Shattered(8)

Mari is breathing hard. She steps away from him. Their relationship is still a secret. She glances at him out of the corner of her eye and smirks before exiting the stage. Trystan watches her walk around to the back of the theater and out the door. His eyes trail her slender frame too long.

Seth is sitting in the empty auditorium with a few other people. They mill around while we try to run through the entire play from start to finish, with lighting, and sound. The mic guy is doing well. There are hardly any issues with him, but the lighting guy is having problems with the spots.

Working with the lights on is awesome, but they're really warm. Trystan is glad they shut them off when he walks toward the front of the stage. He lowers himself and swings his legs off the edge and sits, looking out at vacant chairs. Trystan pushes his hair out of his eyes. Tucker and the lighting crew are yelling back and forth. The guy in the lighting cage curses and the lights dim.

Then, the remaining stage lights turn off completely. Tucker is yelling at them to switch to the spot, but they turn on a set of lights behind him. Trystan looks back behind him at the golden light, blocking his eyes with his arm, wondering how many more times they'll need to run through it tonight before everyone leaves.

Trystan wonders how long he can hide out in the basement without going home, how long it will be until he's caught.

~MARI~

I love this. It's a rush, so much more than I thought it would be. Standing on stage, feeling the lights on my skin. There's no way to describe it. Add to the fact that I'm Trystan's co-star and it feels like a dream. Everything about him is contagious. He's dazzling on stage. He connects with me, calls to me, like we're two ends of the same string. I feel him tugging by just listening to his voice. It's magic and it's all Trystan.

I want to run and throw my arms around his neck when we take a break. I want to have that comfortable feeling of being close to him, but I can't. It's easier this way, I keep telling myself. Katie will have a stroke and I really don't need more crap from Seth or Brie right now. It's better that no one knows.

I smirk at Trystan. He returns the look with his blue eyes sparkling, before I run down the staircase on the side of the stage and up an aisle. I need a drink. I don't know how Trystan does it, especially since I know his throat is still sore from last night, but he's talking like nothing ever happened. It makes me wonder how many times he came in to school broken and battered and I didn't notice.

That smile of his hides so much pain.

Blinking hard, I push through the doors and smack into Brie. She's instantly irritated. "Watch where you're going, heifer." Brie shakes her head and her golden hair settles onto her shoulders before she shoves past me and into the auditorium.

I glance after her, wondering what she's doing here. I decide not to overreact. She's not a threat. Her part was given to me. It's not like Tucker will just hand it back. I turn and walk the few paces to the water fountain and drink. The water cools my throat.

When I walk back into the theater, I stand at the back half-wall, draping my arms on it. It's right when you walk in and separates the seats from the back aisle and the doors. Brie is a couple rows in front of me. She's slouched in a seat, but when they mess up the lights and blind everyone, Trystan turns around. For a moment, there's a halo of golden light around him. I smile. He looks like his video. My eyes drift to Brie. I wonder if she notices. If she does, she doesn't say anything.

A moment later Seth settles on the wall next to me. His voice is low, his lips barely moving, "What's the tramp doing here?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it. She's messed with Trystan enough to last a lifetime. I wish she'd fall down a hole or something."

Seth turns his face toward me and lifts a brow. "Is that venom from Little Goodie Two Shoes? I'm impressed."

"It's not unjustified." I watch Trystan dangling his legs off the side of the stage. I watch Brie watching him. It makes me nervous. He has enough pain in his life. He doesn't need anything else to go wrong. "She's got Trystan in her crosshairs."

He nods and looks back at his friend. Seth's expression softens and he sighs. "You care about him?"

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response," I say, tightly.

"I'm just saying, if you do - help me keep an eye on that one. I got his back for most of the day, but when he's in here..."

I glance at Seth. He's staring at Trystan unblinking. I wonder if he knows. Instead of asking, I lower my gaze and nod. "Done." Before Seth can say anything else and ruin my new, higher opinion of him, I walk back toward the stage.

Brie stands at the same time and smiles at me. It's one of those smiles that's good and pure, but when it's coming from someone like her, you know it's an evil omen. I narrow my eyes into slits as I pass her. She's trying to spook me. What could Brie possibly do to make life worse?

Tucker claps his large hands and thunder booms through the empty room. "Back on stage. Let's repeat the end of that last scene so the lighting guys can get their glitch fixed. Come on! Let's go!" He waives his arm toward the stage in a sweeping motion.

I climb the stairs and go back to the wing opposite Trystan. My stomach does a free fall when I see him. In the shadows, across the stage, Trystan looks up at me through his dark hair. He winks and I feel the need to giggle hysterically. I hear my cue and walk on stage. We run the scene two more times until lights and sound are at one hundred percent.