Lucky Break #6 by Cindy Jefferies Page A

hall! And you didn’t make me do that jump, did you?”
    Jack shook his head. “Suppose not,” he agreed.
    â€œDanny said you’ve made a couple of friends,” Marmalade continued after a moment.
    Jack looked enthusiastic. “I’ve always gotten along really well with Ravi,” he said. “And George too.”
    â€œWell, that’s good,” said Marmalade, still feeling awkward.
    Jack nodded. “So do you need anything?” he asked.
    Marmalade thought for a moment. “There is one thing you could do for me,” he said tentatively.
    â€œWhat?” asked Jack.
    â€œCould you tell me how the dance classes are going?” Marmalade asked him. “I thought it would be better if I didn’t show up for classes, but I think it’s even worse not knowing what’s going on.”
    â€œReally?” asked Jack.
    â€œReally,” agreed Marmalade, grinning for the first time in ages. “Tell me what’s been happening,” he asked eagerly. “I want to know everything.”
    â€œWell,” began Jack, his face lighting up, “yesterday in the general class, Mr. Penardos got me to demonstrate how ballet dancers walk across stage. It was really funny. To start with, no one could get it right except Pop and Lolly. You know how worried I was about other people knowing I was into ballet?” he added.
    Marmalade nodded.
    â€œWell, everyone was really interested. No one teased me at all! I had a great talk with Pop and Lolly afterward. It turns out they took ballet classes for years when they were little.”
    For the next half hour, Jack kept Marmalade amused by relating all that had happened in the classes Marmalade had missed. Eventually, they got around to his freestyle dance.
    â€œHow’s your own dance routine?” asked Marmalade. “Have you finished it yet?”
    â€œSort of,” Jack told him. “But I don’t think it’s that good. It needs a theme to make it flow together. At the moment it’s only a series of different steps and it’s just not that interesting.”
    â€œShow me,” demanded Marmalade. “Move that rug first, though,” he added as Jack went to the middle of the room. “We don’t want any more accidents! This floor is pretty good, but just walk through the dance. And for goodness’ sake, don’t do any jumps!”
    As Jack went through his routine, Marmalade realized how much he was enjoying himself. He felt happy for the first time since his accident. He might not be able to dance right now, but perhaps he could be helpful after all.
    â€œThere’s nothing wrong with your movements,” he told Jack. “But I can see what you mean. Each step is great, but the routine doesn’t really flow together. You’re right. Every dance should tell some sort of story, otherwise it’s just an exhibition of your skill.”
    â€œWhy don’t you come to the next class?” said Jack. “Even though you can’t dance at the moment, you’re good at making suggestions. You might be able to help the others, too.”
    â€œI don’t know,” said Marmalade. “But I suppose that if I did, at least I’d be involved.” He moved slightly on the bed and a painful twinge ran through his knee. It was the first time he’d been reminded of his injury since he’d been talking about dancing. Danny had been right. He did feel better when he stopped thinking about himself all the time. But then he remembered that he still couldn’t dance, and this year’s Rising Stars Concert would be going ahead without him. What if this had been his best chance of performing? What if Jack or one of the other students was chosen instead of him next time? How could he bear it? But he shouldn’t think like that. He had to try to get on with things somehow.
    â€œAll right,” he agreed, ignoring the pain. “I’ll