Page 41 of I'll Be the One

I can’t stop myself from looking around at the other couples, and instantly regret it. Imani and her partner, Caleb Kim, are methodically going through each step of the dance, making sure they are perfectly in sync. Tiffany and Paul Johnston aren’t doing as well, but they seem to at least be on the same page.

Envy creeps up in my head before I can stop it. The way Henry and I easily danced together just two weeks ago seems like a wild dream.

I’m on the verge of panicking. Not only is today’s practice going horribly, but tonight is also the premiere of the first episode ofYou’re My Shining Star. Clarissa and Rebecca havebeen texting me about it the entire week, but I’ve been mostly keeping my distance, only replying with one-word answers to their questions about the show. I don’t mean to be a jerk, but it’s hard to be excited about the show’s premiere when things between Henry and me are so bad right now. My stomach twists into knots just thinking about it.

I’m still worrying about the premiere when Henry and I butt heads. Hard.

“Ow!” I yell.

Everyone—including, of course, the cameras—turns around to look at me. I’m in too much pain to care. My eyes water as I glare at Henry. He didn’t cry out like I did, but his face is tensed up in a pained wince.

“Sorry,” he mutters. It’s the first thing I’ve heard him say since our phone conversation.

I think back to what Lana said and decide to follow her advice.

“That’s it,” I say. “Come with me. We need to talk.”

I grab Henry’s hand and pull him toward the studio doors. As we pass, people stop dancing to stare at us with their mouths open. Whispers fill the room.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Bora says, stepping in my way.

The cameras are circled around us now, and I have to take a deep breath before I can say in a calm, matter-of-fact voice, “I need to go talk with my partner. We’ll be right outside, but I’d like some privacy, please.”

Bora shakes her head. “Absolutely not. Whatever private conversation you need to have with your partner can wait until lunch.”

Lunch is in the middle of our day. We’ll have wasted an entire half of the day by then.

“Just five minutes,” I say. “Please.”

“No,” Bora snaps. She switches to Korean, speaking so quickly that I almost can’t understand her. “You must think you deserve some kind of special treatment since Mr. Park saved you from getting eliminated, but I’m afraid that’s not the case. Even now, you are causing such a disruption, wasting everyone else’s valuable rehearsal time. I don’t know how things work on American TV shows, but that’s not how we do things on this show.”

From behind her, I spot Imani, who mouths,You need backup?Even though Bora’s talking in Korean, I guess it’s pretty clear that I’m in trouble.

I shake my head. As much as I hate Bora, I have to admit she’s right this time around. I never intended to cause such a big commotion, but it’s clear from how everyone’s stopped dancing that that’sexactlywhat I did. I internally groan. This will lookgreaton TV.

“Okay,” I say. “Sorry.”

I look back at Henry, surprised that he’s been quiet this whole time. Unlike the charismatic celebrity he was on the first day, now he’s barely responsive, just staring silently at the floor.

We go back to our places, and the rest of the morning is predictably horrible. By the time we break for lunch, I want to scream. Before I can say anything, though, Henry gently grabs my hand and pulls me out to the hallway while everyone gets in line for food.

“Okay,” he says. “Let’s talk.”

“Ugh!” I say loudly, finally letting all my frustration out. “Youreallydon’t care about the competition, do you? We’re definitely going to be eliminated in the next round if you keep dancing like a zombie.”

Henry runs his hand through his perfectly swept-back hair. “I do care. I just... I don’t know.”

“Are you mad at me or something?” I try again. “Did I do something wrong?”

He blinks, as if he’s having trouble processing what I said. For a moment, I think that’s all I’m going to get out of him, but then he says, “You? No, how could I be mad at you? You didn’t do anything.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s the most he’s said to me in the last two weeks.

“Okay then, what is it?”

He takes a deep breath and looks away, running his hand through his hair again. “It’s me. I messed up.”

“How so?”

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