Face to Face (On Pointe Book 3)

by Penelope Freed

  Face to Face

  Copyright © 2021 by Penelope Freed

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Editing by Caitlin Fitzgerald

  Cover design by Vanilla Lily Designs

  Interior design by Stephanie Anderson, Alt 19 Creative

  ISBN: 978-1-7364893-2-1 (print)

  For Liz

  &

  Everyone who’s ever been told who they love is wrong.

  Love is love.

  Contents

  Hannah

  Katy

  Hannah

  Katy

  Hannah

  Katy

  Hannah

  Katy

  Hannah

  Katy

  Hannah

  Katy

  Hannah

  Katy

  Hannah

  Hannah

  Katy

  Hannah

  Katy

  Hannah

  Katy

  Hannah

  Katy

  Hannah

  Katy

  Hannah

  Trevor

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Hannah

  “Thanks, Babe.”

  Jealousy burns through me as Tyler pulls Olivia to the top of the boulder, the powerful muscles in his bicep lifting her easily. It burns even hotter as Hunter does the same for Lisa a moment later. Trailing behind our little pack, I hang back as Jack hops to the top of the boulder as well, then turns back to help Katy scramble to the top. Again, I’m the odd man out—the seventh wheel. The lone sock, missing its match.

  Not that I don’t have a boyfriend. I do. And he’s the best.

  It’s just that he’s currently in my pocket and it’s hard to hold hands with a phone.

  “Come on Hannah.” Jack grins down at me from his perch, holding out a hand. I’ve gotten to know Jack and Hunter better in the last two weeks than in the nine years that Katy and I have been friends. The seven of us have been hanging out almost every day, it’s been a blast. But I wish Trevor was here too.

  Scrambling to the top of the boulder with everyone else, I’m the last to take in the view. The Pacific Ocean is crashing against the rocks below us. A dull ache in my right ankle has me pausing, propping it up on a large rock so I can take my weight off it for a moment without raising anyone’s suspicion. The pain has mostly gone away since the day of the show, but joining our impromptu hike at Point Mugu wasn’t my most brilliant idea. For the last few days, it’s only bothered me in the evening, depending on how active I’ve been that day. Hiding that I’m trying to rest it as much as possible without anyone noticing is exhausting. Luckily, we’ve spent most of our time swimming at the Quinns’ house, the perfect activity for staying in shape while resting it at the same time.

  Hiding my limp the first few days was the hardest, especially when Olivia insisted us girls spend an afternoon at the outlet mall shopping. But I managed. Barely. I’ve been doing lots of yoga and stretching to keep in shape while the studio is closed. Ms. Parker and her husband Mike got back from their annual “honeymoon” to Hawaii yesterday. Does it count as a honeymoon if you’ve been married for ten years?

  “Are you excited?” Katy asks from near my elbow. “I can’t believe you guys leave in two days.”

  I bump her with my hip. “Yeah, and you guys leave for your big road trip in a week. No feeling sorry for yourself.” I tear my eyes off the waves below us and laugh when I see Katy’s face.

  Her big, brown eyes are open wide, her bottom lip jutting out, and an exaggerated tremble is quivering her bottom lip. All she needs is a big black hat with a floppy red feather to complete her transformation into a cartoon Puss in Boots. “Oh, don’t give me that look. You’re going to have fun. You get the studio pretty much to yourself, and you’re off on a three-week vacation with your family.”

  “Um, yeah. Three weeks stuck in a car with these two bozos and Cole? That’s going to be a real good time.”

  “If anyone should be upset about being left behind, it’s me,” Olivia says, coming up behind us. “Everyone is leaving me, and since you guys are going out of town, I don’t even have a pool to look forward to!”

  Excitement for my own trip overshadows any guilt I have for leaving Katy and Olivia behind all summer. Katy especially. Olivia has Tyler to hang out with, but Katy is going to be stuck with her brothers. She hasn’t made it a secret that she’s struggling with being left behind.

