Page 80 of Wild Dreams

I loitered backstage while everyone else got changed and headed to the lobby to greet their family members. But there was no one waiting for me.

The ache in my chest only grew bigger. My parents couldn't see how amazing I was and neither could Chance apparently. But that didn't mean that I was defective. I just hadn't met the right person yet.

Scarlett came rushing up to me. "There you are. This lady was looking for you." She moved to reveal a woman behind her. "This is Blaire. She's the music teacher at the elementary school."

Blaire stepped forward to shake my hand. "It's so nice to meet you. I saw your email, and the play you attached."

I'd almost forgotten about that. "Oh."

"I wanted to come see your play tonight, and I was impressed. Scarlett said you wrote this recently."

"That's right. But I have more plays in the vault."

"I'd love to consider one of your plays for our production. Is it possible to set up a meeting so we can discuss the details?"

"Of course." I tried to remain calm, but inside I was screaming.

"We have a budget allocated for the play. The new principal wants to place more emphasis on the drama club."

"I'm excited to work with you and the school."

"Great. Here's my number." She handed me a card with her information. "It was nice meeting you, Marigold."

"Nice meeting you too."

When she walked away, Scarlett squeezed my arm and squealed. "Can you believe it?"

"It doesn't feel real."

"I might have mentioned the we've been using your plays here, and you deserve to be compensated for your work."

I frowned. "But it's for a school."

"You heard the woman. They have a budget for this." She pulled out an envelope. "Here's your cut of the ticket sales."

I didn't take it. "Scarlett. We never discussed you paying me."

Scarlett shoved the envelope into my hand. "You wrote a play, and you worked every day here helping us. You deserve to be compensated for your work."

"You know that's not why I did this." I held it to my chest.

"I know. You're the best friend a girl could have. But you deserve this."

I hugged her, blinking away tears. It seemed that was all I did lately.

When Scarlett drew back, she said, "We're going to close up because we need to be here tomorrow."

"I'll help you." It didn't take much time to clear out the lobby and shut down for the night. We left everything as is, since we still had two more performances.

When we walked outside, snow was falling.

"Will you be okay getting home?" Scarlett asked.

"Of course." I watched them get into Eli's SUV and pull away. I didn't feel upset about their relationship anymore. I appreciated that she'd found the one for her, knowing I'd get the same one day.

I headed to my SUV, still expecting to see Chance. I couldn't believe he hadn't come to support his sister. Knowing him, he probably stopped by for a few minutes, then returned to work.

I got in my vehicle and headed home, driving a little slower than usual. The roads seemed to be slick. The light ahead of me turned green and just as I was proceeding into the intersection, I was jolted sharply to the side, the air bags deploying as I held tightly to the wheel. I couldn't stop the spinning. It seemed like it took forever for my vehicle to finally come to a stop. I couldn't tell which direction I was facing or if I was in the way of oncoming traffic.

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