The Hit List
him.
    But my heart won’t let go.
    Part of me wants to be this close to him. The smell of his cologne mixes with the smell of sweat from the studios. I chose to leave my past behind when I left New York. I want to start over, but if he’s only after me for this game, it won’t be a fresh start. It’ll be a replay of the pain I’ve already experienced. Except it’ll be worse.
    I stay—physically locked by his arms, mentally locked by his gaze, confused about what I want and what I should do. He sighs and closes his eyes. His lips graze my temple and then his breath is on my ear.
    “I won’t kiss you while you’re attached to someone else, but do me a favor?” he asks, a smile playing at his lips.
    “What?” My voice wavers, a combination of panic and attraction.
    “Tell your boyfriend he’s got competition.”
    He pushes off the wall and walks into the studio. I’m frozen against the brick. He’s confusing as hell. If my interactions with him were a little more consistent, I wouldn’t feel like I’m in a constant state of whiplash.
    I don’t understand his reaction. One minute he’s ignoring me, the next he’s got me cornered in the hallway asking why I’m ignoring him. None of this makes any sense.
    Brielle sticks her head out of the door and stares at me. “Are you coming to class?”
    I nod, staring at the opposite wall. “Yeah.” I pull myself off the wall and follow her inside.
    A double-sided portable barre stands in the middle of the room, ready for our technique class. I drop my bag under the barre and sit down next to Brielle to put on my pointe shoes, trying to shut out the world and focus on the next three hours.
    I need to be strong. I’m officially on my own, and the only one who can ensure my success is me. I’ll be so proud if I can make it through this, but it’s hard to see November right now when I’m stuck in September.
    Adam stops in front of the door to the studio and Brielle waves. Rachel pushes in through the doorway, hip checking him out of her way. He flips her off as she walks away from him.
    Rachel stops beside me. “This is my spot.”
    “I’m sorry.” I pick up my bag to move to another section of the barre. I don’t feel like fighting with Rachel. It’s easier to give her what she wants.
    Brielle grabs my bag and throws it back on the floor. “Um, no. You know spots aren’t assigned, and Sadie was here first. You’ll have to find another spot.”
    I stare between the two of them. I don’t care, but I don’t want to get caught in a fight between Brielle and Rachel.
    Rachel narrows her eyes. “You know this is the spot I used last year. You took these spots on purpose because you don’t like me. It’s not my fault Luke picked me over you.”
    I bite my lip and stare down at the floor. It figures that out of all the people in this school, I managed to worm my way in between these two and unwillingly joined Brielle’s side in their battle against each other. Luke isn’t even worth fighting over.
    “Pick your battles.” Patrick shoves a sweatshirt into his bag .
    Is that what I am? A battle?
    “Was it hard for you to pick NYBC over me? Because it seemed like you had a pretty easy time making that fucking decision.”
    This is unbelievable. He can’t seriously tell me not to start this fight. I wasn’t even the one who started it in the first place. He did the second he accepted NYBC’s offer and left me in the dust .
    He walks past me without looking at me. “Knock it off. You’re acting like a child.”
    I’ll show him acting like a child. I pick up his shoe and whip it across the studio. It hits the wall with a smack. “And you’re acting like a giant douche bag.”
    Brielle raises an eyebrow. “You sound a little paranoid. You might want to get that checked out.”
    “You’re such a bitch, Brielle.”
    My mouth drops open. I haven’t spent a lot of time with Brielle, but even I’ve learned that she’s feisty and it’s probably not a good

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