Ethan and I pushed ourselves against the wall as the crowd that surrounded them hurried down the hall and out the doors of the school.
I turned to face Ethan whose eyes were wide and his surprised expression matched my own. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. I snuggled in. I took a deep breath and rested my head on his chest.
“Don’t you want to go see if she’s okay?” he murmured.
I spread my hand out across his chest, reveling in the feeling of his voice as it reverberated through his ribcage. I shrugged and tipped my head back. “Nah. I think Ryan has it under control. Besides, I’d rather be here, with you.”
Ethan kissed me again. This time longer and harder than he ever had before. It was as if he wanted me to know that he was never going to go anywhere. Like he wanted to show me how he felt.
And I lost myself in it. He was the one person who understood me and challenged me like I needed to be challenged.
I wasn’t sure what our future held but I did know one thing, Ethan was going to be a part of it.
No matter what.
EPILOGUE
Bianca
Five minutes earlier…
“Bianca Jones and Eve Lawson,you’re up next.”
I nodded to the woman with the clipboard as those dumb butterflies took flight in my stomach. She was one of the Juilliard judges and it wouldn’t do to let her see my nerves. Let the rest of these clowns be unprofessional; I would be the epitome of calm, cool, and collected.
Fake it ‘til you make it. That was one of the first life lessons I’d ever learned and it hadalways served me well. None of the other students here seemed to get that. They were so quick to show their hand, to whisper and giggle with one another about how excited they were or how nervous they felt.
Amateurs, the lot of them.
“Bianca,” Eve prompted, as if I hadn’t heard. I’d heard, I just refused to rush. I wasn’t a dog who came when someone whistled. I was a professional, which in this world meant one thing—I was a prima ballerina.
Or at least, I would be.
The lady with the clipboard was watching me with obvious impatience and I gave her my most ingratiating smile. “Coming,” I said as I shrugged off the sweatshirt that had been keeping my muscles warm and loose.
The clipboard lady softened at the smile. They all did. Smiles, like words, were weapons to be wielded, and I’d figured out a long time ago that if you used them sparingly and wisely, smiles could be effective.
I knew what all the other dancers said about me. They thought I was cold, heartless…maybe I was. But I knew what they didn’t.
Nice got you nowhere.
Confidence was key.
But none of that meant anything without drive. The will to succeed. I followed the Juilliard rep with Eve prancing excitedly next to me. “Can you believe it?” she whispered. “Juilliard.”
Her voice wasfilled with awe and reverence.
I ignored her. I didn’t have time for chit-chat. I needed every ounce of my attention and focus centered on one thing.
My audition.
This was it. The moment I’d been training for my entire life.
“Are your parents in the audience?” Eve continued. “Mine are.”
I shot her a sidelong glare that I hoped would shut her up. I usually didn’t mind Eve. But then again, she was usually quiet.
Apparently nerves made her chatty.
