the floor as she stretches.
“Nothing.”
Usually I have no problem shutting out everything else and focusing on dance during rehearsal. But today the only thing I can think about is how I’ve ended up on that fucking list.
There’s no way Luke’s little act at the fundraiser on Friday wasn’t a way to try to get me to sleep with him. Pretend to be nice, pretend to have fun, pretend to be interested. He doesn’t give a shit about me. I’m just another point value.
The longer I’m in class, the angrier I get. If this is what I’ll be dealing with all semester long, how am I supposed to dance with a partner? How will I be able to have any kind of chemistry with someone if all I’m worried about is how many points they’re trying to get?
There’s no one at this school I’ll be able to successfully dance with. That means I’ll end up without a spot in Fall Showcase. And if I can’t show them I’m getting better, I can kiss London goodbye.
That can’t happen. I won’t let it. I need Fall Showcase to prove to myself that my career isn’t over after my injury. After Patrick.
Adam crosses the floor in front of me, his extensions amazing as usual.
Maybe I could partner with Adam. He’s not wrapped up in this stupid game. He thinks it’s just as bad as I do. And it’s not like he would be trying to have sex with me anyway.
Class ends and I find myself walking alone to my next one. Brielle leans against the wall down the hallway talking to one of the music students. She glances up at me and I wave. She says something to the boy and walks over to me.
“Did you just give him your number?” I ask, unable to hide my smile.
She frowns, getting defensive. “Maybe. Why? Is that a crime?”
That’s got to be the third boy I’ve seen her flirting with since this weekend. “How many guys are you going to date at once?”
“Who said anything about dating them?” She smiles.
I don’t get how she can be so carefree about this. “You realize they’re probably just after your points, right?”
She shrugs. “I can’t take my name off the list. Might as well have some fun with it. Besides, not every guy in this school is involved with that game. There have to be some good ones.”
Brielle links arms with me and we walk toward the next studio of the day. I’m about to follow her in, but an arm hooks around my waist and pulls me off to the side of the door.
“Why are you ignoring me?” Luke pins me against the wall with his arms on either side of me. “It makes me feel like you don’t like me and I know that’s not true.”
He’s close to me, but he’s not actually touching me. It strikes me as odd. Other guys who have flirted with me usually touch my arm or my face, making me extremely uncomfortable. Luke knows next to nothing about me, but he seems to read some of my signals. Maybe he’s more perceptive than I thought.
“I don’t want to talk to you.”
He takes a step closer to me and I step back into the wall. I’m trapped between brick and Luke.
His breath is on my cheek when he speaks again. “I just want to know why. I know you feel the connection between us. You can’t deny it.”
“You’re a dick.”
I have no doubt he’s making a second attempt to earn points for me, but the good times are hard to ignore. He’s not always like this. He was decent in the studio and at the fundraiser. If he could just pick a mood and go with it, my life would be so much easier. It doesn’t seem like such a bad idea to be his friend when he actually talks to me.
The war rages inside me. I want fight or flight to take over, but there’s a third option in this scenario— surrender.
His lips hover centimeters over my mouth and his shadow weighs on me like he’s pressed against my body. He leans one forearm against the wall next to my head. His other hand remains flat against the wall above my shoulder.
My thoughts jumble together in my mind. I need to get away from here, away from
“Nothing.”
Usually I have no problem shutting out everything else and focusing on dance during rehearsal. But today the only thing I can think about is how I’ve ended up on that fucking list.
There’s no way Luke’s little act at the fundraiser on Friday wasn’t a way to try to get me to sleep with him. Pretend to be nice, pretend to have fun, pretend to be interested. He doesn’t give a shit about me. I’m just another point value.
The longer I’m in class, the angrier I get. If this is what I’ll be dealing with all semester long, how am I supposed to dance with a partner? How will I be able to have any kind of chemistry with someone if all I’m worried about is how many points they’re trying to get?
There’s no one at this school I’ll be able to successfully dance with. That means I’ll end up without a spot in Fall Showcase. And if I can’t show them I’m getting better, I can kiss London goodbye.
That can’t happen. I won’t let it. I need Fall Showcase to prove to myself that my career isn’t over after my injury. After Patrick.
Adam crosses the floor in front of me, his extensions amazing as usual.
Maybe I could partner with Adam. He’s not wrapped up in this stupid game. He thinks it’s just as bad as I do. And it’s not like he would be trying to have sex with me anyway.
Class ends and I find myself walking alone to my next one. Brielle leans against the wall down the hallway talking to one of the music students. She glances up at me and I wave. She says something to the boy and walks over to me.
“Did you just give him your number?” I ask, unable to hide my smile.
She frowns, getting defensive. “Maybe. Why? Is that a crime?”
That’s got to be the third boy I’ve seen her flirting with since this weekend. “How many guys are you going to date at once?”
“Who said anything about dating them?” She smiles.
I don’t get how she can be so carefree about this. “You realize they’re probably just after your points, right?”
She shrugs. “I can’t take my name off the list. Might as well have some fun with it. Besides, not every guy in this school is involved with that game. There have to be some good ones.”
Brielle links arms with me and we walk toward the next studio of the day. I’m about to follow her in, but an arm hooks around my waist and pulls me off to the side of the door.
“Why are you ignoring me?” Luke pins me against the wall with his arms on either side of me. “It makes me feel like you don’t like me and I know that’s not true.”
He’s close to me, but he’s not actually touching me. It strikes me as odd. Other guys who have flirted with me usually touch my arm or my face, making me extremely uncomfortable. Luke knows next to nothing about me, but he seems to read some of my signals. Maybe he’s more perceptive than I thought.
“I don’t want to talk to you.”
He takes a step closer to me and I step back into the wall. I’m trapped between brick and Luke.
His breath is on my cheek when he speaks again. “I just want to know why. I know you feel the connection between us. You can’t deny it.”
“You’re a dick.”
I have no doubt he’s making a second attempt to earn points for me, but the good times are hard to ignore. He’s not always like this. He was decent in the studio and at the fundraiser. If he could just pick a mood and go with it, my life would be so much easier. It doesn’t seem like such a bad idea to be his friend when he actually talks to me.
The war rages inside me. I want fight or flight to take over, but there’s a third option in this scenario— surrender.
His lips hover centimeters over my mouth and his shadow weighs on me like he’s pressed against my body. He leans one forearm against the wall next to my head. His other hand remains flat against the wall above my shoulder.
My thoughts jumble together in my mind. I need to get away from here, away from
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