Page 75 of Swallow Your Sorries

“It’s like we’re freaking estranged now or something. It’s like…I can barely recognise him anymore.”

“Why do you suppose that is?”

“I don’t know,” Hale says, and he seems utterly, hopelessly lost. “I haven’t done anything to him. Even in our dorm, he barely speaks to me now. He’s always sneaking off or whispering on the phone or digging through papers. I swear he barely sleeps. Maybe that’s why he’s always so fucking agitated lately, especially when it comes to Stassi.”

“Or maybe he’s finally catching on. It’s about damn time.”

Hale scrunches his brows. “Catching on towhat?”

As if on cue, Stassi strolls by with Aria in tow, though the physical distance between the girls speaks volumes.

Stassi, all in pastel pink, gives us a little wave. When she does, everything, including her tits, shakes and recoils and Hale watches every move like he’s in heat.

I wave back, but it’s Aria I’m focused on. And she’s focused on me, her paranoid eyes darting from me to Éti who’s waiting for her in the doorway.

So long as she does what I say, our little secret’s safe. The problem is Aria hates being told what to do. Unless it’s Étienne instructing her.

“I have faith in you. I know you can make it work,” I say, clapping Hale on the shoulder and bringing him back to reality.

“Faith in which department?” Hale mumbles, still watching Stassi.

I dig my nails into his shoulder, squeezing it so hard that his knees begin to buckle, and his eyes fly to mine.

“What the—”

“I told Bart he’d see a good return. I told him to trust me for once. You know, ever since theincident,he hasn’t. So you understand how important it is thatwesucceed?”

He nods and swallows, and I slide my hand from his shoulder to the top of his head to rustle his hair like the little kid he is.

“Good. So for everyone’s sake, forget about everything and everyone else. Focus on making the club a hit.”

Hale shoves his hands into his pockets and nods determinately before following me into the studio.

Stretch is held in the largest dance studio on campus. There are so many seniors that it takes me a minute to locate my target, hiding in the back of the room and trying to make herself invisible. But I see her.

I always see her.

She’s looking everywhere but at me, pretending I don’t exist, but I know she feels my gaze burning through her skull.

“Okay, listen up,” Lee, one of the academy’s ballet masters, says, clapping his hands. “This class is about flexibility, balance, and posture. I expect to see an improvement in all three by the end of the term. That aside, this class is more than just warming up and cooling down before and after training. It’s also about recovery, which plays an important role in preventing injuries. So we’re going to learn some useful techniques I expect you to implement in your daily routines.”

He moves to the sound equipment in the corner and brings up a playlist of soft, relaxing music that filters through the room.

It doesn’t match my ravenous mood.

“This class is three times a week, seven thirty a.m. sharp, for thirty minutes. There’s a soft emphasis on ballet positions, but this isn’t a ballet class. Hence why we have our non-ballet dancers and figure skaters in attendance. Next period, however, advanced ballet begins in this same room. Ballet students, that means you’ll be all warmed up and ready to begin immediately. No time for clowning around. We have a busy year ahead of us, with the midterm and Christmas productions already in the works.”

A murmur breaks out as the ballet students buzz excitedly. I struggle to not roll my eyes. How many years in a row can the Nutcracker surprise them? Still, the midterm play is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for.

“Now that introductions are out of the way, everyone pair up for partner stretches.”

A smirk stretches my lips when Elle finally meets my gaze. Panic blooms in her emerald irises as she breaks our contact and begins searching the room for a potential partner.

But I’m already here.

“Remember, this isn’t a competition. If your partner can’t do the stretch fully, the point is to guide them and gently push them so that they eventually can. Donotforce them or apply too much pressure to cause injury. At the same time, push yourselves past what’s comfortable, but never to the point of excruciating or snapping pain. Understood?”

More murmurs and nods.

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