“So you’re going to tell us where you went today?” Audrey asks.
I frown at her, wondering what her game is. This might be the first personal question she has ever asked me. Usually it’s ballet or bust, as far as she’s concerned.
But now she, Lucy, and Anouk are looking at me, waiting for my answer. “We went to this famous auction house to see a Degas painting.”
Audrey’s eyes narrow, but I hold firm. I’m telling the truth.Ish.
Anouk makes a funny face. “So, you spend your entire week dancing, then, on the weekend, you go look at paintings of other girls dancing?”
“It was my aunt’s idea,” I say. “She thought I would like it. Besides, Audrey was watching ballet videos during breakfast this morning, and nobody foundthatstrange.” I do my best to pull a joking face, thinking that maybe I should give up dance and take drama classes. I’m getting good at this acting thing.
Audrey shrugs. Anouk and Lucy exchange a nod. Checkmate.
Lucy finishes another bite of her ice cream and turns to me, an excited smile on her face. “Did you read all our messages from today?”
“Umm, not yet,” I say, pulling out my phone. I was kind of busy waiting for Louis to kiss me, but of course I don’t add that.
Lucy does a little jump. “We have an amazing idea for tomorrow!”
Anouk laughs. “More dancing!”
“But the fun, no-pressure kind,” Lucy adds.
They take turns giving me a quick summary of the group exchanges. Students from another dorm heard about a nightclub on a houseboat that sails on the Seine. The perfect spot to watch the Bastille Day fireworks.
“Some famous DJ is performing,” Anouk says.
“And we get to go past all the most magical Paris spots and live our best life!” Lucy adds.
And I hate to do it, really I do, but I have to rain on their parade. “We’ll never get into a nightclub.”
“Of course we will,” Anouk says. “My friends do it all the time.”
“They have fake IDs?” I ask, trying to keep any judgment out of my tone. I have nothing against people who skirt rules to do what they want, but I’d probably dissolve in shame if I got caught, so I’ve never tried, well…anything.
Lucy jumps in. “We don’t need fake IDs.”
Anouk nods. “Just walk in with confidence, smile at the bouncer like you’ve known him or her for years, and you’rein.”
I try to contain my surprise and turn to Audrey, convinced she’ll try to talk them out of this plan.
“I know,” she says. “The legal age is eighteen, but apparently it’s not that big a deal here.”
My eyes grow wide, but all of them just shrug. Lucy nods enthusiastically, waiting for me to get on board. Am I really that uptight? Oh my God, am I more uptight than Audrey Chapman? That changes now.
EVEN MORE SHOCKING:Audrey decides to join us on our party boat. Sure, it was only after Lucy presented her with endless arguments: it would be a crime against Paris to spend Bastille Day inside; we were all responsible enough to get a good night’s sleep on a school night so we would be fresh and ready tomorrow morning; and many of our classmates were coming—it was almost like an official outing. Audrey pouted and shrugged as she listened to Lucy, but deep down I think she actually wanted to come. There are only so many ballet videos on YouTube, after all. I would know.
We spend most of the afternoon getting ready. There are many debates regarding outfit choices. Sleek and black or bright and fun? We swap our makeup—I love red lipstick and have several options to share. And, of course, shoes.
Here’s a thing no one tells you when you want to do ballet: after years of dancing, your feet are going to look…terrible. Tortured, blistered, raw, and lumpy. When you buy new summer shoes, you’ll zero in on styles that hide most of the damage, which is why none of us own any of those trendy minimalist sandals. We have to hide the not-so-pretty part of ballet so we can perpetuate the dream for everyone else. My new espadrilles are perfect for tonight.
Once we’re all dressed up, the four of us head out to a well-knowncrêperiea few streets away. We’ll meet the rest of the crew on the boat. This area is a favorite of college students and tourists of all stripes, so it’s packed with cheap eateries serving cuisines from all around the world. Tonight we opt for classic French. We get a table, and I cast a glance around to see what others are eating before settling on acomplète(ham, sunny-side-up egg, and Gruyère).As we wait for our meals, Lucy and Anouk fill us in on what’s been going on in level four: who’s great, who’s a bit of a drama queen, and who likes whom.
“You have time for that kind of stuff?” Audrey asks, shaking her head in disapproval.
Anouk scoffs. “To notice which boys are cute? Um, yeah…”
Audrey sighs like she can’t believe it.
