Face to Face (On Pointe Book 3)

by Penelope Freed

  Trevor: All I I want is to see you. If that means playing tour guide, I’ll do it happily. As long as I get to spend time with you, I don’t care what we do.

  Chapter Six

  Katy

  They have got to be kidding me.

  “Three miles? You think I’m going to run three freaking miles? Is a bear chasing me? Is there macaroni and cheese at the end? The good kind, not the blue box kind. No wait…” I interrupt myself before either of my brothers can get a word in. “No amount of mac and cheese is worth running three miles. Why am I doing this?”

  “Because sibling bonding, dear sweet sister.” Hunter laughs at me. I should add, laughs while he runs in literal circles around me. Backwards.

  I hope he trips and falls on his ass.

  Crossing my arms over my chest, I shift my weight front to back on my feet, debating if it would be too mean to stick a foot out and trip him, or if I should go with the direct approach and punch him in the face.

  Not only have my brothers dragged me out of bed at seven in the morning—hello summer vacation—to the park down the road from our house, but they didn’t even have the decency to provide any kind of caffeine first.

  “Hey Katy,” a decidedly feminine voice calls from behind me. “You ready?”

  JJ is crossing the grassy field toward us, the early morning sun almost as bright as her smile. Am I allowed to hate her for looking this pretty so early, and without any makeup on? Surely that’s in the Girl Code Handbook somewhere. Her curly blonde hair is pulled back in another French braid, this time with a wide fabric headband added to it, I assume to keep any stray hairs off her face. Like me, she’s dressed in spandex shorts, a sports bra and a tank top, but her running shoes look far more used than mine.

  “Are you running too?” JJ’s grin has me groaning at my stupidity. “I’m sorry, I’m real dumb before nine in the morning. Ignore me.” Just as I finish removing my foot from my mouth, Jack comes loping up to join us, stuffing the keys to his truck in a pocket of his athletic shorts.

  Instead of saying hello like a normal person, Jack bends down and scoops me up over his shoulder, spinning me in circles with my butt in the air. “Hey JJ, glad you could make it. You awake now, Bug?” I’m going to kill them both. I’m going to kill them dead, then beat them to death again for good measure. God, they are so embarrassing.

  “Put me down, idiot!” My voice rings out over the empty field. This early we’re the only ones here. My fists rain down on Jack’s back for a few moments longer before he puts me down. I waver on my feet, determined not to land flat on my back in front of JJ. So much for them not treating me like a baby anymore. Of course, Jack hasn’t done that particular move to me for years, although when I was little, he and Cole used to take turns scooping me up and tossing me around. They claimed it was practice for football, but I think that was their way of roughhousing with me without getting in trouble with Mom.

  I used to love it, especially when Hunter would join in or we’d do it in the pool. All my memories of summer vacation revolve around being in the pool or at the beach with my brothers, being tossed in the air, carried on their shoulders or saved from the giant waves of the Pacific. They may drive me crazy, but I’ve never doubted for a second that they would keep me safe. And ever since I can remember, I’ve done my best to return the favor, even if all I could do was keep their hearts safe from the girls who weren’t worthy of them.

  I still haven’t figured out JJ’s angle, but you can bet I’m keeping a close eye on her. No one messes with my brothers, or my besties. Except me.

  “So, what’s the plan, JJ?” Standing with his feet planted wide, Jack stretches his arms over his head, like a sad imitation of an eighties Jazzercise video. “Are we just running? And do you and Hunter get a handicap or something, so Katy and I can keep up?”

  “That’s where I recognized you from!” I blurt out. Now that Jack said something, I remember seeing her at the track meets. Her long legs must be a huge advantage in her races.

  “Uh…yeah,” JJ drawls, now I feel like even more of an idiot. “So, I figured we could start with an easy three miles and then do some practice over there.” JJ points to the jungle gym off to the side of the park.

  Hunter grins and rubs his hands together, eyeing the field. “Sounds good to me.”

