Page 54 of Fake It Till You Break It
“I’m pretty sure that’s just an expression for the theater,” I said, laughing as I grabbed the lunch bag on the table. Thank God, she packed my lunch in one of the navy-blue bags and not the flowery ones that she got off of the shopping channel last year. “But I’ll try my best. Thanks, Mom.”
“You can thank me when you win a Grammy someday.” Just then, a car honked in the front, and she shoved me toward the door with a smirk. “Now go before Rose and Greg decide to come in here and get you. I don’t need a headache tonight.”
With a smirk, I pointed a finger at her. “Careful or I might ask them to sleep over tonight.”
Her glare was fierce. “Do that and I’m going to the nearest hotel.”
I WAS SURPRISED THATeveryone was already in the Bells’ van when it pulled into my driveway. I was even more annoyed to see Mia and Ben sitting in the middle seat together. All cozy. With Ben and his stupid smiling face.
Gritting my teeth, I fought the urge to scoot in between them. Instead, I sat in the back with Rose. With her knees propped up on the seat in front of her, she balanced her tablet on her lap while she worked on some video. I couldn’t really see anything on the screen with the glare coming through the window on her side.
Mia turned and grinned widely at the lunch bag on my lap. “Did your mom leave a good-luck note for you in there, too?”
“Ha, very funny.” Actually, that sounded exactly like something Mom would do, so I didn’t check. “But there’s a quinoa salad in here with your name on it.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll pass.” She turned to nudge Ben’s shoulder. “You didn’t get a chance to eat lunch, though, right?”
“No, and I love quinoa.” He gave her a big dopey grin that she returned.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Seriously, this dude. Who the hell actuallylikesquinoa? The only reasonIate it was because Mom made it so often. She claimed it was the next new superfood or something.
Still, I handed over the lunch bag so I wouldn’t look like a complete jackass. I half considered just eating it myself, but Ididn’t know if I could keep it down. My stomach had been in knots all day. Plus, I was barely able to sleep at all last night.
Around eleven or so, it finally sank in that I was about to make my comeback… in front of hundreds of people. And this would be my first time performing without Finn.
I always wondered if he missed me when he left. Or was nervous about performing on the cruise ship alone. Probably not. Finn was always the stronger one. He didn’t fall apart when our parents died. Even though I was only two, Mom said I cried at night for weeks. He wasn’t anything but calm and reassuring until the day he left.
My leg bounced so much that Rose elbowed me. Hard. Pretty sure I’d have a bruise on my side. I stopped, but that didn’t make my nerves go away. I tried to concentrate on something else. Anything else.
Suddenly, a pack of sugar-free gum landed on my lap. Surprised, I looked up and Mia gave me a half smile. “I don’t want to be dragged to the dentist office for the next few months just because you ground all your teeth down to stubs.”
I popped a piece into my mouth. “Thanks.”
She glanced over at Ben, who was on the phone, before turning her entire body to face me. The side of her face pressed against the headrest. “You don’t have to worry, you know. You’ll do fine.”
“Who said I was worried?”
“Just saying.”
Man, I never could hide anything from Mia. I reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks though. For the gum and… other things.”
Instead of jerking away like she always did, Mia reached up to grab my hand and squeezed it with both of her own. “No problem. That’s what I’m here for.”
The longer she held my hand, the more I could feel my nervousness start to fade away. Like her confidence in me was transferring from her body into mine. It was amazing. And I didn’t want to let go. Not even when Rose started clearing her throat. If anything, it made me hold on tighter so Mia wouldn’t pull away.
Just then, I noticed a small thin band on Mia’s finger. It was a spray-on gold ring with a heart-shaped plastic gem in the center. I hadn’t seen it in over ten years. “Is this—where did you find this?”
Mia looked surprised as she pulled back her hand. “I found it the other night under my nightstand when I was cleaning my room—”
I held up a hand to stop her. “Wait, hold the phone, you werecleaningyour room?”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine, I only did it because I spilled a plate of Cheetos on the floor. Happy?”
“That’s more like it. Continue.”
“That’s it. I found it under my nightstand.” Her fingersrubbed at the surface of the fake heart gem. “It was wedged between the leg of the bed and the nightstand actually. I’m kind of surprised that you even remember it.”
Ben hung up his phone and leaned back toward us. “Remember what?”
