It shouldn’t have worked like that, but the black curtain blocking out backstage was notoriously weak. It fell, a shocked and startled gasp sounded, and Lewis jolted away.
“You bastard!”
She was a blur, fists pummeling into Lewis, insults hurled too quickly to make them out.
Not Harper. Zoe.
Zoe?
“Have you slept with the whole cast, Lewis?”
Had he? I darted my gaze around for anyone else—for Harper, of course—wondering what she was making of this.
“Hey, I care aboutyou,” Lewis insisted. “I did what you asked, didn’t I? Nadine and I are just rehearsing. I’m upset you didn’t get the part too, but come on, you’re better than some petty jealousy over scene partners.”
“That was not a scene!” Zoe continued to shriek.
And oh,oh.Harper thought I was auditioning for the Bride. I wasn’t a threat to her. But if Zoe found out I was going out for the same part, mightn’t she do something desperate?
Like ask Lewis to plant the cocaine.
Harper stepped through the door then, tossing her hair back just as Lewis grasped Zoe and insisted: “I likeyou, Zoe! Nadine and I were just practicing a scene; it’s that bloody simple!”
Harper looked between us all, evidently putting the pieces together.
“Danielle?” she called behind her shoulder. “Did you use the waterproof mascara? Good, thank you!” She snapped back to us all. “Lewis, I’ll accept this as your resignation from our relationship. Now, how long until places?”
———
I followed Harper into the dressing room, where her composure cracked.
“What? What do you want now?”
“To apologize.”
Harper whirled on me, grabbing the chair for support, her eyes flashing. “Excuse me?”
It suddenly felt very dangerous to be in this room alone with her after all we—no,I, had done. Harper glared at me like she could feel every inch between us, that charged force pushing us apart as much as it tried to snap us together, like the tension could only be resolved with skin against skin, with blood, with a fight.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have kissed Lewis.”
She hissed. “God, like I care aboutyouin all that.”
“And I shouldn’t have taken your necklace. Lewis put cocaine in my bag, and I thought he was doing it for you, but—”
“Shut up,” she shook her head. “Just shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I hadn’t expected the apology to be an easy thing, but I hadn’t anticipated this dismissal either.
“You don’t get to apologize and wipe this clean. You’re so desperate to succeed you’ll do anything for it, wouldn’t you?”
“No, I—”
“Admit it. You’re a vindictive, entitled, conniving little bitch.”
“Sounds familiar,” I snapped, my fingers bunching in my dress to hide their trembling.
“Inever denied it.”
