Skyville Boys

by Mia Belle

  That makes me laugh. “You’re being kind of cute now.”

  His face fills with shock, and it gets a little red again. “I am?”

  “Yeah. I think it’s cool how much you love theater.”

  “All because of you. I mean, not only you,” he quickly says. “You and other people.”

  That makes me laugh again.

  “Oh, we’re next,” he says. “Let’s see if we can get out of here without damaging other people.”

  He takes hold of my hand and weaves through the people. He doesn’t let go of my hand, not even when we’re off the bus.

  “Sorry about that,” he says.

  “I’m used to crowded public transportation,” I assure him. “The subways are just as bad during rush hour.”

  He’s still clutching my hand. Either he forgot or he doesn’t want to let go. And the truth is…I’m not sure I want him to, either. His skin is warm and smooth, though his fingers are a little rough, maybe because of his sewing. And for some odd reason, having him hold my hand makes me feel protected.

  “Did you feel that?” he asks as he tightens his hold on me and pulls me toward the street. “I felt a drop. They said it was going to rain today.”

  We rush across the street and down the block until we reach the dance studio, and just as the door shuts behind us, there’s a downpour. Jax laughs. “Dodged a bullet there.”

  I shrug. “Meh. My hair’s a complete mess anyway.”

  He steps closer and pats my hair in place. He chuckles. “It definitely has a mind of its own.”

  I feel a chill where he touched my scalp. I laugh nervously. “That’s okay. I tie it up for dance.” I twist it into a bun and wrap a hair tie around it.

  We separate to our changing rooms, and as soon as I’m alone, I press my palms against the mirror and stare at my reflection. My heart is galloping in my chest, I worry it’ll pop right out. Being here with Jax…I feel so comfortable, like I can be myself. Which is so weird because only a few days ago, I felt so uncomfortable around him. Maybe it’s because I shared something so personal with him. Maybe because he already likes me and I don’t have to try to impress him.

  Maybe it’s because he knows who he is and doesn’t pretend to be anyone but himself. It’s so refreshing to find that in high school. It’s something I struggle with myself, since I still haven’t yet figured out who I am. I’ve played so many roles and have taken a little of each with me. All those roles have made me who I am. But I still have no idea who that person is. Especially because I’ve spent the last few weeks running away from myself.

  I meet Jax in Studio A, where he’s waiting for his students to arrive. The only one here is that boy, Tommy, who is showing Jax his favorite action figure—a character from Guardians of the Galaxy. Jax is on his knees, asking details about the movies and the characters. Then a girl comes and leaps onto his back, demanding a piggyback ride.

  I lower myself on one of the chairs toward the back wall and watch him, a smile spread across my lips. No wonder the kids love him—he’s great with them.

  “Hey.” He lowers himself next to me. “Want to help me teach the class?”

  “Ugh, no. I really need to brush up on my ballet.”

  “I watched you during one of your classes. You’re awesome.”

  I give him a face. “Is everything I do awesome in your book?”

  He laughs. “Is it bad if I say yes?”

  “Well, yeah. Because how will I improve if I’m always told I’m awesome?”

  He takes my hand. “Other people can critique you. As for me? You’re as perfect as perfect gets.” He brings my hand to his lips and presses a kiss to the back of my hand. “You’re welcome to join my little dancers if you want to brush up on your ballet.”

  I clutch my hand to my chest as he stands and gathers the kids. My heart once again gallops.

  I decide to join the kids, and I actually learn quite a lot from Jax. The kids are thrilled that a “grown up” is dancing along with them, and they feel proud when they do some of the moves better than me. All the while, I feel Jax’s eyes on me. He’s looking at me in awe, wonder, like he’s never seen anyone as amazing as me. I wish he didn’t give me so much credit. There’s nothing special about me.

  When the class is over, he compliments or critiques every single kid in the class. He wishes them good night, then jogs over to me, handing me a bottle of water. “You were great.”

