Chapter 40

At the same time that Lindsay and the cheer squad were leaving the stage, Double Dee and Marie had began making their way towards the piano in preparation for Lee and Eddy's performance. The school piano was located at the base of the stage, on the left side of the auditorium. Due to the only available seats being in the very back of the auditorium at the time the couple had decided to leave Eddy and Lee back stage, the two adolescent's were forced to make their way to the front of the auditorium in almost complete darkness. The two teenagers bobbed and weaved through aisles, ensuring to keep their heads down to avoid obstructing patrons views, eventually reaching their destination.

Upon reaching piano, Marie placed the folder containing the score for the Nutcracker Grand Pas de Deux down on the piano bench, and began quietly removing the cover. Double Dee, being quite knowledgable of musical instruments and culture, instantly identified it as a Steinway concert grand. Being a concert grand, it's rich harmonics and ability to project sound, even in the pianissimo dynamic, made it quite suitable as the centerpiece for the large auditorium.

Double Dee watched as Marie retracted the wooden lid, revealing the eighty eight well maintained imitation ivory keys. She then opened the folder containing the music score, and placed it on the rest atop the piano. Lastly, she activated a small clip-on light mounted on the music stand, in the interest of seeing the music in the darkness, and took a seat at the bench. Double Dee quietly opened the lid to the piano, securing it in the fully open position with the lid prop for maximum sound.

Once all of the preparations were in order, Double Dee took a seat next to Marie, preparing to turn the pages for her as promised. Marie placed her hands on the keys, taking care not to actually press them, and ran a few quick practice scales. Once she had finished, she sighed, turned towards Double Dee and whispered.

"Well, sweetie," whispered Marie, "It's almost showtime."

"It appears so," said Double Dee, "Isn't it invigorating?"

"It is," said Marie, "But I have to admit, I am a little nervous myself."

"Marie," said Double Dee, "I can assure you that you have absolutely nothing to be nervous about. You are a fantastic pianist, and I am sure that you will deliver a terrific rendition of Tchaikovsky's work."

"Thanks Double Dee," said Marie, "Sorry, for the uneasiness, but is my first time performing in front of a crowd, and even though it's not really my performance, I know Lee and Eddy are counting on me to do a great job."

"And a great job you will do." said Double Dee as he removed the music score from the folder, and opened it to the first page, "May I suggest the proverbial imagining the audience in their underwear?"

Double Dee giggled slightly.

"Ugh," said Marie, "I'll pass. A very rare instance my Oven Mitt actually has a bad idea."

Marie giggled, at which point both teenagers noticed the student body president taking her place at the podium to announce the next act.

"With that thought, I will merely wish you good luck," said Double Dee, "I'm sure you won't be needing it."

"You're the best sweetie," said Marie, "I'm all set and ready to play, thanks again for being my page turner."

"Anything for you Marie." said Double Dee.

Marie simply smiled, and turned her attention back to the keyboard, continuing to stretch her fingers for her upcoming performance.

At the same time that Double Dee and Marie were preparing the piano, Eddy and Lee were standing backstage, conducting final preparations for their performance. Eddy was currently standing in an upright position, his neck held high and his arms held down, as Lee kneeled down to his eye level to adjust his collar. She stood up straight, ensuring that her boyfriend looked presentable, after which she placed her hands on her hips.

"Well sweetie," said Lee, "It's just about show time. Ready to show off those dancing skills and beat that no good cheerleader Barbie wannabe!"

Eddy attempted to speak, but to no avail. In lieu of words, the only sound that Eddy was able to muster up was that of a hard swallow. Nevertheless, he was able to train his eyes toward Lee, as he continued to sweat, and produce a slight smile.

Lee had taken note of Eddy's severe nervousness since she first arrived backstage. She giggled ever-so-slightly, at which point she kneeled down to look Eddy in the eye.

"Hey you," said Lee in a gentle motherly voice, "Before we go out there, I just wanted to say thank you for doing this. You don't know how happy it makes me feel that, not only did you step out of your comfort zone and do this for me, but you practiced your little heart out and improved so much in so little time. Don't be afraid of messing up. If you miss one step, oh well, just improvise like we did in practice."

Lee leaned into Eddy's face with a smile.

"And remember what I said," said Lee, "Go out there, and exude confidence. I've seen you in action, you have more confidence than all of your friends on the football team put together, and tonight is the night you are going to show it. Nothing is sexier, or more intimidating than a guy who has the skills and the confidence to back it up!"

Lee extended her index finger, and poked her long pink fingernail into Eddy's chest playfully.

"And tonight, that guy is YOU!" said Lee in a rather aggressive, yet playful manner.

