“You want me to be your teaching assistant? You know I’m just a junior, right?” Lillian couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was exactly what she’d hoped to achieve—in graduate school.
“I’ve been watching your academic career for a while, thinking you might be a good fit down the road, and then I saw you dance Swan Lake at your recital, and I was sold. I would be happy to have you on my team, Lillian.”
“Yes. Yes!” Lillian shouted. “A hundred percent yes. When should I start?”
Professor Jenkins chuckled at her enthusiasm. “You can start next week. I’ll have you grade some freshman essays, and then we’ll go from there. I would like you to attend as many of my workshops as you can reasonably fit into your schedule. You’ll observe at first, and over time, you’ll assist me in demonstrations and teaching classes.”
“Sounds amazing, thank you, Professor. I won’t let you down.” Lillian’s heart hammered in her chest. She couldn’t wait to tell her mother.
“Don’t you want to know what it pays?” He laughed.
“It pays?” Lillian gaped at him.
“You’ll earn college credit each semester, but I pay my assistants a small stipend each week, and I cover most expenses. It’s not much, but enough to make it worth your time.”
Lillian grinned, eager to get started. “I’m looking forward to it, sir.”
“Me, too. It’s going to be wonderful having a talented assistant again.”
“Thank you.” Lillian turned to leave, already dialing her mother’s number.
“Mom, you’re never going to guess what just happened.” Lillian walked down the wide hallway as she told her mother all the details of her new position.
“Oh darling, I’m so proud of you. This will be a wonderful learning experience. When you insisted on giving up your chance at ABC, I was so worried for your future, but you’ve really thrived at Oberlin. It’s been the best thing for you, and I’m so proud of you for making your own decisions.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Lillian left the building and squinted into the afternoon sunlight.
“I love you, darling. I’ll see you this weekend, won’t I?”
Lillian stopped to scan the crowded quad.
“Yes. We’ll be home on Friday. Love you, bye.” Lillian hung up the phone just as her gaze settled on the person she was looking for.
“Jack!” She jogged to catch up with him.
“Hey, Lil.” He flashed his brilliant smile as he caught her around the middle. “You look like Christmas came early, what’s up?”
“Guess which undergrad is going to be Professor Jenkins’ new teaching assistant?”
“Seriously?” He grabbed her hands. “Lil, that’s amazing! I’ve been trying to get into his choreography workshops for ages. The man is brilliant. I’m so excited for you!” He picked her up and whirled her around. “And I’m a little jealous you get to work one-on-one with him.” He grinned.
“I’m sure I can put in a good word for you.” She draped her arm around his waist as they headed across the quad for their afternoon coffee break.
“I have some exciting news as well.” Jack held her close to his side. “Yours truly has been asked to choreograph a dance for the winter recital.”
“Jack, that’s fantastic! Don’t seniors usually do that?”
“Yes, but I’m special.” He grinned down at her.
“Yes, you are.” Lillian laughed, feeling happier than she ever thought she would be.
“And I will be dancing the lead.” Jack paused at the entrance to the campus café. “Which means, I have a very important question for you, Lillian Preston.” He kissed her gently. “Will you dance with me?”
Lillian reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him back. “Always.” She might not dance competitively anymore, but dancing would always be the center of her world, and she knew Jack Butler would always be right there at her side.
Not done with our talented Divas? Get to know Jenna in book 4, Kissing the Shy Guy. Turn the page for a sneak peek!
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Dating the Shy Guy: Chapter One
Jenna
After New York, it was a simple thing to figure out what to do for the scholarship competition. I had eight months to come up with, choreograph, and practice a performance. And I knew I’d need every last second to do just that. And I’d also known exactly who could help me—my boyfriend, Josh.
Josh Miller was the male version of me. It had come as a surprise to no one when we began dating during our junior year and quickly became a power couple. Every school had them. The quarterback and the head cheerleader. The star basketball player and the hottest girl on the dance team. The president of the science club and first chair violinist. As for Josh and me, we were co-chair presidents of the drama club.
