As the last note dies away, we can barely make out the sound of our teachers clapping. Tomorrow, when the audience is full of our families and friends, it will be deafening, hopefully, but for now it’s good enough. Exhausted, we drop to the floor, careful not to squish each other’s costumes, but happy to have a chance to rest. Because of the rehearsal this morning, we’ve basically run through an entire show twice today. My legs are dead.
Ms. Parker comes up to the stage to give us some last notes for tomorrow, then dismisses us with an admonishment to get a good night’s sleep.
“Well, if it isn’t the Dynamic Duo,” Ms. Parker’s husband calls from the side of the stage where he’s helping to clean up the mess of props and bobby pins that got scattered in the rush of the rehearsal. “What mischief are you two plotting now?” I laugh, thinking he’s kidding, until I spot the two of them standing near him, whispering to each other.
“Hi, Mr. Mike!” Olivia calls out, waving. “Who says we’re plotting?” She laughs, then drags Hannah with her to include him in the conversation. I get two steps closer to them when Katy grabs my arm, dragging me away.
“Let’s go change, I’m so gross.” She propels me down the stairs back to our dressing room and starts unhooking the back of my tutu before I can get a word in. They are definitely up to something. “Did you bring real clothes with you?” Katy asks, eyeing me.
“No, I’m going straight home,” I tell her, hoping she’ll drop a hint of what they have planned.
Katy digs through her garment bag, looking for something. “Here, you should borrow this.” She pulls out an ivory lace sundress, pushing it towards me. “And here,” she grabs a pack of baby wipes and shoves them at me with a wink.
“Why…?” This is obviously part of their grand scheme, but I’m not going to make it easy on her.
“Do you trust me?”
“You know I do. But can you please tell me what’s going on?”
“Just get cleaned up and changed.”
Hannah and Olivia wander into the dressing room ten minutes later as I’m wiping myself off with the baby wipes giving Katy a big thumbs up. Pretending I didn’t see them, I hide my smile by pulling the dress over my head. It’s a little long on me, Katy is the tallest of us, but otherwise fits perfectly.
“We can leave our costumes here, right?” Hannah asks over my head.
“Yeah, Ms. Parker said we could,” Olivia calls back, hanging up the costumes she left scattered on the ground. I finish packing up my stuff and lean back on the counter, waiting for my friends to finish so we can leave together.
“You don’t have to wait for us, Lisa,” Olivia says in a ridiculously practiced voice.
“Uh. Yeah. You can go,” Hannah says after Katy elbows her.
I can’t take it anymore. “Okay, seriously, you guys are so obvious. What did you do?”
“Go upstairs!” Katy practically shouts at me, shoving me towards the stairs. “Wait!” She shoves the roses into my hand. “Okay now you can go.”
Laughing, I walk away from them, pretending I can’t hear them following me up the stairs. Most of the little kids are gone already, since they aren’t in the last number, they can get packed up faster than us. Also, they probably didn’t take the time to change, nor had their best friend forcibly remove select bits of the exaggerated makeup they need for stage, leaving them with a heavy, but passable for normal, makeup look. And they also probably didn’t have that same best friend attack them with a hair brush and spray bottle to brush out the pounds of gel and hairspray that weighed down their hair.
At the top of the stairs I pause, wondering if my friends are going to wait, or physically push me out the door to see whatever they’ve dreamed up. At this point, I wouldn’t put it past Katy. Without turning to look, I take a deep breath and push open the stage door.
I’m blinded by the bright sun for a moment, goosebumps breaking out over my skin from the sudden change in temperature as I leave the cool, dim theater and step into the hot, summer sun. I blink and then I can’t hold back my grin.
Hunter is standing outside the stage door, a single red rose in his hand, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling at me. Ignoring the squeals of my friends from behind me, I hesitate. Not because I’m afraid, not because I don’t want him. No, I just want to take this moment in, memorize how he looks, standing there looking unsure, as if he doesn’t already know my answer to the question posed by the notes. As if I haven’t answered his question a dozen times over since Wednesday night.
