action.
Trailers crammed the parking lot to the right of them along with a white tent filled with people in jewel-toned costumes alongside
production assistants dressed in black speaking urgently into their headsets.
“I know! Come on, let’s see if we can get in on the action.” Wyatt walked toward the crew village.
Piper hurried after him. “What? No, Wy, I’m not sure we’re supposed to be here. We should stay out of the way.”
“Trust me. It can’t hurt to ask.”
With more confidence than a high school truant should have, Wyatt sidled up to the table labeled background check-in and gave the frazzled production assistant behind it an endearing grin. “Hi, we’re here to check in. Wyatt Brooks and Piper
Adams.”
Piper stood arrow straight and avoided eye contact with the PA running a finger down a printed sheet of names in front of her.
“Sorry, I don’t have your names. What casting agency sent you?”
Busted.
“Um, the ‘we’re huge fans and would love to be extras, and you don’t even have to pay us’ agency.” Wyatt flashed his dimples.
Did his smile have the same effect on others as it did on Piper?
The PA sighed and cracked her neck. “Normally, this is when I’d call security, but I had a few extras call in sick this morning,
so it’s your lucky day.” She handed them each a blank W-4 and an NDA. “Fill these out. You’ll get a check at the end of the
day. Don’t talk to the actors. Absolutely no pictures. And don’t do anything that will make me regret this, okay?”
The dimples had worked, but that wasn’t a surprise. They filled out the forms before she could change her mind. Piper shared
a “can you believe our luck?” look with Wyatt, whose eyes were as wide with excitement as hers.
Once she’d collected their forms, the PA handed them each a green slip of paper that said “party guests.” “Wardrobe is in
the trailer to my left. Give Janine these.” She gave them a half smile. “And have fun.”
Before Piper knew it, Janine had fit her in a green velvet dress with a long cape and Wyatt in matching green pants, a belted
white tunic, and thick brown boots. Someone else whisked Piper away to hair and makeup and, after an hour of powders and hair
spray, transformed her into a bewitching Magic Realm maiden. The young woman staring back at her in the mirror looked confident, beautiful—and ready for a party. The dress nipped
in at the waist, accentuating her curves, and with the artful makeup, her green eyes sparkled like emeralds.
When Piper walked out, Wyatt’s face lit up. The low whistle he gave her made the sixty minutes sitting in the hair and makeup chair worth it. Wyatt looked good, too. Better than good, he looked like a cross between Robin Hood and the Jolly Green Giant in the best way possible. Someone had applied a product to his hair that tamed his curls into a Hollywood-worthy coif, and wardrobe had used his new muscles to their advantage, brandishing his biceps like weapons by rolling his sleeves up past his elbows.
Being an extra amounted mostly to waiting around. But waiting in an official Magic Realm costume with Wyatt all day felt like a holiday and way better than AP Statistics. Eventually, the director called them to
the set. He explained they were guests of Queen Meadow and her stepson, Dash, at a fanciful May Day party that would be one
of the show’s opening scenes. After spreading everyone out, he arranged them in small groups, relaying instructions on where
to walk and what to pretend to laugh about or say.
“Ah, my lovebirds,” the director said with a glimmer in his eye when he reached Wyatt and Piper. “The camera will follow you
two into the party before we go wide on the full scene. I need you to walk hand in hand like you are having the time of your
life. Can you do that?”
Piper’s mouth went dry, making responding impossible.
Next to her, Wyatt slung an arm around her shoulders and gave the director an unfazed smile. “You’ve got it.”
“Excellent! I want you to start right behind the camera here and then walk to the maypole.”
He led them back to a man with a camera strapped to his body like a baby. “Okay, find your marks. Camera rolling, and action!”
The slate dropped with a clack, and everyone moved into place like a merry-go-round coming to life. Piper had been so excited
about this opportunity hours ago, but now her shoes were heavy as lead, her limbs stiff.
Wyatt slipped his hand into hers and tugged her forward. “Can you believe we’re on the set of Magic Realm right now?”
She knew he was trying to calm her nerves as the camera followed, and she appreciated it.