Convincing Josh to be my partner for the DIVA award, as I’d begun thinking of it in my head, had been easy. Not only did we work exceptionally well together—we’d had a lot of practice—but he would benefit, too. If, no when, we won the competition, we’d split the award. And if for some bizarre reason we didn’t win, the exposure we’d get just by performing couldn’t be overstated. We had the same goals, and that made us the perfect couple. First, The Northeast Regional Scholarship for the Dramatic Arts. Then, the world—otherwise known as Broadway.
We’d chosen our song, Tonight from West Side Story. We’d choreographed the scene, memorized lines, chosen costumes, and practiced for countless hours for months. We were nearly perfect, and we still had eight weeks until the competition.
And then something happened. I didn’t know what exactly, only that whatever it was threatened my only chance to get out of this place, and it wasn’t my fault.
“What is your problem?” I shrieked at Josh, stopping mid dance step to push him away from me. We’d been practicing for over an hour, and just like the last few times we’d worked together, his heart wasn’t in it. He’d been making mistakes, missing steps and notes and royally pissing me off!
He stumbled back a step, his eyes wide. “What the hell, Jenna!”
I jabbed my finger into his chest. Josh wasn’t a big guy, only an inch or two taller than me, but he was strong. He could easily lift me over his head, and he possessed the energy and endurance to do what it took to perfect any performance we’d ever worked on together.
“What. Is. Your. Problem? You’ve been out of it for weeks! Where is your head? The competition is in two months.” Prepared as we were, thinking about that made my stomach jump with anxiety. So much was riding on our performance, for both of us. We couldn’t afford to screw it up.
Josh’s mouth tensed. “The competition,” he spat the words. “It’s all you can think about. I’m sorry, Queen Jenna, but I have other things on my plate besides this competition.”
I narrowed my eyes. He knew I hated when he called me that. Queen Jenna. At least he’d left off the Ice part.
“What else could be more important that this?” I shouted and flung my arm out. “This is our future. Our plans. Everything we’ve ever talked about wanting.”
Josh’s face twisted bitterly. “No, Jenna. It’s everything you’ve talked about. It’s all you ever talk about.”
My mouth dropped open in surprise. “What are you saying?”
His jaw clenched. “I’m saying I’m done. I don’t want to do this anymore.”
“What does that mean?” All of my internal systems scrambled to make sense of what was happening, experiencing fear, denial, disbelief, and finally anger, all in a matter of a split second. He couldn’t possibly mean what I thought he meant.
“It means I’m done.” He stuffed his towel back down inside his bag with more force than the action required. “With everything.”
“You can’t quit.” I kept my voice low and even. “The scholarship—”
Josh scoffed, totally interrupting me. “The scholarship.” He threw his arms wide. “The scholarship is all you c
an think about, isn’t it? Well, Jenna, my girlfriend, I don’t just mean the scholarship competition. I’m done with everything. And that means you and me. I’m breaking up with you.”
“Uh-you’re,” I sputtered. “No! You can’t! I won’t let you!”
Josh rolled his eyes, unimpressed. “You won’t let me?” he laughed without humor as he toed off his dance shoes, determinedly reaching down to stuff them into his bag with his towel. “You don’t have a say.” He dipped his head and slung his bag crossbody style over his chest, before standing up straight and glaring at me. “And I won’t be changing my mind. It’s been a long time coming, sweetheart. You don’t need me, and I don’t need you. A fact that has become abundantly clear over the last few weeks. I’ve been seeing someone else.”
My mouth dropped open again as I stared at him blankly. Someone else? “Someone else. Who? You’ve been cheating on me?”
Josh scoffed again as he stomped his feet into a pair of sneakers. “Like you care. When was the last time we did something together that wasn’t practicing for some performance? You know I can’t even remember our last date?”
“What are you talking about? We watched movies at my house last weekend.”
Josh rolled his eyes toward the ceiling and held them there. He blew out a slow sigh before looking at me again. “Yeah, and you fell asleep five minutes in. I left after listening to you snore for a half an hour and you didn’t even notice. We haven’t even kissed for weeks.”
Was that true? I thought back and realized it might be. Other than a quick peck on the lips here and there, he was right, I couldn’t remember the last time we’d made out.
“Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry. I’ve just been so focused. But we can do better. Let’s plan a date. We won’t talk about the scholarship or drama. Just you and me.” I put my hand on his arm. From all of our years working together in plays and the months we’d been dating, I was familiar with Josh’s body, his moods. Everything about his body language shouted ‘red alert’.