  “Sound good to you, Katy?” JJ asks me. Is that a glint of fear I see in her eye? It better be.

  “First of all. Three miles and easy do not belong in the same sentence. And second of all, you do realize that if we run in a circle…” I point my toe at the dirt track ringing the field. “You and Hunter, okay and Jack too, are going to keep lapping me. And I will eventually be unable to suppress my need to either clothesline or trip you.” I eye JJ up and down, she looks like she can take it, she’s taller than me after all. “And don’t think you’re immune just because you aren’t related to me.”

  Holding her hands up in front of her, JJ grins. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “You’re obviously not afraid enough if you thought that dragging me here at seven in the morning—in the middle of summer vacation—was a good idea.” I grunt and cross my arms over my chest, daring her to argue.

  JJ points to the sidewalk leading away from the park. “We’re going to run a loop on that trail over there. I tested it yesterday. We start at that tree.” She points to a large tree at the edge of the field. “To the main road and back is a perfect 5k loop.”

  “I thought you said three miles. Five and three are not the same.”

  Laughing, JJ squats down to re-tie her shoe. “Five kilometers. It equals three-point-one miles.”

  “Whatever.” It’s not my best comeback, but it’s still early.

  The three of them ignore my crankiness and get ready to take off. JJ fiddles with her watch and I shake out my legs in a half-hearted attempt to prepare. I still have my doubts. My body is made to dance, not run, but there’s no way I’m going to let my brothers make me look like an idiot in front of her, so I keep my groans inside as we take off.

  As I expected, Hunter takes off ahead of us, his legs pumping beneath him in an easy cadence. Jack sticks next to me for a while, but it doesn’t take long for my slower pace to have him doubling back to keep next to me. I wave him off with an irritated growl. God, the only thing worse than struggling to run is to have my brother running extra and still having more energy than me.

  I last about three quarters of a mile before I have to drop down to walk. Surprising me, JJ drops to a walk next to me. She’s been keeping pace with me the whole time, but wisely didn’t say anything, letting me stew in silence.

  “You okay?” she asks, as I suck air into my lungs.

  “You do this for fun? What is wrong with you?” I manage to get out around my heaving breaths.

  JJ laughs, the fact that she can laugh annoys me further. “I dunno, I’ve always loved to run. You can’t cheat at running, you either put in the work to be better, or you don’t.”

  Huh. I can get behind that sentiment. “Dance is kind of like that too.” Our feet hitting the sidewalk is the only noise in the cool morning air. I suppose I should be grateful my brothers dragged me out of bed early enough that it’s not too hot. “Yeah, there are people who are naturally talented, like my friends Hannah and Lisa. But if you put in the work it shows, and if you don’t, well, it shows too.”

  We walk along in silence for another moment, before I speak up again. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You think my brothers are obnoxious too, right?” At JJ’s confused look, I laugh and take off running again, knowing she’ll catch up. I need to figure out a way to see if she’s hanging out with us because Jack asked for her help with training for this terrain race, because she wants to be friends with us, or if she’s just another member of the Quinn Brothers Fan Club. I can’t help wishing it’s because of me
. At least a little.

  “That one looks like a crocodile,” Hunter says, pointing to one of the fluffy clouds overhead. Grass clippings are already sticking to my sweaty back, tickling and itching my skin, but I’m too tired to care. Three miles running, then JJ had us climbing over and under all the different parts of the playground equipment. I’m glad there weren’t any kids coming to the park to play yet, since I’m sure their parents would not have appreciated us climbing over the sides of the walls and running suicide sprints back and forth over the little chain bridge. I didn’t appreciate it.

  Although, crawling across the top of the monkey bars was pretty fun, a little scary the first time, before going back the other way hanging from my arms the normal way. My hands already have blisters. “Did you talk to her last night?” I ask. Jack is walking JJ back to her car, but I’m too tired to take another step so here I am, flopped on my back, staring at the sky, while my irritating brothers are perfectly fine.