  I chug down the water like I haven’t drank in hours. “Thanks. You definitely had my work cut out for me.” I fan myself. “Those kids are tougher than they look.”

  He beams. “They have a good teacher.”

  “Totally.”

  He puts on the music for Swan Lake and stretches his hand toward me. “Care to dance with me?”

  I swallow as I stare at his hand. After putting my bottle down, I slowly lift mine and slide it into his. Jax leads me to the center of the room and we start to dance. I haven’t danced to this in a very long time, but it comes back to me. Jax is poised and focused, and graceful. His touches are feather-like but also strong, and he handles me as though I really am porcelain, but made of strong steel at the same time. He shines on his own, but he makes me shine as well.

  When the song is done, I’m left breathless, my blood once again zooming through my body. I gaze into his brown eyes, getting completely swallowed in them. He has so much emotion in there, so much feeling. I feel as though I was just in a fairytale.

  He releases my hand and pulls a strand of his messy brown hair off his sweaty face. His chest rises and falls heavily, his breathing labored. Whatever I felt just now, he felt it, too.

  I clear my throat. “My class is going to start soon.”

  He blinks and nods quickly. “Yeah. You should go.”

  My legs wobble as I head to Studio B. First I shared a romantic dance with Ezra and now a magical one with Jax. Ezra’s was professional, though, and I doubt he felt what I felt. Jax on the other hand…

  I fan myself with my hand. Why is the studio so hot?

  Jax’s mom is already in the room with a few other students. I warm up with everyone else, and then the lesson starts. A few minutes in, I feel someone watching me, and when I look at the doorway, I find Jax leaning there with his eyes pasted on mine. He has awe in his eyes again, and for some reason, his watching empowers me. Maybe because he’s not watching Kara the Broadway star. He’s watching Kara Starr.

  I could feel his hands on my body, his soft touch, the passion in his movements. Every time I leap, I remember how he threw me in the air and carefully caught me in his arms. His intense look as he made the story come alive through dance. I’ve always loved dance, always loved telling a story in another way, but with his eyes on me, I feel my dance elevated to a whole new level.

  When the class is over, I’m breathing heavy and am sweatier than I’ve ever been. I can’t remember the last time I put so much effort into my dancing. I usually reserve that for my singing.

  Lisa smiles at me. “You were beautiful today. Keep it up, Kara.”

  She meets her son in the doorway, and they exchange a few words before she gives him a quick kiss on the cheek and walks out. All of the other students leave as well. I gulp down my water as Jax makes his way over to me.

  “You were phenomenal,” he says.

  “Thanks.” My voice is a little shaky, same as my knees. And for some reason, I’m having trouble looking into his eyes.

  “Hey, did you and Ezra practice the dance scene yet?”

  “Yeah, we did it yesterday.” I force myself to look at his face. His eyes are so expressive, such a beautiful shade of brown. Like milk chocolate. And even though his hair is messy and a little damp with sweat, it hangs over the side of his face perfectly.

  “Too bad I missed it,” Jax says with a laugh. “Would have been funny to see Ezra dance. The guy has two left feet.”

  “About that…”

  He lifts his brows.

  “Why doesn’t he ta
ke lessons here? Having a dancing background can really help with Broadway.”

  Jax runs a nervous hand through his hair. “Yeah, but um…” He coughs. “His parents don’t want to pay. I tried to give him some pointers a few years back, but he needs a lot of work. Professional help, you know? And my mom can’t really afford to give free lessons…”

  Even though I know I’m treading on personal territory, I ask, “Why won’t his parents pay for lessons?”

  “They don’t really support his dream.”

  “You mean, to be on Broadway?”

  “Yeah. They want him to be a lawyer. They’re lawyers and so is his sister.”

  “That sucks.”

  “Yeah. He asked for lessons every year on his birthday since he was ten, but they always refused. Eventually, he stopped asking. I feel really bad. I wish there was something I could do. My mom and I tried to work something out, but without his parents’ approval, it’s kind of complicated.”

  “I see. And voice lessons?”