He jerked his arm out of my grasp. “You aren’t listening, as usual. I’m seeing someone else. I’m sorry for not telling you.” He glanced at the ground, at least having the grace to appear sincerely apologetic. “But I won’t change my mind.”
I couldn’t believe this was happening. “Fine. Break up with me. But you can’t abandon me for the scholarship competition. It’s too late to come up with something else.”
Josh’s lips twisted in a rueful smile. “There she is. I never doubted you, darling. They don’t call you the Ice Queen for nothing, Jen.” And then I saw it, the hint of hurt and sorrow in his eyes. I didn’t want to see it. He was the one leaving me. He was the one who’d cheated on me. And what had I done? Wanted to win? Worked hard? What was wrong with that? Nothing.
“You know I hate that.” Even as I said the words, I rubbed my arms against the sudden chill that made goose bumps erupt over my skin.
Lifting his hand, Josh brushed the backs of his fingers against my cheek. “If you showed half the passion you feel about your performance toward me, I could never walk out that door. I admire you, Jenna. It just isn’t enough anymore. I’m happy with my decision.” He turned to leave, but I couldn’t let him go until he told me who. Maybe it was a matter of pride or maybe I just wanted to rip all of her hair from her head, I wasn’t sure. But I had to know.
“Who?”
Josh paused and looked back at me over his shoulder. “The fact you don’t know says more than anything about how far things have fallen between us. You’ll figure it out. You’ll be paying attention now.”
I stood without moving until I could no longer hear his footsteps echoing in the hall. When I was sure I was alone and no one would hear, I opened my mouth and screamed.
**How will Jenna win the DIVA competition now? Find out in Kissing the Shy Guy, Book 4 in The Dangers of Dating a Diva Series.
About Ann Maree
Ann Maree Craven is an Amazon bestselling author of Young Adult Contemporary Fiction and YA Fantasy (her Fantasy fans will know her as Melissa A. Craven). Her books focus on strong female protagonists who aren’t always perfect, but they find their inner strength along the way. Ann Maree’s novels will appeal to audiences of all ages and fans of almost any genre. She believes in stories that make you think and she loves playing with foreshadowing, leaving clues and hints for the careful reader.
Ann Maree draws inspiration from her background in architecture and interior design to help her with the small details in world building and scene settings. (Her degree in fine art also comes in handy.) She is a diehard introvert with a wicked sense of humor and a tendency for hermit-like behavior. (Seriously, she gets cranky if she has to put on anything other than yoga pants and t-shirts!)
Ann Maree enjoys editing almost as much as she enjoys writing, which makes her an absolute weirdo among her peers. Her favorite pastime is sitting on her porch when the weather is nice with her two dogs, Fynlee and Nahla, reading from her massive TBR pile and dreaming up new stories.
Visit me at Melissaacraven.com for more information about the series and discover exclusive content.
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Also By Ann Maree Craven
Redefining Me:
Dating My Best Friend
Dating the Boy Next Door
Dating My Nemesis
Discovering Me:
Dating Nashville
Dating Washington
Dating Texas
About Michelle
Michelle MacQueen is a USA Today bestselling author of love. Yes, love. Whether it be YA romance, NA romance, or fantasy romance (Under M. Lynn), she loves to make readers swoon.
The great loves of her life to this point are two tiny blond creatures who call her “aunt” and proclaim her books to be “boring books” for their lack of pictures. Yet, somehow, she still manages to love them more than chocolate.
When she’s not sharing her inexhaustible wisdom with her niece and nephew, Michelle is usually lounging in her ridiculously large bean bag chair creating worlds and characters that remind her to smile every day - even when a feisty five-year-old is telling her just how much she doesn’t know.
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www.michellelynnauthor.com
Also by Michelle MacQueen
Redefining Me:
Dating My Best Friend
Dating the Boy Next Door
Dating My Nemesis
The Invincible series:
We Thought We Were Invincible
We Thought We Knew It All
Discovering Me:
Dating Nashville
Dating Washington
Dating Texas
The New Beginnings series
Choices
Promises
Dreams
Confessions
Kissing the Debutant (The Dangers of Dating a Diva Book 3) Page 18
