dancing, do you?”
“Did Danny?”
Monique and Sofia looked at each other. I stopped stretching. “You’ll have to practice a lot.”
“I know. I can do this,” he said. “I want to do this for you.”
He looked so serious, and really out of place surrounded by a bunch of dancers. I kind of felt like a jerk for grilling him. Juliette waved the sweatpants in his direction before I could apologize, and as soon as he turned around, Svetlana pretended to faint.
“Oh my God, Karma, you’re so lucky,” she said.
“Yeah—you know me, so lucky.” I gave a sarcastic half laugh.
“We all know you’re going to win yours.” Her tone wasn’t harsh, but it wasn’t friendly, either. I was lucky, she meant, and I should be able to admit it.
My stomach felt unsettled. “You guys all have a really good chance at getting the scholarships you applied for. I’ll still help you with your allegro steps if you want.”
She shrugged. “That’s okay. I’d rather watch TV.”
Aaryn sauntered out, acting cool, but he kept wiping his hands on his sweatpants.
“Let me think—three weeks,” Juliette said. She thought out loud a lot. “I’ll have to add another room to the hotel reservation. Shining Waters will cover all your fees.”
“Okay,” Aaryn said.
Heat rushed to my face. Right. Of course he wouldn’t be staying in the same room as me and Juliette, like Danny would have. That’s the thing about teen pregnancy—no one in your family tries to pretend you’re still a virgin or that you and your boyfriend aren’t sexually active. Embarrassing as it was to admit, we hadn’t been intimate since Nell was born due to me being unbelievably busy all the time—but family and friends just assumed, I guess.
“We’ll start every rehearsal with a short class.” Juliette killed the music. “Girls, take a break at Kindred for now. I’ll be in soon with some interval training.”
When the girls left, the room felt really big, just the three of us now.
“Karma, why don’t you start?” Juliette said. “Show Aaryn the piece.” She stood next to him. “Don’t worry, I’ve choreographed it with a nondancer in mind. Watch this dance—and then we’ll discuss more about the pas de deux.”
She wanted me to perform for him. Just like that. “Right now?” I said.
“Yes.” She pressed play on my performance music.
Day 17
I crossed my arms as Karma strolled to the center of the studio. All I had to do was help her secure a scholarship that would fund her lifetime dream.
No wonder Danny had bailed.
Organ music, something really girly, was playing over the loudspeaker. The room seemed huge as Karma sank to the floor with her eyes closed. She sat there. A woman started singing. The first lyrics: Kiss me hard, and then the drums picked up.
Karma stood.
A dramatic curl of her entire body.
Her feet followed the beat until she arched, one knee down, toe to the sky, arms in perfect curves. She leapt forward, turning, turning, turning across the floor, her body a blur until it became perfectly still, then blurred some more. Watching her dance was almost like watching…a goddess.
Juliette stepped forward. “One, two, three, four.” She clapped the beat, her voice strong and commanding.
Karma traced the ground in time to the music, rolled, then jumped up with a series of tight pirouettes. Juliette had a small smile on her face. She knew.
She knew this girl didn’t belong in Lakefield. She didn’t belong with Danny or in a life she couldn’t control. She didn’t have a “little dance hobby.”
The music cut just in time to hear her gasp for the last move, a deep backbend that finished the song, and with that sound in my ears—her breathing—I felt the trouble I was in.
Aaryn’s gaze was gentle when we locked eyes, and there was a hint of a smile pulling his mouth, this nervous, kind of shocked smile.
“Wow,” he said. “That was really good. Really, really good.”
I bowed as a burst of
“Did Danny?”
Monique and Sofia looked at each other. I stopped stretching. “You’ll have to practice a lot.”
“I know. I can do this,” he said. “I want to do this for you.”
He looked so serious, and really out of place surrounded by a bunch of dancers. I kind of felt like a jerk for grilling him. Juliette waved the sweatpants in his direction before I could apologize, and as soon as he turned around, Svetlana pretended to faint.
“Oh my God, Karma, you’re so lucky,” she said.
“Yeah—you know me, so lucky.” I gave a sarcastic half laugh.
“We all know you’re going to win yours.” Her tone wasn’t harsh, but it wasn’t friendly, either. I was lucky, she meant, and I should be able to admit it.
My stomach felt unsettled. “You guys all have a really good chance at getting the scholarships you applied for. I’ll still help you with your allegro steps if you want.”
She shrugged. “That’s okay. I’d rather watch TV.”
Aaryn sauntered out, acting cool, but he kept wiping his hands on his sweatpants.
“Let me think—three weeks,” Juliette said. She thought out loud a lot. “I’ll have to add another room to the hotel reservation. Shining Waters will cover all your fees.”
“Okay,” Aaryn said.
Heat rushed to my face. Right. Of course he wouldn’t be staying in the same room as me and Juliette, like Danny would have. That’s the thing about teen pregnancy—no one in your family tries to pretend you’re still a virgin or that you and your boyfriend aren’t sexually active. Embarrassing as it was to admit, we hadn’t been intimate since Nell was born due to me being unbelievably busy all the time—but family and friends just assumed, I guess.
“We’ll start every rehearsal with a short class.” Juliette killed the music. “Girls, take a break at Kindred for now. I’ll be in soon with some interval training.”
When the girls left, the room felt really big, just the three of us now.
“Karma, why don’t you start?” Juliette said. “Show Aaryn the piece.” She stood next to him. “Don’t worry, I’ve choreographed it with a nondancer in mind. Watch this dance—and then we’ll discuss more about the pas de deux.”
She wanted me to perform for him. Just like that. “Right now?” I said.
“Yes.” She pressed play on my performance music.
Day 17
I crossed my arms as Karma strolled to the center of the studio. All I had to do was help her secure a scholarship that would fund her lifetime dream.
No wonder Danny had bailed.
Organ music, something really girly, was playing over the loudspeaker. The room seemed huge as Karma sank to the floor with her eyes closed. She sat there. A woman started singing. The first lyrics: Kiss me hard, and then the drums picked up.
Karma stood.
A dramatic curl of her entire body.
Her feet followed the beat until she arched, one knee down, toe to the sky, arms in perfect curves. She leapt forward, turning, turning, turning across the floor, her body a blur until it became perfectly still, then blurred some more. Watching her dance was almost like watching…a goddess.
Juliette stepped forward. “One, two, three, four.” She clapped the beat, her voice strong and commanding.
Karma traced the ground in time to the music, rolled, then jumped up with a series of tight pirouettes. Juliette had a small smile on her face. She knew.
She knew this girl didn’t belong in Lakefield. She didn’t belong with Danny or in a life she couldn’t control. She didn’t have a “little dance hobby.”
The music cut just in time to hear her gasp for the last move, a deep backbend that finished the song, and with that sound in my ears—her breathing—I felt the trouble I was in.
Aaryn’s gaze was gentle when we locked eyes, and there was a hint of a smile pulling his mouth, this nervous, kind of shocked smile.
“Wow,” he said. “That was really good. Really, really good.”
I bowed as a burst of
Similar Books