  “For a bit, yeah. Do you remember the girl who won first place at YIGP, Gloria?”

  Laughing inside at my brother’s casual mention of the ballet competition we watched together, I nod.

  “I guess her and her boyfriend are there and have adopted Lisa and Hannah into their little group. Lisa said her twin brother is there, plus their roommates.” There’s an odd tone to Hunter’s voice, I twist my head to the side so I can look at his face.

  “Are you worried?”

  He turns to look at me. “Worried? About Lisa making new friends?”

  “About Lisa making new friends with guys,” I clarify.

  “Oh. No. I trust her.” A handful of grass clippings flies at my shoulder. “We talked about it before she left. I know they’re going to be dancing together, and like, touching each other, and stuff. But I get that it’s part of dancing. It’s not like they’ll be rehearsing in private, it’s all in a class with other people, right?”

  I shrug, I don’t know for sure. “As far as I know, yeah.” Not wanting to sound like I doubt my friends, because I don’t, I add, “This is Lisa, the most loyal person I’ve ever known. I trust her too. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “I’m good. I miss her, that’s all. We hardly had a chance to be together before they left.”

  “But at least she’s coming back in a few weeks. I feel worse for Hannah and Trevor. They’re going to get to see each other for the next six weeks and then who knows when they’ll be in the same place at the same time again?”

  Hunter’s thoughtful for a moment. “I hope these new friends are good people, you know? Do we trust them with our girls?”

  “Come on you lazy bums, let’s get breakfast, I’m starving!” Jack’s voice calls from near my feet, accompanied by a foot tapping my leg before I have a chance to answer.

  Groaning, I roll to sit up but that’s as far as I’m going. “Help, please,” I moan, my muscles aching and protesting the movement. Each grabbing one of my hands, my brothers pull me to my feet. “Why is the car so far away?” It’s at least fifty yards to Hunter’s truck. Fifty yards I don’t think I can walk at this point. So much for being in great shape.

  “Come on, Bug.” Jack laughs, bending down and pulling me onto his back. “You get a piggyback this once. We gotta toughen you up.”

  “But I’m a delicate flower. Your sweet and precious baby sister.” I pout. “Maybe I don’t want to be tough.”

  Setting me down next to the passenger side door, Jack pulls it open for me so I can crawl in. Squished between them, their broad shoulders don’t leave a lot of room for me, but I don’t mind, not even now when we all smell ripe. Okay, I mind that a little. But being squished between them? That’s my safe place, my home. Challenges don’t scare me, trying new things doesn’t scare me, because I’ve always had this. When you throw Cole into the mix, us Quinns are an unstoppable team. For all that I complain about my brothers, I love them fiercely.

  “Let’s get some grub,” Jack commands, as Hunter pulls out of the parking lot. “Man, that JJ is something else. That wasn’t even a hard workout for her, she said she was going to go home and run another three miles. That is a badass chick.” The admiration in his tone is obvious, and I have to admit I understand it. JJ did the entire workout with us, everything she told us to do she did herself, and did it better. I may not have her figured out yet, but I am officially signing up to be a member of the Jordan James Appreciation Club.

  “Well, since she stayed with me and my slow ass, instead of taking off like you two…” I poke them each in the side for good measure. “I’m sure that three mile run-slash-walk wasn’t a challenge for her.”

  “She’s hot.”

  “You’re not allowed to date her.” The words pop out of my mouth before I know I’ve even thought them. Why did Jack’s declaration rub me the wrong way like that? I’m like a cat with its fur raised, prickly and irritable in a flash, because Jack said she was hot.

  “Didn’t you learn your lesson from last time?” Jack pokes me in the ribs. “I thought you said you weren’t going to interfere with who we date?”

  “I never said that. When did you hear me say that?”

  “I thought it was implied when you guys came up with your grand plot to get Lisa and I back together,” Hunter chimes in.

