Page 28 of In Too Deep

The world around her vanished, her entire existence trapped within the bubble of her movements as her body swayed to and fro. She had no idea who was watching.

She wasn’t worried about what anyone was thinking. All she had was the dance.

When she was done, she opened her eyes slowly, the stares from the other dancers wide as they tried to process what they had just seen.

Stephanie quickly glanced at her aunt, Moira’s eyes glistening with tears, the kind of reaction that made Stephanie proud and jump with joy inside. She cared little what anyone besides her thought, and her approval was vital.

Moira Green began to clap, and the entire studio burst into applause. The older woman definitely approved.

Stephanie smiled, proud and a little intimidated although she loved being the center of attention. She quickly bowed and raced to the sidelines, grabbing her towel as several dancers patted her on the shoulder and smiled in admiration.

It was the perfect start to the day.

“Ok, group one, on the floor,” Moira called out as the applause died out.

Several dancers skipped into position, Kiara among them. Stephanie watched as the girl winked at her and gave her a thumbs-up, quickly taking a more serious stance and readying herself for the group routine. They had a show in three weeks, and several of the starters were new additions to the studio.

There was still a lot to do.

Stephanie watched the dancers as they moved, her eyes inexplicably falling on Kiara. She was gorgeous, her movements flawless, having had picked up on the choreography quicker than most. Stephanie wondered if her position in the studio would be threatened, then quickly pushed the thought away.

She knew Kiara wouldn’t last long. The weaker dancers usually gave up, ill-prepared for the amount of work they had to put in to improve their skill.

The better moved on to more prosperous studios with more shows and a better pay. Stephanie had never even thought of doing that, although she had been asked to on several occasions. She owed her aunt a lot, and she was nowhere close to paying her back.

By the end of the evening, Stephanie had joined in on several of the group routines, at time taking over smaller groups and helping out where she could.

On several occasions, she had found herself working the main group routines as her aunt disappeared to a side with a struggling few. From the look on her face, Moira was stressed, and she was pushing the dancers harder than they were accustomed to.

“No, no, come on!” Moira shouted, immediately making heads turn as she stood frustrated in front of Kiara and another male dancer who couldn’t seem to get the steps right after trying all afternoon. Her aunt looked over at her and beckoned Stephanie over.

“Here, show him how it’s done,” Moira said, pushing Stephanie lightly towards Kiara.

Their eyes met, and Kiara smiled at Stephanie, an innocent smile that gave away just how tired she was. Stephanie knew how frustrating it could be to work with a partner who wasn’t pulling his weight, and she felt for Kiara. She stood in position and waited for the music to start.

“One, two, three, go!” Moira counted.

Stephanie jumped straight into the routine, her eyes on Kiara as the girl moved with her.

Stephanie tried her best to hold back a smile, a bit excited at how well Kiara was doing

the choreography, her moves elegant and precise, as close to perfection as Stephanie could expect.

They moved together, their legs and arms arching to the music, their bodies twisting and turning, and when Stephanie grabbed her hand, pulling the girl close, she felt a spark of electricity shoot up her arm and through her body.

Stephanie pulled Kiara close, their eyes locking for a second, the longest second she had ever felt, before they broke away from each other and continued. Stephanie frowned, unsure of what had just happened, but quickly pushed the feeling away. She needed to concentrate. Her aunt depended on her, and she closed her eyes as she danced.

Soon she was lost in the dance.

* * *

“That was incredible!”

Stephanie turned around, standing in front of her locker in panties and bra, towel slung over her shoulder as she readied herself for a shower.

Kiara was smiling at her, and for some reason Stephanie felt incredibly self-conscious.

“Some of us are going out for drinks,” Kiara said. “You should come with us.”

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