“Oh my god, I missed you,” she manages to get out as the elevator comes to a stop. “I take back everything I said, you obviously stayed in excellent shape, even if you weren’t in class.”
I shrug. “Well, you did kind of have a point. I didn’t realize how much I missed being in class until I went back. But I did also have a ton of fun doing other things.” I hesitate, not sure if right now is the time to bring this up, but I plow on anyway. Might as well get it over with. “I’m not sure that I’ll be there as much next year. I think I might cut back on my classes. It is Junior year you know, and I want to be able to spend time with JJ and doing other stuff.”
Hannah’s back goes stiff as she pulls her suitcase out of the elevator. “Is that what you want?” she asks quietly. “I know you’ve never been as obsessed with ballet the same way Lisa and I have. But…” Hannah shakes her head like she’s changing her mind about her next words. “Everyone will miss you in class.”
Okay, that was kind of weird. She didn’t say she would miss me in class. I don’t have time to dig into her words before Lisa and the boys come wandering over, a tall, lean guy I recognize from Hannah’s pictures holding the door open for us. “Thanks,” I say. “Trevor, right?”
“At your service.” He tips an imaginary hat in my direction. “You must be the famous Katy. It’s nice to meet you in person.”
“Same. This is my,” I glance at JJ unsure of what to say. We haven’t had a chance to discuss anything since the car. Is she my girlfriend? I fumble for the right word.
“I’m JJ, Katy’s girlfriend,” JJ answers for me, setting down her bags to shake Trevor’s hand. I don’t know if that’s a blush creeping up my cheeks or the sun shining on me, but her words send a happy glow through my whole body. I sneak a glance over at JJ and catch her radiant smile. She winks and starts chatting with Trevor as I hunt down Lisa.
I find her tucked into Hunter’s lap on one of the nearby benches. “Think you can come up for air long enough to make sure we packed everything of yours?” I kick Hunter’s foot, dislodging her. Grinning like the rest of us, Lisa swings her legs down, dropping a kiss on Hunter’s cheek before she stands up.
“Will you come with me? I want to hear about everything.” She nods her head at JJ before pulling me towards the doors. “We’ll be back!” Lisa calls over her shoulder.
I follow her through the doors and back up to their room, filling her in on everything that’s happened with JJ and I in the past few days. She doesn’t seem surprised when I tell her we’re official now, in fact she just smiles to herself. “Did everyone call this before me?” I ask, slightly put out.
“Oh babe,” Lisa pats my shoulder. “JJ told Hunter and Jack she had a crush on you weeks ago. In fact, that’s why Hunter invited her to your house that first time, she’d said something about you to him at track. They’ve been trying to set you up all summer.”
What? My dopey brothers have been trying to get us together all summer? “Seriously? The whole time I’ve been trying to figure out if she was using me to get to them.” I shake my head at the idiocy of it all. Who knew that for once in my life it was the opposite? She was using my brothers to get to me? We walk into the bare room and Lisa starts opening and closing drawers, checking to make sure nothing got left behind.
“Hey,” Lisa interrupts my musing. “I know you just got here, but does Hannah seem…weird to you? She’s hiding something and I don’t know what. I know her ankle isn’t okay, but it feels like it’s more than that.”
I step into their bathroom and start looking around for anything left behind. Grabbing the can of hairspray I find tucked in the corner of a shelf, I bring it back out. “Maybe? I can’t tell. She was kind of squirrely when I tried to put something in her bag, but it could be nothing. Maybe she had a love note from Trevor in there or something.”
Lisa smirks, taking the hairspray from me and setting it on the bed with the book in her hands. “Maybe. God Katy, they’re so cute together. I’m already heartbroken for them, who knows when they’ll get to see each other again.”
“Good thing he has family nearby. And Christmas isn’t that far away.” I sit on the bed next to her. “Maybe that’s all it was. I kind of got the feeling she was hiding something, but it’s also possible I’ve been spending too much time with my brothers and their stupid secrets so I could be wrong.”
