* * *
“Raphael and Skye, Mae and Ches, Kaya and Ben, Zoe and Jase,” Francesca announces at the end of the lesson. I can’t hear the rest of her choices; cold sweat is breaking out on my forehead.
Jase is my partner. We are a couple. Adancingcouple. One part of me is relieved, and the other part is so panicked that I begin trembling and my teeth chatter. Bile rises in my throat, but I swallow it down. I can’t throw up. Not now.
A few more minutes. Hold on for a few more minutes.I sigh with relief when Francesca finally lets us go. But I don’t even make it to my bag before she calls me back. With Jase, of course.
I walk over to them on shaky legs, praying that whatever she wants won’t take long. I really need to get out of here.
“Zoe, I’ve spoken to your other teachers,” Francesca says as I stop in front of her. My stomach drops with a jerk. “You seem to be doing much better in every course but the pas de deux. Otherwise, I would have recommended that you give up your place toanother student. What I’ve seen from you so far doesn’t even begin to match the level of the other girls here.”
Her words hit me like a punch in the gut. Hard and unrelenting. All at once, my throat closes, and I start blinking frantically to force back the tears welling up in my eyes. They burn like acid.
“I’m not happy about giving you Jase as a partner, but of all the pairings we’ve tried, you work best together.” Either she doesn’t realize how much her words are hurting me or she doesn’t care. Jase makes a sound that could mean anything or nothing, but I can’t manage to look at him.
“I’m sorry. I... I—” I stammer, but Francesca silences me with a gesture of her hand.
“I’m not finished. I’m not happy with the decision I had to make, but you can prove to me over the next few months that I’m wrong. The pas de deux is all about collaboration. It’s about connection and trust. So make sure you can trust each other and learn to work together. I don’t care how you do it, but make sure you work as a pair. Otherwise, I may have to reconsider my decision. Is that clear?” She watches us closely and waits until we both nod. “Fine. You can go now.”
She shoos us out of the room, and I rush to pick up my bag and pack my things before I run away again. Francesca’s words haunt me; they blur and become meaningless white noise until only two remain.
Zoe and Jase.
Jase and me. Jase and me. Jase and me.
Part 2Adagio
Phase Two of the Pas deDeux
Chapter 11
Jase
Who would you like to hug most right now?
Sam.
—J
My pulse began to pound in my head hours ago. At exactly the moment that Francesca assigned Zoe as my partner.
Zoe and me.
Fuck.
It was so obvious that it would happen. I already knew it on Wednesday when Zoe danced with Ches and Theo, and it became even clearer today when she was with Devon.
On Monday, she didn’t freak out because of me. She didn’t run away from me. Something is wrong with her, and it doesn’t have anything to do with me. She panicked. I don’t have the slightest idea why.
I’ve seen Zoe dance with partners before. She was good, really good. What we saw this week wasn’t her.
What the hell happened to her last year?
I rub my temples and suppress a sigh of frustration. Zoe’sproblems are none of my business anymore. Damn. A few hours ago, I didn’t care about them either.
But before, she didn’t look like she was about to collapse at any moment. I hadn’t felt the trembling that runs through her body as soon as I touch her. I hadn’t felt how fast her pulse races. I turn the corner and block any thoughts of Zoe. I can’t deal with her right now. I have my own problem to solve.
Camille isn’t sitting at her desk outside Pearson’s office. I look around, but there’s no trace of her, and I don’t have the time or the patience to wait for her to give me permission to enter Pearson’s office. We have an appointment already; that should be enough.
