Backstage || scott hoying

Chapter 6

~Scott

"Scott? Is that you?" Skylar asks. I don't even need to lift my head up to know its her. I feel like I've just been stabbed in the heart.

"Y-yeah," I murmur, still not lifting my eyes away from my food. There's an awkward silence. I can feel everyone's eyes, and I mean everyone's, staring at me. Why am I freaking out over her? We used to talk everyday.

"It's been years..." she says.
"Three years, two months and a week," I blurt out. Great, now I'm a crazy stalker. My cheeks burn even more than before. There's another awkward silence before she speaks up.

"Do you wanna catch up some time?" she says the words I've been begging her to say this whole conversation.

"That'd be cool, okay," I say. I look up for the first time this whole conversation and her eyes are staring back at me. All outside sounds turn into a quiet buzz. I felt something click inside me. All I needed this whole time was to look at her. These past three years have been hell for me and now I feel blessed. She nods her head before informing me that she'll text me. After she leaves, I let out a long sigh and slide down the seat.

"Wow," I hear Mitch say. Yeah, wow.

"Are you okay, Scott?" Kirstie asks. I manage to nod my head yes, although the truth is no, I'm not okay. They finish eating while I pick at my burger, only eating half. We leave the restaurant, only encountering a couple of fans, causing a not nearly as big commotion as Skylar did. Once we're all sitting in the van, my phone goes off. I pull it out of my pocket to see that Skylar texted me. I have a mini panic attack before I remember that she said she would text me. The text reads:

"Hi Scott, it was nice seeing you today after so long. I don't want us to be strangers after what happened to us. Wanna go out tonight to catch up? I understand if you say no, but I really want to see you again."

This is my best dream and my worst nightmare. I've been dreaming of seeing Skylar again, but after the way I reacted in that interview and the way I reacted at the restaurant, how am I going to act when I'm sitting down at a table with just us? I tap Mitch on his shoulder, drawing his attention away from his Twitter timeline.

"I need you to read this, I have no clue what I should do or say," I hand him my phone letting him read the message she sent.

"Well, just go. I mean, what do you have to lose?" he says, handing me back my phone.

"But you saw how I reacted at the interview and at the restaurant. What if I act the same way when I meet her one-on-one?" I lock my phone and begin fiddling with my fingers rapidly and nervously. Avi, sitting in the next row of seats in front of us, turns around to join the conversation.

"What's going on?" I pull out my phone and show him the text.

"I agree with Mitch, just go," he hands my phone back and I put it in my pocket.

"What if I screw up? What if I start crying? What if I yell at her?--" I babble on before getting interrupted.

"Okay okay, calm down. If anything bad happens, which I doubt will, just go to the bathroom and call one of us for advice." Mitch suggests.

"I guess that makes me feel more secure," I say. "What should I text back?" I pull my phone out and back to the text.

"That's up to you," Avi says, turning back around and joining into a conversation with Kirstie and Kevin. Mitch goes back to Twitter, leaving me to decide what to say. After a long, grueling 5 minutes of typing and erasing, I finally came up with this,

"Hi Sky, that sounds wonderful. Where and when?" A literary phenomenon, yes I know. I hit send before I change my mind. I get a reply from her.

Skylar: Any suggestions? I haven't been in LA for very long.