Lisa pokes into a few more drawers before looking satisfied. “Hey, thanks for packing up for me,” she says, picking up the book and hairspray.
“You know I’d do anything for you,” I tell her. “Even pack up your stinky pointe shoes.” Laughing, I follow Lisa out the door and down the hall, grateful my parents let us come. I missed my best friend.
Chapter Twenty-six
Hannah
Lisa and I finish doing our makeup and start doing our hair. We’ve been told to wear it in a high bun for the entire show so I sweep my hair up into a high ponytail and secure it tight before twisting and pinning it against my head.
The dressing room is noisy with a dozen different conversations, people flitting around, getting dressed, borrowing cans of hairspray, stealing a hairpin, or sharing a nice red lipstick. There’s a mix of Six, Seven, and Eight girls in this dressing room, all of us gathering with the people we’ve become closest to over our time here. Elena and Gloria are sharing the mirror next to us. Gloria has a bag of gummy bears out on the counter, sharing with all of us.
“Did you hear anything?” Gloria is asking as I steal another gummy bear.
“Hear about what?” Lisa asks.
“If they asked anyone to stay for the fall? It’s always a big secret. They don’t post a list or make an announcement or anything. I think it’s lame to make it so secret. CBS announces it all on stage at the end of the workshop, which I think is way better. Can you imagine? I would pee my pants on stage!” Gloria snorts with laughter at her own joke.
My stomach flops in a mix of nerves and excitement. It never occurred to me that they might make an announcement onstage after the performance. That was a close one.
“They don’t tell anyone here?” I ask, wanting to be sure.
“Nope. It’s all very hush, hush. Last year they asked my roommate to stay and I never knew until she posted a picture of her first day in September! Can you believe it? So rude.” Gloria pointedly pokes at Elena before they both collapse in a fit of giggles. We all know there’s no way Elena would stay here for the fall. She has to stay at her school in Cuba until she graduates, there’s some government reason why. Since she’s Cuban, getting a visa to study in the US would be difficult for her.
Besides, being here in the summer was too cold for her, I can’t imagine how she would survive a winter. My phone buzzes again and I glance down to see a text from Trevor.
Trevor: Merde beautiful. I’m so excited to see you dance in person! Kick ass!
I have to laugh at his version of an encouraging message. I guess it works though, since I’m ready to tackle Black Swan and everything else, my ankle forgotten in the excitement and adrenaline of the looming performance.
The eight ibuprofen I took twenty minutes ago is probably helping too.
Everything was fine until the contemporary piece.
Black Swan?
Nailed it.
Noah and I hit every single turn, lift, and balance. He threw me into the air in the big fouetté lift and I swear I heard the audience gasp. I was on cloud nine going into the contemporary piece. If I could have planned a perfect performance, it would have felt like this. No rush to change costumes, plenty of time to catch my breath between pieces, everything going off without a hitch.
Standing in the wings with Lisa before the contemporary piece, our long black dresses sweeping the floor and swishing around our legs as we moved, I almost told her—that I was invited to come back in the fall. That my dream was coming true. How could I be anything but ecstat
ic today?
Katy and her brothers are here to surprise us, my parents are here, and my amazing boyfriend is here. Okay, true he’s been a pain in my butt about my ankle this week, but it’s only because he cares.
I’m dancing the best I ever have in my life, and that’s with this stupid ankle. I can’t imagine how much better it’s going to be once I’ve rested it. When I come back in September, I’m sure I’ll be even better.
Right now, in this moment, this is all I want in my life. Dancing. Performing. Getting on stage and creating beauty. Nothing else matters.
Okay, I don’t know how I feel yet about the reality of living up here on my own. And I don’t know how school works up here, will I have to enroll in a public high school? And where will I live? What about my parents? They haven’t actually said yes yet. And I know I’ll miss Ms. Parker and her advice.
And then there’s Lisa—how can I move up here and have it all, when she’ll have to go back home? That’s what stops me from blurting out my news to her right then and there. Instead, I lock my joy down tight and prepare for one last chance to perform with her, in this amazing piece.
And that’s when everything goes wrong.