“Hey,” I say softly. Lame, I know, but I can’t think of anything better.
“Hey.” His smile turns into a grin. “You look beautiful.”
“What did he say?” Olivia whispers furiously behind me, breaking the spell. Laughing, I take a couple steps forward, bringing me right up to Hunter. Taking the rose from his hand, I flip the card tied to it over so I can read it.
“Did they think you would forget your own name?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“I kind of did when you walked out that door.” Like he’s in a trance, Hunter slowly reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, his thumb grazing my cheek. Leaning close, his whispered words tickle my ear. “So, are we done teasing them? Or do we play this out a little longer? Your call, Sport.”
My lips pressing against his are the only answer I need.
Chapter Twenty-three
Hannah
My toes are screaming in agony and my lungs are about to burst, but I can’t wipe the smile off my face. The blister on my heel ripped open near the end of my solo and now the back of my shoe is wet and sticky against my tights, but I haven’t looked at it yet to see what it’s sticky with. We hold our ending pose for a few seconds, all of us breathing hard, sweat dripping down our faces, waiting for the lights to black out.
The lights go down and we relax for a split second before scrambling into the straight lines we’ve rehearsed a thousand times. Lisa and Olivia stand on either side of me, Katy beyond, and the rest of the girls in the Sleeping Beauty excerpt lining up in front of us. The lights come up and the younger girls step forward to take their bow, listening to the thunderous sound of applause. Some people would say this is the best part of being a dancer, the applause at the end. It’s my second favorite part. For me, the best moment is right before the final note of music. When I’ve done everything I can, and I’m squeezing out a final burst of energy to finish, knowing I’ve shared a bit of my soul with the audience. Placing the final, perfect, bow on the gift I’m giving them. That’s the magical moment when the world is perfect.
But the applause is pretty great too.
“We did it!” Olivia whispers to me through her smile, her lips barely twitching.
“Eeeeeeee,” I cheer back in a whisper as we move forward to take our own bow now that the younger girls have moved to the side. Everything is perfect. I’m standing on stage with my three closest friends, our end of year recital finished. Now I have two weeks off to rest before heading to Seattle with Lisa for six weeks of intense ballet training. Life is good.
Okay, the ripped open blister on my heel sucks, but other than that, everything is perfect.
Also, I could live without the twinge in my ankle that started sometime yesterday.
As soon as the curtain closes everyone backstage erupts into happy chaos and excited hugs. Ms. Parker is there hugging all of us, even though we’re covered in sweat and disgusting. We take a million photos with each other and with the younger kids who snuck back up to the stage to watch the final dance.
“Hannah!” a little voice squeaks, pulling my attention from our jazz teacher. “Can we take a picture?” Anna, one of the little girls who also competed at YIGP back in March, is holding up her phone.
“Of course!” I bend down next to her, careful not to scrunch the edge of my tutu, smiling as she takes a selfie of us.
“I’m going to keep that forever. One day, when you’re a famous dancer, I’m going to be able to say I know you!” Anna chatters, wrapping her arms around me for a hug.
I blush, not knowing how to respond to that. “Well, I guess we’ll see. You did a great job today, Anna,” I add, hoping to take the focus off me and my future. I have a long way to go before I’m ready to be a professional, even if Anna’s words are exactly what I dream of every night.
Five minutes later, I’m crowded in a dressing room with the girls, packing up our mess and changing so we can go out to celebrate. “We’re going to Gertie’s, right? I’ll get my brothers to get a table.” Katy waves her phone over her head.
“Of course, it’s tradition. I’m starving!” I add, hanging my costumes up. I’ve already changed into a green sundress, the tiny white flowers dotted on it a cheerful reminder that it’s already close to a hundred degrees outside. My pale skin is looking forward to a summer in the cooler weather of Seattle.
