Instead, he wandered down to the end of the alley and stood watching the late night crowd pass by. Somehow, his dirty suit and messy hair relaxed him instead of worrying him as usual, and he allowed himself to slump against the brick wall and watch. A glittering mass of girls in short dresses and long heels clicked past, screeching with laughter, followed by their respective male counterparts striding like they owed the city. Joss followed with his eyes as they disappeared down the street. They seemed indistinguishable from Joss’s old group of friends, the friends who he traveled with on Saturday nights, the friends who had cheered when he landed the lead in “My Love Never Dies” and laughed when he lost it.

Joss’s head stayed turned firmly to the left as one more girl passed in front of the alley. Joss listened distractedly, expecting more click-click-clicks from the inevitable high heels but hearing only the soft shuffle of bare feet.