  “That’s all on Ezra. He got lessons from our music teacher in middle school, but he’s basically self-taught. Good thing he has a natural singing voice.”

  I frown as I take another sip of water. It’s really a shame. I think Ezra could have a really great shot at being on Broadway. He has a strong, powerful voice, he’s good-looking, and he’s a great actor. He completely embodies the role he’s playing. He’s blown me away so many times during rehearsals.

  “What if I paid for the lessons?” I ask.

  He stares at me. “What?”

  “I don’t want to go behind his parents’ back, but he can really do with the lessons, Jax. I want to help him achieve his dreams.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s unbelievably kind of you, but I doubt Ezra would agree to that. He can be a real stubborn pain in the ass sometimes.”

  I pace the room, then spin around to face him. “What if we don’t tell him?”

  He stares at me again. “How?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe tell him the studio is having some free promotion or something?”

  He moves closer to me and gently takes hold of my shoulders, looking into my eyes. “I can come up with some reason, but are you sure, Kara? Ezra can have a great Broadway career without knowing how to dance, can’t he?”

  “It’s so hard out there. Believe me. I think he can have a real shot. I don’t want anything to hold him back.”

  He continues staring at me for a bit, and then he slowly lifts his hand and brushes it against my cheek. “You’re like one of the nicest people I’ve ever met,” he whispers.

  My whole body fills with warmth. His face is so close to mine. His lips are so close. Just a little bit closer and then...

  I quickly pull out of his hold.

  He shakes his head like he’s knocking sense into himself. “Right,” he says. “Um…”

  “So you’ll agree?” I ask. “That I’ll pay for Ezra’s lessons?”

  “Yeah. Uh…” He straightens his back. “That’s totally fine.”

  “Thanks.” I sweep my bag off the floor. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Kara

  I figure eleven PM is the best time to call Carter, since he probably finished putting the kids to bed and has enough time to catch up on homework or have some free time.

  “Hey, Kara?” he asks.

  I hear music in the background. “Yeah, it’s me. Sorry, are you working?”

  “No, I’m just adding a guitar track to my song. I’m still trying to decide if the song sounds better with or without.”

  “Would that be virtual violin or real violin?”

  He releases a breath. “Virtual. Had to sell my violin, too.”

  “I didn’t know you played violin,” I say.

  “And guitar. And a little bit of cello.”

  “Wow. A real musical genius.”

  “Sure.” He snorts. “Maybe you can come over one day and listen to it. I’d love your input.”

  “That’d be great.”

  We’re both quiet.

  “Right, I was the one who called,” I say. “Did your boss talk to you?”

  “My boss? What do you mean?”

  I fall back on my bed and look at the ceiling. “I had a lot of fun performing with my grandma at the club. I’m not ready to perform in front of large audiences yet, so the club is the perfect place. And it’ll help me prepare to perform the musical in front of the whole school and their families.”

  “And most of the town,” he says with a laugh. “Remember, this is the closest to live theater we can get.”

  “Super,” I mutter.

  “You’re going to perform again at the club Friday night? That’s great. You have nothing to worry about. You killed it out there. Just tell me what songs you want to perform so I’ll know ahead of time.”

  “Okay. I’ll email you the sheet music as soon as we hang up.”

  “Cool. Can’t wait, Kara. I love hearing you sing.”

  “Thanks.”

  We’re quiet again.

  “By the way, Mackenzie wants to know when you’ll come again. She wants to do karaoke with you.”

  I laugh. “That’s so cute.”

  “And she wants you to bring pizza again. You don’t have to do that. Or sing karaoke with her.”

  “Are you serious? I’d love to. I’d totally adopt her if I could. But Kitty would get really jealous.”

  He chuckles. Then his voice gets a little serious. “Thanks for helping us out, Kara. It means the world to me. And it made my mom’s load a little lighter. I wish she didn’t have to work so hard. I tried looking online for some financial aid options, but she doesn’t want to hear it. She doesn’t think she can go to school.” He sighs. “Sorry. I don’t mean to unload all my burdens on you.”

