Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ella
So High School - Taylor Swift
I feel light as I walk into the dance studio with three tote bags on my shoulders and ten plastic tiaras in my hands.
It’s Saturday morning, and those days are for the kids. I’ve been teaching that class for three years. Since my locker got emptied by the dance students, I received no formal email saying I wasn’t allowed the space anymore, and I love teaching these kids, so I’m not going to stop now. I teach for free, and while no one has any issue affording it in the area, some kids come all the way from the North Shore so they can attend a free ballet lesson. And over there, that means a lot.
I’m thirty minutes early, as always. I take the time to set up the piles of tutus, shoes, leotards, pink scarves, and tiaras. Some of them can’t afford any of this, so I always bring enough for everyone. That way, they don’t feel embarrassed to ask. They can all take whatever they want and keep it. I bring more each time .
I sit down with my back to the mirror and the door to my left and check the time. It’s 10 a.m. and the kids are usually early to take their time putting everything on and chatting among themselves. I anxiously do a butterfly stretch, my hand itching to go to my thigh and scratch through my tights.
I take a deep breath, suddenly wishing I’d taken the necklace Chris and I started on Thursday night. Slowly releasing my breath, I decide to go check my phone to see if any of the parents replied to my earlier message. I always remind everyone of the class early in the morning to tell them I’m excited to see them.
Today it turns out I have many responses.
Ivy won’t be coming to class anymore.
Ella, we will not be sending Stella to be taught by someone who could potentially be dangerous.
Dear Ella, while we don’t want to believe the rumors that have been going around, we also would never want to put Fabian at risk. We think you’re a good kid…but she won’t attend your class anymore.
Tears spring in my eyes as I read on. Everyone canceled. Even the four girls who come all the way from the North Shore. Their parents live on the side of town known for its high-rate crimes, but they’re worried about me ?
A sob bursts past my lips. Chris is the one who hurt Enzo and Matias, and Hermes—or Megan I’m sure—is the one who put it on me. Together, they managed to take the one last thing that kept a smile on my face. Fury burning through my veins, I angrily text the man who decided to make my life a living hell out of pure selfishness.
Ella: You ruin everything
I send him the screenshots of all the parents canceling.
Standing up, I look through my bag, ready to slash through my skin and make the pain visceral. I want to feel it all physically and release the gripping tension inside me.
I’m fisting the plastic box of blades in my bag when the door opens, and a little girl runs in.
“We are late because Daddy did not want me to run fast!” she squeals. “But I can run fast. So fast!”
I drop the box in my bag and my bag to the floor, and quickly wipe my tears as I turn around. She stops short of bumping into my legs and looks up with a bright smile.
Sporting two pigtails at different heights, a bright blue top with a heart made of gems on it, and a large bright pink tutu over multicolored tights, I can already tell she wanted to dress herself this morning. She even has pink lip gloss on. It’s all over her mouth and even on her cheeks.
“My name is Celia,” she articulates perfectly.
“Hi Celia, I’m Ella.”
“And that’s my sister Olivia. My sister. And that’s my daddy. His name is Daddy.”
I look up to find a tall man holding another girl in his arms. She’s identical to the one now pulling at my blue chiffon ballet skirt, except she looks much calmer. Contrary to her twin, her black hair is in a perfect bun on top of her head, and she’s wearing white tights and a pale-yellow leotard.
Her dad tries to put her down, but she grabs his neck, and he’s forced to straighten up again. He’s got dirty blonde hair in a small bun at the back of his head, midnight eyes the same as his daughters’, and a terrifying blank look on his face.
As he approaches, Celia turns to him. “Daddy, say sorry to the lady.”
He walks slowly, like a hunter observing his prey, and I gulp as I try my best to stay in place. The only reason I don’t run away is because Celia is still pulling at my skirt.
“Daddy, I want this skirt.”
Finally reaching us, he puts a hand on top of Celia’s head. I crane my neck to look into his empty eyes and force a welcoming smile on my face.
“Anything you want, honey.”
How is it possible to talk to your own child with no emotion in your voice?
His eyes stay on me, and he finally introduces himself. “Hi, I’m Nate White. And this is Celia and Olivia.”
Nate White.
It takes all of me to keep a straight face.
“You…must be Jake and Rose’s brother,” I say quietly.
