Page 64 of Tell No Lies

“No, I can’t. It’s actually required for school and the team.”

I looked at Brandon and Liv in exasperation. “I might not dance with the school team, but that doesn’t make it less important. Mike, this team can take me to nationals and into a great program in college.”

“Yeah, like that would happen.” He put his arm around my shoulder and squeezed in what I assumed he thought was a comforting manner.

I fought the urge to shrug him off since I didn’t want to start a fight in front of an audience, but when I looked back at Brandon, I realized I might have to stop him too.

“Actually Mike, she is already getting interest from some big schools.”

Immediately, I shot forward. “What?”

Brandon’s face bloomed red. “I wasn’t planning on telling you until after your next competition. I didn’t want to psyche you out.”

I looked at Liv to see if she knew what he was talking about, but she just smiled and looked down at her plate like her fish was suddenly super interesting. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ve gotten a few calls from some coaches who are interested in you, and they’re coming to the next competition to see you.”

My mind blanked. “Who? When? Huh?”

“So far, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Tennessee, and a few schools here.”

“How could you not tell me about this?”

“I know how much your nerves can affect you, and I didn’t want you to panic like you are right now.”

He knew me too well.

Mike was staring between me and my brother. “You can go to college for dance?”

I looked to him to see if he was joking, but he looked genuinely confused. “Yes, Mike. It’s a competitive sport.”

“Huh. I thought it was just something you did for fun.”

“I’ve been doing this since I could walk, and it’s been my dream as long as I can remember to compete on a college level. That’s why I take it so seriously and don’t let myself skip on practices.” I raised my brow and looked at him with a “duh” face.

“Oh.”

For the rest of the night, Mike was quiet and seemed stuck in his head, which was fine with me. I had so much to think about, not to mention the running to-do list I was quickly adding items to. Having coaches coming in to watch me was huge! It was the same as a football recruiter coming to see Mike, but I still didn’t think he got it.

I understood his dream of wanting to get into a good school and one day playing pro, so why couldn’t he do the same for me?

Twenty-One

I thought seeing pictures of myself in the privacy of my own home was as bad as it could get. The feeling of security had been ripped away, leaving me completely exposed and vulnerable. How could things get any worse than that? I thought it was impossible.

When I opened the door to my car to get my dance bag for class after school, an unassuming envelope was waiting for me on my seat. I knew I needed to hurry and meet Mckayla out front, but my body was frozen. Thoughts of letters, threats, and pictures were running though my head. I grabbed it, shoved it in my bag, and ran to the front of the building. Mckayla’s car was parked in her normal spot, and she was looking down at her phone.

I tried to erase the panic from my face before she looked at me, but when she did, I realized I didn’t have to worry about myself. Her face was streaked with tears. Whipping the door open, I fell into my seat and reached for her.

“What’s going on, Mac?”

She flinched and pulled away from me. “Don’t touch me!”

Sinking back into my seat took the remaining energy I had. We hadn’t even gotten to school yet, and I was drained. I looked over at her and silently begged her to meet my eyes. “What happened?”

“Don’t talk to me. I’m going to drive you because you’re my cousin, but once we get to school, get out and leave me alone.”

Shocked didn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I thought maybe she got into a fight with her mom or Sean. I never expected it to have something to do with me.