The second I come leaping out of the wings with her, something in my ankle catches and pulls. I don’t let the sharp pain stop me from jumping as high as I always do, but landing is another matter. I can’t stop the gasp of pain that escapes me as I move into the next step. Noah shoots me a worried look as I go into our first lift, spinning me around with him, my legs mimicking a walking action as he suspends me above the ground.
“Are you okay?” he grinds out through clenched teeth, never stopping his movement. I curl up, letting him support my knees, echoing Lisa and her partner, as my arm sweeps overhead and I curve my spine towards him,
“Just a twinge, caught me by surprise. I’m good,” I mutter in his ear.
And I am until the very end of the piece—moving and swirling along with everyone else, ignoring the stabbing pain with each step. Everything is becoming more and more of a blur, but I am determined to finish strong. I am not going to let this summer end with a fizzle.
I just have to get through one last bit. All four of us girls are lined up across the back of the stage, holding still while the boys weave and swirl, leaping and rolling between, behind, under and over each other. One last chance for us to suck in a breath before the race to the finish.
As the last rush of music begins building to the end, we run straight at our partners and leap before being carried off the stage in different positions. Lisa leaps over her partner as he rolls under her before dragging her off, legs open to the side, his arms wrapped behind her back. One of the level eight girls is carried off on her partner’s back after he swings her around his body. The other couple do the opposite of Lisa and James, she rolls and he leaps over her before dragging her backwards off stage.
Noah is supposed to catch me mid-air. I run and jump, twisting in the air so I land on my back in his arms, arms overhead, reaching for the audience, before he spins us off into the wings. As I take off for my jump, an excruciating pain sears up the side of my leg, radiating from my ankle. I bite off the cry that tries to escape me as Noah’s arms hold me but I can’t stop the tears that leak from my eyes or my ragged gasps for breath. Noah’s arms tighten around me as he spins us off the stage, fear in his eyes.
“What happened? Are you okay?” he asks the second we’re out of sight of the audience. There’s a flock of dancers in the wings, waiting for us to finish so they can go onstage for the final piece. Each class comes back on one more time for a final bow. For sure I’m going to miss it, there’s no way I can go back onstage like this.
“No. No. Don’t put me down.” I manage to gasp out. “It’s my ankle. Oh god, it hurts.” I cry. Tears are streaming down my face and I don’t care. The pain is unbearable, throbbing and pulsing with each thud of my heart. I can’t think.
Music starts playing from somewhere and the wing empties a little.
“Here, put her here.” Lisa takes command of the situation. “I’ll get the stage manager.” Noah sets me down on a chair, my foot balanced on the prop table next to it. My pointe shoe ribbons cut into the skin around my ankle as it starts to swell.
“Someone get her pointe shoe off,” a stern voice says above me. I can’t see who it is through the tears, but gentle fingers start plucking at the knot in my ribbons. I bite my lips to hold in the whimpers that threaten to escape me as each movement sends more pain through my ankle. “This is going to be unpleasant, I’m sorry,” that same stern voice says before grasping the toe of my shoe and the heel, slipping it off. The elastic around my ankle pulls tight, sending another shot of pain through my leg. I gasp, hiccupping and crying with it, almost choking on my own breath, then my shoe is off and someone is squatting next to me.
“Hannah? Hannah, can you tell me what happened?” I know that calm voice.
Wiping my eyes with the heels of my hands I turn to see Dr. Lee next to me. “It…I…” I suck in another breath and start over, trying to speak. “When I took off for the last jump, something snapped,” I manage to get out.
I spot someone hovering out of the corner of my eye. “Go, don’t miss your entrance, Lisa.” I say, nodding my head.
“No, it’s okay. I don’t want to leave you,” Lisa answers, worry painted on her face.
“Lisa. Go. I’ll be okay.” She hesitates. “Go.” The pain makes me snap the word out, eyes wide, Lisa scurries away. Groaning, I let my head fall back.
“Okay, Hannah. Take a deep breath for me. I thought I felt a tender spot last night. We need to go get this x-rayed again.” She pulls her phone out of her pocket. “Are your parents here?”
