Page 5 of Script Swap
“Dash was happy to come,” Fox said.“He’s supportive of the arts.He’ll be coming to my show next weekend, as a matter of fact.”
At that point, Fox glared at me so intently that it felt like a throat-punch.
“Uh, yes,” I said.“I can’t wait!”
“More of the usual, I assume,” Terrence said, not quite looking at Fox as he gave a dry little laugh.
“I tried something new with a few pieces—” Fox began.
“Tonight is going to be special,” Terrence said over them.He was still shaking my hand.And he was making alotof eye contact.For someone with an oh-so-endearing case of social anxiety like mine, that much eye contact was going to give me hives.“We’re thrilled you could be here to support this brilliant—nay, thisimportantmoment in the history of theatre.”
(Two notes: first, if you didn’t know he was Fox’s dad, thenaygave it away—plus you could totally hear that he said itt-h-e-a-t-r-e; and second, if this was an important moment in the history of theatre, I was going to eat my shorts.)
Somehow, though, I managed to smile and nod.
Terrence brightened and said, “Here’s Tinny.”
A young woman stepped up next to him.It was hard to miss the fact that she was a young woman since she was wearing a low-cut top that emphasized her, uh, feminine features.She was somewhere in her twenties, with long hair that had been expertly lightened to a platinum blond and fell in perfect curls to the middle of her back.She had enormous eyes, and combined with the hair and the clothes, the overall effect was that of an anime character who had come to life and decided to dress entirely in soothing Millennial neutrals.
Fox’s face shuttered.
“Tinny, this is Dashiell,” Terrence said.
“Just Dash.”
“Dashiell is the inspiration behind tonight’s work.”
“I wouldn’t say inspiration—” I tried.
But Tinny stepped closer, inspecting me, and I forgot what I’d been about to say.She studied me with those enormous anime eyes.And then her gaze fastened on the box of M&M’s in my hand.
“Sugar is an addiction,” she said.“And all addictions are an attempt to ease our suffering.”
AND THEN SHE TOUCHED ME.(Yes, I went full Millie for this one.)
She held my face in her hands and asked softly, “Who hurt you?”
Listen, a stranger was touching me.In public.I’m not responsible for what came out of my mouth.
I blurted, “The Hamburglar.”
She nodded gently.She let go of my face, turned to Bobby, studied him for a moment, and said, “Your suffering is delicious to me.”Before Bobby had to respond to that, she turned to Terrence and said, “That woman has ruined another piece of the set.We have to fix it.”
“My dear,” Terrence said, voice quavery, “it’s opening night, to say nothing of the budget—” To me, in an embarrassed aside, he added, “A sprinkler burst, massive water damage, we’re going to have to gut the upstairs storage room.”
“The colors are inharmonious, and tonight, everything will go wrong.”
“Oh my,” Terrence said.“Well, if you think—but it has to be the last time, dear.I’m not made of money, you know.”After another of those little laughs, he took her arm, gave me a little wave, and said, “Must see about setting this right, Dashiell.Enjoy the show!You’re the real star!”
The two of them hurried across the lobby—Terrence smiling and waving, and Tinny looking like a tiny, terrifying homing missile aimed at backstage.
Fox was grinding their teeth so hard I swear I heard one crack.
“Who was that?”Millie asked as she and Keme returned.
“A lunatic,” I said.
“A megalomaniac,” Fox said darkly.Their eyes were still turned in the direction Terrence and Tinny had gone.
