"My parents are probably pulling in now. My mom's a freak about punctuality. She says it's rude and disrespectful to be late."
I pushed myself into a sitting position, my legs stretched out in front of me. I hauled Leslie up so she was sitting against my chest. Again, I entwined my fingers in hers. "Are you going to introduce me to your parents?"
Her hands went still in mine. I closed my eyes, not wanting to hear the words I feared were coming. As the silence stretched between us, my stomach dropped further and further. "This is more than a summer fling. You know that."
She turned herself around to face me, straddling my lap. She took my face in her hands. "This was more than a fling. But you'll be in New Hampshire, and I'll be in Ohio."
"Yes, but those are just places. What we have—what we feel—it's more than just places. We can make it work. And we only have two years until college. Then we can be together. Until then, we can find a way."
It never occurred to me that she didn't want to find a way. That she had no intention of planning our schooling together. That she had no intention of even keeping in touch. In that moment, I felt so deeply.
I've never felt that way again.
And because of Leslie Ann Moose, I probably never will again.
Chapter 7: Leslie
Okay, that's probably enough for today, and we've got to run throughKiss Me, Kate," Kori says. "You need to learn the song so that we can start marking this tomorrow. Do you have the music?"
I nod. "I have it on my phone, but the sheet music would be helpful. Is there someone who can work on it with me?"
Of course, I mean Josh, but I can't come right out and say that. He taught me to sing once before. I know he can do it again.
Plus, I want to see him again.
It's not like I was really over him when I moved on. I simply didn't have enough spoons in my mental drawer to have him in my life. Not with everything else I was dealing with.
Unfortunately, you can't ghost your inferiority complex or eating disorder.
Kori looks at Levi. "Um, who's not inKate?"
He shrugs in return. "Tabitha, but she's usually with Henderson. Maybe Gloria would help you?"
This must be the same Gloria Josh mentioned; the one who runs the camp. "Where can I find her to ask?"
"Come with me." Levi grabs my hand and tugs gently. Just the act of moving my arm away from my body is starting to be painful. It's going to be a long week while my body acclimates to this new form of exertion. "So, tell me about yourself, my beautiful African queen."
"Well, I'm not African, but in my head, I've always deserved to be treated like royalty, so you may keep that."
Levi stops. "Oh, I'm sorry, honey. Are you Dominican? Mexican? I want to be culturally sensitive." He guides me through the door and we head toward some of the other rooms. I think this is where they work on costumes and sets.
"Fijian." And then I wait.
Ah, there it is. The furrowed brow, the look of confusion. "Like Mount Fiji?"
"That's Fuji."
"Oh, like the water." He grins, nodding his head sagely.
This is not the first time I've had this conversation.
"Yes, just like that." Truth be told, I have no idea if the water actually comes from Fiji anymore. I still buy it because I like to think I'm supporting my grandparents' country. Sadly, I've only been there twice, and not since I was about thirteen.
Another sacrifice I made for ballet.
If I ever made a list of all the things I gave up for ballet versus all the positive things it gave me, I'm afraid it would be very lopsided.
Without waiting for Levi to ask because everyone always does, I explain, "Fiji is considered Polynesia and is called the 'crossroads of the Pacific.' It's about thirteen hundred miles off the coast of New Zealand. You ever heard of the golfer Vijay Singh? He's Fijian. We also have the worlds' best rugby, hands down."
