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I watch hiiveslook “I do not snore”
Toby snorts, then turns serious again “No matter who you’ve spent time with in the past, I know you knoill never treat you like that Andaround your parents a little more” He puffs up his chest “I happen to think the two of the to me”
“Yeah, alright” I take another succulent bite, then suess it’s my turn next With your stepdad”
Toby stops chewing
I grin “Oh, and not to ot” I stuffthe one with the s look Toby is still frozen in place “So I’ll definitely be sure to meet your stepdad, since I met yourright up there in the front roatching their sweet, innocent boy kiss the scary new kid in town, onstage, in front of the world” I lift an eyebrow “What’s wrong? Lost your appetite?”
Toby’s glassy stare indicates I’ve more than just taken away his appetite I’ve damned near made him turn to stone
Mission accomplished
Trouble is, e’re back at school, it isn’t h The last week of rehearsal is a night that can go wrong, does A very sudden “throat thing” takes out Frankie, who is then reduced tohot honey tea he chugs One of the guys in the booth breaks a knob on the soundboard, which blows out the left house speaker somehow Toby’s friend Kelsey, who plays the quirky waitress at the café, has a new excuse every day for why she should be replaced by an understudy—until realizing there is no understudy for the role of the waitress Toby has to keep talking her doith encouraging words about her dads, ill be “so proud to see her up on that stage” He is trying to be the glue that holds the cast together, despite all of the discouragements and freak-outs I ad as I watch hi out a fast costue he has to do between the first two scenes And despite every day throwing so night, our crazy final dress rehearsal behind us, and all that awaits is the rising of that curtain in front of our first real audience
And that’s when, in the dressing roorabs hold of my shirt, pulls me to a corner behind a makeup cabinet, and breathes, “I don’t think I can do this”
I should coh “Toby …”
“It isn’t funny This isn’t funny I can’t do this Why did I agree to do this? I’h!”
“Because you’re brave Because you wanted to try so new Because you love me and I love you and all that crap”