Page 31 of After Midnight

My teachers were clearly enjoying the class, the stereotypical grumpy drama teacher not fitting them at all. They were ridiculously funny and amazing at pulling the best reactions from their students. And trust me, I really needed that.

I quickly realized my classmates were exceptional, top-of-the-line comedians, and as the old insecurities swept in, I was initially very intimidated by them. As time went on, and Iwatched them bomb just as badly as I did, my self-esteem began to build. Before long, we were having as much fun when one of us bombed as we did when we were actually funny.

It only took a week before I noticed my stand-up sets were improving as well. No one was more surprised than me. I’d use things we learned in class to toss in a last-minute joke or spin an annoying comment from a heckler into the funniest part of my routine.

One night, when I’d been on top of my game, I looked over the crowd and saw Dominic, and I just about swallowed my tongue. When I’d finished, I found Ashton sitting at a corner table with a couple of the new performers. I plopped down and asked, probably rudely and certainly not subtly, “When did Dominic come back to work?”

All of them looked at me and burst into laughter. Luckily, it was right in the middle of another performer’s act, and he must’ve thought the laugh was for him because you could hear him pick up momentum.

“Dude, you’ve got it bad,” Berdie Banks, one of the newest performers, teased. Hers was a totally made-up stage name, but she refused to tell us her actual name. Sometimes we’d sit around trying to figure out what it might be. Bertha Badattitude was currently the favorite name we’d come up with, much to her amusement and annoyance.

“Shut up,” I said and flipped her off. Sitting at a table of comedians, I should’ve known any form of acknowledgment would get a rise out of them.

Ashton sat back and watched the others harass me until I finally stood up to leave. “Careful, young Padawan,” he said, using theStar Warsreference and gesturing toward the bar. “That one is as raw as the backside of a baboon. Approach softly, and understand he’ll bite if you get too close.”

I rolled my eyes at him, cozied up to the bar, and ordered a Long Island iced tea.

Dominic glanced at me warily while preparing my drink. “I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you,” he said softly. “Things have been, well, let’s just say it’s been a bad few weeks.”

“Ashton kept me informed about some of it. I can’t imagine what you’re going through. You don’t really have anything to apologize for.” I had the urge to tell him I would’ve been happy to just be there for him, to be a friend, but then I remembered Ashton’s warning about not pushing him and let the sentiment drop. Instead, I added, “Besides, things are different here too.”

He nodded. “Yeah, they had me working behind the scenes quite a bit. This is my first night back behind the bar. But it does seem to be paying off. I’ve already made three times the tips I used to, and the nine o’clock show has only just begun.”

I smiled as he slid me my drink. “So, things easing up at home?”

“No, unfortunately, but working here helps keep my mind off things,” he said. “Hey, speaking of that, do you wanna go somewhere after this? I’d prefer not to go straight home.”

“Sure,” I said, shocked and elated he’d taken the initiative. “You don’t have sister duty tonight?”

Dominic’s face dropped and I could’ve kicked myself. “No, and that’s why I need a distraction. Meet me after we close?”

I nodded but didn’t say anything else, knowing now what Ashton meant. If I pushed, I’d be ghosted with only myself to blame.

At eleven, I met him at the back door, ready to leave. “Where do you wanna go?” I asked.

He shrugged dejected. “You pick. Anywhere is better than my empty house.”

“In the mood for a walk?” I had no idea what else to suggest. In my mind, everything felt like either pushing too hard or boring as all hell.

“Sure,” he said, and since we still had decent weather, I drove over to one of the city parks that didn’t have as many murderers, prostitutes, or drug dealers lurking around as the others.

“So, you wanna talk about it?” I asked, and he shook his head.

“No, I wanna forget about it, at least for a while.” His tone served as warning enough. I needed to tread lightly, which would be harder than I thought.

“I can work with that,” I said, not sure I actually could. Before getting out of the car, I reached over to cup his face in my hand, then kissed him like I’d wanted to for so long. When we pulled apart, I nodded toward the back and made some lame joke about there not being any little girls in the back seats giggling. Yes, the idiot I thought I’d gotten rid of was back!

I expected him to smile but instead, he looked like he might cry. My heart sank. We’d finally kissed and I’d made him cry.Way to go, Dillon.

“Hey, what’s going on?” I asked, genuinely concerned and desperate to make amends for whatever I’d said or done that caused his suffering.

He sighed and shrank down in the seat.

“I’m fighting my evil stepmother for custody of the girls. Well, that’s not quite true, I’m fighting her for my trust fund, and the girls are caught in the middle.”

“Ouch, that sucks.” I had no idea what else to say. I knew I couldn’t offer any solutions, but I could be supportive.

“More than you know.” He sighed long and deep, as if mustering up the energy to continue talking. “I’m sorry, Dillon, you should probably take me back to my car. I don’t think I’m dating material at this point. I’ve just got too much on my plate.”

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