Page 63 of After All This Time

I roll my eyes at her, but the truth is, I don't hate it. Not even close. I didn't expect to make real friends here but Harper and Logan have gone out of their way to make me feel like I belong.

"How's it going, anyway?" Harper asks.

"Even after being shown around, I still have no idea where anything is. But I'll get the hang of it."

"You got a timetable?" Logan asks, holding out his hand expectantly. I dig it out of my bag and pass it over. He studies it for a moment, nodding in approval.

"This is good for an apprentice," he says, handing it back with a nod. "Better than what Harper got when she started, anyway."

"Meanwhile, Mr. Perfect over here basically got handed the keys to the kingdom." Harper digs an elbow into his ribs, but there's nothing but love in it.

"That's because the woman who hired me wanted to see me in tights more often."

"So you both started as apprentices?"

"Everyone who walks through those doors does. It's like a rite of passage—you've got to pay your dues, stick it out, and prove your worth before they move you up. Apprentice with minor parts to full-time, touring, and eventually lead-role opportunities. They don't just hand those out."

"That makes sense," I reply, even though it sounds a little daunting.

"We were both lucky to make the cut for the next national tour though," Logan says with a hint of pride.

"Holy shit," I say, my eyes widening. "That's amazing."

"Six months on the road, starting in Denver." He says it like he's not casually dropping a bomb on my newfound sense of belonging.

"Okay, what am I supposed to do without you two?"

"Why don't you see if you can get on the tour?" Harper asks like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"I haven't even started, but, sure, I'll get right on that." The sarcasm slips out of me before I can stop it.

"I'm serious. They do apprentice auditions in the fall—understudies, crew work, ensemble roles. It's competitive, but it's not impossible."

"Wait, really?" I ask, the sarcasm dropping out of my voice.

"Yeah," Logan confirms. "They only picked two last year though. And it wasn't either of us."

"You both tried out?"

Harper nods, her eyes going soft with the memory. "I really wanted it. They didSwan Lakelast year, and I was crushed when I didn't make it."

"What's the production this year?"

"Romeo and Juliet."

The show that made me fall in love with ballet in the first place.

The one I've watched so many times I could probably dance it in my sleep.

The production that lives in my bones like muscle memory.

"I'll audition when the time comes," I say with conviction because if there's one thing I'm not going to half-ass, it's this. "I need to let them know I'll be away for a few days next week, so hopefully, I don't miss anything important about it."

"Where are you going?" Logan asks, his words muffled as he crams the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth.

"Pennsylvania," I reply, brushing a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "It's our parents' anniversary. They throw a party every year to celebrate the miracle of not killing each other."

"Wow," Harper says softly, her tone shifting, like she knows what it's like to have family dynamics that are anything but Hallmark-perfect. "That bad, huh?"

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