Page 72 of Weak Side

I sighed and shook my hands out once more as I heard the growing applause from the judges, one of them being my professor, and focused on the end goal. Get out there, clear your head, and dance your heart out. Because suddenly, there was a lot more at stake.

I kept my head down as the stage grew dark. I wiggled my toes in my ballet slippers, and although it was only a few seconds before the spotlights turned on and the music started, I replayed my entire youth and every lesson I’d learned thus far.

For most of my life, I’d danced for someone other than myself. I proved my worth and skill to my dance teachers, to the other dance moms who abhorred me because of my family situation, and most of all, to my mother. I’d even admit that I danced for a father I never knew and a boyfriend who was as disapproving as they came. But it wasn’t until this moment that I decided to dance for myself.

I didn’t need anyone’s approval. The second I took a step away from Chad—even if it was he who forced it, making me fight with fire to survive as the girl I strove to be—was the second I realized that there was more to life than pleasing others. I no longer wanted to prove something to Chad, or my mother, or a father that was an absence I felt every time my mother and I struggled. I wasn’t trying to be the best so I could feel a sense of achievement by gaining their approval. Instead, I was dancing for the taste of freedom that I felt while looking at Theo. I was dancing for a purpose. I was dancing for me so I could get whatIwanted.

Being selfless didn’t mean you couldn’t be selfish too. It didn’t mean you were self-obsessed or inconsiderate. It just meant that you valued yourself, and I hated to admit that it took a big, hunky jock to prove it to me. I wanted to see the value in myself that he seemed to see.

Theo’s face was the first thing I saw when the piano started, and it sent a shower of warmth against my skin. Before I even started dancing, he smiled proudly, and just like that, I was off.

The music took me, and I was leaping and softly spinning across the floor with a deep-rooted passion, and by the time the chorus came, I felt nothing but love and support. I knew even before the end of the song that I had danced my very best, and it was because, for the first time in my life, I felt grounded and safe. I snuck another glance at Theo as I geared up for my final leap, the hardest one thus far, and allowed him to guide me with energy I couldn’t match elsewhere. But at the very last second, I halted. I snagged another pair of eyes in the back, staring me down like I was about to be ruined.

Chad stood with his shoulders straight and his taut chin tipped in my direction. I quickly tore my eyes away in order to save myself, but my resolve slipped. It may have only been a split second, but I heard the rip in my focus, and before I took off for my jeté, there was a knock to my confidence, and I rushed it.

Chad threw me off. It was probably his plan all along. He wasn’t dense. He was smart, and he probably realized that I was more into Theo than he thought. He felt the pressure of losing me, and he was right to feel that way.

Chad had lost me, and it wasn’t until mid-leap that I realized I might just lose Theo.

35

Theo

She was meantto have eyes on her. The way she danced with elegance and beauty was something that only someone who was as determined as Claire could possess. She was everything I craved and everything I wanted for my future. I was captivated, and by the silence in the row the hockey team and I sat in, I was pretty sure they were just as breathless as I was.

Her leaps were just as poised and strict as my first impression of her, but her spins were as soft and light, like the air around her when we were alone. My heart rammed against my ribs as I continued to watch her trail across the stage, and I was pretty certain that I wanted this for her as much as she wanted it for herself.

My fist clenched as I lost myself in her dance, wanting more. I could spend the rest of my life in this seat, watching her reach her goals, and be perfectly content with it.

“Damn, bro. She’s something else.” I hardly heard Ford’s whisper, but my head tilted with irritation with his next statement. “What are you going to do when your little fake relationship is over?”

I wanted to tell him that it wasn’t fake and that there was no end in the future, but all thoughts seized as Claire’s eyes skimmed over our row. Instead of her latching onto me for long, she looked behind me, and I instantly knew something was wrong. Call it intuition or maybe I knew her so well that even the tiniest squint of her eye told me more than she ever could with words. I sat up straighter as I watched her take off from the corner and knew it wasn’t going to end well.

I quickly spun around, and when my eyes landed on Chad, I had to force myself to turn away to watch the end of her dance before I killed him.

“Oh fuck.”

My eyes widened the moment she landed. Her strained ankle bent, and instead of her catching herself like she had in practice this week, she toppled over, and her head hit the hard stage. The sound vibrated against my skull, even through the music, and instead of hauling myself over the back of my seat to strangle Chad, who I knew was the reason she stumbled, I jumped up and rushed down the aisle of the auditorium and met Claire’s professor, along with a few dancers.

“Bryant,” I demanded, pulling her into my lap. Her body was limp, and her head lollygagged to the left before I cupped the side of her face, caressing it lightly. “Claire, wake up.”

“Call 911,” someone said in the background, but I ignored them as Claire’s eyelashes began to flutter open.

My chest quivered to see her blue eyes, and everything faded when she finally opened them and landed on me. “Hey,” I rushed out, hearing the fear in my voice. “You okay?”

Claire blinked once and then twice before gasping. Her hand tightened around my bicep, but it was a faint grip. Her eyes shut tightly, and there was next to nothing for color along her face.

“Claire, sweetie.” Her professor hovered above us. Claire’s eyes opened, and I brushed my thumb over the arch of her cheek, ignoring the rising nausea in my stomach. It was like watching my world crumble, just knowing that she was hurt. I panicked. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

Her head shook against my palm, and she tried to sit up. “No, stay where you are,” I whispered. “Answer her question. How many fingers?”

Claire looked again. “I…” her voice cracked. “I can’t tell. Three?” Her eyes blinked again. “I’m not sure. It’s a little blurry, and I…I have a headache.”

Goddamnit.My arms went under her legs, and I stood up, careful to keep her steady. “Don’t fall asleep,” I demanded. “And keep your eyes open.”

Aasher opened the door and said, “I have the car ready. Let’s go.”

I nodded and held on tighter to Claire, not even bothering to see if Chad was still lingering. I’d deal with him later. Right now, Claire was the priority, and I was quickly realizing that she was always going to be the priority.

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