“Look how perfectly they cast Peregrine,” he continued.
She nodded, eyeing the redheaded, leather-clad actress standing off to the side, about to make her entrance.
Wyatt dipped his head to whisper in her ear. “You would have made a pretty great Peregrine, too.”
Piper chuckled at the far-fetched statement. She was nothing like the warrior princess who didn’t let anyone stand in her
way.
“Cut!” the director shouted, and everyone traipsed back to their original places. “Lovebirds, walk a little closer together,
yeah? Maybe kiss her on the cheek. Don’t overthink it. It’s a beautiful spring day, you’re at a fabulous party, and you’re
in love!”
Piper swallowed hard and focused on a blade of grass. Using the suggestions as an invitation, Wyatt wrapped an arm around
Piper’s waist and leaned closer the next time they started the scene. He pressed a kiss to her temple as they approached the
maypole, sending a cannonball of heat through her body. Thank God the camera was only catching them from behind because she
knew her face burned fire engine red against her green dress. Being this close to Wyatt set her at ease and on fire simultaneously.
They walked the scene over and over again, each time growing more comfortable with the movements of the camera. And with each
other. Every time Wyatt’s lips grazed her cheek, her forehead, her hair, it transported her to that tiny closet, her heartbeat
echoing off the walls. Here, in broad daylight, it somehow felt even more intimate. Like they were getting away with something
outrageous right under everyone’s noses. Everyone could see them, but no one was paying attention. It was easy to forget they
were only acting like a couple. And hard for Piper not to want it to be real. Hard for her not to turn her head until his
lips met hers.
The director yelled his final cut for the day, and Piper sagged in relief. The tantalizing closeness of Wyatt pretending to like her romantically had been sweet agony, but the moment they separated to change out of their costumes, she missed the weight of his hand in hers. She hadn’t been pretending when holding his hand made her whole arm tingle or how his sweet kisses made her heart sing. That had all been very real.
By the time Wyatt pulled his truck into Piper’s driveway, the sun was a distant memory in the sky. He turned to her, truck
idling in park. “Thanks for risking your perfect GPA to attend a royal May Day party with me.”
“That was one hundred percent worth skipping school for.” Piper could see her mom staring out the window at them with a frown.
“But I’m so screwed if my parents find out. Do me a favor and don’t tell anyone we did this, okay?”
“Promise,” he said, making an x symbol over his heart.
She stepped out of the truck and shut the door but leaned back in through the window. “You know, if the army doesn’t work
out, you should consider a career in acting. You were great back there. Made it look so easy.”
He shook his head. “Nah. I’m a terrible actor. It was easy because it was with you.”
Piper glowed up at him, too tongue-tied to respond before he backed out of the driveway with one last wave. She didn’t know
where they went from here. She only knew her growing feelings for Wyatt were as fragile as the first ice over a freezing pond,
crystals spiderwebbing across a sheet of glass—one wrong step would plunge her into icy water.
Their secret skip day didn’t stay hidden for long. The next day, the local paper printed a story about the TV show filming locally, featuring a picture of the two of them holding hands in front of the camera, smiling widely at each other. Distracted by Wyatt’s smile, Piper hadn’t even noticed anyone taking pictures. Her father acted amused, but her mother was livid—storming into Piper’s room demanding an explanation, worrying that Piper was headed down a “bad path.”
“Mom, I skipped one day. You can’t possibly think I’m heading for a life of crime now,” Piper defended herself.
“I don’t know. That’s how these things start.”
“What things?”
Her mom ticked an example off each finger. “Hanging out with the wrong crowd, getting knocked up, doing drugs, dropping out
of school.”
Piper rolled her eyes. “None of those things are happening, Mom. Relax.”
“Don’t tell me to relax, young lady.” She folded the newspaper up forcefully, her mouth twisted into a deep frown. “It’s a
slippery slope and you are already on it.”
Meaning she categorized Wyatt as the “wrong crowd.” Which was going to be a problem , since Piper very much wanted to hold his hand again.
Soon.