Page 69 of Flirty Dancing

“Yeah, I’m having fun, it’s just…” Without warning, tears sprang to his eyes. He was thankful they were walking and not looking at each other. “This is sort of it for me.”For my dream.He couldn’t get those last words to come out. “I want to do well.”

“Aw.” Caleb slid his arm around Archer. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are doing well, and, I promise, it’s nothing to get worked up about.”

It is, thoughhe wanted to say, but Caleb clearly didn’t understand. “Thanks,” he managed instead in a strangled voice.

“I wish Mateo would get off my back, though,” Caleb griped. “He’s practically ruining the summer.”

“He has high standards.”

“What, I’m not up to Mateo’s standards?”

Archer shook his head, throat still tight. “That’s not what I’m saying, I mean—”

“It’s fine.” Caleb cut him off and gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I’m hungry and tired. I need to sit down and eat like five steaks.”

“Okay. Let’s get you those steaks.”

Dinner was a subdued affair—they occupied their usual table and didn’t talk much, with no sign of Ben or Beau. When they filtered back into the theater right on time, raised voices carried to them from the greenroom.

“That’s it! I’m done!” It was Ben’s words they could make out first.

“Uh oh,” Archer muttered. They followed the sound of the shouting and inched into the greenroom. The B-Boys were facing off next to a makeup table in their cowboy gear.

“Looks like there’s about to be a shootout,” Dominik whispered behind his hand.

“Shut up!” Betty hissed, jabbing her elbow into his side.

“I’mdone!” Ben repeated, ignoring the audience entirely. “I can’t do this anymore, Beau! You either trust me, or you don’t, and clearly you don’t. It’s over!Weare over.”

Archer was embarrassed that he gasped aloud until he realized they all had.

“Oh, shit,” Dominik murmured.

Beau bit his lip and cast his eyes up to the ceiling, shaking his head. “You can’t mean it.”

“I mean it.” Ben made a slashing motion with his hand. “It’s over.”

Beau burst into tears and ran from the room.

“Ah, fuck,” Mateo said.

Betty and Grace hurried after Beau.

“I am not dancing with him!” Beau shrieked from the hall.

“I’m not dancing with him, either!” Ben yelled back.

Mateo threw his hands up. “I fucking quit.”

“It’s okay,” Archer said, taking a deep breath. “Let’s get back to the whiteboard.”

Mateo didn’t budge, shaking his head.

“Come on.” Archer tugged at his arm. “We figured it out once. We can do it again.”

Or so he hoped.

Archer’s buzzing phone pulled him out of his sleep late the next morning. It was a text from Betty. He had misseda few messages in the group chat, too.You’d better get down to the theater.

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