Force of Nature ▸ House of Anubis [3]

chapter sixty-nine. house of capture

"Why does there have to be new costumes?"

"Willow... let's just say she likes unicorns."

—

The curtain's due to rise any minute. Joy's sitting in front of me as I brush some blush onto the apples of her cheeks. Well, attempt to. "Joy, I know things are a mess right now, but I need you to smile so I don't put the blush somewhere where it doesn't need to be."

Joy exhales deeply, smiling widely and tensely so I can apply the pink better. "How does it look?"

"Like a star," I say truthfully. "And the last scene of the play? How's that?"

"A surprise."

"Are you gonna let the audience know if they're lovers or best friends?"

"I wanted to," she answers, "but Mara shot it down. The ending's the same as before—walking into the sunset open-ended."

"So what do you think they are?" I inquire, setting the brush on the tray beside me.

She looks at me carefully, biting the inside of her cheek. I show her the mascara I've just grabbed and she changes her expression accordingly to apply it, and then she says, "I think they're lovers. I suggested to Mara that they kiss before walking into the sunset, but she likes the vague thing. So we're going with that."

"You didn't fight it?"

"'Course I did. But, you know, the plot's her idea and she's had a lot go wrong for her this year, so... but I did write my own ending, just for myself."

"So why do you think they're lovers?"

"It's just..." Joy inhales sharply, shrugging as I rest for a moment, prepared to listen to her. "Since we've been writing this play, I've been doing some... thinking about myself. And I think that I... might have had a little crush on Mara when we first met. And you, a little."

My eyebrows raise high. This, I was not expecting. "Wow. Really?"

"No, uh, I don't feel that way now," Joy tells me quickly, "in case you think I'm declaring some love. I'm not. It was for, like, five minutes, with both of you. I'm just... I've been realizing some things since you suggested the whole love-story-with-two-girls thing."

I nod slowly. Not exactly what I expected her to say, but I'm glad she trusts me enough to tell me. "All right... so is this you coming out to me as...?" I trail off, waiting to see if she would give me a bit more specific descriptor.

"Bisexual," she finishes. "Boys and girls for me. I'm not completely secure in it all yet, but I've been doing a lot of reading. And a lot of things make sense now, so, um... I'm giving it some time. You're the first person I've told."

"I'm honored," I comment sincerely. "I'll keep it to myself. And if anyone has anything bad to say about it or you, send 'em to me. I'll take care of it."

"Thanks, I think. By take care of it you mean..."

"If I told you, that might defeat the purpose of telling you to send them to me," I reply, chuckling lightly at her raised eyebrows. "I'm kidding. I'm not gonna beat them up. However, I will verbally fight them for you."

"That's... good to know, I think," Joy states slowly. "But anyway, it's not a big deal and definitely not the biggest thing going on today." She cranes her neck to look over; Mara's giving Eddie the final scene of the script. "Curtain up in, like, two minutes. You ready with the lights?"