  “I don’t mind. I wish I could help somehow.”

  “You are. Talking to you helps a lot. You don’t make me feel like a loser or pathetic.”

  “You’re not a loser or pathetic,” I say softly. “You’re such a nice guy.”

  “Thanks. But not as nice as you. I feel like I can be myself around you. I feel like I’m pretending to the rest of the world.”

  “You shouldn’t,” I say. “I mean, who am I to talk, but your friends wouldn’t think any less of you. Jax isn’t afraid to be himself. I really like that about him. And Ezra…well, I don’t know him very well, but I know he’s a loyal friend.”

  “He is. One of the most loyal friends you can have. You’re right, Kara. I want to tell them what’s going on in my life. I will one day. I’m just not ready yet.”

  “That’s okay,” I say. “Tell them when you feel it’s right.”

  “Thanks for being so understanding. It’s great that I can talk to someone about it. I know I’ll feel much better once I unburden myself to them, too.”

  We talk a little longer before hanging up. After sending him the sheet music, I video chat with my family and add Grandma to the call. It takes me almost half an hour to convince all of them that I’m fine by myself. True I’m lonely, but my grandma looks so happy. I don’t want to take that away from her. I don’t want her to feel anchored to Skyville when she’s spent almost all her life flying free. And when they find out I’ve made friends, they’ll relax.

  Kitty presses her nose to the screen. “Don’t forget we’re coming this weekend!”

  “How can I forget?” I laugh. “I’ve even picked out some movies.”

  “Musicals?” she asked.

  “What else?”

  After I’m showered and lying in bed, I think about my conversation with Carter. Then my thoughts shift to Jax. The connection I felt to him in the dance studio. The way he made me feel powerful and brave yet protected at the same time. And as I drift off to sleep, I think about the dance scene I had with Ezra.

  I dream about all three of them.

  ***

  “You l
ook beautiful!” Carter wraps his arms around me.

  “Thanks. You don’t think it’s a bit much?”

  I’m wearing a red dress that’s a few inches above my knees. Maybe not the smartest thing to wear in such rainy weather, but at least my hair is holding up. It’s styled in the same updo I wore at the last performance.

  “No, it’s perfect,” he assures me.

  I look past him at the people in the club. “There are more people than I thought. I wanted to keep this low key.”

  “Someone’s having a bachelor party. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure no one takes any videos or pictures and posts them online.”

  I rub my arm as I bite my lower lip. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. If he finds out where I live…

  I tell myself to relax. I hate living in fear. And I want to do this for Carter. I wish I could see his face when his boss pays him tonight.

  But ugh, it’s been so long since I performed alone on stage. It helped when Grandma was up there with me. Even though Carter will have my back, all eyes will be on me.

  Carter places his hands on either side of my face and looks into my eyes. “It’ll be okay. You’re okay. Just breathe. In and out. In and out.”

  I close my eyes and focus on my breathing. I can do this. I can.

  He lowers his hands. “You good?”

  I nod. “Thanks.”

  He leans forward and presses a kiss on my forehead. He sends me a sweet smile. “Break a leg.”

  He settles down at the piano as the owner steps onto the stage. “We have a special guest for you. Performing some of the top pop songs is Kara Starr. We ask that you don’t take any photos or videos or you’ll be asked to leave.” She motions toward me and claps, causing everyone else to clap.

  I take a deep breath and let it out. Here it is. No turning back now.

  Carter gives me an assuring smile as I climb onto the stage, playing one of the songs he composed. That relaxes me a little. I nod to him, and he starts playing the first song. It’s one of Celine Dion’s. I don’t know what I was thinking. There’s no way I can pull this off with such frayed nerves.

  But then I look into Carter’s eyes. He’s not looking at the sheet music or anyone else. His eyes are fastened on mine. That’s how I get through this song and the next three, by keeping my eyes on him. Everyone else in the room disappears. It’s just the two of us. Him playing for me, and me singing for him.