The pressure in my chest loosened as I pushed to my feet. This could stay between us. No one else had to know. I’d figure out a way to slip my parents the extra money, and in the meantime, Lily would have the best experience possible. I’d see to it. Remembering how I’d actually gotten her to loosen up earlier made me think this could even be a good thing for her.
With a shaky breath, I met Mr. Bailey’s eyes, nodded, and took the money.
Chapter Five
Stone
“Come on, one more. You got it, you got it. Push! Awesome job.”
Grunting, I heaved the metal bar onto the rack, and Chase grabbed hold to help. His floating head leaned over the bench to stare at me upside down. “Feeling extra aggressive today, are we?” he asked with a smirk. “How’s that whole monk thing working for you?”
I flipped him off with a shaky exhale and sat up, reaching for my towel. “Laugh it up, pretty boy. You won’t be smiling so much when it’s your turn.” I scrubbed the sweat off my face, then hung the towel around my neck. “God, I love conditioning.”
A perk of the team was our regular P.E. classes were replaced with daily workouts in the team gym. That, along with before-school practice, left us with only needing to stay after school two days a week for film and weight training, along with the Thursday-night family meal.
My stomach rumbled thinking about the lasagna on tonight’s menu.
Next to my station, our running back Aidan finished a deadlift set and dropped the weight with a metallic clang. He looked over as he wiped down the bar, his lips quirked in amusement. “Any idea who pissed in Cameron’s Cheerios? I swear the girl’s been acting bitchier than normal this week.”
I grunted and hauled my ass up on burning legs so Chase could switch places with me. He nudged me in the ribs. “I think you can thank Lover Boy here for that.”
Aidan shot me a look. “She’s still trying to win you back?”
“You know Cammie,” Chase answered for me, sliding under the bar. “Defeat isn’t in her vocabulary.”
As I walked over so I could spot him, my mind snagged on the text she sent me Saturday after she left the studio, asking again when we could talk and repeating how much she missed me. Why couldn’t she have put this much effort into our relationship when we’d actually had one?
“She seems to think if she wears me down, I’m gonna crawl right back, but the girl’s got another think coming.”
Chase blew out a breath as he grabbed hold of the weight. “Yeah, our QB here has it all figured out.” I shook my head as Aidan walked over, leaning his shoulder against the wall. “He’s becoming a monk. Giving up girls and sex all because of one bad egg. Can you believe that? See, I told him what he needs to do is be more like me. Stick to straight hookups. That way you avoid all the drama.”
Aidan busted out laughing. He bent over at the waist and put his hands on his knees while Chase lifted the weight with a frown. “Dude,” he said, wiping at his eyes, “you mean like the girl who egged your car last spring?”
“Or the one who TPed your house?” asked our kicker Robbie, chiming in from the treadmill.
“Or how about the one who broke into your locker and trashed it,” I added, causing Chase to pause mid-rep with the bar on his chest.
He thought about it for a second and shrugged. “Obviously, it’s not a perfect plan.” Then he pursed his lips. “And why bitches always gotta mess with my shit?”
The room erupted into laughter, and Chase lifted the weight from his chest.
Aidan pushed off the wall, still shaking his head, and looked at me. “I’m grabbing a water before heading to the locker room. You guys want anything?”
I nodded, holding up two fingers, and reached out to spot when Chase’s arms shook. “Look,” I said, “I know not every girl is gonna be another Cameron. That’s not what it’s about. Take Saturday, for example. I danced with a girl who, given the option, would’ve probably rather spent the afternoon studying calculus than be in my arms, and would be more likely to run from drama than bring it. I’m just not interested in any of it right now. I’ve got too much else going on.”
That was the damn truth, too. While Mr. Bailey’s offer potentially solved one of my problems, finding a way to contribute, two new ones had cropped up in its place. I might have extra cash for my parents, but I still had no clue how I’d give it to them without spilling the details about our agreement. Then on top of that, I still had to win over Lily. According to her old man, she had no interest in dancing and had every intention of quitting after Saturday’s lesson. I couldn’t let that happen.
