After her father's tragic passing, Nora Davis is forced behind the scenes, nothing more than a stepping stone for others in their journey to stardom. When an opportunity presents itself, Nora, trapped under her stepmother's heel, takes it as her cha...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Felicity wasn't the only one with Eli at the ice cream shop when Nora arrived. In fact, the entire shop was aflutter with Jostlin Academy students.
The bell on the door chimed as Nora walked in, her backpack strung over one shoulder. She'd walked the few blocks over to the ice cream shop and planned to take a bus back home or grab a ride with Tessa, after her art-club meeting.
The moment Nora walked into the smaller parlor, she was blasted with the loud chatter of students excited about their after school freedom. The young worker behind the counter scooped different cones as another worker rang up a few Jostlin students at the register. The milkshake blender churned loudly behind the counter.
Eli sat with a familiar group at a table near the back of the shop. Felicity, Grumpy, Sneezy, and Happy laughed at something he said as Nora approached. Other Jostlin students took up the adjacent tables, shooting Eli's group glances as they all laughed.
Eli looked up, mid-sentence, and spotted her. "Nora!" He waved her over.
A stone dropped into her stomach. Had he invited his friends? She'd thought this would just be her and Eli. But clearly, she was wrong.
She wanted to immediately turn back around and leave. She didn't belong at that table, nor did she want to. She didn't want to hang out with her artists outside the studio if she didn't have to. They had a tendency to only make things more complicated for her.
Eli waved her over, a smile appearing on his face. He had an empty chair next to him, which she reluctantly sank into. "I was worried you weren't coming," He said to her quietly.
Nora tried for a smile. "I got held up at school."
Felicity was on Eli's other side, a milkshake in her hand. She rotated her straw and sipped at the blended ice cream, "School has always been Nora's first passion. Hard worker, right, Nora?"
Nora eyed her stepsister. "Of course," she said.
Grumpy crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, balancing it on two legs. He scowled at the room around him. "It's stuffy in here," he said.
"I like it," Happy said.
"You like everything," Sneezy said. She had a bandage on the bottom of her chin and a purple wrist brace today. "At least you can eat ice cream," she said. "Unlike some of us who are lactose intolerant."
Happy giggled, scooping a bite of vanilla ice cream into her mouth, "Eli, tell Nora about what your sister did."
Nora glanced at Eli and waited. She would never be able to talk to Eli by himself with all these people around. And maybe that was for the best. Clearly, he was doing just fine in the friend department. He wouldn't notice if Nora simply disappeared. Though the thought of her breezing out of his life made her throat ache, she knew it was for the best.
