Page 31 of Forbidden Dance
“I have a little waiver that says you approve them being on the air. Naturally we won’t say who they are, for their privacy.” Hannah signs an invisible page in the air. “And we’ll bring two, maybe three, cameramen to capture their beauty next week.”
“What should they wear?” Marissa’s mother asks.
“Just have them in their favorite outfit,” Hannah says.
“We have their recital costumes already,” Daisy’s mom says. She turns to me. “Livia, is it okay if they wear them next week?”
“We’re missing the hats,” I say, but I can see that they don’t really want to know what I think. It’s practically a done deal. “But you can check with Janel.”
Hannah claps her hands. “I’ll speak to Blitz about it. And the owner. It will be amazing.” She passes out cards to the mothers. “I’ll be in touch through the studio. Tell the other moms!”
She walks past me, her heels clicking on the floor. She doesn’t seem to need my guidance or help, so I just let her go.
Seriously slick. So this is how Hollywood works.
The moms are abuzz, their heads together over their cards.
Gwen says, “Are we sure we want our girls on television?”
The urge to hug her strikes again. I’m glad she’s hesitating. I don’t want Gabriella to have anything to do with Blitz.
“I’m thrilled,” Daisy’s mom says. “I can’t wait to tell everyone!”
They are going to push it through, I can tell. Their energetic chatter fills me with dread.
Janel is doing fine with the girls, so I head to the foyer to see where the manager shark has gone. When I get to the end of the hall, I peek around the corner to see if she is near the front desk.
Suze and Jacob are there, talking in hushed tones. They get quiet when they see me.
“Hey, Livia,” Jacob says. “How are the ballerinas?”
“Good,” I say. “Suze, I guess you figured out that Blitz isn’t with our group anymore.”
She nods and glances at Jacob. Something is up. I give them a friendly wave and keep walking, past the desk to the other side that leads to the recital hall.
I hear voices immediately. Danika’s office is to the right. I scoot past the half-closed door and duck inside the auditorium, perching against the last row of chairs so I can still hear.
It’s dark, but if I’m caught, I can easily say I was checking to see if anyone needed help with the stage setup for the recital.
I sit very still and listen.
First is that Hannah woman. “This is a brilliant opportunity! Those wheelchair girls are precious and it’s good all around. Of course we want that one.”
“Blitz is not welcome in that class,” Danika says.
“Nonsense,” Hannah says. “They love him. They were heartbroken that he wasn’t there.”
When Blitz speaks, I nearly jump out of my skin. I had no idea he was even here! “Hannah, there are plenty of classes we can use for the video.”
Hannah’s voice takes on an edge. “The dancing elderly will be good for a laugh, but let me assure you, those ballerinas are what you need to get back in the producer’s good graces.”
Nobody talks for a moment. It’s a stalemate. My fingers squeeze the back of the cushioned chair. This is all my fault. If Blitz and I had just stayed apart, he could have had his video and nobody would be fighting right now.
I push down the seat and plop into it, sinking down low. Maybe I am the one who should leave.
But Gabriella! I can’t. I just can’t.
Tears threaten. I’ll tell Danika I will skip next week. They can do their video. I wasn’t going to be in it anyway. I won’t see Blitz again. It’s not like I really want to. I was just one of a half-dozen San Antonio conquests. His most naive and pathetic. The others were so glamorous, so sure of themselves.
