Page 64 of Where the Little Birds Go (Little Bird Duet 1)

All I can do is shake my head.

Corbin wouldn’t miss tonight. I know it.

He promised.

When I step down from the stage to search the crowd for Zach, who I bribed to come see the last performance in trade of attending his last game, I spot him with a few of his teammates. My feet guide me past peers and families who I try to smile to and wave at like I’m not having a tiny panic attack.

Zach stands up and pulls me in for a tight hug as soon as I get to the end seat he claimed. I manage to hug him back and pull away with a smile that may not look totally pathetic.

“Happy birthday, Kinley.”

I roll my eyes. “You already said that today. Three times. And you bought me a Pop Tart from the vending machine.”

It was stale, but the thought counted.

He winks. “Just making sure everyone knows. Plus, you hated that Pop Tart. You should have seen your face after the first bite.”

Blushing, I brush it off. “Anyway, have you heard from Corbin? Diane is about to have a heart attack because he’s not here yet.”

He pulls his phone out and glances at it quick. “He hasn’t texted me. I wouldn’t worry about it, Kin. You know he’ll pull through.”

My head nods, but I feel a bit of doubt creep into the cracks of my conscious. Guilt follows it, gluing the spaces closed as I wave at him and his buddies. They all start singing happy birthday obnoxiously loud, causing a few confused audience members to join in.

Rushing backstage while they laugh and sing, I do another search of the mass of people lining up and flattening their costumes into perfection. Diane eyes me but must see the helplessness on my face because she focuses on the guy in Corbin’s usual costume.

I look at my phone and then shoot him another text, wondering if he’s busy driving and unable to text me back. He told me he’d be back by six. It’s going on seven now. A hundred different reasons swirl in my head as to why he isn’t here. An accident. A blown tire. Maybe he got tied up with the cast.

Someone yells a five-minute warning.

The buzz among the cast as they ask about Corbin causes Diane to throw her hands up and storm away. The teacher in charge of Drama Club assures everyone that Peter, the understudy, will fill in for Corbin for this performance.

Frowning, I peer back out at the crowd and catch Zach’s eye. I shake my head and he does the same and lifts his hands as if to tell me he’s sorry for not knowing either. He mouths something but I can’t figure out what. Drawing back, I dial Corbin’s number and listen to it ring and ring and ring.

It goes to voicemail.

Swallowing, I take a deep breath and remember what he told me at lunch. He would take me out for my birthday after the play. My parents weren’t very happy about how late that’d be, but he promised to have me back by eleven thirty. Surprisingly, Gavin got them to agree.

When Zach ran up to me as soon as we got to school and wished me a happy seventeenth birthday, Corbin froze up but smiled and squeezed my hand. It made me wonder if he’d forgotten. As he walked me to homeroom like usual, he told me he had my presents at his house that he’d give me when he took me out to celebrate.

I don’t blame him for being scatter brained. He’s been busy with the play and now the movie, on top of keeping up with school. I help him with homework when we hang out in his rare free time because his mother insisted she’d pull the plug on the movie for him as his legal guardian who signed the contract too. I know how much that would devastate Corbin, so I give him the benefit of the doubt.

When the cast does their normal chant and well wishes for a good play, I defeatedly find my seat in the front row. My phone stays on my lap, screen up, in case he finally gets back to me.

But when the play gets to intermission, there’s still nothing to get my hopes up that he’ll even make it at all. When I scroll through different social media apps as I wait for the play to continue, I notice Corbin’s familiar face with a few others I only recognize because he showed me them in excitement. They’re cast members of the movie—some seasoned, some new like him.

It was from thirty minutes ago. They’re out to eat. Happy. Laughing.

Standing up and grabbing my coat, I walk up to where Zach’s sitting. “I’m

heading out. He’s not coming.”

He sits up straighter. “You heard from him? What’s the deal?”

I tap a few buttons and turn the screen toward him to see the picture. “The good news is, he’s perfectly fine.”

He winces. “Shit. Need a ride?”

I was going to call Gavin but… “Sure. If you don’t mind. I really need to get someone to take me to my driver’s test so I can finally get my license. I’ll have to bribe my brother to do it.”

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