“This is it, your big test. If you make it through tonight, you’re ready,” Chase said.
Jade nodded, wiped his clammy hands on his palms. “Okay. But I think Chris is getting a little...suspicious. He keeps looking at me funny, and I think I’ve been missing out on some of his inside jokes.”
“Look, just nail the performance tonight. Chris gets on edge because he’s Chris. And...he feels guilty. For making Justin fall down the stairs.” Chase smiled gently, smoothed a hand over Jade’s curls.
Jade scowled and knocked his hand aside. “I’m not a poodle. Don’t pet me.”
Something unreadable flickered in Chase’s eyes, but he let his hand fall to his side. “Oui. Je suis desolé.”
“Sorry,” Jade said. He knew it was bad when Chase kicked back into French. “I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just - nervous.”
Joe chose that moment to poke his head into the dressing room. “C’mon, Mouseketeers, we gotta show Germany how we rock it.”
Jade bounced to his feet and gave Joe a high-five. “All right. Let’s rock this joint!”
And rock the joint they did. Jade knew he hit every mark like clockwork, that every smile and every wink for the girls in the front row was perfect, because after the last encore the curtain fell and Chris swooped him into a hug and gave him a noogie.
The affection in Chris’s eyes was genuine for the first time in the three weeks Jade had been living with them, and the jubilation of success was tainted with the guilt of dishonesty. Jade had finally replaced Justin, and no one would ever be the wiser.
(276 words)
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