by Ally Mathews
“That I understand, but c’mon. The Untouchable is bad news.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think she’s entirely evil. I’m hoping I can convince her to give up on the blackmail scheme.”
“Good luck with that, dude. She thinks she can have whatever she wants because of her father’s money, and you know how protective her father is. He probably has hit men on his staff.”
Elliott was taking it too far. Senator Oster had a reputation for winning no matter the cost, but he’d never been accused of anything illegal. “I don’t know about her dad, but she’s not so bad.” In truth, he kind of liked her, but there was still no way he was going to dance on stage with her.
“You girls done gabbing over there?” Coach yelled.
“Yes, sir,” they said in unison, and rushed back to the line of scrimmage. The gods of timing had favored him.
Coach looked slowly over the players lined up in front of him. They were all about to get their asses handed to them. “You know what happens on Friday?”
“Our first game, sir!” they yelled in unison. It was a scrimmage, but still a must win for them.
“That’s right. Are you ready?”
“Yes, sir!”
“I don’t think so. Let’s see how you feel after some running.”
A collective groan rolled across the field.
“Forty seconds to the opposite sideline and back.”
Everybody scrambled to spread out and get up to the line before he blew the whistle.
“Go.”
The timer clicked, and Garret took off, rushing back to the starting point at full speed. Once he caught his breath, he noticed he’d been the third person to finish. Either everyone else was tired, or he was getting faster.
The ballet lessons were definitely helping him, but he had to figure out a way to keep taking them without having to dance in Isabelle’s performance. Even if he offered to pay her, he was afraid she’d be so mad she’d play the video anyway, and it wasn’t fair of him to leave her hanging after she had helped him. There had to be a way to find someone else to dance with her.
Elliot stopped beside him and bent over to catch his breath.
“Come on, you pansies. We’re already at fifty seconds,” Coach yelled.
It didn’t seem fair to make the linemen run that fast, but he wasn’t about to bring that up with Coach. He valued his life.
After three more sideline runs, they got a water break. While the rest of the team drank, Weisert found a hose and turned it on all of them. It felt fantastic. As was the norm in West Texas in August, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the sun beat down on them relentlessly, even at eight o’clock in the morning. The grass outside the fencing was brown and dry, and the mulberry trees lining the parking lot were already losing leaves because of the drought.
“All right, ladies. Next drill. Anybody seen the movie Miracle?”
Garret had. Not good. This was gonna hurt.
“Go line up in the end zone.” Once everyone was in position, he continued. “You’re going to run the yard lines. Start with the ten, then back over the line into the end zone. Then out to the twenty and back, thirty and back, etc. The first ten guys to finish are done for the day. The rest of you will get to do it twice. Everybody understand?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Go!”
There hadn’t been time to strategize. Should he start fast, or keep an even pace? Hell, did it matter? His legs were on fire by the time he hit the forty-yard line. By the time he crossed midfield, they were numb. It hurt so bad he thought about using his hands to lift his legs up to make it back to the end zone for the last time.
The moment one foot touched the line he dropped to the ground, too tired to determine who else had finished before him. There was no way he could do that again. He wasn’t even sure he’d be able to walk to his car.
Elliot fell down next to him about thirty seconds later. Once he was able to catch his breath, he said, “I was tenth. We can go.”
“That’d be great if I had the energy to get up.”
“Yeah.”
“If we don’t leave, do you think he’ll make us run again anyway?”
A string of expletives shot out of Elliot’s mouth. “We better get up.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Neither of them moved.
…
Half an hour later, they had showered and were slamming down half-price milkshakes at the Dairy Hut.
“My legs are getting stiff. I’m not sure I’ll even be able to practice tomorrow. What was the point of that?” Elliot asked.
“That things can always get worse.”
Elliot grunted and sucked up the rest of his shake. “I need fries with this.”
“Isn’t that on the list of things we’re not supposed to eat?”
He nodded. “So are milkshakes.”
“We should be eating lean protein and whole grain carbs instead of all this junk.” Though Garret wanted to get his weight up, eating crap wasn’t the way to build muscle.
Elliot pretended to read the menu. “Ain’t nothing lean or grainy on here.” He tossed it back into the holder. “Have you heard from any schools yet?”
“East Texas and Texas A&M. Coach thinks The University of Texas will be interested, and he’s got contacts there.”
“Dude, why don’t you look happy?”
“I want to get out of Texas. Away from the heat, the salvage yard, and my dad’s expectations.”
Elliot nodded. “I hear that. Where would you go if you had your pick?”
“Somewhere north. Michigan or Ohio would be my top choices, but they’ve got so many good players up there I doubt they’ll ever consider me way down here.”
“Talk to Coach. I bet he’ll have some suggestions. He wants one of us to go to a big name school as much as we do.”
Garret nodded. “Where are you looking?”
“The community college in Permian Basin.”
“C’mon. They don’t have a team.”
“Garret, you know I’m not going to get recruited. I’m too small. And too slow.”
