Chapter 35
Dafne
After we hurry out of bed and try to make ourselves presentable, Ms. Patterson and Mr. Hackle have the whole group gather in the courtyard. The sun is bright despite the chilly air–it seems like the sunshine we were promised a few days ago is pulling a prank by coming out just as we’re leaving.
“I know it’s not time for goodbyes yet,” Ms. Patterson starts, fixing her glasses on top of her head.
“But Mr. Hackle and I have been working with you for the past three years, and whether you believe it or not, we care about each and every single one of you.”
I’m taken aback by the veil of emotion coating her speech. She’s right–we hadn’t been expecting one at all.
“Whatever happens once you have that diploma in your hands is up to you,” Mr. Hackle adds, scratching his bearded chin with a thumb. “But we sincerely hope we, as well as the rest of your teachers, have given you the means to navigate what is waiting for you out there. ”
Oh, boy. Ollie and I exchange a look, and he nods at me.
Ms. Patterson is about to say something else, but our director claps his hands instead. “Enough with the pleasantries, tomorrow you’ve got your dress rehearsal, which I expect you to be ready for. You’re so close to the finish line, but there’s still the biggest chunk to go.” He meets each of our gazes individually, and I hope he has confidence in what he finds there. “I hope you’ve already gathered your things, APDAS awaits.”
Barely ten minutes later, when we’re all about to get on the bus, Ms. Patterson approaches me. “Dafne, a word?”
Ollie shoots me a questioning look and I subtly shrug. I have no idea what this could be about.
“I just wanted to tell you how glad I am that you and Theodore have been getting along so well,” she chirps, her hands pressed over her heart.
“Oh, uh, thank you, Ms., I–”
“I knew you’d make a perfect match!” she squeals. I don’t fail to notice that with the way she just scrunched her nose, and her new bob haircut, she suddenly looks even younger than her thirty-four years. But there’s also something else . And I know she’s enthusiastic by nature, but this level of zeal regarding Theo and me is suspicious even for her.
“Forgive me for speaking plainly, but did someone tell you Theodore and I are… ”
“I didn’t need anyone to tell me, Miss Wright. I have an eye for matters of the heart,” she says with no shortage of satisfaction. “I like to think I’ve helped a little. Nudged the both of you in the right direction, so to speak.”
She’s not making sense. Nudged us in–wait.
No, that’s not possible. Is it?
“The handkerchief,” I articulate. “Theodore came in looking for a practice sword after rehearsals, but those are not usually in the prop room.”
“Guilty,” she beams. “The room placements were a welcome coincidence, well, I sort of color-coded–”
“Did you know the lock was broken?” I know I’m still speaking to a teacher, but I honestly can’t believe she’d have us spend the night in a room with no windows, no heating, and no beds . And what if one of us was claustrophobic? Have Phoebe’s romance novels gotten to her, too?
Her smile falls. “The lock? In the prop room?”
I nod faintly and sense Theo’s eyes on me through the bus window. What? He mouths as I glance up at him, and I shake my head.
“Oh my,” Ms. Patterson whispers, a sudden wave of panic in her voice. “No, Dafne, I did not. Oh, that’s really bad. Robert, I mean, Mr. Hackle–”
“Won’t know if we don’t tell him,” I finish her sentence, giving her a pointed look. Her eyes are wide, but she nods. I don’t want her to get in trouble, even though she was trying to play bloody matchmaker with her acting students.
“You’re a good girl, Dafne. I’m really sorry for meddling. It just pains me to see two people who would be great together not see it themselves,” she sighs, and I don’t miss the look full of longing she throws somewhere behind us. I don’t need to turn to know who she’s looking at.
“It’s probably not my place, Ms., but … the past few months have taught me that you’ll never know if you never try,” I say before I get on the bus, Mr. Hackle oblivious to the conversations she and I were just having as he shakes hands with the keep’s only staff member.
“Just a thought,” I add to her, and hop on the bus.
“What was that about?” Theo asks as I take my place next to him, Ollie and Devon right behind us.
“Turns out we have a groupie,” I laugh before explaining what Ms. Patterson just confessed.
On the ride back I nap on Theo’s shoulder for the majority of the time, slipping in and out of consciousness as he sings Dreams under his breath. He nudges me gently when we’re almost back at APDAS, letting me know if I don’t get up we might be stuck here forever.
“That’s not such a bad idea,” I mumble, which makes him laugh. He retrieves both of our bags from the compartments of the bus, as Mr. Hackle reminds us he’ll see us bright and early for dress rehearsal in the morning .
Our whole group starts walking towards the dorms, and while I’m attempting to pry my bag back from Theo’s hand, I hear it.
“I’m telling you, they’re shagging. Must have been all along–one of them probably got the other in,” someone says, half-whispering, but close enough for me to hear. Theodore’s expression hasn’t changed from a few seconds before, so I assume he hasn’t heard, but then he grimaces, and before I have time to react he lets go of my bag and turns to go stand in front of Jack’s face.
“Say it again,” he prompts, sounding incredibly calm.
Way too calm.
Jack chuckles nervously as he shrugs, his palms facing up. “Say what, mate?”
