"Bollocks," Raven muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing." She pushed off from the wall and crossed the room before she could talk herself out of it.
He didn't look up as she approached, even when she sat down on the stage beside him, far enough away not to crowd him, close enough that he'd know she was there.
"Not hungry?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"Fair enough. Those biscuits look pretty questionable."
That got a tiny smile, so small she might have imagined it.
They sat in silence for a moment. Raven had absolutely no idea what she was doing. Small talk wasn't her strong suit at the best of times, and talking to children was a completely foreign concept.
"What’s your name?" she tried.
"Jamie."
"I'm Raven."
"I know." His voice was barely above a whisper. "You're famous."
"That's one word for it."
Another silence. This was going great. Really stellar. She should probably just leave him alone.
Except he looked so bloody miserable.
"You don't seem very excited about the performance," Raven said carefully.
Jamie shrugged. "S'okay, I guess."
"Just okay?"
"I don't really like singing in front of people."
"Yeah, I can understand that."
He glanced at her, surprised. "But you're a singer. You do it all the time."
"Doesn't mean I liked it at first. Still don't, sometimes." Raven leaned back on her hands. "Performing's weird. You're up there being vulnerable in front of hundreds of strangers. It's terrifying."
"Really?"
"Really. First time I ever played in front of an audience, I was sixteen and I nearly threw up backstage."
"Did you?"
"No, but it was close." She paused. "Still went on though. Because once you're up there and the music starts… it's worth it."
Jamie considered this. "I don't think I'll like it."
"That's alright. You don't have to like everything."
He looked at her again, something shifting in his expression. Like he'd expected her to tell him he was wrong, that he'd definitely enjoy it, that he just needed to try harder, all the things adults usually said.
