Page 25 of Game Over

“What? It’s a fair question, I know where your attitude comes from.” Donna cocked an eyebrow at her, and I swear it was like looking at an older version of Allie, just with blonde hair.

“There has been minimal attitude so far, I promise. She’s been very sweet to me.”

“Minimal attitude?!” Allie’s brows shot up as her head whipped in my direction.

“I mean to be fair, you do have a bit of an attitude.” I was playing with fire by teasing her like this, but I couldn’t resist. Seeing her heated up was a fun sight, and I knew this was only a taste.

“This is so not fair. That’s it, I'm going to find our seats so y'all can stop picking on me.” She went to walk off with a little huff, and I could’ve sworn I heard her mumble about someone needing to watch out or they’d regret it or how she’d show them some attitude. God, I loved her sass.

“I think not, pretty girl,” I twirled her back to face me and lightly kissed her. “We’ll go find our seats together. I’ll be good, I promise.” She huffed and rolled her eyes again. “Friend, huh?”

“I’m sorry, I panicked, and I didn’t know. It seemed like the safest option.” She nibbled on her bottom lip, and a blush was spreading over her cheeks. Leaning over and placing a kiss on her cheek, I laced our fingers together and let her lead me through the theater.

Maplewood had two sets of schools. One for those who lived in the city limits, and those who lived in the county limits. We lived in the county, so I didn’t go to Maplewood High, but to the rival school, Maple County High.

We headed down the middle aisle, my head on a swivel, taking the large theater in. This one was much nicer than my high school. The ceilings were tall, with rows of cushioned seats, and long velvet curtains with golden trim on the stage looked expensive. Along the middle section of the back wall sat an entire sound system, and there was an area in front for a small orchestra as well.

We scooted into the row of seats and set our stuff down with her mom. Allie and I went to grab some popcorn and a drink before settling in. As we waited, she was telling me how excited she was because they were performing Beauty and the Beast, and her sister was playing Belle, which also happened to be Allie’s favorite movie and princess. She was telling me how she had helped her sister prepare, since she did theater during high school here too, and could help her with both the lines and the music. I wanted to ask her if that meant she was a trained singer, but the director came on stage to welcome everyone and asked us to silence our phones.

The lights dimmed, and the music started, the curtains drawn back, and then Olivia came out on stage. Allie leaned over, swatting my chest. “There she is! She looks so beautiful!” Her gaze was set on her sister, but I couldn’t take mine away from her. Excitement was radiating from every inch of her. Clasping her hand in mine, I kissed the back of it and settled back into my seat, watching the opening number unfold.

She was only seventeen, but she had a killer voice, and so did all the other performers too. They danced across the stage in the makeshift town, all while Belle had her nose in a book. Smiling to myself, I peeked over at Allie and found her mouthing along to the words, and she mimicked some of the smaller movements. Completely immersed in the show happening. Normally, musicals weren’t my thing, but I actually had a fun time.

After they finished and did the final bows, we waited in our seats for the cast to disperse. All the characters hopped down off the stage to find people throughout the crowd.

“Sissy!” I heard someone yell, and when I turned, Belle herself, in her giant yellow dress, was running right toward us. I stepped out of the way so Allie could catch her sister and hug her.

“You did amazing! Olivia, I’m serious, you absolutely killed it! I’m so so proud of you.” She was squeezing her tightly and peppering her face with kisses.

“My sweet girl, I can’t believe this is your last play. You’ve grown up so much, just look at you.” Donna was trying not to cry as she took pictures of the two girls.

“Mom, it’s not going to be my last play, don’t be dramatic,” she rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t keep the smile from spreading across her face. Seeing their loving interaction made my heart ache, knowing I never did, and never would have this, but I’m glad that they have each other after the rough times they’ve gone through.

“Olivia, these are for you, and here I have someone I want you to meet.” Allie pulled me up from standing back behind them, giving them space. “This is Spencer, my friend. Spencer, this is my baby sister, Olivia.”

“Hi Olivia, it's nice to meet you. I also brought these for you. Your sister told me how important this was.” I handed her the bouquet of roses, which earned me a giant grin.

“Thank you so much, they’re beautiful and also my favorite too!”

“Yeah, I found out after I got them. Just a funny accident.”

“It’s nice to meet you, and thank you for coming as well. I’m sure you’d much rather have been somewhere else. It means a lot to the theater department for the support.”

“No, I actually had a fun time; the whole cast did great. You were awesome up there.”

“Here you three stand together, let me get a picture of you!” The girls’ mom asked us as she waved her hands around to motion where she wanted us to stand. We spent the next few minutes taking pictures or stepping aside so their mom could take pictures of Olivia and other cast members or teachers.

After about thirty minutes, Olivia handed her flowers back to us so she could go backstage to change and leave. While we were waiting, we discussed where to eat, and landed on pizza being delivered to Allie’s since everyone was tired.

“Sissy, can I ride with you back to your house?” Olivia asked when she made it back out and hopped down from the stage, giving Allie the biggest puppy dog eyes possible.

“Well, I rode with Spencer, so it’s up to him.” Allie shrugged and turned to me.

“Oh uh, no, I don’t mind at all, as long as your mom’s okay with it. She is the ultimate adult here.”

“She won’t care, let me text her quick.” Olivia whipped her phone out from her jeans and fired off a text to her mom.

“Yeah, just to be on the safe side, and so she doesn’t wait for you, thinking you’re going with her,” Allie said while we waited.