“What if it changes everything?”
Caleb puts an arm around my shoulder and pulls me close. “Yeah, what if it changes everything?”
He means it differently than I do, and I want to tell him that what he’s thinking isn’t possible. But I remain silent, because part of me wants exactly that.
For everything to change.
Chapter 20
Jase
What are your parents like?
Workaholics. Control freaks. They worry too much about what other people think. Emotionally unavailable. Not there.
—J
“This has to be a bad joke,” I mutter as I flip through the forms that Camille has just given me, like maybe doing so would make the monthly sum I have to pay smaller.
I knew the tuition was high, but somehow, I seem to have repressed the fact that it’s almost thirteen thousand dollars for a semester.
I’m screwed.
I don’t have that kind of money. Not even close. What I saved from my vacation jobs teaching at my old ballet school isn’t even half of what I need. Even if I could pay the fee in installments, my account would be empty in three months at the latest.
“Is everything okay, Jase? Do you have any questions?” Camille peers at me over the edge of her glasses.
Just one. Where the hell am I supposed to get all that money?
I’ve forgotten a few not entirely unimportant details. I desperately need new clothes and practice gear, and I have to pay my phone bill. I don’t need much, but I won’t have enough for even the most basic things if I don’t manage to get more money from somewhere.
The most obvious solution would be to get a job, but that’s not easy for a lot of reasons.
1. I have no professional experience other than teaching children the basic steps of ballet.
2. A job at a ballet school would be the obvious choice, but there’s no way in hell that I’ll earn enough with that.
3. Studying is practically a full-time job. I practice six hours a day and then have two theory courses. Thanks to Zoe, I now have additional practice in the evenings.
4. At nineteen, I’m too young for any job I might have time for after this workload during the day. If I were older, I could ask East to get me a job at The Lighthouse. But I’m not, so that’s the end of it.
“Jase? Do you need anything else?” Camille repeats. She sounds a little more annoyed than before. She wants to get rid of me; it’s obvious. And for a change, I have no problem granting her wish.
“No, I have everything.”
“No questions?” Her eyebrows go up, and she looks at me skeptically. As if I were too stupid to understand what the documents said.
“Nope, I get it.”
I understand completely that I’m screwed. Thank you for asking.
“Good. Then you can fill out the forms and give them back to me next Wednesday.”
“I will.” I stuff the papers back into the envelope that Camile gave me and leave her office, immediately colliding with a petite figure.
At first, I’m expecting Zoe, because let’s be honest, my karma is crappy enough that it must be her. Especially since I’ve been trying to avoid her outside of class as much as possible since our first practice session.
But the girl in front of me is blond, not a redhead. Lia.
