'Tis the Damn Season by Kimi Freeman

Author:Kimi Freeman [Freeman, Kimi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Parson Press
Published: 2023-08-28T18:30:00+00:00

Rehearsal goes about as well as can be expected.

Millie doesn’t seem thrilled about her decision to be a part of the production, and Nick and Lucas have dubbed themselves the line police, but all in all, we’re making progress.

“Hey, Rome!” I say as I walk over to him after rehearsal. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Yeah, of course,” he says. “What did you want to talk about?”

“There’s something I forgot to tell you…”

It’s so strange talking to him about my career. About things that to him may seem like a distant world away. But this is my real life, and it’s scary bringing him into this part of it.

“And I know to you it might sound stupid—”

“I promise it won’t.”

The nerves are rising yet again. “And I know it’s a little late, but—”

“Pen! Just tell me. You’re starting to scare me.”

“I’m going to the Blitz Ball next weekend.”

“The what?”

“Rome!”

He now looks surprised. “What?”

“Are you kidding me?” I ask, not convinced he’s serious. I mean, this is seriously the biggest event of the year.

“Seriously, what is it, Pen?” he asks, still uber-confused.

“Only the biggest celebrity event of the year! It’s, like, one of the biggest honors of my career to be invited again.”

I can’t believe how out of touch I’ve become by surrounding myself solely with others in the spotlight. I thought everyone in the world knew what the Blitz was.

I run my hand over my face. “What are we gonna do about the show? We’ve got less than a month left.”

“I know. But we’ll get it done. If we need to add more rehearsal time, then we will.”

It’s a lot harder than he’s making it out to be. We have to coordinate with the parents, pick new rehearsal times, and make sure they fit within everyone’s schedule. If even one kid is missing, it throws off the scene.

“Okay,” I say. “But it’s not just about the rehearsal times. It’s everything.”

Rome runs a hand through his curls. “When is this ball?”

“Next Thursday.

“When are you thinking of heading out?”

I ponder this for a second. “After rehearsal on Monday.”

“I can figure something out for the rest of the week. It’ll be hard with—”

I can’t help but associate the Blitz with dread in my mind. I don’t want to see my ex-best friend and her awful boyfriend, who’s sent my career up in flames. I don’t want to be judged by other celebs who pity or dislike me because the world hates me right now. People who would have wanted to take pictures with me and hang out before the scandal likely won’t even want to speak to me anymore. I don’t want to smile as I do interviews, knowing the clips are going to be dissected on the internet in the morning.

Rome represents everything I miss about my life in Fertsville. And he feels like home. He always has.

“Will you go with me?” I ask.

I can see the surprise in Rome’s expression.

But he doesn’t look horrified. He looks … happy.

“Yeah,” he says quickly.

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