“Why are they moving for me then?”
“Congratulations.” I said, he shook his head. “You’re now an extension of the crown.” I added, he smirked.
“Oh. I can work with that.” He said as we came to a stop at his locker. Danny was stood at his own next to Stephen’s.
“I’ll see you later.” I said, Stephen sighed but nodded. “You promised. You promised me.” I said, trying to keep the laugh out of my voice, Stephen rolled his eyes.
“What did you promise him?” Danny asked, Stephen looked at him.
“That I’d go to the Christmas showcase.”
“What?” Danny said laughing, “we’ve blown that off for seven years.”
“Yeah, but now I want to blow him, so…” Stephen waved his hand towards me, I snorted lightly so he looked at me.
“You promised.” I paused, “I got the entire school to come to your football game, you….”
“Are you going to use that against me for the remainder of our relationship?”
“Yes.” I nodded,
“We’re breaking up.” He said seriously, I smiled at him, he broke.
“Come on, I have to go and support Cassidy, and it’s not that bad of a show.”
“Selling it you are.” Danny said, I rose my eyebrow at him.
“You can come if you want.” I said, he narrowed his eyes at me as Stephen laughed. “Cassidy is quite the performer.”
“As I’m sure you know.” Stephen said, Danny looked at him so he blinked innocently.
“I will see you later. At the theatre, half six.” I said, Stephen nodded, I went to walk away but he tutted at me.
“Hey.” He said, I turned as he leant against his locker, raising his eyebrow at me, his tongue in his cheek.
“Yes?”
“Everyone knows about us now.” He shrugged. “Aren’t I going to get a goodbye kiss?” he smiled, it was bright and manipulative.
“I thought we were doing this for us.”
“We are. You love me after all.” He teased, I moaned at him. “Kiss me.” he said softly, I didn’t look around, although I’m sure he thought I was going too, no, instead I leant my arm above his head on the locker and I kissed him.
“Come on lover boy, we have orchestra.” Cody said, I turned to look at him as he smirked back at me. I waved to Stephen who waved back laughing as I walked away from him.
The theatre was buzzing. As it always was. It was alive, coloured lights searching around the audience, little Christmas trees and snowmen covering the walls. Christmas music was playing, a background sound but loud enough that you could hear every word clearly. The technicians were scurrying about doing their very important jobs, all of them in full blacks but with Santa Hats or Elf ears.
This evenings performance was for the school, almost the dress rehearsal before the real thing tomorrow night, where parents and people with heavier pockets than their offspring came to donate.
I explained this to Stephen but he still looked shell-shocked, so I took his hand squeezing tight, and leading him out of the theatre and up the stairs. He shook my hand as I got my key card out to let me through the doors.
“Aren’t we going to…”
“Yes.” I cut him off as we stepped through the door. He frowned at me as I led him to the door that had a giant warning sign on it. His frown was confused as I knocked on the door.
“Kennedy.” Jordan said amused as he opened the door, I smiled back at him as he mockingly bowed his head. “You come for the royal box?” he asked, I nodded as he looked at Stephen, his eyes roamed him then he smiled. “Stephen.” He said, I saw the surprise on Stephen’s face.
“You know my… wait, yeah course you do.” He said nodding, “still trying to get used to this dating the most popular boy in school thing.” He said, I grinned at him as Jordan laughed, he stepped aside letting us in.
Jordan was sat up top running the entire show, he was essentially the Cassidy of the technicians, he’d decorated his box with little fairy lights and a small silver Christmas tree next to the book that told him everything he needed to do. He walked ahead, onto a little platform, it was small sure just big enough for two people. With bars that stopped you from falling, but it had a perfect view of the stage. I went ahead of Stephen, sitting on the platform, my legs over the edge my arms on the stomach height bar. He laughed, although his legs wouldn’t move.
“Heights?” I asked,
“Falling.” He said then shrugged, “my legs feel like jelly.” He said, I smiled reaching my hand out to him. he took my hand.
