AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Should we make a break for it?” I ask Stella. “There’s an exit to the left of you.”
“Do we have a chance of getting out of here alive?” she asks hopefully.
“Nope,” I sigh, listening to the man as he riles up the audience.
What are they going to make us do now?
“So, Forrest and Stella weren’t just here for the incredible entertainment of the Laughter House comedians—all of whom did an amazing job tonight, by the way. They did such a good job, in fact, that Forrest and Stella want to give comedy a shot themselves, don’t you, guys?”
The spotlight is back on us again. Stella lets out a soft, uneasy squeak, but I return the nod with forceful assurance. My game face is back in play, and we are going to kill it.
“We’re nowhere near as good as the talent we saw tonight, though,” I add cheerfully. “But they definitely inspired us.”
The host snorts heartily, and his cruel, blue eyes look at me skeptically, even though he maintains his pleasant tone.
“That’s how you get better,” he declares. “This cute couple is going to provide an improv set right here in front of you, and you can all be the judge of their talent. How does that sound?”
Again, the crowd cheers wildly. Stella looks like she wants to disappear under the table, but I capture her hand over the surface.
“Don’t worry,” I rasp at her. “Just follow my lead. I’ve got you.”
“I don’t know the first thing about improv!” she chokes. “I’ve never done it before!”
“You didn’t know the first thing about rock climbing, either,” I remind her. “And you made it out of that alive. This is much safer.”
Her cheeks are the color of the emergency exit sign, but she doesn’t argue as the host bellows for us to take to the stage.
“Come on, you two love birds. Let’s see what you’ve got!”
Rising effortlessly, I can see that Stella is paralyzed by nervousness. Positioning myself in front of her, I block everyone else from her view as a sense of protectiveness overtakes me. “You’re an actress, Stella. You can do this,” I murmur in a low tone.
“But there are so many people here…”
“Pretend they’re other actors, directors, grunts, extras. They’re just people, and we’re doing a scene. You’ve got this. I’ll carry it.”
She lifts her head and peers at me with those haunted, dark eyes and accepts my outstretched hand.
“Smile,” I tell her out of the side of my mouth. “They’re going to love you.”
A brilliant, warm smile forms on her face, and we glide toward the stage together, my free hand snatching the microphone from the host jestingly.
“You call that a welcome?” I challenge. “Have you not seen this beauty? This is this season’s Heartbreaker, ladies and gentlemen. Surely you can do better than that!”
The applause is deafening this time, and I’m tickled by the pinkness of Stella’s cheeks.
“That’s better,” I tell them. “Oh, yeah. And I’m Forrest.”
There’s appreciative snickering, and to my surprise, Stella dips her head forward to speak. “That’s right,” she says slowly, wagging a finger at me, then snapping her finger as if she’s trying to place me. “You were in that movie with the dog, right?”
The audience reacts, and I stare at her with a faux bale in my eyes. “I was in a few movies.”
“No! No, you were in that movie… and there was a hamster.”
My scowl deepens as the twittering amongst the crowd increases. Someone calls out, “Duck Stories!”
Stella snaps her fingers. “Right! You were King Duck!”
I can barely contain my disapproval. “I wasn’t reallyinthat movie,” I counter. “It was animated, after all. I did the voice for King Duck?—”
