Page 28 of Kissing the Debutant
They waited nervously until the gate opened, and a flashlight shone their eyes. Jack and Mia got out of the car and met Wylder in the shadows.
She gave them a giant grin as if breaking the rules excited her. “I’m only doing this because my girl Lil needs a little rule breaking in her life. Come on.” She waved them through the gate. Flashlights from the guards cut across the road in front of them, and Wylder turned the corner, leading them down a narrow path and up a hill toward a cluster of red brick buildings with ivy creeping up their sides.
Brick paths crisscrossed in front of them. Jack couldn’t help staring at what must be the academic buildings towering overhead. They were ten times as nice as the public school. In the distance, a domed building was lit up with spotlights.
“That’s the prized hockey arena,” Wylder whispered, making a gagging sound. “In reality, some of my best friends play hockey, but I still wish I could hate it.”
Even before, Wylder had never been a joiner.
They made their way from the quad down a path that led to another cluster of buildings. “Welcome to our home.” She gestured to the glass double doors. “Okay, so last time I snuck people into the dorm buildings, we all got in trouble. You two stay out here, and I’ll go fetch Lillian.”
She disappeared inside the building, and Jack released a long breath. How had they gotten here? Sneaking onto the exclusive campus after dark just to beg a girl to dance with him?
Mia had practically asked the same question he kept asking himself.
Why her?
10
Lillian
Lillian tried to steady her breathing as she pulled her hips back into downward facing dog. She’d learned a long time ago that yoga was more calming for her than dancing. As she stretched, she could focus on her breathing rather than hearing constant criticism.
Lifting one leg, she twisted to stack her hips, enjoying to burning in her arms.
A laugh came from the doorway. Lillian hadn’t heard the door open, but she turned her head to find Wylder watching her.
“That is a sight.” Wylder covered her mouth.
Lillian lowered her leg, ignoring her neighbor’s gawking. This was why she didn’t have friends. Other people were tiring, and she didn’t have energy to waste helping them understand her. She lowered herself with control until her belly hit the plush white throw rug in the center of her room. Pushing herself up into cobra, she asked, “What do you want, Wylder?”
Wylder bounced into the room and flopped down on Lillian’s bed uninvited. “Harsh, Lil. Très harsh.”
Lillian swung her legs around so she could sit. “It’s been kind of a crappy day. If you’re just going to laugh at me and invade my space, can you do it somewhere else?” She wasn’t in the mood to entertain anyone. After the failed practice session with Jack, she’d returned to campus and eaten dinner with Devyn, neither of them saying much. Without a long dance class, she’d had more time for schoolwork, but her mind could only stay on it for so long.
“What happened?” Wylder’s smile fell, and for a moment, Lillian got the impression she truly cared.
Lillian shrugged. “Dance stuff. You don’t really want to hear about it.”
“But I do. We’re friends. You can unload on me.”
Friends? Were they? The thought warmed Lillian, but she wondered how long it could last. Most people her age only saw Lillian as competition or they didn’t understand her drive. Yet, the desire to talk to someone was strong. Lillian got up off the ground and sat on the bed beside Wylder. “So, you know I’m a dancer, right?”
Wylder grinned. “I think everyone who’s ever met you knows that, but go on.”
“There’s this competition. I went to the orientation.” She thought of the girls she’d met there and their Facebook group. Did they count as friends? Frienemies, maybe. “My mom doesn’t think it’s worthwhile because it’s for a college scholarship.”
“Why do you need a scholarship?”
That was the thing. Lillian didn’t know if she did or not. If she chose to go to a normal college, would her mom pay for it? “It’s not only about the scholarship. I haven’t wanted to compete in a long time, but this could be my last chance before I join a company.IfI join a company.” And if she decided not to. If she decided to take the secular college route, then this could be her last time dancing professionally. Maybe her last time on stage ever.
“Then why wouldn’t you do it? Who cares what your mom thinks?”
She did. That was the problem. “I sort of fired my choreographer.” Both of them. She felt bad about walking out on Jack, but she couldn’t go crawling back now.
“Well.” Wylder nudged her. “There is a very cute boy outside this building right now who wants you to dance with him.”
“What?” She jumped from the bed and paced the length of the room. “What are you talking about?”
