#Chapter 97: Star of the Show


    I n on visiting during my fall break. Mom thinks I have a trip for drama, so she''s not expecting me. I hate lying to her, but it really is for her own good,


    The following week leading up to our opening night is stressful. The y only runs for two weekends, but everything has to be perfect for the first show. I scramble to makest-minute changes to costumes and learn a few lines that just don''t seem to be sticking.


    Which is what makes opening night more stressful when Alex and Mom both show up with flowers. Talk about feeling loved...and feeling the pressure to perform!


    Alex nts a big kiss on me and Hailey, who ys another one of the teens, ooh''s and ah''s over us. So does Mom, and I''m starting to wonder which one of us she likes more


    Alex and Mom sit with Lenard through the show. I peek out from the back curtain to find their seats, so I know not to look there. I can''t risk catching one of them smile at me and throwing me off. Tonight has to be perfect because I''ve worked so hard, and I want them to see that.


    The show goes off without a hitch. We all go out to eat afterward and they praise both me and Hailey for our upstanding performances. It feels like the kind of night I want to lock away in memory forever.


    Alex stays the night in my dorm. Of course, he''s not allowed, but some rules are made to be broken. Besides, I missed his touch and it''s soforting to sleep with his arms wrapped around me. Besides, it''s not like we can do anything with girls sleeping on either side of us.


    Which is the point. As time goes on, it bes more difficult for us to restrain our natural desires. I imagine this is how any rtionship feels when the partners abstain from rtions, but I know it is totally going to be worth it.


    Not that we''re saints. By the time I''m a junior in college, we''ve done about everything but...you know. Our motivator for behaving? Simple: Having a kid would ruin what we''ve worked so hard for. It''s just not time and not a risk we''re willing to take.


    Sure, we have moments of weakness. Who doesn''t in a long-term rtionship? Especially when you don''t get to see each other every day. I mean, the electricity between us has never faltered. If anything, it is growing more and more intense. So I know when we finally release it the feeling will be other-worldly.


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