“Liam,” she said, compassionately and I looked down to find her holding a container. “Do you want a cookie?”
I laughed, nodding.
“Yes,” I said, taking one of her father’s secret recipe cookies. They were so loaded with chocolate it was a wonder they had any other ingredients. I had them once or twice before and they never failed to make me feel better. At the moment, however, it was Amy’s smile that was assisting in that endeavor.
We locked eyes for a moment, and the intensity of the gaze was so fierce it almost overwhelmed me. I tilted my head down a fraction of an inch, and she responded, arching her neck upwards. Our lips were only inches apart when we were interrupted by a string of swear words.
“What the…” I pulled away the curtain. On the other end of the stage, Deon was standing there, his phone in one hand, his face the very picture of stunned. I didn’t even have to ask to know what the problem was, I recognized the look immediately. He wasn’t sad, or upset, or grieving. He wasn’t in pain or angry. That was the look of an actor who was simultaneously happy he got a part and stunned because he had a conflict. “Deon?” I asked, as Amy came to stand beside me. He turned his head towards me, waving his phone.
“I…the TV role…full time, Paris…Friday… 3 months, with extension.”
It would have taken a normal person half a day to figure out what he was saying, but I understood immediately. “You can’t do the show then,” I said, calmly. Deon had yet to change the expression on his face.
“Yes…no…But I…What should I…oh Man.” He seemed so overwhelmed he could barely get the sentence out. Everyone was gathering around him in excitement, but his gaze was locked with mine. I forced a smile onto my face as I stepped forward. Deon came over at once, looking much younger than his 18 years.
“Liam?” he said, unsure and I nodded.
“This is what I wanted for you guys, your whole lives. Why are you looking so unsure?” I asked. “Deon, you’ve been here for years, and you’ve been trained since you could speak to do this. Every day of school, every exercise and workshop was so you could be prepared for this day, this moment in your life.”
“But the show…” he said, and I put my hand on his shoulder. Beside me, Amy stood by, and I couldn’t look at her. The most talent in the entire school was now within two feet of me and I was about to lose both of them.
“Don’t worry about the show. You’re ready for this. For all of this.”
He nodded, although I could see the fear in his eyes.
“Amy,” He said, turning to her. “I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be sorry,” she replied, reaching up to hug him. “Don’t be. I almost did the same thing, remember? We’ll work together again, I’m sure.”
“You’re going to make it big, girl.” He hugged her tight, and then turned to me. “I guess I should…”
“Pack,” I said, nodding. “And go see Peter; he’ll be happy for you.”
“Right. Yes,” he said, a grin spreading across his face. “Thank you, Liam. For everything.”
“You won’t say that when your set call is at 4am,” I blurted out, and he laughed. After hugs all around, Deon picked up his stuff, and headed out the door, standing two inches taller than when he walked in. There was a silence that fell over the cast then.