Chapter 32
CHAPTER 32
Holden
Five years earlier…
The cast party was fucking insane. Put a bunch of college students together on a normal weekend and we lose our minds. But a group of amped up theater kids in a big city rooming together in a fancy hotel paid for by someone else after their first huge performance together?
It was almost a guaranteed rager.
The music was so loud, it was vibrating my hair. Nate and Bailey had opened the door between their adjoining rooms to make one large party we could all fit in. Although ‘fit’ was a relative term. It was shoulder to shoulder.
Multiple people tried to hand me a red solo cup, but I already felt like shit. I didn’t need to add to that.
Even still, across the room, I watched as Katherine sipped from her cup chatting with Bailey and a couple other girls, the grin on her face infectious if I hadn’t already felt so fucking awful.
Still, it was a small consolation that she was so relaxed.
Seemingly without regret.
It made me breathe a little easier. Which was saying something because this party was stuffy as fuck. Twenty-something drunk, sweaty college kids jammed into two cheap hotel rooms? It wasn’t exactly my idea of a party.
Thankfully the rooms had balconies. I crossed through the sea of people and unlocked the door, swinging them both open. The cold January air stung as it whipped around me, but I didn’t mind. It was a relief as I stepped out onto the small ledge and leaned against the nearly frozen iron railing.
“And you say I’m bad for liking Jill. At least I didn’t fuck her in front of an audience.”
I spun around stunned. Not stunned to find Duncan there… in fact, I had almost counted on him coming after the game… But shocked to realize he knew.
But of course he knew. That guy knew me better than my own father did. “How did you ? —”
“When the game finished, I rushed over and caught the second half of your show. Just in time to know that even though you’re a good actor—and you are a fucking good actor, Holden—you’re not that good. And neither is she.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” I said, rubbing my eyes. Even if Katherine was fine with what happened, I wasn’t. Because I knew I wasn’t in the right state of mind. Tipsy and caught up in the heat of being on stage? It wasn’t an excuse for what we—I—did.
Duncan grabbed the red solo cup from my hand and tossed it over the side of the balcony. “That’s what’s wrong with you. You’ve got to stop drinking or you’re going to end up just like your mom.”
I nodded, knowing he was right. I yanked the flask from my back pocket and twisted open the cap, dumping the tiny bit of Mom’s remaining booze over the edge of the balcony, too.
“Not that you care, but we won the game tonight, by the way.”
“I do care, Duncan. I want the team to succeed. I just don’t want to be on it anymore.”
“And you’re sure this is what you want?” He gestured around at the party. “Frilly costumes. Eccentric, dramatic theater people, and …” He paused, reaching over to smear his finger across my eyelid. “Makeup?” Holding up his index finger, a black smudge trailed across it.
Across the room, Katherine’s blonde hair swayed with each step as she made her way through the colorful, boisterous crowd. Her gaze was fixed on me, her face lit up with a genuine smile, eyes sparkling in the dimly lit night.
“I’m sure,” I said.
“Because of a girl? You’re giving up your football career and law school over a girl?”
I shook my head. “She’s the reason why I found theater. But she’s not the reason I love it.” Or at least, not the only reason. “Football was never a career… and law school was the future my dad saw for me. Not what I saw for myself.”
“And you think you can do this… this acting thing? For real?”
I nodded. “I really think I can. For the first time, I’m really, really good at something. And I earned it because of my talent… not my dad’s name or donation.” Actually, in a way, I earned it in spite of those things.
Duncan snorted. “Isn’t your director engaged to your dad?”
“Yeah… but she wasn’t when I got the part initially. And trust me, I did everything possible not to get this part of Romeo. My dad all but forbade it.”
Duncan’s hand fell heavily to my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. A Fractured Juliet and her Forbidden Romeo. A perfect pair, huh?”
The scent of Katherine’s rose perfume lingered in the air as she drew closer, mixing with the musky scent of sweat and booze from the crowded party.
