Page 5 of Kissing the Debutant
Katrina clapped her hands. “Okay, we’re done for today. I’ll see you all on Wednesday.”
Lillian lowered her leg and straightened as the rest of the class filed out. Most of them were friends. They’d been in the same dance classes since they were kids. When Lillian started at Defiance Academy three years ago, she didn’t know it would mark her in this town, that they’d make assumptions based on the school she attended. Private school kids didn’t belong outside their high walls, a fact the public school kids at the dance studio never let her forget.
Riverpass, Ohio was connected to the town of Twin Rivers, but the only similarity was their proximity to Defiance Falls and the rivers that converged there.
Twin Rivers was what Lillian expected most towns in the US to resemble. There were middle-class families, and white collar and blue-collar families. Their kids attended the local public schools.
But Riverpass… highlighted by the stone walls of Defiance Academy, it had become a beacon of elitism and privilege. Even those benefiting from the designation could see that.
Famous people, diplomats, and the extraordinarily wealthy sent their kids to the academy to keep them safe.
Which was why Lillian needed to return to campus before her gate pass expired. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to go back. Students weren’t allowed to leave campus except in special circumstances—like if their mother threatened the school to allow her daughter to attend dance classes Defiance Academy didn’t offer. No one crossed Daria Preston and got away with it.
“Lillian.” Katrina crossed the room, a kind smile on her face. The young dance teacher was the only person in this class who bothered to speak to Lillian like she was one of them and not some alien sent from the land of disgusting wealth.
“Hello.” Lillian busied herself rummaging through her bag for her water bottle. “Did you need something?”
Katrina’s smile widened like it always did when she thought Lillian was amusing, like something in a zoo. “I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”
Lillian sighed. It was exhausting having someone care about her. She wasn’t used to it. But maybe she owed Katrina something, some bit of knowledge that Lillian appreciated her. “I went to the orientation.”
Yep, that would do it.
Katrina’s eyes lit up. “For the Northeast Regional Scholarship for the Dramatic Arts? Lillian, that’s wonderful.”
Her mother wouldn’t find it wonderful, not during debutant season. Lillian shrugged. “I still don’t know if I’ll have time.”
“You can make time. It’s for a college scholarship. This competition is a big deal.”
“I don’t need a scholarship.” It was partially true. She could go to any college she wished. Her mother had connections through her social life in Lexington to most major Ivies. And money was never an issue. But if Lillian wanted to go to college, she’d have to talk her mother into it. Daria Preston had a one-track mind when it came to her daughter’s future, and that future was with the American Ballet Company in New York City. Anything less equaled failure in her mother’s eyes.
And if she didn’t convince her mom? A scholarship would be pretty darn essential. But she knew how people would view a girl like her saying she wanted a scholarship.
Katrina gave her a look full of pity. “Competitions are about more than money, Lillian.”
She remembered everything Katrina had told her before. Competitions were about inner strength just as much as outside validation. Confidence and self-worth. All of which Katrina obviously thought Lillian lacked. “I know I’m good.” She dropped her water bottle back into her bag. “I don’t need other people telling me it’s so.”
Katrina put a hand on her shoulder, and Lillian fought the urge to shrug her off. She wasn’t a touchy-feely person, probably because she couldn’t remember the last time her mom even hugged her. “You are a brilliant dancer, Lillian. The best student I have ever had. I won’t pretend to think I have anything to teach you about ballet, but maybe it isn’t confidence you need, but something else.”
“What?”
“I don’t think you’ll learn the answer to that question until you step outside your comfort zone, and this competition could provide you with that opportunity.”
Lillian stepped away from Katrina. “Well, I’ve signed the paperwork, so we’ll see. Now I just need to find a choreographer.”
Katrina clapped her hands together in excitement. “I’ll send your mother some recommendations, though I’m sure she knows a few herself. Anything you need, just ask, okay? I’m going to head out, but you can use the studio until the janitor has to lock up.”
Katrina left her to the empty room, and Lillian could finally breathe. She wasn’t like everyone else—like her mother—social interactions exhausted Lillian. All she wanted was a dance studio and blissful silence.
Rubbing her hands down the muscles of her bare legs, she warmed them up before pulling a pair of leggings from her bag and yanking them on. In class, she looked the part of the perfect prima ballerina with her tight bun and expensive leotard.
But here, on her own, she could loosen up.
She could play.
Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she relaxed her legs, trying to shake off any lingering weariness from the class. Her eyes skittered to her bag in the corner where the gate pass sat in the side pocket. She looked to the clock above the door. Six PM. She had half an hour before she was late.
The question was… did she care?