“Don’t pull that crap with me. Just because you might not make it in the pros doesn’t mean you can’t get a college gig. How many public universities are there in Texas? You’re a shoe-in for one of them. You need to talk to Coach.”
“Yeah, all right. I suppose it can’t hurt.” He sucked down the last of his milkshake. “Thanks for the pep talk.”
“Hey, before I forget. Are you interested in helping out at the salvage yard? My dad wants to clear an acre on the north side. He’s offering minimum wage. Off the books, of course, so it’ll be cash.”
Elliot shrugged. “When?”
“We’ll start on Saturday and see how long it takes. He can’t afford to pay a lot of guys, so there’ll probably only be four or five of us.”
“Sure, I’m in. Is that one of the old sections that’s never been excavated?”
“Yep.”
“Maybe we’ll find something cool.”
“Most likely a bunch of rusted crap, but you never know. Are you ready to head out? I have a dance lesson in twenty minutes.”
Elliot snort laughed. “Those are words I never expected to hear from you. Think you can do it after that workout we got at practice?” He stretched and winced.
“I have to try. Harley Quinn won’t take no for an answer.”
“Yeah, I still think you’re stupid to trust her, but at least you’re getting all these free lessons.”
“I guess we’ll find out.” Though he still wasn’t 100 percent sure he could trust her, either, there was a vulnerability to her that made him think she wasn’t as tough as she seemed. He wasn’t the kind of guy who used a girl for his own benefit then kicked her to the curb without another thought.
His only hope was to find someone else to dance with her, but if she and her dance teachers couldn’t dig up anyone, he stood a better chance of seeing a snowstorm in Brinson in July than l
ocating someone.
Chapter Six
If Garret was going to dance with her in the fall production, Izzy needed to start focusing on their partner dance as soon as possible. He was her only hope.
Time was running out, and she couldn’t wait any longer for him to decide. She was one of only five female candidates Ballet Americana was considering for the next season. Some years they didn’t add any new dancers. The strength of her solo work was what got her this far in the audition process, but now it was time to show them her partnering skills. Even with an experienced partner she might not make the cut, but she wouldn’t give up her dream without a fight.
“Izzy?” Lauren popped her head into the studio. “How’s it going with your friend?”
Thankfully, neither Jenny nor Lauren suspected what she’d done to try to persuade Garret to dance with her. They both assumed that he’d volunteered because they knew each other from school, and she didn’t see any reason to correct them. Especially since he hadn’t agreed to do it yet.
“Not bad. He’s catching on pretty quickly. I wouldn’t say he’s mastered anything yet, but he’s got the basic positions down and can more or less do a pirouette.”
“When do you anticipate being able to start practicing for the production with him?”
She sighed. As the dance company director, Lauren was in charge of the fall production, but there was no point in wasting her time until he committed to doing it. Besides, she needed to teach him the basics of partnering before they could really dance together. In fact, she could start teaching some of the partnering before he agreed to dance with her, since he probably wouldn’t know what she was up to anyway. “Not for another week or two.”
She frowned. “You’re cutting it close, Izzy. I know I gave you free rein to choreograph your partner dance, but I still need to see and approve it at least a few weeks before the dress rehearsal. I’ll give you one more week, then you two are going to have to work with me to get everything ironed out. At most we’ll have five weeks.”
Her stomach flip-flopped. It seemed impossible, but she’d make it work somehow. All she had to do was get him to agree to be her partner sometime in the next seven days.
The front door opened and closed, and moments later Garret strolled in. “Oh, sorry. I can wait outside.”
“Don’t be silly,” Lauren said, holding her hand out to shake his. “I’m Lauren, the ballet company director.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
“We’ll see if you still feel that way after we start rehearsals.” With that, she left and they were alone.
Garret strode over and grabbed Izzy by the shoulders, then bent his head until their noses nearly touched. “You told her I agreed to dance with you, didn’t you?”
Casting her eyes to the floor, she said, “I might have…”
“I can’t believe you. First you try to blackmail me, and then you lie about it to your teachers.” He stormed toward the door. “I can’t believe I was actually stupid enough to think about doing it.”
“Garret, wait. Please.” It came out softer than she intended, and she wasn’t sure he heard her, until he stopped at the doorframe and turned around.
“Give me one reason why I should stay.”
“I’m sorry. Apparently, being desperate makes me do stupid things.”
“Really stupid things.” One corner of his mouth turned up. “That’s not the best apology I’ve ever heard, but at least you’re being honest with me. I think.”
“I am. I’m out of options. If you don’t dance with me, I won’t be able to audition for Ballet Americana.” And if she didn’t make the company, her dad would make her go to one of the Texas public universities for sure. He probably already had someone on his staff fill out applications for her. Everything was about getting more votes.
Garret sighed and dropped to the floor. For the first time since he’d gotten there, she really looked at him, taking in his messy hair and the dark circles under his eyes.
“You look tired.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Coach ran us pretty hard at practice.” He slid his fingers through his hair then said, “So this Ballet America is the dance group you want to join?”
