Reece's Haven

59

"You smell like home..."
– Nautica

❀❀❀

~ D O R O T H Y ~

April 1998

Nerves. I've got the nerves.

I take a deep, yet shaky, breath in as I pace up and down the girl's toilets, hiding from the berserk Rachel Barns.

Why?

Well, you see...

It's finally the day of the play.

Which means that Rachel is micromanaging everything and everyone – to the point that even I found it overbearing. I mean, I get that she is a perfectionist – and it's not a bad thing to be one – but getting my hairstyle and make-up changed six and eight times, respectively, is not great.

Gosh, my scalp still aches from all the brushing and the tugging.

And when she mentioned that at least five hundred people are in the auditorium, plus Lucas Wright and his film crew, I fled for my life.

She's probably looking for me right now, rampaging through the entire campus. But I don't care. I've decided that I'm not going back until I calm down.

Wearing a white robe and slippers, I lean against the wall, with my mind bombarded with a million of embarrassing scenarios that can possibly happen during the play.

What if I forget my lines?

What if I fall over something by accident?

What if I forget to breathe?

My mind then drifts to Reece.

Is he nervous, given that he barely had a week to memorise the lines and dance moves?

If I were him, I would be.

...But then, knowing Reece, it would be unusual if he was nervous. I mean, the guy's aura reeks of confidence.

And goodness, he must have some sort of photographic memory or something because he learnt his lines insanely fast!

"Dorothy," Jenny calls me, catching my attention.

I whip myself around to face my dear friend, who is wearing a black dress that reaches down to her knees and black heels. She stands at the doorway, with her soft, ebony hair twirled into an intricate bun. She wears no glasses, most probably wearing contacts instead.

"Gosh, you look pale!" she points out, walking towards me until she holds onto my hands, concern clearly evident in her eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I'm nervous," I reveal.

"Don't be," she says, resting her hand on my arm to appease me. "You'll be amazing!"

"I feel like I'm going to puke any second–"

"Remember when you sang at Escape? You were so nervous. But after you started, you got over it and sang like... Like it was your world, Dorothy. And we were just living in it."

"But there are over five hundred people–"

"Who will leave this place absolutely bedazzled by you."

"We'll be videotaped–"

"To preserve your brilliant performance for future generations to watch."

"And Lucas Wright–"