Eddy remained silent as he looked into his girlfriends blue eyes; they seemed to sparkle magnificently, accentuated by her makeup. As he gazed into her eyes, a strong feeling of complacency overcame him. He had sensed it countless times from the red headed girl standing before him, even before they began dating, during the night when Lee opened his eyes to how foolish he reacted to Edd and Marie's relationship. It was a feeling he could best described as being "comfortable". Very few people indeed were trusted by Lee enough for her to share her natural motherly instincts; and Eddy was lucky enough to be one of them.

Eddy's mind raced for a few moments, contemplating the situation at hand. He had issues with trusting people himself, due to the mistreatment he suffered at the hands of his brother years, making it difficult for him to share affections and believe in others. While she appeared to be looking out for his best interest tonight, he couldn't help but ponder a thought that plagued a small space in his head; Was it real, or all for the sake of beating Lindsay?

Nevertheless, Eddy shook away his thoughts and decided to live in the moment. Regardless of the circumstance, the conversation Eddy shared with Double Dee prior to taking the stage was absolutely heartfelt. He loved Lee with all of his heart, and he would do absolutely anything to help her.

"So what d'ya say?" asked Lee in her typical working class accented voice, "Are ya gonna go out there and dance your ass off,and show those guys what a real man is, or are ya gonna be chicken?"

Lee truly was a great mentor for, at that moment, Eddy's perspiration completely stopped; as if someone had turned off a metaphorical faucet inside his body. The slouch he had displayed for the past half hour was gone and, while the stout boy stood no higher than five feet two inches, he now felt as though he were ten feet tall. In lieu of a nervous frown, his face now displayed it's typical overconfident grin.

"Watch out Babe," said Eddy, as he placed his hand on his shirt and tugged it "Cause Eddy's gonna steal the spotlight tonight!"

"That's the spirit!" said Lee after which she leaned down and kissed Eddy on the lips, in a gentle, yet passionate kiss.

Lee pulled away from Eddy, keeping her face close to his as she slowly opened her eyes and smiled. After a few seconds, she checked Eddy out from head to toe.

"Ya know," said Lee, "You look so handsome all dressed up. And as much as I hate to admit it, I kind of like being all dolled up like this."

Eddy was somewhat taken aback by Lee's admission of being "happy all dolled up." Before he had the chance to process Lee's words, she placed her hand under his chin and lifted it up towards her face.

"I'm actually looking forward to giving in and wearing an evening gown to the winter ball next week," said Lee, "We're gonna be the talk of the town, just like we will be tonight."

At that moment Lee leaned into Eddy's ear, and whispered.

"Oh by the way," said Lee, "Wear your best emerald green tie and vest okay?"

As soon as Lee completed her sentence, she stood up straight and winked at Eddy with a smile. Eddy stood as still as a statue, dumbfounded at what he had just heard. Lee had obviously dropped a hint for Eddy to wear a vest and tie to match her dress, but her words seemed to bring out intense contemplation within Eddy.

Eddy's thoughts were broken by the sound of the the student body presidents voice, who had once again taken the microphone to announce the next act.

"Alright Peach Creek High, I hope you are all having fun so far. Our next act will be a duet, a performance of the final portion of a famous ballet by Tchaikovsky. A staple of the holiday season, the Nutcracker has provided joy to generations of families, and tonight we will all be whisked away to the Land of the Sweets. Without further ado, please welcome freshmen Annalee Kanker and Eddy McGee, as they perform their original interpretation of the Nutcracker Grand Pas de Deux."

At that point, the sound of slight audience applauserang out from in front of the curtains. Accompanying the applause was a series of loud whistles, produced by none other than the extremely proud Tabby, in full "ballet mom mode".

"Wow," said Eddy, "Ed and May wrote that introduction?"

"I'm just as shocked as you are," said Lee, "One things for sure, those two innocent knuckleheads sure do come through when you need them."

Lee turned towards Eddy with a smile.

"Well Little Man, this is it!" said Lee, "We enter from opposite sides during the entrée, so let me get over to stage right. Good luck sweets, see ya out out stage."

Lee pecked Eddy on the cheek, after which she turned around and briskly walked across the stage to the other side. Eddy watched with a smile as his girlfriend shuffled across the floor; her voluptuous hips swayed from side to side, causing her flamboyant tutu to bounce as she walked.

Lee reached the opposite side in no time, and turned around to face her now confident boyfriend. While Lee seemingly portrayed confidence, she was quite nervous herself. As she she continued to project a smile across the stage, she was, in reality, deep in thought regarding the circumstances surrounding their performance.

"Tonight, at our date night," said Lee to herself in a discrete manner, as she glanced at Eddy, "Tonight's the night I tell you the truth."

At that point the curtains began to open, and the stage was suddenly flooded with the bright beams of the balcony spotlights. Nevertheless, both teenagers remained locked in each other gaze, awaiting their grand entrance.