Perhaps (Book 1) | ✔

ACT III - Scene 6

Accent Academy — the Stage

    The final showing was over.

    I pranced out onto the stage in my red dress from Act I during the curtain call, twirling and raising my arms as I sang my chosen line. I bowed to the crowd as it ended, hearing them clap and cheer for me. As Sean came out with his last line, my eyes scanned over the crowd as they stood, clapping for us all: students; teachers; friends; family, including my own; the panel of producers. My heart swelled as I took all of them in. Sean took his place beside me, and him, Layla, Luke, Blake, Sam, and I joined hands as we offered another bow to the audience.

    As I raised up, my eyes connected with Professor Lee's. He was smiling at me, and I felt myself smile back. He looked so proud of me. I wanted to forever remember the look in his eyes. As the orchestra began a happier reprise of "Perhaps", Sean held out his hand to me. I took it and, swishing the skirt of my dress one more time, he and I departed the stage. Layla and Luke followed us—also holding hands—followed by Blake and Sam.

    "We did it!" Layla squealed once we had all gathered backstage, the sound of the cheering crowd carrying all the way back here. I laughed as she crushed me to her in a hug before turning around to hug the others. I noticed that she gave Sean a kiss in addition to the hug, and smiled. Sean reached out and pulled the rest of us into a larger, group hug; and we began to chant over and over again: "We did it! We did it!"

    As we made our way back to our dressing rooms to clean up, we talked excitedly about the closing night. We even sang some of our favorite lines together! I smiled and laughed with my co-stars as they chorused "My Dear Gloria" at me; but my laughter was cut short when I looked up to see, for the second time, Riley leaning against my dressing room door.

    I hesitated again, the memories of Halloween and the last time I had spoken with him returning as his eyes moved towards me. I stopped myself, though: this wasn't Halloween. That was all in the past. I had been trying to talk to him since, and now was my chance to.

    I glanced back towards Sean. He knew what had really happened between Riley and I. He had been the one that had told me to give the other some space. Did he think it was okay for me to speak to him now?

    "I think he's here to say sorry," he smiled. "I think now is a good time to try and mend some bridges. It's going to be much easier on both of you to forgive what happened. It'll make it easier to move on, and move past it." There was a lot of truth to his words, and Layla nodded at them.

    "You and Riley may never be friends again like you were, but this could at least give you both a measure of peace," she added. "And, who knows! Maybe everything will turn out okay, and you can be friends again!" She smiled at me, and I turned back towards Riley. He had straightened up and was watching me.

    I had a choice to make here. One that would ultimately decide my relationship with Riley. Forgive, or don't forgive. Forget, or don't forget. Do I choose to salvage and preserve our friendship, or do I choose to destroy it?

    I found that the answer was easy. There was no question about what I wanted to do.

    Though he had hurt me that night, I had also hurt him. I had kissed him—I had acted as if I wanted him, and I had practically begged for him to take me—and then had reneged later on. I knew that I had always had the right to say "no", and that my behavior could never excuse his. But I also knew that I had no right to attempt to use him the way I had tried to. He had liked me so much. His feelings had been genuine, and I had attempted to use them just to forget my own. How was that fair to him?

    I had behaved so selfishly. He deserved so much better than that. He deserved a girl who would like him as wholly as he liked her; not someone who had attempted to use him so that she didn't have to think about someone else. It was clear to me that he had not forgiven himself for what he had done—that he had not forgotten—but he needed to. We both needed to forgive. We both needed to forget.