Chapter 18 #3
The marks from Brewhilda’s nails were easily covered with a little makeup, so it seemed to go largely unnoticed by audience and cast members alike when Chicot didn’t have her mask on.
Overall, the day felt normal even if she was making it a point not to be alone with Monty.
If Monty so much as touched her right, Chicot would probably melt back into her arms and forget all about the dating app, which she knew wasn’t fair to herself.
She needed to talk to her about it, but as they started their third show of the day and Monty lifted Chicot above her head, it was hard to remember why it mattered at all.
Chicot hadn’t even opened the messages yet, too afraid they’d hurt her feelings, but Monty’s kind, gentle hands on her made her forget that worry.
Why was she so afraid Monty was being mean to her in the first place?
She decided she could blame that boy who’d pretended he wanted to date Chicot so he and all his friends could laugh at their text messages and call Chicot nasty things behind her back.
As Chicot rose above the crowd for the last time during their second show of the day, striking the pose as they carefully balanced in a human stack that didn’t make much sense to the eye, but was perfectly balanced, she caught a flash of something in the crowd, an old cowboy hat with an Easter bunny on it.
Monty grabbed her, carefully lowering her as Chicot started to fall out of the hold.
It wasn’t a true fall, just a slow release so they could get down, but Chicot didn’t quite do it right.
This meant Monty had to lower her faster than expected, Chicot’s feet hitting the stage harder than normal.
The crowd didn’t seem to notice, but her ankle certainly did.
Chicot still held her hands up, smiling as the crowd cheered and ignoring her dad entirely.
She took the basket she used to collect tips from Monty, walking around the crowd and ignoring the pain in her ankle for the moment.
Her dad didn’t approach her, and she wondered if Juni and Charlie were there somewhere.
She had been texting Juni on and off, and Chicot hoped this wasn’t about that.
When they got backstage, Chicot took a deep breath, leaning against the wall as they consolidated the tips. Elvis was excitedly chattering, but Chicot only tuned in as she massaged her ankle. Monty was looking at her with her lips drawn and brow furrowed rather than at Elvis.
“Some dude came up and put two hundreds in my basket,” Elvis was saying. “He didn’t say a word, just did it.”
“Really?” Monty’s attention seemed mostly on Chicot, but she was responding to Elvis.
She’d probably noticed Chicot nearly fall out of the hold, so Chicot just hoped it didn’t become a whole thing.
She avoided looking directly at Monty, hoping that would keep her from asking any questions.
Chicot just wanted this weekend to be over already.
“Yeah, a guy in a cowboy hat, didn’t even look like the ren faire type,” Elvis continued. Chicot’s brain clicked on suddenly, her eyes turning to him.
“Was there an Easter bunny on the hat?” she asked. Which was stupid. There had only been one man in a cowboy hat in that crowd..
“Yeah, you know him?” Elvis asked. Chicot shrugged, but her heart was going to break through her rib cage and run a marathon if it beat any faster. That was weird. Why had her dad given them so much money?
“Seen him before,” Chicot said. Monty crossed her arms, looking down at her, but Chicot said she had to get ready for her show with Elijah. She pulled her hood up, slipping off her pirate gear to reveal her leotard for the jester costume.
Elvis just shrugged, dividing up the tips and tucking Chicot’s into her bag for her. He then walked out before Elijah could get there, leaving Monty standing next to Chicot. Chicot had miscalculated this plan. She had no excuse to leave now.
“Are you okay?” Monty asked. Chicot was sitting on a box as she struggled to pull on her pointy jester shoes.
“Yeah, of course,” Chicot answered. Monty knelt in front of her, taking the jester shoe from her and sliding it on herself since Chicot had trouble reaching if her hood was already up. Chicot shivered as Monty touched her calf, her gentle hand holding Chicot still despite her want to fidget.
“Your feet and ankles are okay?” Monty asked. “You really fell, right? Was it because of that man?”
Chicot bit her lip, shrugging. Monty pressed her lips together, a sigh coming out of her.
“Are we okay?” Monty leaned forward, her brow knitted as she fidgeted slightly with Chicot’s shoe.
“Y-Yeah.” Chicot couldn’t look at her. “What makes you ask?”
“You just—” Monty frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me about Brewhilda right away?”
“We didn’t get back until late. You were probably asleep, and I didn’t want to worry you,” Chicot explained. It hadn’t even crossed her mind to tell Monty the night before. She had wanted nothing more than to go to bed with Duchess on her and Elijah sleeping beneath her hammock.
Monty pressed her lips together, slipping Chicot’s second shoe on with gentle hands. She then stood up, cupping Chicot’s cheek, running her fingers along her jaw. Chicot’s lips parted, her eyes swimming over Monty, taking in her pirate jacket and the linen clothes she wore underneath.
“I want you to worry me, okay?” Monty squeezed Chicot’s jaw. It made Chicot want to squirm, she didn’t know if it was to get closer or farther away from Monty. Monty let her go, stepping back as she looked at Chicot. “Break a leg.”
The bells on her head rang as she nodded. Monty smiled but it never reached her eyes, stepping toward the door.
“Monty!” Chicot said abruptly, too loud for the small space. Monty stopped, looking back at her with her hand on the knob. Chicot had wanted to ask about the dating app, but all the confidence drained out of her like a canteen with a hole at the bottom, and instead she shook her head slightly.
“The cowboy hat guy,” Chicot said. “It’s my dad.”
Monty frowned. “Do you need me to tell security?”
Chicot shook her head quickly. “No, I think he’s harmless. It’s just—I thought I should tell you.”
Monty stared at Chicot for a long moment. She always seemed to see right through Chicot when she wasn’t telling the truth. They stood looking at each other, and then Monty nodded.
“Okay,” Monty said. “If I need to tell someone, just say the word.”
Chicot confirmed that she would, and then Monty slipped out of the backstage space with her stilts in hand.
Her back hit the wall behind her, squishing the collar she was wearing slightly as she looked at the ceiling.
She pressed her hands to her face, feeling disembodied for a moment or two before she took a deep breath.
Elijah would be there soon, and she needed to get it together.
Of course, the moment they stepped on stage, the first thing that Chicot saw in the front row was a man in a cowboy hat, an Easter bunny ring attached to the rope around the brim. She couldn’t catch a break.