“Same,” Olivia pipes up as she comes out of the bathroom, freshly changed into a white sundress and wedges. “I know why Ms. Parker always starts the show at one o’clock, but I’m so hungry now I could eat a bear.” She tosses a baby wipe in the trash, then holds the container out for the rest of us.
“I think my parents already went ahead to get a table, but I’ll come sit with you guys,” Lisa adds, pulling her own wipes out of her bag. “Should I see if they can get one big enough for all the parents?”
“Yes please!” Olivia says quickly. “Katy, tell Jack and Hunter we need a table for seven.”
“Seven? Is Tyler coming?”
“Yup,” Olivia says, popping the “p.” We hurry to finish cleaning up, doing one last check that we haven’t left anything behind before heading out to find our families and celebrate the end of the year. I slide my feet into my flip flops before following the girls out the door. Once I got my pointe shoes off, the mangled mess of ripped open skin on the back of my heel had my stomach turning at the thought of anything touching it. I don’t have any Band Aids big enough to cover it, so I wash it with soap and water in the bathroom and hope I can keep it clean until I get home.
Arms overflowing with dance bags, costume bags and bouquets of flowers, we haul our things out of the theater. Hunter and Tyler are waiting at the stage door for us, each with another bouquet for their girlfriends. Katy sighs next to me as the boys take some of Olivia and Lisa’s load. “God they’re adorable. Nauseating, but adorable.”
I laugh, hiding my own jealousy behind my smile. I’m not jealous of the flowers—there’s a bouquet on my desk back home that arrived this morning with a note from Trevor—I’m jealous of the fact that their amazing boyfriends are here and mine is a thousand miles away. I know he would have come if he could, in fact he tried to, but his little sister’s own dance recital is also today and his parents said absolutely not when he asked.
I follow Katy through Gertie’s, ignoring the ache in my ankle as I walk, and out to the back patio where our families are waiting for us. The adults at one table and us kids at another. Lisa sneaks in front of me to sit next to Hunter, adorably snuggling into his side when he throws an arm around her shoulder.
I sit between Katy and Jack and across from Olivia and Tyler. The only thing missing right now is Trevor. Speaking of, I flip my phone over to check for any messages.
Trevor: Can’t wait to hear all about the show.
Typing out a quick reply, I leave my phone on the table, knowing he’ll respond again quickly.
Me: Show went great. Out to eat with the girls and everyone, only thing missing is you.
“So,” I hear Katy say as I sit down. “What’d you guys think?”
“Of the show?” Tyler asks.
“It was a good one, Bug,” Jack answers. “You guys were great,” he adds, raising his water glass towards us girls. We all lift our glasses and clink them together before taking a drink.
“Good job today,” Jack says, leaning down to talk to me. “You and Lisa are off to Seattle soon, right?”
“Thanks. We leave in two weeks. When do you guys leave for your big trip?”
“In about three weeks.” He grabs a straw still in its paper wrapper and peels off one end of the paper. Then he just holds it in his hand, resting it on the table. I raise an eyebrow at him, wondering what he’s going to do with it.
“Wait,” Jack whispers, throwing in a wink for good measure. “You’ll see,” he adds cryptically.
Just then Olivia appears behind my chair. “Smile, girls,” she says, leaning down into the space between Katy and I. Automatically, I smile as Tyler takes a couple of pictures of the four of us. “Get one of the two of us, babe,” Olivia adds, squishing her face closer to mine. I smile, happy that things between Olivia and I are easy now. We’ll never be the best friends we were, but there’s no more hard feelings between us.
If you’d asked me back in January what my life would be like in six months, I could never have guessed it would look like this.
Olivia and I having an epic fight and falling out.
My years-long crush on Tyler fizzling out into nothing.
Winning the Grand Prix at our regional YIGP.
Getting accepted into both of my dream summer intensives, with scholarships to both.
Going to New York to compete in the YIGP finals, and making it all the way to the top fifteen.
Lisa and I getting into a disagreement over boys of all things. Honestly, dumbest fight of my life.
And the biggest twist of the year?
