Dedicating Every Day to You

Chapter Fifty-Two

Six forty-five, and I'm standing outside of the school swathed in a giant coat and cradling a cup of hot chocolate. My Steven Universe gloves are unfortunately fingerless, despite being amazing and warm and looking like Garnet's gauntlets.

Theo is here, and she and her girlfriend have been giggling their heads off with one another and sharing one giant coat. They've been inseperable, but mostly just intolerable, all week. Avery and Theo are one of those grossly cute couples who can't bear to be away from one another, and it's slowly driving the rest of the eighth grade to the brink of insanity.

"Hey, Kat," Theo calls cheerfully, waving from the bench where she's sitting. Her eyes are sparkling and her cheeks are flushed, despite the cold.

I go over to sit next to her and Avery. "Hey, you two. Still being grotesquely adorable?" The question may sound innocent, but the answer matters- if they are, I'll find someone else to sit with.

"Not today, they're not," calls a very posh-sounding voice. I never thought I would be happy to hear George, but there he is, and I grin at him. He has an actual trenchcoat on, with a scarf shaped like octupus tentacles.

I cross my feet at the ankles like a proper lady and scoot over on the bench so he has room to sit. "Am I glad to see you. You excited about the trip?"

"I can't wait. Apparently, their saxophone program is absolutely amazing." He drops onto the corner of the bench and drapes one arm over the edge.

I'm dumbfounded. "You play the saxophone?" All this time, I never actually bothered to find out why George was at Odom Academy.

George snickers and slings his other arm around my shoulders. "I definitely play the saxophone. I've been playing for four years now. That's why I'm here, and I play with the jazz ensemble." He presses a hand against my hot chocolate cup to warm his fingers.

"That's super cool," I remark, smiling. The bus should be here any minute, but for the moment, we wait.

There's a light grating sound, and Philip comes rolling up, grinning at both of us. He gives George a high five and squeezes my hand. "Hello, everybody!" He pushes up his glasses and waves to Theo and Avery.

The bus pulls up and we climb into seats. Luckily, Avery goes to sit with her twin brother- or a boy who looks exactly like her, down to the freckles on his nose. It's not that I don't like her, just that I want some uninterrupted time with my amazing best friend.

Theodosia gives me a hug. "Hey there, my dear, how are you doing?" She smells like Avery's vanilla perfume, which combined with her cinnamon gum gives her the intoxicating scent of baking sugar cookies.

"Excited." I lean against her and laugh when her hair tickles my nose. "I've heard they have an incredible ballet studio, it sounds absolutely amazing. I really hope we get time to use it while we're there."

"I'm not sure why I'm going," she admits. "I don't have any talents that Juilliard would admit. I'd be better off at a college for visual art, like in Massachusetts or something. I mostly just want to spend time with you guys."

I squeeze her shoulder. "Don't worry. You belong here, just like the rest of us. We'll have fun on this trip, I know it. It's going to be a new experience for everybody. Besides, just because we take the tour doesn't mean we have to apply there."

Theo smiles slightly and rests her head on top of mine. "Thanks, Kathryn. I kind of needed that." She sighs. "I wish Harriet was here. She would absolutely love this."

"Well, I'm sure she'll get to go back at some point." I look out the window, watching the treeline pass by.

*********

"This is our dance studio," the tour guide proclaims, and gestures at an absolutely gorgeous room. I look in, and my jaw drops. The studio is three times the size of the one at Odom Academy, with polished floors, mirrors on every wall, and three different heights of barres. I ache to have my pointe shoes on- I brought them in my backpack, 'just in case'.

The entire tour group moves on, towards the cafe where we're having lunch. I can't move. My feet seem frozen to the floor. No one would notice if I was in here, would they?

Hands shaking, I set my backpack down and dig out my toe shoes, gel pads, cell phone, and earbuds. I kick off my Converse and lace the toe shoes up over my leggings. Cueing up Claire de Lune on my phone, I pop my earbuds in and cross my ankles, rising to my feet and holding my arms in the air.

The routine is familiar to me, and I close my eyes and let the music take me over. I've practiced this particular dance a thousand times, and the memories fill my mind as the song fills my ears. Emmy was the one who first played this particular composition for me. She said it would be perfect for a routine, once I got my pointe shoes, and look at that- she was right. This was the first thing that I practiced when I moved in with John and Alex.

The music gets louder in my earbuds, and I try to execute the tricky leap that Chad has assigned me to work on. He said I needed to have it down by this coming Monday, and it's been stressing me out, but what better place to try it than here? Gathering all of my courage, I extend my legs, take two tiny steps forward, and leap, throwing my arms out and tipping my head back.

Total silence. My earbuds have fallen out of my ears, and I'm standing sweaty and disheveled in the middle of a room I'm not supposed to be in. My breaths are heavy, and my hair has fallen out of its carefully arranged braid.

Someone laughs behind me, and I spin around to see a tall woman in a leotard and shorts. She claps for me, her eyes sparkling as she grins. "That was a very nice brisé volé you did there, young lady."

I smile and pretend to bow. "Thank you, ma'am." My nervousness at being seen dancing ebbs away, and I stoop to unlace my shoes.

"Your classmates are probably looking for you," she says softly. "I'll walk you back." I notice that she has a light accent of vaguely European-sounding origin, but I'm not exactly sure where she's from.

I grab my backpack and smile. "Thanks." I'm happy and nervous and relieved all at once- at least I didn't get in trouble.