Page 5 of Fools in Love

The more she watched, the more she felt sorry for herself. And the more her body ached to follow the movements that it knew all too well.

She’d thought that if she went to the gym with Nick, there was a chance that she could sneak away and do some stretches, something her parents didn’t want her to do, as the doctor’s orders were to stay completely off her leg until her next doctor’s appointment. Not to mention she still had four bruised ribs, a sprained wrist, and several large bruises all over her body.

When Nick had helped her out of the car at the Boys and Girls Club, she was itching to find a place to stretch and be alone.

Normally, she was a bundle of energy, but having spent almost a week in a hospital bed or on her parents’ sofa, she doubted her energy levels would stay high for very long.

She didn’t want to waste that time sitting in a gym watching her brother and his friends fight over fouls and rules.

When she suggested she was going for a walk, her brother shook his head and steered her towards the gym.

Nick played the role of older brother perfectly and had always done everything he could to look out for her. When they had gone to school together, he’d always walked her to and from the bus. He’d once beat up a kid who had picked on her during recess. She couldn’t remember the kid’s name, but she was pretty sure he’d done it because he liked her.

She and Nick were still close, but it had been ten years since they’d lived together. Even now, Nick had a place of his own. In reality, they were practically strangers.

She stopped just outside the door by yanking on his arm.

“I’ve been cooped up for almost a week now.” She groaned. “Please, I’ll just walk…” She glanced to the small path that led to the beach and motioned with her head. “It’s like ten steps to the beach. I’ll sit in the sand and watch the waves.” She added enough annoyance to her voice that he groaned.

“Mom and Dad told me not to let you out of my sight.”

“I really don’t want to watch you and your friends argue over basketball. How would you feel if you had to sit in on my rehearsals?”

“Fine.” He threw his hands up. “You’re a big girl. But if you hurt yourself, I’m going to tell our parents you snuck off while I was playing.”

She reached up and hugged him. “Thanks,” she said, and started making her way down the narrow pathway.

There were huge bushes on either side of the beach entrance. She could feel her brother watching her, so she went very slowly to make sure she didn’t slip or stumble along the way.

When she was out of Nick’s sight, she took a deep breath and moved farther onto the cool sand, where she sat down to watch the waves.

This was the first time she had been by herself since the accident. In the hospital, the nurses or her parents had come and gone all day and night. At her parents’ house, one of them was usually hovering. They had even involved her aunt, uncle, and cousin Brook.

Brook was a year older than Kate and somehow had gotten all the looks in the family. At least that’s what Kate had always thought.

Kate was shorter and, thanks to years and years of training, built like a dancer. Her blonde hair was nothing special. She had freckles that she usually covered with makeup, and her eyes were a dull dirty water blue.

Brook was almost Kate’s complete opposite. She had beautiful hazel eyes like Kate’s mother, which were so exotic that people did a double take. Kate was five-four while Brook was a slender five-nine and towered over most other women in town. Brook also had the body of a dancer, but hers came naturally, unlike Kate who’d had to work for years and years to achieve the look. Brook’s skin always appeared tan, thanks to her father’s naturally darker tones.

Her cousin was a bombshell not only in looks but also in personality. She knew everyone in town and could strike up a conversation with anyone. Kate was more reserved and, after all her years away, felt like she hardly knew anyone in Pride.

Pulling her good leg up to her chin, she took several deep breaths. God, she wanted to dance or just to move. Her muscles were feeling atrophied from the lack of motion. Her joints hurt. Even her mind felt foggy.

Most of her bruises had started turning yellow, signaling it wouldn’t be too much longer before they were gone. Her ribs still ached when she took a deep breath and her injured leg felt like it was on fire if she tried to put weight on it.

Outside of that, she was perfectly fine.

She missed dancing. Missed showing up to the studio each morning after her brisk walk from her studio apartment. She’d normally stop off at Bella’s and grab fruit and coffee for breakfast.

She was always the first into the studio and would have it to herself for ten minutes before everyone else would arrive. She would spend that time either warming up or, at least twice a month, sewing and breaking in her new pointe shoes, which was a chore and a workout on its own.

Closing her eyes, she ran through the last day before her accident. She had gained the lead in a new ballet written by one of the greatest living choreographers, Gabriel Léandre. The ballet, titled Sonya Petite, had never been seen before. It was about a down-on-her-luck French woman who sells flowers on the street corner. A handsome prince in disguise falls for her—a real Cinderella story.

Kate had won the lead as Sonya. Dmitri Golubev had gotten the part as the handsome prince.

It wasn’t the first time she’d worked with Dmitri nor was it his first lead role. But he had recently started dating Kate’s understudy, Isabella Ramani.

The entire six months they had been training, Isabella and Dmitri had done everything in their power to undermine Kate. Not only with Gabriel, but with everyone else on set.