“I won’t let you fall. I promise.” I said, he nodded, a deep breath rolling through him before he stepped out onto the platform. He sat cross legged next to me, not quite at the edge but that was okay.
He didn’t let go of my hand.
“Stupid really, I want to be a fireman, how useless would I be if a cat is stuck up a tree. I’d be sat there next to them.” he said, I laughed.
“I’ll save you.” I said, he shook our hands. “I’ve sat up here since I was thirteen.” I said, “Asher had told me about it the year before he left, the year before he made me King. We sat and watched the show from up here, since then, I always do. If I sit downstairs too many people want something for me, even if they want nothing, they want to talk to me, or sit next to me, whatever. I come to support Cassidy, not to take the spotlight.”
He nodded slowly then looked towards the stage as the music got louder, Mariah Carey booming around the entire theatre. I heard Jordan saying some kind of instruction behind us and then the lights went out. They let the song finish and then the room went quiet.
For all of ten seconds, before the audience erupted, well trained by now, as a spotlight grew on the stage.
Cassidy came onto the stage, standing in the spotlight. In a baby blue shirt and jeans, an apron tied around his waist. He shushed the audience and they went quiet. Stephen laughed beside me so I looked at him, he covered his mouth.
“I just can’t believe he has the entire room in the palm of his hand.” He shook his head. “Let me rephrase that, I can fully believe he has the entire room in the palm of his hand.”
I laughed as Cassidy began to sing about sugar, butter and flour. He sprinkled some glitter onto the stage then smiled pleasantly at whoever it was who brought a pie on for him. The lights came up and the stage was full. All the theatre boys, in baby blue shirts and jeans, aprons around their waists.
There were twenty-one theatre boys, which meant there was twenty-one individual performances, all of three minutes or so. Every boy got to choose a song to perform, choose their ensemble, arrange the music, choreograph the performance, choose the costume and then, perform it.
Finn thought it’d encourage more people to give money, especially if they saw their baby boy as the star for three minutes – I figured it worked.
“This is their version of the bike ride?” Stephen asked as a first year sang something from Dear Evan Hansen.
“It is, except no one breaks a bone.” I said, he smirked at me as he rested his chin on the bar, watching as the first year sang his little heart out.
“As hard work though, I presume.” He said, I nodded.
“They’ve been rehearsing this since September, if you’re feeling brave, you can ask Cassidy about how hard it’s been.”
“I am not feeling brave.” He said, I laughed as the audience began to clap, cheering for the first year as the lights went out. “I appreciate it though, I don’t think I could stand on a stage in front of practically the entire school and sing, no.”
“Can you sing?”
“No.” he said simply, no room for further questions so I laughed. “I can ride a bike though, and defend a goal.”
“Whereas Cassidy can silence an entire theatre just by standing on the stage.” I said, “I have no skills.” I said, he gasped.
“You’ve got to be kidding me, you can make people cry by playing the saxophone.”
“Am I that bad?
” I asked, he hit my arm, I kissed his cheek. He rolled his eyes, looking back at the stage.
Theo came on. A shoebox in his hands. He looked around the stage as if he was checking no-one was around. When he was satisfied that there was no one to catch him, the music began as he knelt on the stage and he began singing a song from Everybody’s Talking about Jamie. A very slow song, his face lit up though when he reached into the shoebox and brought out a pair of blood red heels.
He grinned as he sat on the stage, putting the heels on, then standing tall on the stage as he sang through to the end of the song.
The audience went wild for him, Stephen included, he almost blushed when he looked back at me.
“Can you walk in heels, I can’t.” He said simply,
“I’m going to take you to see a musical.” I said leaning towards him,
“I’m going to make you cycle there.” He replied without turning to look at me,
“Try it.” I said, he laughed.
Cassidy was on just before the finale of course. The last impression so to speak and the audience knew it. They adored their Queen and they showed their love as five other theatre boys walked onto the stage. They stood leaving a very obvious space in the middle of them. There was no noise, none at all.
