Jack looked between his mother and best friend in confusion. “How did this get to be my fault? I didn’t do anything.”
“It might not be your fault, but you should fix it,” Mia said.
Cara slid into the booth beside Mia, taking Jack’s hands in hers. “Now, both of you listen to me. Dating is fun, but when it’s good, it’s also a lot of hard work. The key to any successful relationship is open communication. More often than not, hurt feelings happen over misunderstandings. I don’t pretend to know what happened between you guys, and I don’t want to know, but if you don’t talk about it, you’ll never move forward, and you could lose the best thing that’s happened to you since Mia.”
“Exactly,” Mia added, as if Jack didn’t already know his mother was always right.
“I hear you, Mom. I do. But don’t you want me to be with someone who likes me for me? Someone who wouldn’t be embarrassed that I’m not an Ivy League kind of guy with a trust fund and a selection of Armani suits in my mansion closet?”
Cara squeezed his hand before she stood up. “That’s all I want for my boy, you know that. So I’ll leave you with one final thought. If Lillian were truly embarrassed by who you are, would she have invited you to go with her in the first place?” With that, his mother went back to work, leaving Jack with his conflicting thoughts about Lillian and where they stood.
“I’ve got to get to work.” Jack tossed a few bills on the table to pay for his uneaten meal. “Can’t avoid it anymore.”
“Good luck,” Mia said. “And if you’re not ready to talk to her, maybe just show her you’re willing to listen to her side of the story. You won’t understand her point of view until you give her a chance to explain it.”
Jack nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he left the Main to make his way down the street to the studio. Part of him was anxious to see Lillian, hoping the answer to their issues would become clear to him once he saw her again. The other part of him couldn’t stop thinking about the way Lillian had so easily agreed to go out with another guy right in front of him.
How easily she’d given up on the competition she’d worked so hard to prepare for.
And how easily she’d given up on him.
Jack reluctantly let himself into the backdoor of the studio, not looking forward to his afternoon shift. He planned to hide out until Lillian left and then stay after hours to finish his duties.
Yeah, he was a coward.
Avoiding the front half of the studio, Jack dragged the workout mats from each of the smaller studios into the back alley behind the building. He spent the next hour cleaning the mats with a scrub brush and hot soapy water.
“You know we have disinfectant spray for that?” Katrina stood behind him with her arms crossed over her chest.
“I know.” Jack scrubbed at an invisible stain, feeling a bit foolish.
“They look brand new.” She inspected two of the largest mats drying in the sun. “Nice job, cousin.” She crouched beside him. “You wouldn’t be avoiding a certain talented ballerina, would you?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Jack shrugged, not wanting to talk about Lillian with any more of his female relatives.
“She switched her schedule.” Katrina stood to lean against the doorway of her studio. “She opted for early morning practice before school. Said it would suit her class schedule better for the rest of the semester.”
Something shattered inside Jack at that news. Lillian had made it so they never had to see each other. For the last several days he’d struggled with unanswered questions about what happened at the ball, but Jack had his answer now. Lillian clearly didn’t want to talk to him. Whatever they had was over, and she was trying to make the break as clean as possible.
“So, it looks like you can let these dry and then switch them out for all the mats from the front studio.” Katrina clapped him on the shoulder. “You know, since there’s no reason to hide out back here now.”
“You’re mean.” A hesitant smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “I’m a wounded man. Don’t kick me when I’m down.”
“You know I love you, Jack, but look how pretty my mats shine? Get to work on the rest.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He sighed.
“And Jack,” she called over her shoulder.
“Yeah?” He turned toward Katrina.
“She’s missing out on a really great guy.”
22
Lillian
“Knock, knock!” Lillian’s bedroom door burst open and flooded with light. She blinked at the sudden brightness.
“Wylder? What are you doing?” Lillian sat up in confusion.
“Are you seriously asleep? It’s ten-thirty.”
“It’s a school night.” She rubbed the grit from her eyes.
“My roommate doesn’t seem to think that’s as important as we do.” Devyn stood in rumpled pajamas with her arms crossed over her chest. Clearly, her sleep was interrupted as well.
“Who needs sleep when we’re dealing with a serious heartbreak?” Wylder tugged a bag onto Lillian’s bed and pushed her over.
“Wylder, what’s happening right now? How did you even get in here? I locked the door.”
“I have my ways. Tonight we are girl bonding. Come on Devyn, get in here.” Wylder patted the mattress on Lillian’s other side.
“Will this last long?” Devyn climbed onto the bed. “I have an early practice.”
“I do too,” Lillian groaned. She’d switched her daily practice to early morning sessions with Katrina. It was nice working one on one with a professional, but it made for a very long day. All week, Lillian had dragged herself into bed each night, too tired to think about Jack and how she’d messed up the best thing that had ever happened to her. She didn’t need Wylder forcing her to deal with it.
“You two are brilliant competitors in your respective fields, but you’re not the best at the social stuff. That’s why I’m here to help. It’s my specialty.”
