Lions and Tigers and Boys

by Tawny Stokes

  “Let me guess.” She eyed me from head to toe. “Hoops?”

  “Excuse me?” I was a bit flustered by the change in subject.

  “Your discipline. Your forte. What kind of circus art you’re leaning toward. Mine’s contortion.” With that, she leaned forward, put her hands on the floor, then proceeded to bend herself in half backward, walking first one leg then the other over her head, until she was standing in front of me.

  I clapped. “Wow. That’s really cool.”

  “I bet I could fold myself into your suitcase.”

  I laughed. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  “So,” she prompted, “what’s your poison?”

  “High wire.” I hope.

  “Nice.” She nodded her approval.

  Sitting on my new bed, I took all the forms from the envelope and laid them out. I looked at the one called class schedule. “I can’t believe we have to start classes tomorrow. I thought we’d have at least the rest of the week to get adjusted to the school.”

  “I know, right?” Anna agreed as she did a perfect pirouette on the toes of her right foot. “At least give us some time to check out the talent, you know?”

  I frowned. “The talent?”

  “Boys, silly. There aren’t too many of them, so you got to get in there and strike fast before the other girls.” She did another twirl. “Besides, I would think at least half are gay. No judgment. So the odds are even lower, you know?”

  The topic of boys made me think about the tall boy with the unruly ginger hair and bulging biceps. He possessed an Olympic swimmer’s physique. I imagined he could lift me effortlessly and hold me up with only one hand. I hoped I’d get the opportunity to test that theory. Although there was probably a claim already staked on him. He was a catch in any circle.

  “Oh. My. God,” Anna breathed, eyes wide. “You already spotted someone, didn’t you?”

  My face burned. “No.”

  “Liar.” She laughed.

  I laughed, too. “Okay, maybe I have.”

  “Who is he? Give me all the deets.” She settled on my bed, legs crossed, like we’d been friends for years. I liked that. I felt comfortable with Anna. The school year would definitely suck less with someone like her to rely on.

  I’d been really nervous about the sharing a room thing. Throughout my entire dance, gymnastic, and ice-skating career so far I hadn’t really made any close friends. I’d always been the outsider looking in on these cool cliques of girls who had sleepovers on the weekends, and celebrated each other’s birthdays with cute cards and homemade cupcakes. I could never figure out why I didn’t fit in, why no matter what studio I went to or what athletic squad I joined I was immediately cast as the odd girl out. My mom always said it was because I was special and destined for great things. She claimed all the geniuses and talented people in the world were outcasts. I wasn’t so sure about that.

  Anna’s immediate warmth and interest in me were a welcome surprise, and some of the stress and anxiety I carried around inside me dissipated.

  As I described in detail my encounter with the ginger hottie, tripping over him and his disappearing and reappearing trick and my humiliation twice with the dean, Anna made all the appropriate gestures and noises for a best friend in training. Once that was settled, we made our way back to the school to scope out the facilities. I’d replaced my big wool jacket with a black hoodie before we left the dorm room. I wouldn’t need to wear workout gear until tomorrow when we all started our core athletic lessons.

  I was feeling tons better about coming to this school. Despite my terrible first impression with the dean, I’d already made a friend and met a boy. Things were looking up. That was, until we passed the Ice Maiden and company on the path.

  “Hello, girls,” she said sweetly, like honey dripping from a beehive.

  Anna smiled and said, “Hi.”

  I kept my mouth firmly shut. My mom always told me if I didn’t have anything nice to say, then to keep my lips tight.

  “I like your necklace,” she said to Anna.

  Anna preened shyly, fingering the silver medallion she wore. “Thanks.”

  “I’m Maggie.” She gestured to the two girls beside her. “This is Shelby and Nia.”

  The other girls smiled as well, but neither of them looked very friendly. They reminded me of feral Chihuahuas, cute until you got too close, then the fangs and the foam came out.

  “I’m Anna, and this is Dani.”

  Maggie looked me over, obviously sizing me up. “Must have been so embarrassing to show up late for orientation. And to trip over someone.” She shook her head in pity.