Being tricked into going on a double date with Tyler’s cousin, and then falling for the guy. Who is now my actual, official boyfriend. Even if he lives too far away.
“I’m going to tag you guys in it,” Olivia warns us as she goes back to her seat.
“Do we look okay?” Lisa asks, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
“Yup,” Olivia replies, tapping at her phone. Our phones all buzz at the same time, obviously with the photo she sent us. “Smile, babe,” Olivia says, tucking herself into Tyler’s arm, holding out her phone for a selfie. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jack put the half-unwrapped straw to his lips and blow just as she’s taking the picture. It hits Tyler square between the eyes, shocking him and Olivia both.
Laughter erupts from all of us at the expression on their faces. Jack and Hunter high-five across the table. “Dude, please tell me you got that!” Jack laughs, Olivia holds out her phone so we can all see the moment perfectly captured, the straw wrapper bouncing off Tyler’s face, shock splashed across both their faces. It’s perfect.
My phone buzzes on the table, that actual, official boyfriend, calling me to Facetime.
“Hey.” Trevor’s smiling face beams at me through the screen.
“Hi, beautiful. I figured I’d call and say congrats in person.”
My phone is plucked from my fingers before I can answer. “Hi babe,” Jack teases, setting my phone up against the salt and pepper shakers, giving Trevor a view of everyone at the table.
“Trev!” Tyler calls from his end of the table. “When are you coming down to visit?”
Embarrassed heat washes across my cheeks as the conversation with Trevor is dominated by everyone but me. Surreptitiously, I roll my right foot beneath the table, wincing at the shooting pains of both my ankle and the open skin of my heel. Thank goodness I have two weeks to rest it now before the intensive. The studio is closed for a week so Ms. Parker and Mr. Mike can go on their annual “honeymoon” to Hawaii. Maybe I’ll stick to doing some yoga for a week. I don’t want to let myself get out of shape, but I need to make sure my ankle is okay before I head to Seattle.
Seattle.
“... parents. Uh...where’d Hannah go?” Trevor’s question has me reaching for my phone.
“Here, here, I’m here. Sorry. Someone stole my phone from me
.” I stick my tongue out at Jack. “Can I call you later?” I’m torn between wanting to talk to Trevor and tell him all about the show, and embarrassment at being with him in front of my friends. Well, mostly in front of Jack and Tyler. It’s all new and weird and I don’t know how to act around anyone right now.
“Sure. I just wanted to hear how the show went, even though I know you were amazing. Call me when you get home, okay?”
“I will. Thanks,” I add, everyone’s eyes on me. “Gotta go, bye!”
Hunter and Lisa are too busy making googly eyes at each other to pay attention to my conversation with Trevor. Tyler and Olivia are also lost in their own world, debating what to order and if Olivia is getting her own fries or stealing some of his.
“Well, looks like we’re going to be the three musketeers,” Jack says out of the blue.
“What?” I look around, totally confused.
Jack nods his chin at his twin and best friend. “Those two are going to be inseparable for the next two weeks, and those two have been disgustingly adorable for months. Since your man is up in Seattle, it looks like it’s going to be just you, me and Katy to keep each other company.” Jack leans back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head, utterly at ease. “The three musketeers.”
With a groan, Katy rolls her eyes at him. “Ignore him. By tomorrow he’ll have a new gang of people over at the house. Jack doesn’t know how to function without an entourage.”
Glancing down at the phone in my hand I read the message that came in from Trevor. I can’t hide the smile his words bring to my face.
Trevor: I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but you look beautiful. Counting down the days until you get to Seattle.
Me: Me too.
Chapter Twenty-four
Katy
Putting on a happy face is my specialty.
Always the cheerful one, the funny one, the smart ass. Hannah has the market cornered on being the anxious one, and Lisa is the quiet, organized one. Oliva has always been bold and brash, not even her and Hannah’s massive fight put a damper on Olivia’s ability to have fun.
Head to Head (On Pointe Book 2) Page 22