I shot Duncan a warning glance. “Be nice.”
He lifted his hands up. “I’m not the one who deflowered her on stage tonight.”
“Hey guys,” Katherine said, stepping out onto the frost covered balcony. Her shoe slid across the ice and she squealed, grasping my arm quickly to steady herself. “Oh! It’s slippery out here!” She giggled, then wrapped her arms around her torso, the exposed skin on her arms immediately lifting with goosebumps. “Cold, too.”
I shrugged out of my jacket and Katherine graced me with a grateful smile as I draped my jacket over her bare shoulders. “Too cold,” I said. “We should go back inside.”
“It’s not so bad… now,” she answered, snuggling into me and pressing a soft kiss to my neck.
“Good job tonight,” Duncan said, pausing only to clear his throat.
“Thanks! I didn’t know you were coming,” Katherine said, slipping her hand into mine.
“Yeah… it was a, um, a last minute decision.”
“Jill couldn’t make it,” Katherine added pointedly, her eyes flashing.
“Yeah,” Duncan scrubbed at the back of his neck with his palm and I wondered if he’d already moved on from her and broken her heart. His fatal flaw was that he grew bored as soon as he had sex with a girl. “We’re supposed to grab sushi when I get back to school.”
"Hey, good game tonight! I heard you scored the winning touchdown,” Katherine added.
I gave her a strange look. “Who’d you hear that from?”
She winked at me. “I have my sources.”
Duncan nodded, puffing his chest out a bit. "Thanks. I slipped right through the defense in the final minute. You were great tonight, too. You both were believable as—” Duncan started to say but was quickly cut off as Bailey screeched, jumping onto the bed and holding her phone high in the air.
“The review just came out!”
“Already?” I asked. A knot twisted in my stomach, tightening like a snake coiling around its prey. My heart raced, fueled by nervous anticipation as I braced myself for the impending review.
My heart raced and my hands trembled as I waited for the judgment to be passed down upon me. It was like standing on a tightrope with no safety net below, my fate hanging in the balance.
Noticing immediately, Katherine squeezed my hand. “Reviews are a part of acting,” she whispered. “It’ll be okay.”
“I’m more concerned about us… you… are we okay?”
“We’re better than okay.” Turning to face me, she cupped my jaw. “I’m not made of glass, you know. You aren’t going to break me.”
She hugged my jacket closer around her, pausing when her hand hit the inner pocket.
Like a slow-motion car accident, I was helpless to stop what was next as she reached inside and pulled out my mother’s flask. She blinked a few times in confusion before the realization dawned in her expression. “You… you were drinking tonight,” she whispered. “Before the show… during it?”
Shame heated my cheeks as I looked down at my feet. “My dad came to visit me right before places. He-he got into my head.”
“So you were drunk when we…” Katherine paused, glancing at Duncan who was pretending to be enthralled with something on his phone.
“Tipsy,” I corrected. “Not drunk.”
She opened her mouth to say something, tears springing to her eyes, but Bailey’s voice drowned out anything else either of us might say. “Who’s ready to hear it!?”
The entire cast cheered, raising their drinks high in the air.
Bailey cleared her throat dramatically before reading from her phone in an exaggerated posh accent.
"Romeo and Juliet sizzled with passion in tonight's Kennedy Center performance. There were many notable performances within the show, but I would be remiss not to immediately state that it’s the chemistry between the young leads, Holden Dorsey as Romeo, and Kate Harris as Juliet, that sets the stage ablaze, transporting us to a world of forbidden love and reckless abandon. While the supporting cast gave solid performances, all eyes were on the star-crossed lovers whenever they occupied the stage.
The pivotal and controversial bedroom scene positively smoldered with sensuality that would make even a porn star blush. In fact, what we saw performed tonight likely went beyond acting and perhaps even ventured into Sharon Stone/Michael Douglas territory. One source close to the show revealed that there was blood on the sheets of the bed after the scene and a few theater goers in the front row confirmed they’d seen it, too.”