  I shrugged. “Oh I don’t know. It wasn’t too bad.”

  She kept talking as if I hadn’t responded. “To be singled out like that. Especially for an infraction so frowned upon by the dean.” She shook her head. “Just mortifying.”

  “Well, at least she met a boy,” Anna offered happily.

  Maggie’s green eyes flashed with interest. “Oh really? Do tell.”

  “It’s nothing.” I didn’t want to share anything about him with this girl. The hostile vibes coming from her were nearly suffocating. I just wanted to walk away.

  Before I could stop her, Anna did the honors of filling them in. I had a feeling I was going to have to watch what I shared with her. She definitely liked to talk and was obviously not very choosy about whom she talked to.

  “I guess he’s some ginger hottie with a great ass.”

  “Anna,” I gasped, “I never said he had a great ass.”

  She waved away my protestations. “You didn’t have to. I just filled in the blanks.”

  Wide-eyed, both Shelby and Nia glanced at Maggie, who looked like she was going to have a hissy fit.

  Her pert nose scrunched up, and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you talking about Cai Coppersmith?”

  I really didn’t like the way she was observing me. As if she was plotting one thousand ways to kill Dani Gale. Number one being eye-dagger me to death.

  “I’m not sure,” I said with a noncommittal shrug.

  “Well, just so you know, Cai is already spoken for,” she smirked. “Besides, he likes his girls…”

  Bitchy? Narcissistic? With a stick up their butt?

  “Well-bred,” she finished, with a tiny lift of her obviously collagen-injected lips. I swear I saw smoke coming out of her nostrils. Maybe there was a Dani-eating dragon inside that plastic exterior.

  Ever the optimist, Anna smiled. “Are you guys excited about the opportunity to perform in the gala?” She nearly bounced up and down with enthusiasm. “It would be so amazing to win. It’s just too bad we all can’t participate.”

  Maggie pursed her lips. “Yeah, it’s too bad.” She looked me up and down again. “But then that wouldn’t be much of a competition, would it? There can only be room for one high-wire act, for example.”

  Anna smiled. “That’s what Dani is going for.”

  “Interesting.” Maggie smiled at Anna and Dani. “Well, good luck.”

  With that condescending parting remark, Maggie and her girl crew strutted down the rest of the path to the school doors.

  “What a cow,” I said when they had disappeared into the school.

  “You have no idea who that was, do you?” Anna asked, all flustered.

  “Um, should I?”

  “Maggie West.”

  “Uh-huh, and?”

  Anna gaped at me. “Maggie West, the daughter of Natalia West, only one of the greatest dancers of all time. Ring a bell?”

  It did indeed ring an enormous crystal bell. Natalia West was huge in the dancing world. She performed for years with the New York City Ballet. More recently, she’d been a choreographer for the show So You Think You Can Dance. I was definitely a fan.

  Too bad she had such a horrid daughter.

  “If her mom’s so famous and important,” I remarked, “what the heck is Maggie doing at this school? She should be following in her mother�
��s footsteps in New York. I mean, I couldn’t even find anything on this place. It’s as if it doesn’t exist.”

  Anna shook her head. “Well, obviously, it does exist, or how did we all get here?” She gave me another little headshake, then continued down the path to the school.

  I stood there and watched her, wondering what I was missing. There was definitely more to OZ than I’d first thought. Or the likes of Maggie West wouldn’t be here.

  Chapter Four

  Cai

  From my perch on the bench near the quad, I watched as Maggie talked with the new freshmen. It was obvious by the face the new girl who nearly crushed my leg made that it wasn’t going well. When Maggie was in competition mode, which was most of the time, she was like a rabid pit bull. That might not have been the most flattering statement about the girl I’d had an on-again, off-again relationship with, but it was the brutal truth.

  Maggie even scared me sometimes. Especially after I told her we were over a week ago, and she gave me that fierce look of hers, then quietly said, “Nothing is ever over.” That night I got a horrible gut ache and spiked a fever of 103. I’m not necessarily saying the two things were related, but I sensed Maggie had abilities. Would I go so far as to say she was a witch? Well, maybe not to her face.