He nods. “You know the twins?”
“They’re my brother’s best friends. Luke Baker,” I explain.
“Right.” For a second, he looks like he’s storing this information in a special file, and according to the look in his eyes, it’s probably a file named people I could threaten.
But then he keeps going as if nothing happened.
“Lia and Livie have been wanting to try your class. Apparently, the girls from preschool won’t stop talking about it.”
“Stella says there are tiaras!” Celia jumps on the spot, pulling harder on my skirt. “The tiaras. Where are the tiaras? ”
“Let go, Lia,” her dad scolds softly. “You’re going to tear up her skirt.”
“It’s okay,” I say politely. Mainly because this man terrifies me. “The tiaras are over there.” I point at the pile on the other side of the room.
She shrieks, taking off into a sprint. “Come, Livie! I found the tiaras.”
As if coming out of a dream, Olivia perks up, jumping out of Nate’s arms and running to her sister.
“Erm,” I hesitate, looking around us. God, I’m terrified. This man has a reputation. And it’s not a good one. “The girls can keep the tiaras if they want, but as you can see, the class isn’t happening today.”
He cocks an eyebrow at me, straightening up, and I take a step back out of pure survival.
“Why?” he asks blankly.
I take a trembling breath, twisting my hands together in front of me. “I don’t have enough students.” Only half a lie. He doesn’t need to know why I don’t have enough. “The studio is in demand, and it can only be given for classes if there are at least ten students, and…well, right now, I have two.”
His brow furrows as if he can’t comprehend why I have to respect the rules.
“Listen. Olivia has very specific tastes. She only does what she wants.”
I glance at the two little girls. Olivia is quietly putting a tiara on her head, while her eccentric sister has now added three on top of each other.
“She has been wanting to learn ballet, but she throws a fit every time we enter a studio. Do you have any idea how many times I had to redo her bun this morning? If there’s one thing out of place, she breaks down. And look at her here. Not throwing a fit.”
“I understand?—”
“And Celia…I just need someone to drain her of her energy.”
“Look, I understand. Believe me, I want nothing but to teach your little girls ballet. But someone from the administration office is going to walk in here within the next fifteen minutes to check that I’m following the rules, and that the studio is used for a purpose. With two students, they’re going to kick us out and put whoever is on the waitlist in here instead of us.”
I could die on the spot as his eyes narrow into slits. “Where are the other kids?”
“They didn’t come,” I whisper.
“And why is that?”
I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, and gather all the courage I can muster. At least after I tell the truth, he’ll leave. He won’t want to leave his daughters with me.
“The parents think I’m a threat to their kids,” I admit in one breath.
“A threat?” he chuckles mockingly. “You look like a tiny barbie. What kind of threat could you possibly pose to children? I’m pretty sure they’re dangerous to you.”
I guess he’s not wrong.
“It’s a long story,” I say. “But the short version is that I can’t teach your girls. I’m sorry. The class isn’t happening.” When I extend my hand toward the door, he doesn’t move.
I eye the girls as he takes a slow step closer to me. He’s not going to hurt me in front of them, is he?
“Ella. I want you to understand one thing. If my girls don’t get this dance lesson for the promised one hour, the only threat in this room will be me.”
The door to the studio slams open and another woman I don’t know enters with a bright smile on her face. She has half blonde and half black hair, and she’s looking around like she’s in some sort of museum.
“This place is better than Hogwarts!” she exclaims excitedly.
My heart is beating harshly against my chest, my eyes going back to the man who decided to bully me into giving a dance lesson to his daughters.
“You look scared,” she says. “She looks scared,” she then tells Nate. “Did you threaten the dance teacher?” Then back at me, she softens her voice. “Did he hurt you?”
I shake my head, then talk back to Nate. “Is she your daughter, too?”
“Her?” he chokes. “She’s a parasite.”
The new incomer bursts into a laugh, the thick chains around her neck shaking with her chest. “Oh my god, this is too funny. No. Hi, I’m Nyx. I asked to tag along because visiting Silver Falls University was basically one of my dreams. What a place.”
“Right.” I nod. “Erm, well, I have to go. I do apologize.”
“No one is going anywhere,” Nate says, as if it’s completely normal to keep me hostage in my own dance studio.
“Is the lesson not happening?” Nyx asks.
“Oh, it is.”
