Page 130 of He's The Reason Why

Piper peeked out from behind a curtain and saw her sisters about halfway up on the right. They were talking excitedly and pointing at things, just like the children in the rows below them. It was odd to see them out there instead of backstage with her. She couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. “I feel like a kid about to put on a school play.”

“You’ll be fine.” Blake gripped her shoulders and gave her a comforting squeeze. He wore Jesse’s forest outfit, including the cap that reminded her of a blue version of Robin Hood. “I never did a school play. Are they terrifying?”

“Never?” Piper frowned up at him. “How is that possible? You won an Oscar at eleven years old.”

“I never went to school,” he said like it was the most normal thing in the world. “I was homeschooled on set. I never went to prom either.”

“Neither did I,” Jeremy said. “My parents were Southern Baptist, they didn’t believe in dancing. Or acting, for that matter. Good thing they still don’t know I what I do for a living.”

“They don’t?” Piper caught the twinkle in his eyes and chuckled. “You’re a scamp.”

“I went to four proms,” Gina said. “Two in one night my senior year.”

“I went to prom,” Piper said. “Just once, my senior year. We were already on tour by then, but we took breaks to get school in. Trust me, Blake, you didn’t miss much.”

“Speak for yourself,” Gina said. “You obviously didn’t go with the right man.”

“True,” Piper whispered. “My date, Joey the Jock, tried to spike the punch so he could get me drunk and get his hand up my skirt, but they tossed him out and I wound up dancing with Mattie instead.”

Blake chuckled. “I crashed Marshall’s homecoming once. We got thrown out at halftime for distracting the cheerleaders.”

“How’d you distract them?” Jeremy asked with an arched eyebrow.

Piper giggled.

Tamar rushed through, making shushing noises. “Places, please. Blake, dear boy, are you ready?”

Blake gave her a thumbs-up and a big Jesse grin.

“Good.” Tamar straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath, and stepped out on the small simulated forest clearing that formed a stage.

The audience erupted into applause and whistles.

“Welcome, everyone, to the world premiere of Day Dreams Studios’ newest animated feature,Scorched.”

Piper took one last peek at the audience.

She didn’t see Blake’s mom anywhere, or his dad. “Where’s your folks?”

“Mom’s inside already. She didn’t want to distract anyone from the main event,” Blake whispered. “Dad’s somewhere…ah. He’s behind the stands having a cigarette. That’s Jenny in the third row, on the left by that tall guy with the huge mustache. She’s wearing a blue dress.”

Jenny looked a little like Blake. She had the same blonde hair, anyway. “I’m glad you invited them.”

“Me too.”

“Let me introduce you,” Tamar said in a booming voice to the audience, “to a world besieged by dragons, and a boy who hopes to prove he’s a man by stealing the treasure from the mightiest dragon of all.”

Blake gave her a quick kiss. “That’s my cue.”

The backup singers rushed out from the other side of the stage, pushing tables with them. Blake waited for his opening then jumped out to kick off the premiere just like he’d done at the read-through so many months ago, by belting out his solo while dancing on tables.

The audience, filled with a Who’s Who of Hollywood, loved it. Piper waited for her turn along with Gina and Jeremy, watching with delight.

She realized she hadn’t seen Rachel since they’d left the studio, and glanced around looking for her. She spotted her in front of theScorchedbackdrop posing for the cameras in a silver sequined ball gown fit for a queen. She acted like the pre-show wasn’t even happening.

Piper wasn’t sure if that was because Piper had gotten the role in Blake’s movie instead of her or because she was pissed that none of her songs had made it into the pre-show.

“Rachel blends really well with the pile of dragon treasure,” Piper whispered to Gina.

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