  She wasn’t all bad, or I would’ve never been interested in her at the beginning of the summer break. She was certainly pretty and polished in that glossy high-fashion model way, but she could also be sweet when she wanted. And funny. She had a slick sense of humor that she rarely showed and a vulnerability that she buried deep down. I’d witnessed it a few times, especially when her grandfather had gotten sick. But most of the time she was “on,” like life was just one big performance piece and everyone around her, other girls especially, were the competition trying to take her part away. I couldn’t handle her insecurities. It was too much work. I wanted to be with someone uncomplicated and easygoing. Someone who didn’t mind having flaws and wasn’t working 24/7 to constantly hide them or pretend they didn’t exist.

  “What are you doing, Cai, stalking the newbies?”

  I turned just as Leander sat on the bench beside me, mid-text. His golden blond hair was in disarray as usual, and he had that confident smirk on his tanned face. I’d always thought he looked more at home on a California beach than here in the woods of Oregon. He definitely belonged in some tropical place. I remember the first snowfall here turned him into a blubbering crybaby. He was a bit accustomed now, though. He still complained, and loudly, but he didn’t hide in his room in several layers of clothing.

  “No, just watching Maggie eviscerate some poor girl.”

  He watched the scene for a moment, then laughed. “Oh God, is that the one who tripped over you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “She’s not going to last a month here.” He laughed again, then went back to texting.

  I didn’t share Leander’s glee in Maggie’s hazing. I never understood the need to knock others down to raise myself. Although there was a lot of competition in the school—for the instructors’ attention and praise, for coveted positions in shows—I always found working together to get ahead was the best option. Not everyone agreed with me.

  After Maggie walked away, with Shelby and Nia in tow as usual, I watched as the new girl looked up toward the main school building, and even from here, I could see that she shivered. A frigid breeze had kicked up seemingly out of nowhere, and she was wearing only a black hoodie, but I didn’t think it was the cold that made her shudder. I’m pretty sure I had the same feelings about the school when I first came. It was a bit imposing, and to be honest, foreboding.

  Leander elbowed me in the side. “Let’s go in, dude. I’m freezing.”

  “It’s like sixty.”

  “I know, it’s frickin’ cold.” He stood and wrapped his arms around himself.

  “You’re a wimp, you know that, right?”

  “Hey, my people are from the grasslands. You know, where it’s warm all the time. You’re from Siberia. So, you love the cold.”

  Shaking my head, I got to my feet. We walked toward the main school building, but I stopped when I noticed the new girl and her friend meandering in front of us. Marvel’s voice echoed in my mind: Don’t be distracted by pretty girls.

  Leander frowned at me. “What’s up?”

  “Let’s go around the other way. It’ll be less busy. No one heads in through the side entrance.”

  He frowned harder at me, then looked toward the back door where other students were going through, and I knew the second he noticed the new girl in that direction, because his frown turned into a smirk.

  “You’re avoiding the klutz.”

  I shook my head. “No. I’m not avoiding anyone. And she’s not a klutz. It was my fault she tripped over me.”

  “Do you like her or something? Did you fall for her just as she fell over you?” He snickered.

  “Don’t be stupid. You know we’ve got other things to worry about.”

  Leander cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Hey, new girls!”

  I stepped off the path to try and find an escape route before she could stop and see me. But it was too late. She halted and whirled around instantaneously. It would’ve been a perfect pirouette if she’d been in pointe shoes.

  “I’m going to murder you,” I murmured angrily to Leander. He just kept on grinning, like the fool he was sometimes.

  When she spotted who’d beckoned her, her eyes grew round and wide. A smile formed on her face, but it was hesitant. Her companion, on the other hand, was all friendly smiles and hellos.

  She waved. “Hey. Did you just yell at us?” She took a few steps toward us, new girl trailing a little behind her, obviously still unsure. I didn’t blame her. I had been a bit cold and jerky when she tripped on me and completely mortified herself in front of the entire student body. She was likely not looking for a repeat performance.