“Help?” Devyn rolled her eyes. “Don’t you mean irritate?”
Wylder ignored her and reached for the bag she’d brought, dumping its contents on the bed.
“What is all this?” Lillian frowned, still foggy from sleep.
“Breakup snacks.” Wylder passed each girl a pint of ice cream and a spoon.
“Where did you get the primo ice cream?” Lillian snatched up the mint chocolate chip. It wasn’t even the soy, low-fat stuff she was used to, but she refused to think about the calories.
“Wylder is magic,” Devyn said, ripping the top off the rocky road. “She’s like an invisible little weasel running around campus taking what she wants and never getting caught.”
“Eh, I just went home and raided the freezer.” Wylder dipped her spoon in the cherries jubilee. She was one of the few students who were local to Twin Rivers.
“How are you doing, Lil?” Devyn finally asked.
“I don’t know.” Lillian’s shoulders fell. “I’m just trying not to think about it.”
“Trying not to think about being an idiot?” Wylder asked.
“Ouch.” Lillian dropped her spoon back into the container. “How am I the idiot in this scenario? And what do you know about it, anyway?”
“I know everything.” Wylder shrugged. “And I also know what it feels like to be an outsider in your world.” Wylder opened a bag of chips and sat them between the girls.
Lillian glanced over at Wylder, recognizing a hint of vulnerability she’d never seen in her before. “You’re not an outsider, Wylds.”
“I totally am, and you all know it. I’m just a small-town girl with parents who run the local hardware store, and I just happen to have a famous brother who pulled some strings to get me into this school. Becks pays my tuition. I don’t know what it’s like to grow up in your privileged world. As an outsider, it’s intimidating. The longer I’m here, the more I see you’re inherently good people, but you don’t have a clue what it’s like for the average Joe. Or Jack.”
> “So you’re saying this is my fault?” Lillian frowned. She still wasn’t sure what happened with Jack at the ball. They were having such a good time one moment, and then he just shut down on her. Her mother hadn’t helped the situation at all. She was so rude to Jack, making up all that crap about him being a polo star. Lillian would have promised her the moon just to get rid of her so they could get out of there, but the damage was already done. “He’s the one who broke up with me.”
“Because you’re an idiot,” Wylder said. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. Why in the world would you take a guy like Jack to a debutant ball? Poor guy had to feel like a total loser in his borrowed suit.”
“What? How?” Tears burned Lillian’s eyes. “That’s not true.”
“How do you know, Lil? Did you put yourself in his Walmart shoes? Did you think about the way people would stare at him, wondering what the townie was doing with the debutant?”
“Jack doesn’t care about that stuff,” Lillian insisted. The Jack she knew was confident and comfortable in his own skin. He wouldn’t let that kind of petty materialistic crap get to him. Would he?
“And when you agreed to go to some event with Landon Corrigan right in front of him? How do you think that made him feel?”
“I don’t do all that much girl bonding,” Devyn said, hunting through her rocky road ice cream for the good stuff. “But I don’t think you’re doing it right, Wylds.”
“I’m making a point so Lil can fix this.”
“He broke up with me,” Lillian said.
“Just think about it, Lil. You’re right, Jack doesn’t care about what people think, but he does care what you think.”
“He knows I don’t care about this social crap.”
“Does he?” Wylder gave her a knowing look. “Or does he think you agree with all those things your mother said?”
“Were you there spying on us?” Lillian threw her hands up. “How do you know all this stuff?”
“I pay attention, and I know everyone. Now, I want you to think about everything that happened the night of the ball, but try to see it through his eyes, and ask yourself if you blame him for backing away.”
“I…” Lillian chewed on her bottom lip. “I was just trying to get rid of my mom so we could leave.”
“Did you tell him that?” Wylder shoved a delicate truffle into her hand as if to soften the blow with chocolate.
“Well, no. He had to know my mom is just an epic snob.”
“Does he?”
“I don’t like you very much right now.” Lillian popped the truffle into her mouth. “But you have good snacks.”
“And?” Wylder raised her brow.
“And you make a good point. I need to fix this.” Lillian didn’t know how, but she needed to show Jack she could never think less of him. If anything, she needed to show him he had so much more substance than anyone she’d ever known.
Lillian skimmed across the studio en pointe, her toes barely touching the floor as she raised her arms, moving into a perfect pirouette in time with Swan Lake: Dance of the Little Swans.
She’d gone back to her classical ballet roots over the last week. She still wasn’t sure what she was going to do about the looming competition and her mother’s demands she attend a charity event that same night, but no matter what, she had to get her head on straight for her upcoming audition with ABC in a few months. Her time with Jack was a fun creative jaunt, but she needed to find her footing again. It was only a matter of time before her mother showed up to force her back on track. She wanted to beat her to it.
There was just one problem. Lillian paced across the room to retrieve her water bottle, her shoulders tight with tension.
