Salmonella

Chapter 20

🫧Twenty🫧

I burst into the bathroom, rushing to the mirror to wipe my face because there's no way in hell I can go back to my friends looking like this.

"Are you okay?" comes a voice from behind me. I startle, finding someone exiting one of the stalls to approach me. "Yeah, I'm fine," I laugh, swiping a sleeve at my face, before I look up into the person's face and realize who it is.

"V-Verity?!" I jump, almost slicing my back on the sharp edge of the mirror. The girl before me is undoubtedly the lead from the show—not in all the hair and makeup she was onstage, but still strikingly and intimidatingly beautiful.

She tilts her head. "Do you know me?"

"You're the lead!" I cry. "You were so good in the show! I was so blown away. I just saw it." I shake my head. "I mean, obviously. That's why I'm here." I could slap myself right now. Put me in front of my worst enemy and I'm okay, but put me in front of a beautiful woman and I forget how to talk.

She smiles, looking at me in mild concern. "Thanks. I'm glad you liked it. So what's wrong? Why are you all alone in here?"

I sniffle and start to come up with an excuse when the door swings open and a bunch of other actors bustle in—Urseida's two snake henchmen, along with Urseida himself. He has a line of shopping bags on one arm and two of Turquoise's sisters and Young Turquoise hanging on his other.

I quickly wipe my eyes, not needing a crowd to see me in this state right now. But they all notice me anyway and rush over to see if I'm okay even though they don't even know me.

"Verity, what's going on? Who's this?" asks one of Turquoise's sisters, who I recognize as Pacific's friend.

"I don't know." Verity turns to me. "What's your name?"

"Ella..." I say reluctantly.

"Why are you crying? Were we that bad?" asks one of the snake guys with a goofy half-smile, coming over to pat my shoulder. The motion makes his vest open a little more, revealing two scars along his chest. I quickly look away to not be rude, though knowing other queer people are here with me makes me relax a little.

"No," I hiccup, giving him a thankful smile for trying to lighten the mood. "You guys were amazing. I loved it."

"Ella was just telling me how great I was," says Verity, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and giving the others a look of mock pride.

"But I was the best, right?" says the snake guy. I laugh. "Come on, be honest. You won't hurt V's feelings. She can take it." He pats my back. "Seriously, though. What's wrong? I think we have a right to know after you barged into the cast bathroom."

Cast... bathroom? I look up fearfully. But I could have sworn the sign just said bathroom; it didn't specify anything. Shit. That explains why there's so many actors in here.

"I'm so sorry!" I cry. "I didn't know. I'll go now."

"Woah, woah, woah..." The whole group holds their arms out to stop me.

"It's okay, Ella," Verity insists. "Trust me, if there's anyone that's dealt with a shit ton of drama, it's us. In more ways than one."

"We're literal theater kids," says Snake Guy.

"What's going on? Did someone in the show bother you?" presses Verity.

"You're the one who was in our dressing room before, aren't you?"

I stare at Tate in panic. Right. He was the one who saved Asslas from the crowd harassing him in earlier when he was trying to change. And I, the epitome of "wrong place, wrong time," was so fortunately at the very center of said room.