  Smiling his most winning smile, white teeth glinting like a toothpaste commercial, Leander walked toward them. “Sure did. We’re the welcoming committee, welcoming you to OZ.” He did a little bow, and the girl’s smile lit up like a Christmas tree. Leander was all charm and no substance. Hopefully she wouldn’t learn that lesson too harshly. Leander left a trail of broken hearts in his golden wake.

  “Well, thank you,” she tittered, batting her long eyelashes. “I’m Anna, and this is Dani.”

  “Hello,” Dani said shyly, not meeting my gaze. She looked at everything but me. Not that I cared; it wasn’t like I was interested in her. Sure, she was cute, in a Mary Poppins kind of way. Her light brown hair looked silky, even in the braid that hung down her back. And she had a pleasant face, with high cheekbones, and those really big, expressive blue eyes that made me think of the ocean. Her smile was a bit crooked, but I kind of liked that. Made it seem like she had a secret, and she was never going to tell.

  Not that I was interested or anything. Because I wasn’t.

  Liar.

  “Well, of course, we all know Dani.” He snickered, and I could’ve smacked him, especially when her face flamed red with embarrassment. “Leander, at your service.” He then slapped me on the back. “This is Cai.”

  “Hey,” I said lamely.

  Anna elbowed Dani in the side, which made her blush even harder.

  “So, where are you lovely ladies off to?”

  Anna answered. “To check out the facilities and classrooms, so we know where we’re going.”

  “Smart.” Leander nodded. “Want some company?”

  Dani opened her mouth, and it looked like she was going to blurt out, “no,” when Anna chirped happily, “Absolutely.”

  Would it look bad if I punched my best friend hard in the shoulder right about now?

  The four of us wandered around the campus, basically following Anna’s school schedule. She and Leander chatted amicably about everything and anything. And I marveled at his ease at talking to people, especially girls. I didn’t possess that
particular talent. I’d be considered the strong, silent type, when really I just wasn’t sure of the right thing to say.

  As we went from classroom to classroom, studio to studio, I glanced at Dani every now and then. She looked just as uncomfortable as I felt, tagging along behind her chatty, outgoing friend. We had that in common.

  When we walked by the art room, Dani stopped at the wall to look at all the pieces hanging there. Curious, I came up beside her while she stared at the painting of Ozzy the tiger.

  “Do you like it?” I asked.

  She smiled. “I do. It’s so vivid. It’s like he’s staring right at me.” She turned and narrowed her eyes at me. “Did you paint this?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, how did you guess?”

  “I don’t know. Something about it, just kind of reminds me of you. Is that weird to say?”

  I laughed. “No, not weird at all.”

  “It’s really good.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I could never do something this creative.”

  “Do you paint?” I asked, taken by the way her brow furrowed.

  “Sometimes. I prefer drawing, though. I feel like I have more control over the pencil.”

  “What do you like to draw?”

  “Cats mostly.” She gave a little laugh. And the sound went straight to my gut.

  Leander nuzzled in between us. “So, you discovered our Picasso.”

  “Yup,” she said a bit dismissively. It was obvious his charms didn’t work on her. Yet another thing we had in common.

  He swung his arms around our shoulders. “C’mon, let’s go to the caf. I’m starving.”

  “You’re always starving,” I said.

  He patted his gut. “Yup, just one of the many joys of having our type of metabolism.”

  He was right. I was hungry as well. Leander and I had to constantly feed our bodies. It had a lot to do with being an athlete, but there were other reasons as well. Reasons that were best kept hidden.

  “What, boy metabolism?” Anna laughed.

  “Yeah, something like that,” Leander said with a grin.

  We made our way into the main school building and to the cafeteria. Maggie and her crew sat at one of the tables. I noticed Dani stiffen at the sight of them. When she and Anna got in line to get some food, I was tempted to just grab a sandwich and go back to my dorm room in an effort to avoid Maggie. Although I didn’t want to leave Dani. I was starting to enjoy her company.