“You look tired, Anya. Are you stressed about dating Nicolo Marchetti even though he’s the one who put Fin in the hospital? Is the guilt getting to you?” Paige’s smirk contradicts the false concern in her tone.
I flinch, guilt twisting my stomach. I’m surprised she knows about Nicolo and me. “Where did you hear that?” I ask, my tone defensive.
“Oh, it’s been all around town,” Paige says casually. “Rich future mob boss taking home a dancer with no means. Sounds like he spent a pretty penny on a new wardrobe for you.” Paige scoffs, her face turning sour. “You know, I thought you might actually be serious about this whole ballet thing. But now I’m starting to wonder if you’re just like the other poor girls who come to Rosehill to catch the eye of some rich benefactor who will pay their way. Doesn’t matter if you’re selling your soul to the devil.”
Embarrassment flames in my cheeks as her judgment washes over me. What’s worse is that I can see how she might come to that conclusion, though nothing could be further from the truth. I would give anything to steer clear of Nicolo and his money if I could. But I don’t dare tell her that.
“Hey, don’t sound so upset over it, Paige. Now that Anya will be spending most of her time on her back, maybe one of us can become the new class favorite.” Logan curves his back to the side, reaching to touch his right toes in a deep stretch.
The vitriol in their words hurts worse than I would like to admit, and I fight back the tears as I realize Nicolo’s interest in me might have cost me my friends. “I didn’t come to Rosehill looking for someone to pay my way.” My objection sounds weak in the face of Paige’s accusation.
Logan snorts. “Yeah, okay.”
“Hey, lay off her,” Whitney says, speaking up for the first time as she shifts to release from her deep stretch. “Anya’s allowed to date whoever she wants. That doesn’t have to change her motives for being at Rosehill. She’s put in a lot of hard work to become a dancer, just like the rest of us. We can’t always help who we fall for. I don’t believe for a second that she knew what would happen to Fin–and we all know what that family is like. For all we know, Nicolo’s not giving her much of a choice.”
Her words cut far too close to the mark, and the others just roll their eyes, but I give Whitney a grateful smile. She returns a gentle one, though her eyes still hold a hint of concern. She seems to see the stress I’m under, and somehow, it feels like she understands something of what I’m going through. I haven’t spoken to her since last week at school, so I don’t see how she could, but I get the impression that she might know more about my situation than I’ve told her.
“I don’t know that it’s going to matter how hard Anya works now that she can’t find a new partner for the winter showcase. No one wants to dance with her after what happened to her last partner,” Logan points out, his tone more matter-of-fact and less resentful after Whitney’s interjection.
“How is your partner search going?” Whitney asks, then grips her hands behind her back to stretch her chest and arms.
“Well, Professor Moriari suggested I look into performing with one of the underclassmen from a different class since everyone has a partner in ours. It’s been a challenge to find someone I think can handle Fin’s level of choreography, but I think I’ve found someone who can bridge that gap with enough practice.” I think of Robbie’s enthusiasm after I asked him to be my partner. He’s got the raw talent, just not the experience with lifts that Fin had. Hopefully, I’ll be able to teach him. Professor Moriari offered to hold a few closed sessions to help as well. “We’re supposed to start practice this week,” I add, shifting into my next stretch.
“That’s great!” Whitney says.
“Good for you,” Paige agrees grudgingly. “That’ll be a challenge taking on an underclassman.”
Relief loosens the tension in my chest as Paige seems to be letting go of some resentment. Maybe she just needed to get her opinion off her chest. While her words cut me to the quick, I don’t want to lose her as a friend. “Yeah,” I agree, “but it’s a great opportunity for him to get into the showcase early–extra exposure he’ll appreciate. And with his enthusiasm, I think he might actually manage to learn most of the choreography. I might have to take out a few of the lifts, though. Fin was pretty exceptional in that regard.”
“Yeah, you got pretty lucky with that one,” Whitney agrees. “Hey, did you guys seeDraculais coming to the Civic Opera House for Halloween?”
“The ballet?” Paige asks enthusiastically.
“Yeah.” Whitney nods.
“I’ll have to see that,” Logan pipes up.
“Definitely,” Paige and Whitney agree.
“I went to see it this weekend, and the performers are incredible,” Whitney gushes.
I smile, grateful to have a lighter topic that everyone’s enthusiastic about. It’s been years since I’ve seen a ballet in the beautiful opera house. That had been a special treat my parents had been able to afford only a few times when I was a child. Still, the memory of sitting in the massive theater, watching the dancers from the nosebleed section is imprinted in my mind. I’d loved every moment of it.
“What about you, Anya? You going to see it?” Whitney asks.
“I would love to,” I say vaguely, not really answering her question.
I don’t see myself splurging on a ballet performance–though seeingDraculain the Civic Opera House would be incredible. But I have a daughter to think of. While I still have a good chunk of the cash Nicolo gave me after finding birth control, I can put it to better use on things my family needs, on ballet supplies I’ve been unable to afford. I don’t need to waste it on a performance I will only get to enjoy one time.
“Hey, are you guys up for going to Danza again this weekend? We haven’t been in weeks,” Paige suggests, deepening her butterfly stretch.
“Heck yes,” Whitney says.
“Sure,” Logan agrees.
I hesitate, unsure whether the invitation actually includes me after how cold Paige was when I came in today.
“Anya?” Paige asks, turning to look at me. “Are you willing to stoop to the common folk’s level for a night now that you’ve had a VIP experience with Nicolo?” she challenges.