  “First of all, you and Lisa are perfect for each other, so don’t pretend you aren’t grateful. Second of all, I haven’t finished vetting JJ. You’ve dated so many stupid, annoying girls and they suck to hang out with. I’ve decided that I need to approve of all your girlfriends from now on, Jack.” Crossing my arms over my chest, to protect my sides in case they decided to start poking me again, I nod my head. “If they can’t hang out with us,” I indicate the three of us, “and my friends, then they’re no good.”

  “JJ hung out with us the other day and she was cool,” Jack points out. He has a point, but I still can’t shake my gut feeling that Jack and JJ would be a terrible couple.

  “She’s still on probation.” The possessiveness that takes hold of me must be because I don’t want to share my brothers with some groupie. Yeah. That must be it.

  I’m not jealous that JJ has more in common with my brothers, or that she probably wants to hang out with them more than me. It’s definitely not that. I swear.

  Chapter Seven

  Hannah

  The stares of everyone else in my class dig into my back like daggers as I demonstrate the exercise. I do my best to ignore them as my feet quiver underneath me, the million tiny steps of my bourres taking me across the room as my arms sweep overhead and then down. They cross in front of my chest, as if holding a bouquet of flowers, before I step out into an enormous arabesque.

  I balance on one leg for three beats, the other extended behind me, both arms reaching forward, as if towards an invisible partner. Gently, I bring my leg down to join the other, holding as still as I can while standing on pointe. Listening to the music, on the high note I picked out the first time we tried it as a class, I lift my eyes and release my front foot before doing a controlled fall onto it and sweeping my arms from side to side. A few counts later, I finish with a series of small jumps, my feet crossing and fluttering underneath me each time.

  This exercise reminded me of Giselle Act Two from the moment our teacher set it. When he added the iconic crossed hands of the Wilis and mimicked the same slow and quick pattern of the traditional choreography, it was obvious. I’ve been picturing myself in the long white tutu and flower crown that’s the signature look of the ballet, letting the heartbreak and yearning of Giselle guide my movement.

  I know it’s just class, but I always dance best when I picture what I’m doing as if I’m on stage.

  This is the fourth time today I’ve been singled out to do something on my own, to demonstrate it for the class. Normally, I’d be over the moon and honored to be noticed by the teachers like this. And I am. At least, I was the f
irst two times it happened yesterday. And the day before.

  While I’m not the only person who’s asked to demonstrate, Elena has too, and so have a couple different guys, word of how Marco Bethelo knows me painted a target on my back. And when you’re in class where one whole wall is made of floor-to-ceiling mirrors, there’s no getting away from the glares and whispers.

  “Thank you, Hannah,” Mr. Popov says as I finish. His thick accent is a little hard to understand sometimes, but he’s not the scary Russian teacher I was expecting when I saw his name listed as one of our teachers. For starters, he’s Ukrainian, not Russian. “Ladies, did you see? Hannah moves her feet fast, so very fast. Like sprinting. Some of you do more like walking, yes? Now. We try again.”

  I roll my ankle to release the ache building up, glad our class is supposed to finish in five minutes before taking a place in the second row of girls, frozen while we wait for the pianist to start. Since this is a pointe class, the guys are in a separate men’s class right now, working on the explosive jumps and turns that are the signature of men’s dancing.

  As we try again, the click of the door behind us distracts me for a moment and I risk a quick glance in the mirror. Marco Bethelo is leaning against the doorjamb, watching our class. It’s not the first time he’s done this, he pops in to watch our classes at least once or twice a day, but he hasn’t taught any of them yet.

  We hold the ending position for a moment as the music fades away, waiting for the signal from Mr. Popov that we may relax. With a nod, he smiles at us before turning to Marco. “I believe you have an announcement to make?” I wonder what this is all about. Confusion and eagerness are etched on all the other girl’s faces.

  “It’s nothing too exciting, don’t worry,” Marco assures us as he walks through the class to the front of the room. “I have two things to announce. First, because of the numbers, we are going to have the Level Eight guys join your pas de deux class, that way each of you girls will have your own partner and the guys don’t have to double up.”