Page 23 of Master of My Heart

The class continued into center work, then they stood in a line at the back of the room for the cross-floor work. The dancers went in pairs, each combination increasing in difficulty.

Sabrina gave it her all. She could do a pretty impressive grande jeté when she wanted to. Martin’s praise had given her a boost of much-needed confidence and she began enjoying herself. They concluded the class with a révérence.

Martin explained that the judges would meet during lunch and post the numbers for callbacks in about an hour.

As she turned to follow the other dancers out of the studio, Sabrina’s stomach growled, reminding her of her lack of money. What would five dollars buy in Boston?

“Number forty-four,” Martin called.

Sabrina stopped mid-step and returned to stand in front of the judges, fingers twisting together and body tingling with nerves.

Nobody spoke. They just looked at her as Martin shuffled through a stack of papers. Sabrina bit her lip and stared into the mirror above their heads, concentrating on the reflection of the back wall.

After a moment, Martin finally spoke. “You didn’t complete your audition form.”

Sabrina chewed her lip, unsure of what to say. She thought she’d answered all the questions.

“You didn’t put a phone number or address.”

She swallowed. “I don’t have one here... yet,” she added quickly, hoping they didn’t notice the pause. “I just got here last night and hoped I could stop by later and check the results.”

“Where are you from?”

“Arizona.”

“Where in Arizona?”

She hesitated. “Near Tucson,” she finally said in a soft voice.

Silence.

Sabrina fought the urge to shift from foot to foot, wondering if Martin recognized her. She fought the tears that threatened to emerge.

“Sabrina.”

She blinked several times and looked at Martin. His eyes were full of sadness. She pressed her lips together and looked back at the floor.

“Are you staying with Grace?” he asked softly.

Her heart dropped. Grace couldn’t find out that she was here. She would tell Chase and Sabrina couldn’t deal with any more heartbreak. She shook her head violently. “No. Please! Don’t let her know I’m here.”

Martin tilted his head, his eyes still full of sorrow. “Why?”

Sabrina felt herself starting to lose it. “Please,” she squeaked. Her jaw trembled and she widened her eyes in the hopes that the hot tears would remain hidden.

Martin nodded slowly, brows furrowed and eyes full of obvious concern. “All right,” he finally conceded.

“Thank you.” She swallowed, biting her lip hard until she tasted blood.

“You may go.”

Sabrina turned and ran out of the studio, then desperately looked around for the bathroom. Finally spotting it across the hallway, she sprinted inside and into a stall, locking the door behind her. She fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands, trying to muffle her sobs.

And failing.

Chapter Ten

When Sabrina had calmed down, she stood, walked out to the sinks, and splashed cold water on her face. She took a deep breath before creeping back to the empty studio to get her things.

---