“I can’t,” I repeat for the hundredth time. It sounds like a plea.
“For heaven’s sake,” he says in an irritated tone. “You’re lucky my wife wasn’t the one bringing the girls here. She would have eaten you whole. Poor thing.” He doesn’t sound sorry.
Nyx nods. “She’s so much worse than him.”
“Mommy makes people cry. They cry very hard.”
I jolt at the little voice and the hands pulling on my skirt again.
“Can we dance? Livie wants to dance. I don’t like to dance. I like to count like Mommy. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten! I stay to dance because Livie doesn’t want to be alone.”
I have not heard Olivia’s voice once since they’ve arrived, but it looks like Celia talks for her.
I’m suffocating, cornered by two bodies much taller than me and a kid still pulling on my clothes. This is overwhelming, triggering every ounce of anxiety inside me.
“I-I?—”
“How about we let the nice teacher breathe,” a voice rings out behind Nate and Nyx.
My body relaxes knowing Chris is in the room. This is all his fault, yet his mere presence allows me to breathe.
His tall body has a few inches on Nate, and both he and Nyx step away from me.
“What are you doing here?” I ask quietly.
His gaze stays on Nate as he answers. “I was with Achilles when I received your text. He explained you couldn’t do lessons if you don’t have ten students.” He shrugs. “So I rallied a team of dancers.” Turning to me, he winks discreetly.
I look at the door and notice Achilles there, a deep scowl on his face. “You owe me, Murray.”
“Oh my god, you’re Achilles Duval,” Nyx gasps like a fangirl.
He cocks an eyebrow at her. “Do I know you?”
She shakes her head. “God, no,” she giggles. “But you…you play the violin, right? Everyone talks about you in my class at North Shore Community College. You’re a musical genius. ”
He snorts, ignoring her and walking to the back of the class. “Are we dancing or what?”
Nyx’s mouth drops, and she turns to me. “Sorry,” I say for him. “He’s a dick.”
She waves it off. “Never meet your idols, right?”
I know Achilles has a reputation for being one of the best violin players in the state, but I had no idea he had actual fans outside of SFU.
“Are you okay?” An arm wraps around my waist, and Chris brings me closer to him. “Did he hurt you?”
“Everyone keeps asking that,” I chuckle. “I’m alive and well.”
He lets out a disgruntled noise. “You and him alone in a room? Never again.”
“I won’t say no to that.” Rolling my lips, I look around the room. “So where’s the rest of my students?”
“Uncle Jake! Auntie Ozy!” My attention catches on Rose and her twin entering the room in workout clothes.
Celia runs to them, jumping into Jake’s arms before jumping into Rose’s. Olivia is next, running to her uncle. It’s weird seeing two people I grew up with and who used to cause chaos at our high school now holding their nieces. The little girls look exactly like Rose. Black hair I’m assuming they get from Nate’s wife, and midnight eyes that run in the White family.
“You brought Rose and Jake?” I laugh, looking at Chris again.
“Hey, we needed ten people.”
A minute later, Jake’s fiancée, Jamie Williams, rushes into the room. “Sorry,” she says hastily. “I had to run from the med school building.”
“Chris.” I hide my face in my hands. “This is ridiculous. ”
He wraps two hands around my waist, forcing me to face him. “Please, let me do this. The last thing I want is for you to lose the one thing you love. I know you want to teach, and I bet those girls want their lesson. Plus, maybe I want to learn ballet. You don’t know.”
I look around, counting. Chris, Jake, Jamie, Rose, Celia, Olivia, Nyx, Achilles.
“Even if I consider Nate a student, we’re still one short.”
Olivia pulls at her sister’s sleeve, but Celia shakes her head. “No, Livie. Mommy is busy today.” She puts a finger on her mouth. “I know! Uncle Caden can learn ballet too!”
I look at Nate, and his phone is already out. “This is my worst nightmare,” he deadpans. But it doesn’t stop him from texting Uncle Caden, I guess.
And said uncle comes so fast I wonder if he was waiting outside all along.
“You better be fucking joking,” Caden growls as he enters the room.
“Daddy, Uncle Caden said a bad word. It’s a bad word,” Celia says. “Don’t listen to him, Livie.”
“Which one of you troublemakers begged your dad for a dance lesson that wasn’t meant to exist in the first place?”