I’d thought about it all week, and with time running out, there was only one resource left to tap.
“Hey, what do you know about Lily Bailey?”
Chase looked up in confusion. “The redhead from the stairs?” I nodded with a grunt. “Not much. She hangs out with Sydney Greene a lot.”
“Who, Lily?” Aidan asked, handing Robbie a water before turning to us. I accepted mine with a grateful chin lift, and he set down Chase’s near his feet. “Nice girl. Smart, too. I’ve had her in a couple of classes. I’m pretty sure she’s battling it out with Cammie for valedictorian.”
That helped explain Cameron’s reaction Saturday. While she’d made it abundantly clear she wanted me to give her another chance, I’d thought the look she’d shot us at the end of class was a bit much. I’m guessing watching me dance with her class rival hadn’t been fun.
“Well, I’m off to hit the showers.” Aidan waved and disappeared into the locker room.
Chase looked up at me. “Why the questions about Lily?”
I took a long pull of the ice-cold water and considered telling him about the deal. Unfortunately, my best friend couldn’t keep a secret to save his life, and this was one I might take to the grave. But he did have eyes and ears all over the place, and his love of gossip could help my cause.
“Her dad signed her up for a month of lessons,” I said instead, going with a version of the truth. “After what happened last week, I wouldn’t have expected her to be a dancer.”
Chase seemed to accept my reasoning and went back to lifting. As he pushed up the bar, his face tightened in a grimace. He exhaled and muttered, “Iron Stomach.”
I chuckled. “Okay. Good to know your self-esteem’s not suffering, man.”
He rolled his eyes and dropped the weight to his chest. “No, dumbass. Lily is Iron Stomach.”
“Say what now?”
Chase took a deep breath and released it. “Seriously, man, don’t you remember seventh grade? I used to dare you to eat stupid shit at lunch.” I raised my eyebrow, not seeing where he was going with this. “One day, Lily and Sydney were at the other end of our table, and she called you out for refusing to do it. She used to be kinda scrappy, now that I think about it. Anyway, you turned it back around, daring her to eat my stupid concoction, and she did it.” He laughed at the memory. “It was disgusting, too, dude. My best one yet. Mashed potatoes mixed with Salisbury steak and gravy, tuna fish and olives from the salad bar, pineapple chunks, and chocolate milk.”
I gagged thinking how that must have tasted. No wonder I’d turned him down.
But Lily hadn’t. Huh.
“We called her Iron Stomach for the rest of the day,” he said, pushing up the bar again.
Robbie shrugged, looking mildly impressed, and slipped his earbud back in as his feet thumped on the treadmill. And I did an inner fist-pump.
Jackpot, baby! Lily Bailey, Ms. Control Freak herself, couldn’t say no to a challenge.
I’d found my way in.
Chapter Six
Lily
It was a tale of two studios as I walked into Ilusiòn one week later. I did a double take at the door. Unlike the chaos and excitement of last Saturday, the large room was as empty as the school parking lot ten minutes after final bell.
Granted, I was fifteen minutes early, and it was nine-thirty in the morning. It was possible the other students pref
erred sleeping in. I could never do that. Sydney liked to tease that I woke with the birds, but it’d been a habit ingrained in me since birth. Mom had been an early riser, and mornings had been our special time to cuddle up on the sofa, watching old movies on the weekend or talking about life before school.
A pang of loneliness hit my chest. Three years without her and it never got any easier. Every time I blinked it felt like another memory slipped further away. Mom’s voice got fainter. Her rosewater scent faded. It’d been a pleasant surprise, coming here and discovering something new about her. Adding a different colored thread to the tapestry I’d created in my mind.
Even if it had involved embarrassment to get it.
Letting the door close, I tiptoed to the reception desk and looked around. Seriously, where was everyone? Oldies music bounced off an empty dance floor, and without a dozen or so bodies crowding the room, the air-conditioning felt practically arctic. Not that I was complaining. It was September in Texas, in other words hot as Hades, and the short walk from the parking lot had felt like a brisk swim through water. A welcome shiver swept down my arms as I leaned my back against the cool counter.