Until Cassidy walked onto the stage, every step he took echoing around the theatre. He stood in the space, the light shining onto him as he looked around the theatre almost like he was unimpressed.
His costume was almost a perfect replica of the Anne Boleyn dress from Six, the green crop top with ruffled sleeves and matching skirt, that stopped just before his knees. He wore dark tights and black heeled boots. A diamond covered C around his neck. He looked at his ensemble. The left, the right, then he clicked his fingers and he instantly began to sing.
His ensemble of course included Theo, Katherine Howard, as there was never any way it’d not include him, it also included Marley, Anne of Cleves – I guess it got you places being able to suck on the Queens nipple piercing until he squirmed. There was another boy from our year, Lucah, and two from Sixth year who’s names I didn’t really know.
“I feel unworthy.” Stephen whispered, I nodded.
“Try being his twin.” I whispered, he laughed behind his hand as we kept our eyes glued to Cassidy on the stage.
He owned the stage as he sang Don’t Loose Your Head, a song I’d heard on repeat since July when he started rehearsing.
The entire theatre went wild when he finished, standing, clapping and shouting, stamping their feet and Cassidy relished in it, but rightly so.
He curtsied, before applauding his ensemble then they ran off the stage. There was a little bit of downtime, as I presume Cassidy and his ensemble changed into the finale number.
“Don’t tell anyone this.” Stephen said as he watched the stage with interest. I didn’t say anything but he must’ve figured I was silently promising. “But I kind of regret not coming for the last seven years.” he turned to me quickly, “don’t you dare tell Danny.” He said, I laughed.
“My lips are sealed.” I said nodding, as Cassidy walked back onto the stage, a red blazer, red tartan pants, and a croquet mallet over his shoulders. He walked to the front of the stage and must’ve picked on someone in the audience as he pointed his croquet mallet at them.
“Are we going to have a problem?” he asked, as Theo and Marley came on behind him. Theo in a green blazer and green tartan pants, Marley in a yellow blazer, and yellow striped trousers, both with croquet mallets. They began to sing a song from Heathers. The rest of the boys coming on in varying outfits looking like, well, teenagers, whilst Cassidy, I’m pretty sure scared the shit out of someone in the audience. I stood to watch, Stephen following me, grabbing onto my waist as he leant nearer to edge. I wrapped my arm around him, keeping him solid.
Cassidy looked up towards me, searching me out so I waved, he smirked never actually breaking character as he lifted his mallet to me, singing;
You can live the dream
I laughed, blowing him a kiss as he winked, Stephen waving with me even though I felt his fingers weave through my belt loop as if trying to anchor on. I wanted to tell him I wouldn’t let him fall, but I figured he knew that. He turned away from me reaching backwards so I looked as he took two roses off Jordan.
“For the Queen?” I asked, Stephen nodded touching the rose to his nose then looking back over as the song finished, they all punched up.
The applause was thunderous and the theatre boys revelled in it, bowing over and over before pushing Cassidy forward, like they’d always done. He lifted the mallet above his head, swinging it down to bow. I threw my rose then, it landing just in front of him on the stage. He grinned crouching to pick it up, kissing the bud then winking up at me. He gasped when Stephen threw the second, catching it as it came towards him. Blowing a kiss up to Stephen who grinned back at him.
♕
Chapter Twenty-three
I met Stephen at the train station when he came, suitcase in hand to stay over Christmas.
“I’ve never been to Brighton.” He said as he stepped out of the train station, “or Hove.” He said quickly, I laughed as I took his suitcase.
“I’m going to do the resident thing and say, you should visit in the summer it’s beautiful.”
He laughed.
“And of course, you’ll have to come to Pride. The event of the year.”
“I look forward to it.” he said as I put his suitcase in the boot of the town car Father had loaned me to pick up Stephen. I watched as Stephen checked the car out, he definitely seemed impressed, even more so when I held the door open for him. I watched him as we drove to my house. He was quizzing our driver, on every single detail of the car. He glanced at me at one point, his eyebrows confused then he said;
“It’s electric you know.”