Katherine and I exchanged a knowing look, an awkward beat of silence passing between us.
Bailey continued reading. “Was this merely a fine attention to detail by the props master to ensure we knew the virgin Juliet had been deflowered on her wedding night? Or is the chemistry between these actors more than just show? What I can tell you with the utmost certainty is that these two young thespians have bright futures and I have no doubt that we haven’t seen the last of Holden Dorsey or Kate Harris.”
The tension in the room was thicker than fog until Nate cleared his throat, holding his drink high in the air. “It’s a fucking rave, y’all!”
All at once, the music blared again, dancing resumed, and chatter began.
But one niggling thought itched at the back of my mind. Who was this source who saw the bloody sheets? And why the hell would they talk to the reviewer of all people, unless to sabotage us?
Katherine and I exchanged a troubled look as the party continued around us. This review was a disaster, painting us as reckless and unprofessional. Everyone else might have thought that was a rave, but Katherine and I knew the truth. That review could ruin us both.
I scanned the party, looking at every one of my cast mates until my eyes landed on Addison. She tossed her bright red hair behind her shoulder, giving me a sly smile and raised her cup in a mock toast before walking across the room, the large tote bag on her shoulder swinging with each sauntered step.
Of course it was Addison.
She was the nurse who came onstage with us after the scene. She could have easily seen the blood on the sheets. And she would have noticed that I was diverting from the blocking so I could take the sheets with me.
I thought she was walking toward us, but Addison stopped, a few feet in front of the balcony and pulled a chair over, hopping up to stand on it. “I’d like to make a toast!” she said. “To the two stars of our program! Whose acting has been praised nonstop, but as it turns out… may be more method than even McCay bargained for.”
“Addison—” I barked, but she quickly shut me down by pulling out the sheets that I had thrown out in my dressing room. She held them up so that everyone could see the blood stain dotting the center section.
Katherine's face flushed red with either embarrassment or anger, I wasn’t really sure, as Addison waved the bloody sheets in the air for all to see.
“Give me those!” Katherine yelled, lunging towards Addison, trying desperately to yank the sheets from her hands.
Addison laughed, hopping off the chair and yanking at the sheets in a twisted tug-of-war game.
“Stop! Just stop!” Katherine shrieked, tears streaking her face. “You win, Addison. You fucking win, okay?”
“I win? I didn’t have a fucking write up in the goddamn Washington Post saying I’m the next big thing! I didn’t fuck my costar on stage in front of hundreds of people on one of the most prestigious stages in the country!”
“Let go!” Katherine jerked the sheets so hard that the girls tumbled back outside onto the balcony, grunting as her back slammed into the railing, the sheets slipping through her fingers.
Addison smirked and snatched the sheets back out of Kate's grasp. "If you didn’t want everyone to know the truth about your little performance, why’d you do it? Why’d your boyfriend leave the sheets in his dressing room for anyone to find?"
Katherine lunged again for the sheets as Addison danced back, giggling. This time Katherine got a firm grip on them and pulled with all her might. But Addison still refused to let go and they grappled back and forth, the sheets stretching between them.
I rushed forward to steady Katherine as she was knocked yet again into the railing. “Both of you fucking stop it!” I shouted.
Behind Addison, Duncan stepped between the girls, racing over to try to help me break up the fight.
But with the slippery frost coating the balcony floor and the chaotic shoving, Duncan lost his footing. His arms windmilled frantically as he tipped backwards, toppling over the balcony railing. The party went silent except for Duncan's startled shout as he plunged downwards.
A sickening thud sounded from below. Several of our friends rushed to peer over the edge of the balcony in horror where Duncan lay crumpled and unmoving on the sidewalk three stories down.
Dropping the sheets, Katherine pressed a hand to her mouth, eyes wide.
Chaos descended around us while down below, Duncan remained lifeless and still as blood pooled beneath his head.