Theo huffs, then starts backing away. “You’re a spineless arsehole, you know that?” he says, turning to pick up the bags he’d dropped on the gravel. I place a hand on his arm and try to look at him, but he averts my gaze.
“Why so defensive? Is she not a good lay or–” Jack adds then, and I can see in the twitch of his jaw that’s when Theo truly loses his patience.
He reaches for Jack in a single stride and grabs him by the collar. As he’s about to hurl a fist at his cheekbone, Devon and Ollie rush to drag him back with them.
“Fuck you, Jack,” Theodore shouts, the rest of our castmates staring in utter shock .
“You talk about her like that again, I’ll–”
“Oy,” Devon tries, “it’s not worth it, Theo, alright? Let it go,” he pulls on his left shoulder.
Theo is breathing heavily, but he allows them to take him away. I look over at Jack and say, “Jealousy’s not a good look on you, dickhead,” and hurry after them, taking both of our bags with me despite the fact that my knees are suddenly wobbly. I couldn’t give less of a damn about what Jack thinks of me or Theo, but that doesn’t mean he gets to disrespect us and get away with it.
Theo takes the stairs two at a time, stomping to his room without sparing me a look, and it hurts more than I can say. I start to follow, but Devon puts a hand on my arm and cuts me a pleading look. “It’s best to leave him be for tonight,” he tells me gently, taking Theo’s bag with his free hand. “I’ll have him text you later, yeah?”
I nod wordlessly, shooting one more look at the stairs where Theodore just disappeared, and let Ollie walk me back to my room.
“Daf, you okay?” he says softly.
“None of that was okay, Ollie. Jack is such a dick, and-and Theo was so –” I start, choking on whatever I was about to say next. My head is swimming with the events of the past ten minutes, and I don’t know what I should be worrying more about. The very way Theo was ready to make Jack shut up with his fist or that his reaction to what that idiot said might get him into trouble ?
“Do you want me to stay? I can squeeze myself into Phoebe’s bed. Or in the bathtub.” Ollie suggests, knowing well we don’t have a bathtub, but trying to get a smile out of me. Maybe for the first time since I’ve known him, he fails miserably.
“No, you should go. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day,” I sniff.
He steps closer and squeezes my shoulder. “Text me if you need me, yes?”
I nod once, and pass a hand over my face, crouching to unzip the pocket where I put my keys.
I get the door open, and Phoebe jolts from her bed. “M’wake,” she yawns as she props herself on one elbow, waking up completely as she takes me in. I’m fairly sure I look like I’m going to throw up.
“What’s that face for?” she says, sitting up straight so suddenly the book propped on the edge of her bed falls with a muffled thud. I drop my bag and walk to my bed, plopping down on the light pink comforter.
“Jack, uh, one of the cast members,” I start, “started talking about Theodore and me and Theo, well, he didn’t like it.”
“I … see?” Phoebe says, clearly confused by my less than brilliant summary. I tell Phoebe I’ll explain later, that I need a steaming shower first. She says a wild berries-infused tea will be ready when I’m out.
I don’t know what I’ll do without her.
About an hour later, I’m telling Phoebe all about the re-treat, and when I get to the sex, she officially loses her mind. I’m about to get to what happened when we got back, but my phone starts to buzz. Theodore’s name flashes on the display.
“Is it him?” she asks, trying to peer at the screen from her bed.
“Yep,” I breathe, staring at the phone.
“Are you not going to answer?”
“Yeah, but I can’t talk to him if you’re staring at me,” I smile.
“No staring, I promise, but if I happen to overhear something, it’s not my fault,” she turns with her stomach on the bed, her head propped in one hand, while the other starts scrolling through her Instagram feed.
“Hey,” I pick up the call. “I wasn’t really expecting to hear from you until tomorrow.”
“Dafne, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted like that. I hope I didn’t scare you,” Theodore says roughly, my heart breaking a little at this tone.
“It takes more than that to scare me, Price. And Jack, well, I always thought him an idiot. I was just … surprised,” I admit. “I’ve never seen you so angry, and I’m fairly sure I’ve seen various degrees of your anger before.” I try to keep my tone light now, because I know, and feel, he’s probably been beating himself up for letting his control slip up.
A beat of silence passes, so I continue, “I do want to make something clear, Theo. I appreciate you standing up for me, but I don’t need you to fight my battles. Physically or metaphorically. Besides, you could have gotten hurt.”
“No, I know that,” he replies quietly.
“Alright,” I add, waiting for him to say something that will kill the paranoia I’m trying to smother. Like that he’ll talk to Mr. Hackle first thing in the morning before things escalate negatively. I’m about to suggest I could go with him, when he asks, “Are we good, then?” He sounds unsure, and I don’t like hearing him like this.
From the corner of my eye, I can see Phoebe’s head is tilted towards me, so I abruptly turn to look at her and meet her eyes. She stifles a laugh and goes back to scrolling.
“Yes. We are good .”
“Right. I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Goodnight,” he says, weariness clinging to his words.
He’s not a child, Dafne. He’ll feel better in the morning, and everything will be fine. I press the red circle button that ends the call and throw my phone on the comforter before letting myself fall on the bed.
“Okay?” Phoebe asks, without raising her gaze from her screen this time.
“Yeah. Okay.”