Biting my lips, I nod. The tears I thought I’d stuffed down overwhelm me again and I can’t stop the sob that explodes from my ribs. The movement jars my foot, sending another wave of pain through me. In response to Dr. Lee’s question, I dial my mom’s cell phone, praying they pick up. When she doesn’t answer I send her a text from the number.
The moment it registers as ‘read’ Dr. Lee’s phone rings. I hand it over so she can talk to my mom, taking slow breaths to keep myself calm while I wait. Briefly, I turn my head to watch everyone on stage, but the sight of Lisa, Noah, and the rest of my class running out of the wings and into the bright lights without me is too much. With a sob, my heart breaking, I close my eyes and wait for Dr. Lee to come back.
In a haze of pain and heartache, I let the music wash over me, floating in and out of conscious thought. A wave of applause follows the last note. Eyes still closed, I feel the rush of bodies as a crowd of dancers leaves the stage. It’s finished. Everything’s done.
Am I done?
“Hannah?” My mom’s worried voice breaks through the fog I’ve been floating in. I snap my eyes open to find her and my dad kneeling next to me. I glance behind them and spot Trevor and Lisa, hovering in the doorway.
“Hey, Mom.” I try to smile, but it’s watery and pitiful. The moment her arms wrap around me, pulling me tight against her chest I lose it. Does a tiny part of me cringe that Trevor is watching me sob like a baby against my mom? Absolutely. Am I in too much pain to care? One hundred percent.
“I have a connection at the local urgent care, they’ll rush us in for an x-ray,” Dr. Lee is telling my dad. She gives him an address, which he types into his phone. “Can you walk Hannah?”
In response, I swing my legs down to the ground, but the second I try to put any weight on my right foot I know I’m not walking anywhere. Shaking my head, I sit back in the chair. “I can carry her,” Trevor offers, stepping forward. “Uh, if that’s okay?”
I let my dad, Trevor, and Dr. Lee figure out a plan to get me to the car and off for x-rays. “Hannah?” Lisa is standing next to my mom, talking quietly. “I’ll pack up all your stuff here and take it to our room, okay? Will you keep me p
osted?”
“I will,” Trevor volunteers for me. “Go, Katy and Hunter may tear down a door or two to get back here if one of us doesn’t let them know what’s happening soon. Green and purple are not Hunter’s colors.” I crack a smile at Trevor’s words, remembering that first awful date when I had no idea who he was referencing.
“Ready?” My dad is standing by the door with Dr. Lee.
Trevor steps in close, sliding one arm behind my knees and the other behind my back. “I’m so sorry,” he whispers and he lifts me. The motion sends another sharp pain through my ankle, but I clench my teeth and manage not to cry as he carries me out of the theater and to my parents’ car. As he’s setting me in the back seat, Lisa comes running out with my dance bag.
“Here, I thought you’d want your clothes and your phone.” she says, handing it to Trevor to put in the car.
“Thanks,” I manage. “Are you coming?” I look up, directing my question to Trevor.
“Of course. But I’m going to drive my car and meet you there. Your dad gave me the address already.” With that, he leans down to press a kiss to the top of my head before closing the door.
Urgent care is a blur of waiting rooms, flipping through magazines without seeing them, Dr. Lee’s incessant clicking of her pen and the never-ending replay in my mind of the moment it happened. The pop, the pain, the way I knew in that split second something was very wrong.
“Well Hannah,” Dr. Lee regards me with a sad smile. “I have good news and bad news.” I grab my mom’s hand and squeeze.
“The bad news is that it looks like you have a fibular fracture.” She gestures to the x-ray held up to the light box on the wall. “If you look at the x-ray, you can see right here”—she points to a faint line on the thinner of the two bones in the picture—“there’s a pretty clear fracture.” She points to a second x-ray. “This is the one from a few weeks ago, see how there’s no line, but now that we know where to look, there’s the tiniest hint of darkness there?”
Face to Face (On Pointe Book 3) Page 21
