Good as Gold // Josh Burrage

Chapter Twenty-Four

One Week Later
Indiana's POV
Around 5:30 in the evening, exactly one week later, a knock wakes me up from a light sleep. Once again, I don't budge. However, the person is determined to be let inside. The knocks continue. Groaning, I get up and trudge over to the door.

"What are you doing here?" I mumble when I see Marlee at the door. "It's a two show day."

Her eyes soften when she sees me. "What happened?" She asks. "C-can I come in?"

I don't reply, but I don't close the door on her. Instead, I sigh and turn back, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Marlee cautiously steps inside, closing the door behind her. "I-I just thought you should know that everyone is really concerned about you." She gently sits down next to me. "You know, since you weren't answering calls. All week. Did something happen?"

"What does it look like?" I snap, refusing to look at Marlee.

She doesn't answer my question. "Did something happen last week? You seemed fine before the show, but I couldn't find you after. Did you leave during the second act?" I nod. "Indiana, what happened? Are you okay?" She places her hand on my arm, and I flinch slightly from the contact.

"I'm fine," I mumble, pulling over a blanket and wrapping it around myself.

"I don't mean to be rude, but you're obviously not. You locked yourself in the room, missed work, and didn't answer any of our calls," Marlee states. "You're not fine."

I still avoid looking at her, and I stare down at the floor. I'm afraid of giving too much away. Will I lose my job? On top of that, will anyone believe me? I'm not the most well-liked person in the crew.

"Indiana," Marlee says firmly. "I'm not asking you to tell me exactly what happened. But I do know that if you continue acting like this, you could lose your job and have to leave tour. None of us want that, and I know you don't either. Why didn't you come to work this week?"

Before I regret it, I mumble, "I was scared."

"Of what?"

"Of someone."

She considers my answer. "Did someone hurt you?" Her tone is gentle. My silence is the only answer she needs. "Oh my gosh," she mutters, running a hand through her hair, still curly from being pinned up. "Indiana, I am so sorry. I had no idea." I still don't look at her. "Can you tell me who it was?"

I finally look up. "What if no one believes me?" I mutter, putting a voice to my doubts. "What if they fire me for telling the truth?"

"I believe you. If you were making this up, you wouldn't be so shaken," she says softly. "And you have no reason to lie."

I sit quietly for several seconds, gathering up the courage. "It was KP." My voice comes out as a whisper.

Marlee turns to me and gently wraps her arms around me. "I'm so sorry, Indiana."

I shake my head. "I should have left when he first showed up. I could have fought him off, but I-I was just...frozen. I couldn't move," I whisper as the tears return.

"This isn't your fault," she says, firm but gentle at the same time. "Don't blame yourself. You had no way of knowing. Thank you for telling me," she adds quietly. "Indiana, it may be hard, but you need to tell Mr. Calhoun so he can deal with it properly."

"What if he thinks I'm making it up? I don't have any solid evidence." The thought of telling Mr. Calhoun what happened terrifies me. It could put my job in jeopardy.

"But you should tell him. You don't have to right away, but you should as soon as you feel ready." Marlee gives me a reassuring squeeze before letting go of me. "I'll do what I can to help, and until you're ready, I can work it out to where you're not alone during the show. If that works out, could you come back to work?"

I nod. "Yeah, I think so," I say softly. "That could work."

"Okay." Marlee nods. "I'm not asking you to come back with me right now, though. Get some rest tonight and I'll see you tomorrow morning." She stands up from the bed and gives me another hug. "Are you okay with being by yourself for a little bit?" When I nod, she continues, "After the show, I can come back or one of the boys can and stay with you for a little bit. But only if you're okay with that."

"Um, yeah. I would like that. Thank you."

As she leaves to go back to the theater, I wonder what I ever did to deserve a friend as good as Marlee.

~~~~~
three chapters in one day, wow
thanks for reading!!