“It’s Ballet Americana, and it’s a dance company, not a group, but yeah, that’s what I want to do after we graduate.”
“I figured your dad would make you go to college.”
She shrugged. “He wants me to, but I’ll be eighteen when we graduate, so he can’t make me. But I’m sure he’ll try.” Garret still wouldn’t look at her. She’d ruined everything by trying to force him. Dad always said “you’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” but she hadn’t followed his advice. Her stomach clenched. “I assume you’re headed off to college?”
“Unlike yours, my dad doesn’t want me to go. Instead, he’s expecting me to stay here and run the salvage yard. But I’m already eighteen, so he can’t make me, either.”
“Maybe we should trade fathers.”
He finally turned to meet her eyes and shot her a half smile. “I wouldn’t wish my dad on anybody.”
“Same.”
“C’mon. Being filthy rich should make everything easier.”
“Money can’t fix everything.”
“Maybe not, but it sure would help.”
She knew she was lucky, and given his situation, he’d never be able to sympathize with her, so there was no point in arguing. She stood and walked to the barre.
“I’m sorry I tried to blackmail you. I should’ve just asked you if you’d be willing to help me, but instead I messed everything up.”
“Well, maybe not everything.”
Her heart accelerated like a plane taking off. His statement gave her a tiny bit of hope. “If you keep taking lessons, your strength and agility will increase. If you quit now, you can still stretch on your own, but that will only maintain your current level.”
“And…?” he said.
“If you agree to dance with me in the fall production, I promise your speed, strength, and agility will improve.” She turned away to get her phone from her bag. The weight of his stare followed her. It was time to for her to put all her cards on the table. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to him and held out her phone. “Whether you decide to help me or not, I promise not to blackmail you. This is the recording I took of you.” She sent it to her trash folder, then accessed her backup storage and deleted it from there, too.
His gaze met hers, and he stood and walked toward her.
She touched his hand and a shiver slid up her neck. “Will you please dance with me in the fall production?”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “I’ll think about it. That’s the best I can do right now.”
She nodded. It wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but there was still a chance that he might do it. “I guess that’s fair.”
“It’s just… I don’t know if I can trust you not to secretly record me again.”
“I won’t.”
“And I’m still not convinced that we can keep this secret from everyone at school.” He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “Just give me a little more time to figure things out.”
“Do you want to skip for today?”
“Nah. The stretching should help loosen me up, and if I don’t do it, I’m gonna be really sore tomorrow.”
“Okay. Do you mind if I run through a dance while you stretch?”
“Not at all. Where will I be out of your way?”
She needed the corners, but she could work around him. “Anywhere up against the wall is fine.”
Staying on the floor, he shuffled toward the wall with the barre, which hopefully meant he was planning to use it to stretch. Even if he was stiff, the best thing to help was to work through it.
His gaze followed her as she moved about the room.
Music. She needed her music, which was on her phone and had already been attached to the audio system. Duh.
Having him watch
was throwing her off balance. Butterflies flitted in her stomach, which was ridiculous. She’d performed on stage hundreds of times, so there was no reason for her to be nervous in front of someone who wouldn’t even know if she messed up. What’s wrong with me?
She tapped start and rushed to the middle of the floor to get into position. Dancing was the only thing that could silence her overactive brain.
There was a ten count before she moved. The familiar music washed over her, calming her.
“Is that The Cure?”
She’d just started when he spoke, and it completely shattered her concentration. “Yes. Well, it’s a lyrical cover of ‘Just Like Heaven.’ You listen to The Cure?”
“My mom likes them.”
Finally, something they had in common. “So did mine.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Is that where the whole Goth thing came from?”
“Kind of.” She didn’t need to explain her obsession with The Cure to him. He wouldn’t understand what it meant for her to have a connection with her mother. She imagined her mom listening to the same songs Izzy did, especially when she was really emotional.
“I thought you used classical music for ballet.”
“Usually, but you can use any music that fits the choreography. Back in the 1990s, the Cleveland–San Jose Ballet did a very well received rock-and-roll ballet called Blue Suede Shoes. In case you can’t guess, all of the music was by Elvis Presley.”
“Now that’s the kind of ballet I might be able to get into. But The Cure is pretty cool, too.”
“This dance is sort of a mix of contemporary and ballet. It’s one of the solos I’ll perform at conventions and competitions throughout the dance season. It’s not for the fall performance.” She restarted the music and rushed back to get in her starting pose. She felt his gaze on her watching as she danced, but at least he didn’t interrupt again.
Unfortunately, it was disconcerting to dance in front of him, which was weird, because dancing was the one thing she was always comfortable about. She shouldn’t care what he thought, but telling herself that didn’t make her feel any less exposed. She’d rather be in an auditorium full of strangers than have him watching her, judging her. Of course, he had every right to judge her. Not on her dancing, but because she’d forced him into this situation. She never would’ve done it if she’d had any other option, but there was no going back now.
