“He wants to celebrate.”
Carlton sighs. I can’t help but wonder if he regrets how things ended between us, but at the same time, I’m grateful for it. If he hadn’t treated me so badly while we were together, I would have missed out on so much later on. Getting to know Zayne. Getting to know myself.
“Goodnight, Carlton.”
“Night, Dot.”
I get up, leaving him on my roof, and climb down the ladder.
And then Zayne pulls up on the street.Perfect timing.I grin and run to the car. When I get in, Carlton is climbing down the ladder.
Zayne tilts his head sideways. “Is that…?”
“Carlton? Yeah.” I nod. “He wanted to apologize and say thank you.”
“Oh.” He frowns and rolls down his window to holler at Carlton. “I still hate you, Peters!”
Carlton freezes and peers at Zayne from across the street. “You too, Silverman,” he calls back. I note with amusement that it somehow sounds like a compliment.
As we drive off, I get a text from Rue.
Rue
Talking to Meredith and Carlton tonight. Wish me luck.
With a smile, I respond to her message.
Me
Good luck. You got this.
I tuck my phone away and watch the starry night unfold above us as Zayne drives. The future feels uncertain, butthere’s something steady about the way we’re moving forward. Underwood Academy will bring its challenges—there’s no doubt about that—but we’ll take them one at a time, stage by stage.
Zayne’s fingers intertwine with mine, his lips brushing my knuckles in a silent promise. I don’t need to ask him where we go from here. We’ve mastered the script, and this is just the beginning of our story—onstage and off.
