Miss Mayhem (Rebel Belle #2)(62)

As I thrust out one hip, I shot a look at Bee out of the side of my eye. Honestly, the things I did to be a good friend.

The dance portion mercifully over, Sara emerged from the wings. Her dress wasn’t quite as sparkly as the contestants’ were, but she was still wearing her Miss Pine Grove sash and tiara from five years ago.

Pushing her dark glossy hair back off her shoulders, Sara smiled out at the audience. “Good evening, y’all!” she drawled, the words nearly echoing throughout the room. When there was no reply, she tilted her head a bit, that bright smile stretching even further.

“I said good evening!” she called again—and I guess once head cheerleader, always a head cheerleader, but I resolved right that second to never, ever be Sara Plumley. In fact, I might turn in my uniform first thing Monday morning.

After the audience gave her the response she wanted, Sara beamed harder, taking a sip from the water glass on the podium, leaving a bright red lip print on the rim. “All right, folks, we’re going to go ahead and get started,” she announced. “First we’ll give y’all a chance to meet these lovely ladies before proceeding to the talent portion and then the evening gown competition. And before we leave tonight, one of these very lucky girls will be Miss Pine Grove.”

There was a round of applause for that, and I bit back a sigh. The whole night seemed to stretch out in front of me, and I suddenly wondered what David was doing tonight. Was he sitting all alone in his room, listening to that whiny music I hated? Was he thinking about me?

Rebecca Shaw had completed her circuit of the stage and answered the judge’s question—the ever-so-original “What would you do if you won the lottery?”—but I hadn’t heard Rebecca’s answer. I assumed it was something equally original, like “Give it all to charity.” It wasn’t until she slid back into place next to me that I remembered I was next.

I broke off from the rest of the line, walking to the front of the stage as Sara rattled off my name, age, and who my parents were. The lights nearly blinded me and my smile felt frozen on my face as I walked, but I tried to keep my head high and my shoulders back.

The Aunts and my mom and dad were sitting in the front row, and seeing them, my smile felt a little more natural. But then, in the row behind them, I could see David.

What was he doing here? My eyes met David’s, and it might have been the lights, but I was sure that his eyes were glowing faintly behind his glasses. Not only that, but his whole body was drawn up tight in his seat.

Maybe he was weirded out from seeing me after the last time we’d talked, but I wasn’t sure. What I was sure of was how my heart thudded painfully against my ribs when I saw him.

I was so distracted by worrying about that that I almost walked right past the microphone. It was only when I heard Sara hiss, “Harper,” that I stopped, disoriented. There was the squeal of feedback as I grabbed the mike stand with unsteady hands.

From behind the podium, Sara winced, but she kept that bright smile on her face as she chirped out, “Harper, your question from the judges tonight is: If there was one thing in your life you could change, what would it be?”

I swallowed, my eyes still on David’s. In the audience, I could hear the rattle of programs and someone unwrapping a hard candy. The lights were still too bright, and I was suddenly afraid that I might actually be sweating.

But my voice was calm and sure as I answered, “Nothing.”

When I didn’t elaborate, Sara gave a nervous laugh. “Not a single thing?”

David was watching me, sitting up straighter in his seat. The auditorium was full of people, but in that moment, I felt like we were the only people there. “No. I wouldn’t change anything. Not one bit of it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, not everything in my life has been . . . easy. There’s a lot that’s been harder than I ever thought it would be, and there may have been times I’ve wished things were different. But that doesn’t mean I’d ever want to change it. No matter what.”

My words echoed through the room, but they were only for David, and when he smiled, I smiled back, feeling almost light-headed with relief. Until I’d said the words, I hadn’t realized they were true, but now that I knew, now that I was sure, there was nothing I wanted more than to climb down off this stage and go find David and make things right between us.

But then Sara gave another one of those laughs and said, “Well, all right, then, Harper. Thank you for your answer.”

Dismissed, I made my way back to the line of girls, taking my spot beside Bee. She glanced down at me, and something strange passed over her face for a minute. Pursing her lips slightly, she studied my face before turning to the front again.

The talent portion was next, and as the girls all raced off to the dressing room, I hung back in the wings. Could I just leave? Maybe I could tell Sara I’d gotten sick. The last thing she’d want was one of the girls puking all over her stage, so I was sure she’d let me go.

I wanted to go out in the audience and find David, grab him, and get the heck out of here.

But then Bee stopped beside me, taking my elbow. “Harper? Come on, we need to get changed.”

“I’m actually thinking I might leave,” I whispered, leaning in close as Rebecca dashed past me in a pink tutu. “I don’t feel so great.”

Frowning, Bee studied my face. “You can’t leave in the middle of the pageant.”