Behind the Scenes(48)

“Quit.” He takes a drink of beer, assuming everything is just that easy.

I take in a slow breath. “I need the job. I scored big with it. Half the people I graduated with are working in restaurants because they couldn’t find production jobs.”

He nods like he understands, but I don’t think he really does. Maybe he’s even thinking, What’s so wrong with working in a restaurant?

Brendan was always more relaxed when it came to careers than I was. For years, I’ve known what I want to do with my life. Pursuing it has become a top priority. For Brendan, work is work. A job is a job, and a career is something you may or may not fall into. Community and family is what’s number one for him.

Someone clears their throat loudly. Crystal steps around the corner, Eryk’s laptop in her hands. “Lady and gentleman,” she begins in a solemn voice. “I would like to present the one and only, Miss Lilac Sky.”

I giggle over Eryk’s stage name and press a hand to my mouth, barely able to contain my excitement. This will be the first time I’ve seen Eryk in a costume consisting of more than the heels he’s been teetering around on.

Crystal hits a button on the computer and Ariana Grande’s Focus begins playing. Brendan and I glance at each other. He’s got a smile on his face and is bobbing his head to the beat.

Crystal scurries out of the way and sets the computer on the coffee table. From around the corner, a cherry red stiletto pops out, followed by a long, stocking clad leg. Eryk comes into view, but he’s nothing more than a faint semblance of my roommate. A blue and purple wig adorns his head, the curls brushing against long dangling earrings. He wears a tight, black miniskirt and the corset we picked up last month at the costume shop a few streets away.

His face is done up in full makeup, with smoky eyes and a Marilyn Monroe beauty mark. I recognize Crystal’s handiwork in the sparkling eye shadow and lined lips. He bats his eyes suggestively at us, then brings his hand up to his mouth. Clutched in it is a hairbrush. The first verse of the song begins, and Eryk opens his mouth, lip synching along to the words.

He does a little shuffle step forward, then another one. His free hand trails suggestively down his thigh and he locks eyes with me as he sings his way into the bridge.

I laugh and clap my hands. He looks amazing; even better than I had expected.

Crystal dances along next to the couch, twisting her head and shaking her hips like she should be wearing a poodle skirt and Mary Janes. I sneak a peek at Brendan. The smile from earlier has been dampened. It’s still there, but it’s a flicker of what it was.

Eryk sets a stiletto on the coffee table and leans forward, singing to the three of us. Crystal pretends to swoon, falling down onto the couch next to me.

I glance at Brendan again. He licks his lips and bobs his head along, but the motion is jerky and his face is now grim.

The song enters the bridge, and Eryk dances his way to the middle of the room. He does a full out choreographed routine as the beat drops, which is damn impressive considering the shoes he has on.

“Yeah, Eryk!” Crystal shouts.

We both clap, whooping and hollering. Brendan joins in, though his enthusiasm is still no match for mine and Crystal’s.

The song ends and Eryk breathlessly takes a bow. His wig slides forward and he catches it just in time.

“Whoops!” he laughs. “Gotta remember to fix that.”

“That was awesome!” Crystal shouts. “We’ll just have to make sure to put more pins in the wig the night of the show.”

I nod. “Yeah, that was great. How the heck can you even walk in those shoes, much less dance?”

Eryk lifts a shoulder, putting on an act and pretending to be shy. “I’ll never tell. What did you think, Brendan?” The smile drops off his face as he stares at my ex-boyfriend.

The room is quiet, everyone waiting for his response.

“Uh, gr-great,” Brendan stammers and scratches his chin.

“Hm. You seemed like you didn’t enjoy it.”

Brendan blinks and stares back at Eryk. “No, I did.”

“It didn’t offend you?”

Brendan pales. “What?”

“Eryk,” I interrupt, hissing his name through my teeth. “He just said he liked it, so cool it.”

Eryk swings the hairbrush around. “All right, all right. I was just curious.”

“It’s just different,” Brendan says. He looks at me as if I have the answer he’s seeking.

“It’s okay to be different,” Crystal says. There’s a hint of defensiveness in her voice, which is out of character for her.

“I know, I know,” Brendan says, holding up his hands. “We just don’t have stuff like that back in Manteo.”