Celia points at Olivia, and the other girl’s eyes widen before she points back at her sister.
“Ten of us,” Chris exclaims, clapping his hands together. He kisses the top of my head. “You’re up, teacher.”
I look around the room of adults and the two kids.
Nate crosses his arms over the shirt of his suit. “Try to tell me you can’t do your lesson now.”
That earns him the darkest look I’ve ever seen from my ex. “If you have a problem with her, you take it up with me.” He smiles, pretending to be having a polite conversation as he lowers his voice. “Your girls are young. Let’s not take their dad away from them so soon.” Tapping Nate’s shoulder, he settles against the bar at the back of the room.
My mouth drops open, eyes widening, but Nate chuckles to himself. He turns to his own sister instead, Rose. “That friend of yours has always been on my shit list.”
She shrugs. “You’re on his too, don’t you worry.”
“Erm…I guess this is happening, then. Let’s warm up.”
“Wait!” Celia screams. “The tiaras.” She starts running around the room, giving everyone a tiara.
Rose and Jake burst out laughing the second Nate puts his on his head. And I can’t help the smile spreading on my face when Chris does the same. He grins brightly and nods toward me.
I take a few more seconds to drag strength from him and turn on the music.
Olivia runs to the front of the room to stand right in front of me. Her face is hard to read, but her movements are eager when I throw my arms in the air to start stretching to “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter.
A few minutes later, the door opens, and I dart my eyes to the admin officer whose mouth drops open. He counts all of us and shrugs, writing down the number on a clipboard before leaving.
Technically, they could all stop dancing now, but I’m having too much fun to let them know. Watching grown men with tattoos or the old kings of my high school wearing tiaras and doing demi pliés with two little girls is bringing a smile to my face. They’re all focusing hard when I put Disney songs on and start showing them more positions at the bar, and before I know it, my phone rings, signaling the end of the session.
Olivia quietly jogs to me and hugs my legs before looking up at me, grinning with all her teeth .
“Daddy,” Celia calls sternly. “Livie said she wants to come back. We have to come back next week, Daddy.”
I don’t think Livie actually said anything. But I’m wondering if these twins communicate telepathically.
Nate throws the tiara in the pile, grabs Celia’s hand, and walks to me.
“You wanted the lesson,” I say. “You got the lesson.”
Olivia jumps in his open arm, and he narrows his eyes at me. “We’ll see you next week.”
His face doesn’t portray his words, but his real thoughts will just have to stay a mystery.
Everyone leaves, Achilles making sure to tell me how much he hated the whole hour, and before I know, it’s just Chris and me.
He approaches me slowly, probably assuming I’m still mad at him. When he’s finally right in front of me, and I’m craning my neck to look up into his eyes, he puts a hand on my cheek.
“I’m sorry that I ruin everything,” he says quietly. Digging his eyes into mine, I watch waves of truth swirling in the whiskey color. “You are so beautiful when you dance, Ella. You’re yourself, not that fake image you try to portray to everyone. Anyone watching you dance can read your pain and your happiness. I never wanted to put that in jeopardy.”
I take a trembling breath. “You fixed it,” I croak. “Thank you for bringing everyone here. I wouldn’t have been able to give those two little girls the lesson they wanted if not for you.”
“I’ll keep fixing everything, believe me. And if I have to drag eight adults to this lesson every Saturday I will. I’ll get Mom and Juliette on it too.”
I can’t help but giggle and his hand turns into a hold on my jaw.
“I’m going to kiss you now.”
It’s always strange when he announces what he’s about to do, but I know it’s to give me a chance to pull away. Some things he can’t stand taking. He needs me to give them willingly.
And I do. Purely because I want to so badly.
When his lips touch mine, I let my stomach do cartwheels. I accept the feelings that burn through my veins and open my mouth to welcome him. The way he strokes my tongue is sensually possessive, and I hear myself sigh into his mouth. He takes his time, his hand grabbing my ass to pull me up on my toes.
It’s gripping, ravenous, entrancing.
It’s everything I love about this man.
This is going to lead nowhere, isn’t it? One of us will get hurt. We’re going to get found out.
It’s going to be a terrible, tragic ending.
But do I stop kissing him? Do I push him away as his tongue strokes mine and our hearts beat in unison?
Absolutely not.