  In two days, Lisa and I are off to the Pacific Sound Ballet’s summer intensive—we’re going to take ballet and dance classes all day long. Six weeks of as much ballet as my little bunhead heart can take. It’s going to be perfect.

  Okay, it doesn’t hurt that my boyfriend, who I haven’t seen since January, lives in Seattle too. When I think about seeing him for the first time as my official boyfriend, my stomach fills with butterflies. Sometimes I can’t tell if I’m more excited or nervous about seeing him.

  We met on a disastrous double date with Olivia and her boyfriend. Disastrous because, at the time, I had a huge crush on Tyler, and because Olivia neglected to tell me my date was Tyler’s nerdy seventeen-year-old cousin and not the ten-year-old kid I thought I was babysitting.

  Jack throws his arms around our shoulders, as he’s been in the habit of doing. “Cheer up Bug! Once Hannah and Lisa leave, we’ll be back to the original Three Musketeers. Besides, you know we’ll have to keep Hunter from falling into a deep, dark depression with his lady leaving him.” This is accompanied by a ludicrous eyebrow waggle, “I’m counting on you to help me out, Bug.”

  “Ugh, get off.” Katy wriggles out from under Jack’s arm and shoves him off us both. “Come on Hannah.” She reaches back to grab my arm and pull me along the trail. “You can live out your little musketeers’ fantasy with Hunter and Tyler. Emphasis on the Musk-eteers.” I follow along, smiling as Katy grumbles under her breath about her brothers. I suppose growing up with Jack and Hunter as twin older brothers would try anyone’s patience. And Katy is not a patient person.

  As we round a corner ahead of everyone else, I tug my hand free of Katy’s so I can stop. “Hang on,” I tell her, pulling my phone out of my pocket. “Trevor would love this.” I snap a pic of both the incredible view below us, then a selfie of me on the trail.

  Having a boyfriend who lives a thousand miles away has made me an expert in documenting my activities. I’m pretty sure I’ve taken more photos of myself in the last couple of weeks than I ever have in my life. Olivia is so proud of me.

  Me: Last minute hike at Point Mugu. Wish you were here.

  A lot of my messages to Trevor say the same thing. “Wish you were here.” Messages and Facetime are great, but I haven’t even gotten to hold his hand yet and I’m surrounded by happy couples all day long.

  Case in point, as I slide my phone back in my pocket, Olivia and Tyler come around the corner, his
arm slung casually over her shoulder, her arm wrapped around his waist, their six months together translating into easy comfort with each other.

  I want that.

  Katy and Jack take the lead for the rest of the hike, while I fall to the rear. Between trying to go easy on my ankle and stopping to text with Trevor, I’m a good distance behind as we get back to our cars.

  “Hannah, you doing okay?” Lisa asks as soon as I come into view. I wave her off.

  “I’m fine. Stopped to take some pictures.” It’s not a complete lie. Lisa is the last person I want to tell about my ankle, she’ll insist that I go to the doctor. I don’t need some doctor who’s never danced a day in their life telling me that I need to rest it for a month, that’s not an option. It’s been so much better until now, hardly aching at all for the last few days. Maybe the hike wasn’t the greatest idea, but I got outvoted. I’ll be fine. I’m sure of it.

  Climbing into the back of Jack’s SUV, I tune out my friends while I catch up on messages from Trevor.

  Trevor: Looks gorgeous TT, wish I was there too.

  Trevor: What are the odds we’ll get to go on a hike like that when you’re up here? I know that you’re going to be dancing the whole time, so if you tell me there’s no chance that’s ok. But there are tons of amazing trails around here, and I’d love to show you some of my favorites, if we have a chance.

  Trevor: No pressure though, I just can’t wait to see you again.

  Trevor’s words calm the irritation and jealousy that hanging out with my friends seems to create. It’s no one’s fault, but it sucks when I’m the only one whose boyfriend can’t join in. I’m sure Katy shares my jealousy, but since she currently doesn’t even have the tiniest of crushes on anyone, it’s not the same.