Well, one thing was working in my favor. If it stayed this deserted, hopefully my anxiety would stay at bay, too. And, if no other dancers showed, then maybe Cameron wouldn’t, either. Which meant maybe, just maybe, things could go back to normal at school.
Her reaction seriously boggled my brain.
Clearly, she was the superior dancer between us. Granted, it didn’t take much to be better than me, but there was no way she felt threatened. In the land of dance, she was the obvious victor.
As far as our rivalry for valedictorian, we were pretty evenly matched, but we’d always done a good job of keeping it on the down low. Other than a slight competitiveness in our few shared classes, we stuck to our own corners. She had cheer, yearbook, and newspaper, while I took debate, Key Club, and DECA.
We tolerated each other’s presence in NHS and ignored each other in the cafeteria. The sides had been chosen, the lines drawn, and we’d kept it that way for over three years. That left only one possible explanation for why Cameron was so angry—because I’d danced with Stone. But she couldn’t actually be jealous, could she? I mean, I knew they dated last year, but come on. Had she looked in a mirror recently?
Of course, with all the confusing glares shot my way during lunch, my best friend was bound to notice, which led to me sharing my theories, including the fact that we were both students at Ilusiòn… Oh, right, and that Stone Torres had been my dance partner.
Yeah, I don’t think Syd heard anything I’d said after that.
It hadn’t mattered that I was quitting once Dad left. Or that even if I did stick with the lessons, which I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t see Stone again. Partnering with him had been a one-time deal. No, all my bestie cared about was that I’d danced with a hottie, and in the world of my uneventful romantic life, that was equivalent to a marriage proposal.
Okay, fine. So Sydney hadn’t been the only one fixated on the guy. As it turned out, I wasn’t entirely immune to the Torres charm, either. The white knight act on the stairwell had been ridiculously attractive—especially when I was able to replay it in the quiet of my room without the embarrassment of my near-nakedness weighing me down—and, admittedly, the Magic Mike moves during our lesson had been a turn-on. Not that I’d admit it aloud.
Sure, Stone was the stereotypical, obvious choice for a crush—hot, popular, and a bit full of himself—and I prided myself on going against the grain. But he’d also helped calm my nerves during the lesson and even made me laugh.
And did I mention the boy could move?
As if she sensed my thoughts, Sydney’s text tone chirped out from my phone. I chuckled, already guessing the gist of the message, and pulled it from my back pocket.
Has the football god been spotted yet?
I shook my head with a smile, then glanced around for good measure. Still not a soul.
Nope, the whole place is deserted. I told you last week was a random event. It won’t happen again.
The office door behind me opened with a pop of air, scaring the crap out of me, and I juggled my phone. Laughter poured into the lobby, and while I attempted to calm my racing heart, my phone buzzed once more in my hand.
You say random, I say FATE! Knock ’em dead, Ginger! xoxo
I snickered. Ginger Rogers I was not, and as far as fate went, well, that fickle bitch did have an interesting sense of humor when it came to me. Returning my phone to my pocket, I smiled as Marcus and Angéla walked through the door. Stone’s twin waved before setting up shop behind the computer, and I covertly cast a glance back at the office, curious if another dark head would stroll through.
“Good morning,” Marcus greeted, joining me on the other side of the desk. “You’re here early. I like it. Eager students mean they’re ready to get out there and kill it.”
More like they were ready to get it over with, but I let the nice man keep his delusions.
“So, what’s the game plan for today?” I asked.
He grabbed a thin black binder from the shelf. “I thought we’d build on what you learned last week. We’ll review the basic salsa move, then add two new elements we can build into a pattern. After practicing those for a bit, getting you confident, we can go over the program I put together for you.”
I inwardly cringed. That program would never get used, and I hated that he’d wasted his time, but I couldn’t afford to come clean yet. Dad didn’t leave for Israel until tomorrow morning. Until then, I had to continue acting like the perfect student. Or as close to perfect as I could get. Really, I was aiming for mediocre.
