Chapter 23
I waited outside the door, feeling my heart beat hard.
I knew that there was a window here—after all, I’d lived it.
There had been a moment when I’d left the dressing room and walked out to see all the stagehands were gone and I was all alone in the hallway.
So I just had to find the right timing and I’d be home free.
“Okay,” I muttered to myself. I knew there was only so long that I could stand outside a door I wasn’t supposed to be near without attracting attention and questions that I really didn’t want. It was time to just go for it.
I pulled open the door, stepped into the hallway, and held my breath as I looked around. It was totally empty, but I wasn’t sure how long that was going to be the case. Acting like I had every right to be there, I walked with purpose down the hallway, where I knew the instrument cases were.
As usual, the guitars were lined up, ready and waiting, but I looked past them to the cases of other instruments that seemed to be stored in this backstage area.
Obviously I couldn’t take a whole piano, but surely I could filch a keyboard.
I was just starting to examine them when the door behind me banged open, and I jumped.
Niall was standing there, looking as surprised to see me as I was to see him.
I paused for just a second, trying to recalibrate.
Normally, by this time, Niall was already back in the dressing room with the other members of Eton Mess, telling me to get lost. But a second later, I realized that since I hadn’t intercepted Freddie, he’d gone ahead on the path he went down when he didn’t meet me.
He’d told Niall about the manager, got him Irn-Bru to soften the blow, and spilled it on my dress.
I was realizing a beat too late that I hadn’t factored in where Niall was in this scenario.
And the answer, apparently, was right front of me, messing up my plans.
“Can I help you?” he asked with a wide, empty smile, his voice going back to lazy posh.
“I was just leaving.” I gave him a nod and turned for the door, ready to duck out and hustle back to the entrance, start this whole thing over again. But a second later, it occurred to me he might actually be able to point me in the right direction. “Have you seen a keyboard around here?”
“Uh,” he said, looking disconcerted. “There’s a spare one in that case, I think.” He pointed to one of the instrument cases. “Are you with management?”
I could practically see him weighing me up, like he was trying to figure out if I was someone he needed to impress or not.
He was clearly annoyed that I was there, but wasn’t sure if he could safely express that annoyance.
I saw his gaze travel down to my hand, and his eyes narrowed as he clocked the wristband that confirmed I was just a regular teenager here for Grad Nite, and not someone he had to impress.
“Cool, thanks,” I said, reaching for the door just as Niall took a step in front of it, blocking my path.
“You’re really not supposed to be back here.” His smile, the one that had never met his eyes, was fading by degrees, like someone was hitting a dimmer switch.
“Yeah,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. I wasn’t smiling at all now.
I was just looking at him, assessing him.
He should have counted himself lucky to have been Freddie’s friend all these years.
And then to turn around and try and wreck his chances—and succeed, most of the time—was beyond galling.
It was enraging. “And you’re not really supposed to be giving people allergic reactions, are you? ”
His smile dropped immediately, and I thought I saw a flicker of panic in his eyes before it was immediately smoothed out. “I don’t—What do you mean?”
“I mean how you’re going to mess with Freddie’s water. Because you’re jealous and small and petty.”
He barked out a laugh, like this was just so absurd, but I could see his eyes darting back and forth—could practically hear his brain whirring as he tried to figure out what was happening.
“What are you on about?” he drawled, but I couldn’t help but notice that his accent had started to slip.
“I haven’t done anything. And that’s—What a thing to say, honestly. ”
“You’re going to,” I said, folding my arms across my chest. “You know you’ve already thought about it. Maybe even started to plan?”
“Okay, I don’t have to stay here and hear this,” he said with a forced laugh. “I don’t have to listen to you accusing me of something I haven’t done. Who are you, Tom Cruise?”
“I…” I started, then frowned. “What?”
“You know. Minority Report?”
I shook my head. “Never seen it.”
“Oh it’s really good,” he enthused. “It’s—” A second later, he caught himself. “Why are we talking about this? I don’t even know who you are. You shouldn’t be here. I’m going to call security—”
“No need,” I said, maneuvering past him toward the door.
“I’m leaving.” For just a second, I tried to think of some snappy closing line, but nothing came, so I just settled for giving him the I’m-watching-you finger point before stepping outside and walking away quickly.
And in case Niall actually was calling security, I pushed out fast through the main door and then hustled away, ready to give this another shot.