Page 132 of Christmas off Script
‘Yes! It’s like a safe word during our sex parties. Everyone has to have one. Mine’s sprouts because I hate the things. Satan’s testicles, that’s what they are. Mater used to make me eat them as a child, and I swore the moment I came of age I’d never eat another one.’
‘Not even on Christmas day?’
‘Pah! Not on your nelly. Tradition my arse. You know, you can use it if you like?’
‘Er—’
‘Not my arse. Ha! That’s exclusively for Vivi and Deedee. Sprouts. You can use the word if you get stuck for a line.’
‘Arthur,’ Libby said. ‘That won’t be necessary. Vivienne’s going to be our prompter, and I know Ella’s going to be fine.’ She beamed at her. ‘The lights are so bright, you won’t see most of the audience, and anyway, they’re the friendliest crowd in the world.’ Libby gazed around the rest of the group. ‘My business partner, Claire, is out there tonight, as well as Estelle and James, to get the audience into the swing of things. They’re three of the loudest people I know, and they’ll always have your back. Just remember to enjoy yourself, and if anything doesn’t go exactly as we’ve planned, then it will be even funnier! Now, hold hands, everyone.’
Zach moved closer to Ella and grabbed her free hand. She was hyper-aware that on one side of her was the man she was in love with, and on the other was the man she once believed herself in love with.
‘Okay!’ Libby cried. ‘Let’s go with “Abracadabra”! In three, two, one…’
‘Abracadabra!’ everyone yelled, raising their joined hands in the air.
Ella’s heart raced.Come on!If she could manage to walk away from her stepmother, she could do this.
However,standing in the wings fifteen minutes later, she wasn’t so sure. Libby was on stage as Buttons and with each line she uttered, the seconds ticked down to the moment when Ella had to step out of the darkness and into the spotlight. It felt like she was standing on a plank over shark-infested waters, and the wooden board was shortening before her eyes.
She felt Leo’s warmth behind her, then his arms around the front of her chest. Leaning back against him, her breath relaxed.
‘I’m so proud of you,’ he whispered in her ear.
‘I love Cinderella more than anything,’ Libby said from a few feet away. ‘Even more than cheese. When I see her, my head spins and I get a funny feeling in my undercrackers. Will you help me win her heart, mums and dads, grannies and grandads, nanas and grandpas, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and boys and girls?’
‘Yes!’ the audience yelled.
Leo placed a soft kiss against Ella’s neck. ‘Go knock ’em dead, Princess.’
He stepped away and she ran onto the stage. ‘Hello, Buttons! Hello, boys and girls!’ she cried.
‘Hello, Cinderella!’ everyone chorused.
A thrill raced across her skin. ‘Isn’t it a beautiful day?’ she continued. ‘The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I’m with my bestest friend. What have you been buying in Foxbrooke today, Buttons?’
As the scene continued, Ella felt as if she were two people in one body. There was the person who sang, danced, and interacted with the audience as if they were born to shine, and there was also the shy and terrified person peeking through their fingers at everything as it unfolded.
By the time the interval began, she was running on adrenaline, boosted by the praise and encouragement backstage. During the second act, she felt invincible.
However, as soon as the curtains were whisked across the stage for the final time and the house lights went up, her legs gave way and she fell to the floor with a thump.
Libby and Leo, who’d been standing either side of her for the curtain call, dropped to their knees beside her.
‘Ella!’ Leo’s voice was edged with panic. ‘Are you okay?’
She couldn’t reply, her body numb, her breath heaving and her vision unfocused.
Libby took her hand. ‘After flying so high and so fast, she’s run out of fuel,’ she said to Leo, ‘so she’s coming back to earth with a bit of a bump.’ She squeezed Ella’s hand. ‘Can you breathe with me?’
Ella tried to nod, but her entire body was shaking.
‘What’s going on?’ Arthur asked.
‘Are you alright, darling?’ Dervla added.
There were too many people. Too many sensations. She couldn’t cope.
