Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 75983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“I heard you say you were thinking about it.” Victoria stared her friend down.
“And I am.” Kitty added her own pointed look. “Thinking, that is.”
Victoria took a big breath, similar to the ones I’d seen her take prior to walking out onto a stage. She exhaled, all her air coming out in a single rush. “Don’t.”
“Don’t think?” Voice going soft, Kitty tilted her head.
“Don’t go with him.” Victoria firmed her tone, a well of inner strength reflected in her dark eyes. “Go with me.”
“With you?” Kitty’s cheeks went candy-apple red, and her eyes were hungry yet wary, like an offered treat might be too good to be true. “As friends? Or—”
“Here’s your headphones.” Victoria’s mother chose the exact worst moment to stride into the dressing room, making the small space that much more cramped.
“Please.” Victoria continued to have eyes only for Kitty.
“Yes,” Kitty whispered, barely audible, but the word was enough to get a nervous smile and nod from Victoria as her mother approached the costume.
“Look at this costume!” Victoria’s mother marveled, oblivious to the thick emotion swirling in the room. “Kitty, you’re a magician. We never had anything so fancy when I danced in high school.”
“Victoria deserves the best.” Kitty addressed her comment toward Victoria, but Victoria’s mother was the one to nod.
“She does.” Victoria’s mother gave a proud smile, eyes taking on a far-off cast. “That’s why her program next year is so crucial.”
“You both deserve the best.” I lightly tapped Kitty on the shoulder, conveying silent support. A quick glance at my watch told me we all needed to get moving. “I’ll leave you to get changed. And, Victoria? You are ready. I promise. For everything.”
“Thank you.” Victoria’s eyes looked suspiciously damp. For her sake, I hoped she managed to find her focus for the performance, but for both their sakes, I hoped they managed a few more words before the show. My own throat was a little tight as their unfolding drama was more compelling than any ballet.
As soon as I stepped out of the dressing room, I was caught up in pre-show chaos. Missing props. Wardrobe malfunctions. Hyped little ballerinas who weren’t listening to anyone. Nervous soloists. I kept looking for Alexander, but my attention kept getting pulled to other crises.
However, even as I worked putting out various fires, Victoria and Kitty’s earlier interaction lingered in my brain. Victoria’s courage in that moment had been every bit as impressive as her dancing talent. The girls had been friends for years before taking this brave leap into new territory. I’d said I was happy being Alexander’s friend, but was I really? Why couldn’t we be friends as well as something more? Sure, I couldn’t hope for forever, but would it be so terrible to make a bid for more kissing? Friends who kissed? I wanted that more than I wanted anything, possibly up to and including the success of the show, but I had no clue how to make a move that wouldn’t come across as pressure and ruin everything.
Mind whirling, I barely had a chance to peek out at the excited school children filing into the theater seats. My mother had taken on the task of greeting the students, teachers, and the media members, leaving me to the backstage prep as we counted down to the opening.
“Places everyone.” Tavio swept through as the ballet teachers corralled their charges in preparation for the curtain rising on the party scene. Anticipation thrummed through me as the overture sounded, and I wanted nothing more than to watch the ballet unfold from the wings. However, backstage chaos continued to reign with a flurry of questions and last-minute urgent requests.
“We need a Band-Aid!”
“Are there any tissues?”
“Anyone have a spare bobby pin?”
“Who needed a hairbrush?”
I was on the move through much of Act One, missing most of the Party Scene, and only catching snippets of the battle as each group of student performers seemed to bring a fresh set of needs. In a bid for more ballet school participation, Irina and Tavio had choreographed numerous innovative ways to involve child dancers. More parts for the kids meant more money from their parents and more tickets from their friends and relatives as well. The tiny dancers playing snowflakes in the Land of the Snow crowded each other, impatient for their turn as the stage crew deftly unveiled the set pieces for the scene. I caught sight of Victoria awaiting her Act Two entrance, but I barely had enough time to offer an encouraging smile before being summoned to find a missing headpiece.
“Whoa.” Alexander’s low warning sounded, saving me a millisecond before I crashed into him. He appeared like some sort of celestial vision, mesmerizing in his Cavalier costume, every blond hair in place, stage makeup accenting his already iconic looks, tunic and tights showing his perfect physique. He placed a warm hand on my shoulder. “Breathe.”