Calore Dance Academy// Red Queen AU

Chapter 54

It's not exactly a walk of shame, but it feels like one anyway.

I avoid his gaze for as long as I can, passing by the curtains and through the stage wing while keeping my eyes out on the theatre seats. Cal's eyes burn holes into me, searing my dark-blue T-shirt, black leggings, and crew socks. It takes every fiber of my being to avoid blushing, and I keep a polite smile glued across my lips. Inevitably, it turns into a smirk when I begin feeling nervous.

In time, I'm forced to settle down on the floor. With my legs sprawled out in front of me, I lean forward so that I can add another hair tie to the bun I wound up earlier.

Cal waits quietly. His stillness bothers me. In my periphery, I watch his tall legs, wearing his usual Adidas training pants. A corded, strong forearm rests across his notebook, currently closed.

Fine. He won't be the one speaking first.

He wants to unnerve me. Make me scared. I can only imagine what Bree and Tramy would do to Maven if they knew about our romantic status.

I don't think about what Shade would do if he found out. Which is why he doesn't need to.

"Cal," I say suddenly, tilting my head up. Bronze eyes meet mine, just like they did yesterday evening in the hot tub after Blonos exposed me. They don't look pleased, wearing warnings and many, many questions. "I didn't see you there. What's up?"

He has to see through my relaxed, blustering face.

From Maven's texts this afternoon, Cal continued to pester him about me after he returned from "Columbia." At some point, Maven locked the door to his bedroom and put on headphones so that he could ignore his brother and get through his calculus.

We never came up with a plan to explain what the hell is going on. After I agreed to be his girlfriend, Maven and I got sidetracked this morning in the shadows of Bryant Park. You know.

"I don't know, Mare." Cal's voice sounds as mocking as ever, but there's something different about it today. Maybe it's because Cal's no longer just exchanging fire with me but actually has reason not to like me. "What is up?" He enunciates each word.

"You must be frustrated," I tell Cal. His lips are turned up, but he's not smiling. Maybe I just never noticed it before, but his canines look sharper today. I feel smaller than usual in his presence, as he lounges across the stage floor with his precious folding chair at his back while every cell in my body is unimaginably tense. I haven't felt this nervous around him in a long time. "I hear your brother won't tell you what's going on between me and him."

Agreeing, Cal gives me a few nods of his head. "Yeah, I am frustrated. And confused. And extraordinarily unhappy that you lied to me on Friday night when you said that you didn't have a secret boyfriend."

Any misstep in this conversation could result in unwanted pushups.

Cal's eyes burn me, but at the same time, it doesn't feel like I can look away from them.

"I didn't lie to you," I tell him. "Maven was never my secret boyfriend."

"Oh, yeah. Friends who kiss, right?" Cal repeats.

I nod, up and down, up and down, hoping that Cal will come up with something to say.

He doesn't. It seems impossible for somebody to be able to tear me apart with only their eyes, but Cal does it anyway. I start to wonder if he's somehow finding his answers in my eyes, my slight movements, my ticks.

"He held my hand for the first time three weeks ago," I tell him, blurting. My heart pounds unreasonably fast, and unthinking words fly out of my mouth.