  Me: Only 2 more days.

  Trevor: Can’t. Wait. Now go have fun with your friends, you’ll see me soon.

  I cannot wait to get to Seattle.

  “Do you think the food’s going to be terrible?” I ask, taking another bite of my salad. “Maybe I should pack more protein bars, just in case…”

  “Hannah, you already packed four boxes.” Lisa points her fork at me. “They do have grocery stores in Seattle. And you happen to know someone up there with a car who I’m sure would be more than willing for an excuse to see you by bringing more if you asked.”

  “Yeah, but—” I’m cut off by a cherry tomato bouncing off my forehead. Tyler and Hunter high five each other from their table on the other side of the pool.

  “NO BOYS ALLOWED!” Katy bellows across the backyard at them. “Stay on your side!” she adds, chucking the tomato back at them, hitting Jack on the shoulder.

  “Hey! Tyler tossed it, not me!” Jack complains.

  “Don’t care. I only let you stay for the food. It’s our last night together and no boyfriends or brothers are invited.” Katy deliberately turns her back on the guys, shoving a forkful of lettuce in her mouth.

  “Have they sent you the schedule yet?” Olivia asks while Katy chomps on her salad.

  “We got an email last night with the first two days’ schedule.It’s just the placement days while they get everyone sorted out,” Lisa answers. “For the first day we’re divided by age and have placement classes all morning.”

  “Classes? There’s more than one?”

  “We have ballet placement first, then a separate contemporary placement class, and some kind of strength and conditioning class?” I jump in to answer. “I’ve never heard of it before but it’s some Australian method I guess.”

  Lisa nods. “I looked it up last night. You use those big yoga balls and Therabands. It looks pretty cool.” Lisa studies her hands in her lap for a moment, biting her lip. “I’m more nervous for the placement class than I was for the audition, is that weird?”

  “Why would that be weird?” I ask. “I’m super nervous, too. What if we don’t end up in the same group? Or what if we end up in a low level? It’s not like we’re going to be the youngest ones there.” I bite my cheek, not sure how to say what I’m feeling. “I guess...it’d be kind of embarrassing to end up in one of the lower levels, especially after everything.” I wave my hand vaguely, hoping the girls get it.

  Arriving at the intensive as a regional Grand Prix winner and in the top fifteen dancers in the finals, not to mention being personally invited and given a scholarship by the director—not being placed in one of the highest levels would be humiliating. I keep to myself the fear that we’ll go and Lisa will get placed in a higher level than me. It makes me a terrible friend, but I don’t know if I can stomach the thought.

  “Do you know how much downtime they’re giving you? Obviously, you can’t dance twelve hours a day. I’m assuming they give you rest time, right?”

  Lisa still has her mouth full, so I answer Olivia’s question. “We have a ninety-minute lunch break every day, and the classes after dinner are optional. But the first two days we have lectures after lunch instead of classes. There’s a nutrition one and an injury prevention one.” I shrug. I’m sure the lectures are to give us all a chance to get acclimated before diving into the full dance schedule, but I hate the idea of wasting time listening to people talk instead of getting to dance.

  Katy keeps shoveling giant forkfuls of salad into her mouth, not talking. I push away my guilt for abandoning her, but I know that she’ll be okay, once the saying goodbye part is over. I’m glad we decided to spend the night at the Quinn’s house, even if we have to keep fighting off the boys. Katy even made me turn off my phone so that I can’t cheat and text Trevor.

  I guess that’s one advantage over having him there, my phone is much easier to hide than the broad shoulders of Katy’s brothers and Tyler. But that’s what my friends get for dating athletes.

  “So, are we watching a movie or what?”

  “Actually.” I snap out of my thoughts. “Guess what Ms. Parker emailed me this afternoon?” I almost forgot I had this surprise for them.

  “No?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes!” Our table bounces on the cement from the force of Katy’s happy drumming.

