Page 22 of What Comes After

At the sound of the unexpected but all too familiar voice, my body froze. The guys stepped back and turned around to see Devyn standing there, fury written all over her face.

Before they could say a word, she said, “I suggest you walk away now and forget anything you think you want to have happen with the play. It’s obvious Theo earned his spot, and if you’re upset about that, maybe you need to go and work on your skills. Who knows? If you’re lucky, which is going to have to be the case in order for you to beat out Theo, you might have a chance at the lead role in the spring production. But if you’re smart, you’re going to realize quickly that Theo is so good, and you’ll never have a shot at that one, either.”

Hearing Devyn’s words, something warm moved through me. While I couldn’t recall a situation that ever necessitated it, nobody had ever stood up for me the way that she just did. She was the very definition of a true friend, and I couldn’t love her more for being that for me.

Instead of acknowledging Devyn’s words—likely because he was far too embarrassed—my understudy returned his attention to me and clipped, “So you need a girl to fight your battles for you? How pathetic.”

With that, he and his buddies took off.

My eyes landed on Devyn.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

I nodded. “I was handling it.”

“Are you mad that I stepped in?” she worried.

Shaking my head, I assured her, “Not at all.”

A brief moment of silence stretched between us before she grinned at me and asked, “So, you got the part? You’re going to be Scrooge?”

“I did. I am.”

She threw her hands up in the air in mock celebration before allowing her arms to wrap around me in a hug. “Congratulations, Theo. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Devyn. It means a lot to me. Are you going to come to the opening night of the production?” I asked.

A look of horror washed over her face. “The opening night?” she repeated. “Are you kidding me? Theo, I’ll be there for every single performance. If I’m being honest, I’m actually going to start a countdown to it.”

“Okay, now I know you’re joking with me,” I said.

She shook her head. “Not at all. I mean, I’ve known you all my life. You’re you. You’re Teddy. I kind of can’t wait to see you as a grumpy old man.”

My lips twitched as I fought not to break out into a fit of laughter. Then, I threw my arm over Devyn’s shoulders and urged her to walk beside me toward my locker. “What would I do without a friend like you, Devyn?”

She didn’t respond, but she didn’t need to.

Because I already knew the answer.

I’d never not have this girl in my life. She was far too important to me.

FIVE

Theo

Two years, five months later

Expect the unexpected.

I wish I’d taken that sentiment to heart. At least if I’d done that, I might not have been so surprised by what happened.

The truth was, things had been going great in my life over the last two and a half years. Now that school was almost over, and I was preparing to graduate in a few short months, there was no question I was looking forward to what was ahead.

Not only had I continued to act in the school plays, but I’d also done a few smaller productions outside of school. I’d found my calling, and I knew that acting was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I wanted it to be my career.

So, I was ready to graduate. I was more than prepared to close this chapter of my life and move on to the next big thing. I had no doubt it was going to be big, too. It had to be, because I couldn’t see myself doing anything else in my future.

Fortunately, everything seemed to be going according to plan. It was all heading the right direction for me, and I couldn’t have asked for any more than I’d already gotten or been able to experience.

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