She’d lost her heart for it. Ballet had become something she did out of habit. She was good at it. Great even. But she’d lost her passion for it a long time ago.
As she set her water bottle down, her phone chirped with a message from her competition Divas.
Rose: The competition will be here before you know it! Are you guys as excited as I am? Can’t wait to see you all.
Jenna: I am so ready for this! We’re all going to win our categories, I can feel it!
Layne: Of course, we’re all going to kill it.
Lillian couldn’t claim the same level of excitement. Not anymore. When she was with Jack, focused on learning the new choreography, she couldn’t wait to compete. She’d had passion for what she was doing then. With Jack, she’d learned to love dancing again.
Lillian: I’m not sure I’m going to go through with the competition, guys. I may have to back out.
She didn’t tell them about her mom’s insistence she go to a charity event instead.
Rose: What? Lillian, no way, you have to compete. You’ve worked so hard.
Lillian: Things went south with my choreographer. I’m just not sure I’m up for it, girls. I’m sorry.
Jenna: I smell boy trouble. Dish it, Lil, did you fall for your choreographer?
Lillian didn’t think she could tell the girls everything. She didn’t know them well enough to air her personal problems on a group chat. But she could use all the advice she could get. And they did know what it was like to put so much effort into something to the exclusion of all else.
Lillian: Sort of… Maybe. It’s all a big mess.
Layne: Boy trouble is the worst. We’re here for you, girl. Relationships are hard, but don’t let it keep you from doing what you love.
Rose: Exactly. Now is the time to throw yourself into your art to get through the pain. Focus on kicking butt in the competition, and we’ll all be there to celebrate with you when you win.
Jenna: The best way to get over heartbreak is to go out there and win it, Lil. Then you can deal with the boy drama after. If he’s worth it.
Lillian smiled, feeling a little better after talking to the Divas. Was it weird to feel such a connection with girls she hardly knew?
Lillian: He’s definitely worth it. Thanks for the support, guys, I’ll think about it.
Rose: That’s what Divas are for!
Lillian set her phone down, wondering what it would be like to actually win this competition. Could she do it? Could she win a scholarship to a real school and set out on her own after graduation? Could she use her dance skills to buy her way out of the future her mother had planned for her?
Without even realizing, Lillian found herself dancing Jack’s choreography, a smile lifting the corner of her mouth as she went through the full routine. When she let all of her training go and danced just for the fun of it, she found her passion again. That had to count for something. Maybe ballet wasn’t everything.
Lillian grabbed her phone and made a snap decision when she hit call.
“Mia?” she said when Jack’s best friend answered the phone. “It’s Lil. I need your help.”
23
Jack
Jack couldn’t concentrate. Maybe it was the fact he’d turned in his video the day before, or maybe it was because he’d stayed up all night editing the second video Mia had recorded.
He hadn’t realized it was on the camera until he’d sent it to his computer.
Lillian.
Her solo dance wasn’t perfect. Jack saw a million tiny little things he’d change if he could work with her again, but only in the choreography.
The dancing was… well, there was no doubt in his mind Lillian would crush her competition. If she gave herself the chance.
That was the problem, wasn’t it?
She was going to skip the competition in favor of a charity event she didn’t even want to attend. And then she’d audition for the ballet companies her mom directed her to. She’d live her life among the elite, always doing what was expected of her. He wondered if she’d wake up one day and regret it all.
The competition was supposed to change that, to give her a chance to go to a college that wasn’t all about dance. To let her discover if there were other things she loved as well.
He leaned against h
is locker fiddling with his phone before the bell. He returned some nods of greeting—a favored acknowledgement of high school boys everywhere.
Jack always told himself he didn’t need people. He had his family and Mia, but everyone else who came in and out of his life were only temporary. The kids who crowded his lunch table would graduate soon and go their separate ways, most of them leaving Twin Rivers altogether.
And Jack? Where would Jack Butler be?
He wasn’t Lillian. He couldn’t just enter a competition and have colleges falling all over themselves to offer him late admission. No, the deadlines were gone, they’d passed him by, opportunities he’d never really had.
And it had never bothered him.
Not until she made him wish he was more. That he wasn’t just a small-town kid who would never have the opportunity to change. He didn’t want to be an academy water polo player, he just wanted… well, he didn’t know what.
And he hated her for making him question himself.
“You look sad. It’s weird. Stop it.” Mia leaned her shoulder against the locker next to him.
He gave her a tired look out of the corner of his eye. “I didn’t sleep much last night.” Reaching into his bag, he handed her the camera. “Did I ever say thank you for helping me?”
She shrugged. “It’s what we do, Jack.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t help you. You won’t even tell me what your project was about.”
A look he couldn’t decipher flashed across her face, but she shifted away from him to stuff the camera in her bag. “I, uh, sort of changed mine last minute. I’m sure my grade will suck, but I don’t really need this class, anyway. Defiance U already has my transcripts and have deemed me worthy.”
Kissing the Debutant (The Dangers of Dating a Diva Book 3) Page 15