I laughed as I nodded.
“I know.” I whispered, he grinned looking pleased before looking out the window, he smiled as we passed the numerous rainbow flags that hung from buildings. “Yeah, we live in the gay capital of the UK.” I said, he laughed cheerfully.
“And your dad was surprised you were gay?” he asked, I shrugged dramatically at him.
“If you ask nicely, Cassidy will take you out on the gay scene around here.”
“I’m looking forward to New Year’s.” he said nodding, I nodded back amused as we pulled into the garage.
“We figured, Cassidy and I, it’d be better if you met Harrison first.” I said, Stephen nodded to me as we got out of the car and I led him to my bedroom.
My room, I thought to be simple, it was painted a light red, as my Mum had tutted at me and told me a dark red would look like a room in a brothel. I hadn’t argued and let her choose the paint. My saxophones from years gone by lined the wall above my bed, all hung up on jaunty angles, getting bigger as they got closer to the centre of my bed.
The wall opposite slid open to become my wardrobe, it stretched the entire length of the wall, a full-length mirror on the furthest end, next to an open bookcase. It held mostly sheet music and my trophies; a few books stored away at the bottom. I had framed sheet music on the wall opposite the window, of songs I’d enjoyed performing or wished too. My vinyls on a shelf above them, my vinyl player on a dresser below them. It was simple, but that was because I wasn’t here most of the year.
I heard him breathe ‘wow’ as he walked in, walking around my double bed to the window and looking out of it.
“I honestly was expecting you and Cassidy to share a room.” He said almost confused as he tried to look at everything at once. I put my had out to him. He took it, frowning at me as I walked him to our bathroom. It was large and long, when you walked in, you saw the two sinks, one side mine, the other Cassidy’s. Opposite was three frosted doors, two single and a double in the middle. I opened the first, showing him the toilet, he nodded as I walked to the opposite one that led into the shower. I pulled out the middle double doors then laughed as he gasped at the
bath.
“This is the most extra bathroom I’ve ever seen, but I don’t really see how this connects to Cassidy.” He said, so I continued on, walking past the shower, opening the door at the end of the bathroom.
Cassidy didn’t even look up as I walked into his bedroom.
“Oh.” Stephen said amused as I stood back letting him into the room.
“Hey baby doll.” Cassidy said softly. “Good journey?” he added grinning as Stephen took in his room.
His was also surprisingly simple. It was painted an, according to Cassidy, champagne colour. His bed grand in the middle with a canopy above it, fairy lights twinkling around the inside of the canopy. His walls were mostly bare, a rainbow flag hung on the back of his door. A large mirror stood in the corner, with lights around the frame next to a white desk that looked over the window. His laptop was usually on it with his baby pink headphones.
His wardrobes were like mine spanning the entirety of the wall opposite the bed, except the middle of his was open, a double bookcase that showcased all his programmes from the musicals he’d been to see, the script books he had and any and every book that a musical has been set too. There were pretty candles and framed photographs, they seemed to be what caught Stephen’s eye the most.
“The train wasn’t bad.” He said as his eyes searched over the shelves. “I had a seat.” He added, I laughed as I sat on Cassidy’s bed.
“Do you know what you’ve let yourself in for here?” Cassidy asked as he closed his laptop, Stephen shook his head.
“I really don’t.” he said softly then pointed at the picture.
“California.” I said, Cassidy grinned.
“Disney World.”
“We were…”
“Nine.” Cassidy said softly, as Stephen picked up the picture. We were stood in front of the castle, our arms up in the air. I was in a blue t-shirt that read double and he a white that read trouble, mine had Chip on and his Dale.
“That’s adorable.” He said, and I thought the fact he’d just used the word adorable made him adorable so I moaned as I leant my head on Cassidy’s shoulder. He stroked my hair.
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