Page 98 of A Game as Old as Time

While things had been going better recently, she could not help the concern that crept into her voice.

“Just watching some TV,” Melissa whispered.

OK?

Hailey maneuvered through the darkness of the rest of the room and took a seat on a chair near her sister.

“Did Gunner drop you off tonight?” Melissa sounded fine now and shifted to face her.

“Yeah.” Hailey switched on a nearby lamp, illuminating the room and her sister’s face.

She is smiling.

“We stayed a little late after practice to rehearse a few things.” The dry warmth of the house made Hailey’s mouth feel cottony.

“Fun. How’s everything coming along?” Melissa crossed her handsover her knees and regarded her with attentive eyes.

Well.

Hailey glanced down at the floor.

“Good, I guess. Almost everything is coming together.”

“Almost everything?”

Crap.

Hailey turned, trying to avoid the conversation and hide her obvious uncertainty.

“Hails?” Melissa was not going to let it go---she could always read her in situations like this.

“Yeah, well, I mean…we just have a few things we need to take care of. And, of course, the walkthrough and all.”

She was rambling. Her hands strangled the plush cushion on the chair.

“Hails, come take a seat with me,” Melissa said calmly.

I don’t want to.

The hesitation was met with a defiant head nod from her sister, and Hailey knew she really had no choice.

“It’s nothing…” Hailey finally stood and made her way over.

“Really?” Again, Melissa read her so well that Hailey could only curl up against the arm of the couch.

Ugh, I hate this.

She took a deep breath as the steps of each number replayed in her head.

I know this musical.

In fact, she knew every line, every step, and every particular place she and the rest of the cast needed to be at every second of the performance.

But I do not know if I can do this.

Being onstage with Gunner was easy; he made it easy. But she would not always have him on the stage with her. She had no idea how she would react the first time she stepped back onstage, by herself in front of everyone.

And that dress.

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