Following him toward the dance floor, I made a mental note to get Marcus a gift card to Starbucks. High-calorie caffeinated drinks made everything better, right?
I was in the middle of deciding the best way to sneak it over here without getting suckered into another lesson when a second door, one I hadn’t yet noticed, opened from a short hallway. A tall figure exited in shadow, and before I even saw his face, my ridiculous heart did a pitter-pat.
Stone was dressed in jeans again with a slim-fitted blue T-shirt that stretched at the shoulders and showed off his muscular arms. His black hair was styled in a messy fauxhawk I wanted to poke, and his dark chocolate eyes appeared to glow as he walked to where I stood, wearing a smirk.
“What? No sarcastic shirt today?”
I glanced at my plain green tee and sighed. “I own other things, you know. I just happen to think the T-shirts are funny.”
Stone shot me a wink. “I do, too.” He turned to Marcus and clapped. “Hey, man, listen. Lily and I are friends from school. Think it’d be cool if I continue helping with her lessons?”
A sharp squeak issued from my throat—both at the claim of friendship and the even crazier request for a second round.
Marcus glanced at me with a frown. “I don’t have a problem with it, but ultimately it’s Lily’s call to make.”
Stone raised an eyebrow, as if daring me to say no, and Marcus crossed his arms over his wide chest, watching us curiously. Me? I huffed out a laugh and searched the room for hidden cameras.
Was this some new, weird, teen-geek reality show? Or was Stone in need of service hours, and I was this week’s attempt at klutzy outreach? What other reason could he possibly have for wanting to push this?
“Haven’t your poor toes been crushed enough?”
Stone’s shoulders shook with silent laughter before he said, “I think they can handle it.”
My head felt dizzy, and it was like someone had suddenly kicked up the heat to ninety. But, as confused as I was, I couldn’t deny my insides were doing the cha-cha. Or, more appropriately, the salsa.
A hot guy wanted to dance with me. Me, Lily Bailey. Was I really standing here trying to argue with him? For some reason I’d yet to understand, my anxiety didn’t flare up around Stone, and after the complete and utter craziness my life had been
the last two weeks, didn’t I deserve a little treat in the form of man candy?
Answer: yes. Yes, I did.
“Fine,” I said, forcing myself to look blasé. “It’s your funeral.”
Stone let loose his smile, and my stomach went into a tiny free fall. Swallowing a squeal, I turned on my heel and followed the instructor onto the dance floor.
“Okay, so last week you learned a few variations of the salsa basic,” Marcus instructed after he had us face each other. “But Viktória kept the movement going forward and back. Today, we’ll add in a few side-breaks, or cucarachas.”
“Oh, goodie,” I muttered under my breath.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Stone’s lips quirk, and my insides squished.
Holding hands, an action that made my giddy heart pulse in time with the drumbeat playing over the speakers, we reviewed the same basic step over and over until I thought I’d go insane—of course, it didn’t help that I struggled to find the beat and kept taking too large of steps. But it wasn’t like I was trying to mess up. I had long legs, dang it! One of my steps equaled two of Sydney’s. Thus, the curse of being tall.
Not helping matters was the faint hint of wintergreen wafting off Stone’s skin, or the slightly roughened texture of his palm sliding against mine. Every brush had my stomach fluttering. My insides were vibrating, my skin felt hot and itchy, and if the slight smirk still lingering around his lips was any clue, the boy was all too aware of his effect on me.
Finally, after several rounds with moderate success, both with the steps and with me swallowing down the giddy giggle bubbling in my throat, Marcus declared us ready to move on.
Thank God.
“Now, for the side-breaks,” he said, coming to stand alongside me. “It’s essentially the same move. You’re just traveling in a different direction. Lily, starting with your right foot, I want you to step to the side on one, then step in place with your left for two, and then bring your right foot back to close for three. Yep, just like that. Now on the other side, you do the exact same thing, only in the opposite direction. Step left, then in place, and close together. Good! But, remember, take smaller steps.”
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