Off to Neverland

Off to Neverland (33)

“Are you nervous?” Jack asked, his hand in mine as we continued to walk through my neighborhood, peacefully and calmly. This was the first time that we had walked together after getting together, and I really liked it a lot. “About the play and everything. Opening night is only two days away… Everyone’s a little nervous about it. Especially since we have Courtney and Cassidy in such big parts.”

“Well, isn’t Courtney always the lead?” I asked, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “So we’re always nervous that she’s going to suck so much that people are just going to get up a leave. But every time Candace says that it’s her daughter, so no one is going to be rude to a woman like Candace McGuire. But you didn’t answer my question. Are you nervous?”

“Why would I be nervous about something like that?” I asked, rolling my eyes at the idea of Courtney actually playing Belle when she could barely sing. “All I do is stand in the background and try not to trip while I’m in my dress during your song. And then for the rest of the play I’m just trying to make sure my dress stays low enough so no one sees my underwear.”

He shrugged. “You get a kiss scene.”

“No one is ever going to let me forget about that,” I spat, making a face as we continued on down the sidewalk. I squeezed Jack’s hand, and he squeezed right back. “Simon is my best friend. It’s been so weird kissing him.”

“You sure he isn’t better than me?”

I stopped walking, causing Jack to stop as well. He looked at me, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and I stretched up on my toes and pecked his lips lightly.

“No one’s better than you,” I informed him, letting go of his hand and walking right past him, leaving him wanting more. “That’s just not possible.”

Jack followed me like a dog who wanted a treat. I smirked at him, knowing that he wanted me to kiss him more than just the peck that I had given him. But I did nothing like that; I only continued to walk down the street, as if I was alone.

When he wrapped his arms around my waist, we both stopped walking and I smirked from over my shoulder. It was so cute how this boy could act like a complete and total desperate puppy. He didn’t even mean to do so.

“How about I call my driver and have him take us back to my house?” Jack asked, leaning closer and pressing his lips to my forehead quickly. “No one else is home. My parents are out on business and May is out with Emma for the day.”

At the mention of Emma, my stomach turned just a little bit. Even though she had told me that she never liked Jack, I would always feel a little worried in the back of my mind. I mean, he had liked her. I was always going to feel a little weird around Courtney, too.

“Sure,” I agreed, ignoring the feeling in my stomach and the little voice in the back of my head, knowing that it meant absolutely nothing. There was no use in worrying over something that was no big deal at all. “I’d love to.”

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The next day was the last dress rehearsal that we were going to have, and I honestly was happy about it. It sucked being in a play that you had all memorized but were barely in. I always just had to sit around and watch, so I knew absolutely everything about this stupid show and I didn’t even want to.

“Well you look depressed, as usual,” Chloe informed me as she stood above me in the dining hall. She would have sat down, but her large costume didn’t allow her to do so. “You always look so depressed when you’re at rehearsals, Ivy.”