  “Yup, I have the video of the recital. It’s the preliminary proof, so it may not be perfect, but Ms. Parker figured Lisa and I would be dying to see it before we left so she sent it to me early. If we spot any major issues, we’re supposed to let her know,” I add, since that is ostensibly the reason she let me have the link before anyone else.

  Katy and I wait impatiently at the bottom of the stairs while Olivia and Lisa take longer than necessary to say goodnight to their boyfriends.

  “So, how many times have you repacked your bags?” Katy asks while we wait.

  I tap my chin, making a show of counting in my head. “Only three.” When Katy laughs I explain, wanting to keep her distracted. “The first time I couldn’t zip my bag closed. So I had to redo it. Then the second time I’d forgotten to pack much in the way of real clothes.”

  “For all those dates you’re going to go on with Trevor?” Katy pokes me in the ribs, grinning.

  Embarrassed, I shrug. “Maybe? I don’t know what my schedule is going to be like so I wouldn’t let him make any real plans.”

  “And the third time?”

  I wrinkle my nose. “Um...”

  “Let me guess.” Katy gives me a knowing look. “You were having a freak out and needed something to do?”

  “Something like that, yeah.” A blush warms my cheeks at being caught out. Truthfully, I’d repacked my suitcase, my dance bag and the box of bedding and extra stuff I couldn’t fit twice more before Trevor Facetimed me, forcing me to stop.

  Katy grunts in annoyance and finally snaps, dragging Lisa away from Hunter after the fourth time he pulls her back for “just one more” kiss. The only way we’re going to keep the boys from crashing our sleepover is to stay in here. Mr. and Mrs. Quinn are super chill about letting ever
yone hang out at the house, Mrs. Quinn was overjoyed when she found out Lisa and Hunter started dating, but they have a hard rule that the boys are not allowed in Katy’s room when us girls are over.

  Pulling out her laptop, Katy gets the video set up while the rest of us arrange ourselves on the bed, squished together for optimal viewing. From her spot on the edge, Lisa speaks up as the opening credits roll. “You know, I’m so glad you guys planned that grand gesture with Hunter for dress rehearsal and not the actual show. I was so flustered by it, it would totally have thrown me off.”

  I laugh, tossing a pillow at her. “Liar! You and Hunter had already made up and started dating three days earlier. You just let us do it because you wanted to see what we had planned.”

  “She’s not wrong,” Olivia points out, fake pouting. “You guys let me do all that work for nothing.”

  “I still haven’t figured out how you got the roses in the dressing room without me knowing.” Three days before our recital, Katy, Olivia, and I had plotted with Jack to help get Hunter and Lisa together. We’d come up with a plan to have roses delivered to Lisa’s bag between each of our dances, finishing with Hunter waiting for her at the stage door with the rest. It was an awesome plan, even if they didn’t need it.

  “We bribed MacKenzie, Anna, and Haley to do it,” Olivia says. “Haley is surprisingly stealthy for a ten-year-old.”

  We keep chatting, laughing and pointing out the things we loved and hated about our recital as we watch. I’m going to miss this over the summer.

  But I still can’t wait to go.

  Chapter Two

  Katy

  I should have put sunscreen on, the hot sun blazing on my shoulders already turning them crispy. When Jack insisted I come out to the backyard and act as referee, I didn’t think I would be out here for this long. Craning my neck to see if the sunburn is visible, I catch a glimpse of pink. Damn it.

  “I’m going inside!” I yell to my brothers as they emerge from under the water, shaking their heads like dogs. “Hunter won,” I toss over my shoulder, as I slide the French door open and slip inside. The cool relief of the air conditioner sends goosebumps over my arms as I cross the open expanse of our family room to the stairs. The white walls and pale wood flooring make my mom’s brightly colored decor and furniture stand out like a rainbow. I’ve always loved our bright orange couch and the colored throw pillows Mom changes out every season. I’ve heard the mutters of various judgmental girls over the years, girls my brothers invite over, complaining about the bright colors, I even heard one girl call our house a “cantina.” She somehow ended up with a red Kool-Aid stain on her white shorts. Oops.