Page 65 of Teach Me to Fly

Volkov waves his pen. “Better. Much better.”

Reign’s grip loosens, but he doesn’t step away. I slowly pull back from him, my skin buzzing everywhere we touched.

Lando beams. “That was beautiful.”

But before I can respond, Wendy scoffs from across the studio. “Please,” she says, standing. “Anyone could do better than that. She barely moves. It’s not hard to look sad.”

The air in the room shifts and my spine stiffens, but Wendy doesn’t stop there.

“She’s not even trying. She’s got limp wrists and is constantly seeking pity points. If she wasn’t Reign’s little damage control project, she wouldn’t even be cast.”

I flinch, like she slapped me, my breath sticking in my chest.

Damage control project? What is she talking about?

Lando steps forward, jaw tight. “Wendy. That’s enough.”

She ignores him. “I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking. We’re all walking on eggshells around her. God forbid, we critique her, right? Because if we do, she might cry, or quit, or?—”

“Wendy!” Lando snaps.

Still, she barrels forward, venom curling her lip. “She’s not even good. She’sfragile. And that’s not artistry, it’s dead weight.”

“Get out,” Reign says, voice low.

Wendy blinks. “What?” she says, laughing like she misheard him.

“I said get out.” He holds her gaze until her face twists in disbelief and fury, before her eyes snap to me, full of loathing.

“You don’t deserve him,” she spits. “You don’t deserve any of this. Everyone’s just pretending that you’re something special.”

The words hit harder than I expect, and I don’t even realize I’m holding my breath until it shakes in my chest. Wendy turns on her heel and storms out, the studio doors slamming behind her and the silence hangs, heavy and brittle.

Terry clears his throat awkwardly. “I think… that’s enough practice for the day.”

Lando brushes my arm as he heads out, giving me an apologetic look. I nod once, not trusting my voice.

Reign stays behind, exhaling slowly before he finally speaks. “Up for another field trip?”

I look at him and force a smile. “Sure. Why not?”

He holds my gaze for a beat longer, like he knows I’m faking it, but he nods and leads the way.

Chapter 23

Reign

Ikeep the car ride into town quiet on purpose, giving Angelique space to decompress from the shitshow that Wendy just caused at rehearsal, because I can tell she’s spiralling from everything that was said. When we reach town, I park on the side of the street and we get out, quietly making our way toward the river.

Angelique wraps her arms around herself as we walk, still quiet, and I can feel the tension rolling off her in waves. She stops near the edge of the water, eyes fixed on the swans, as I step up beside her, careful not to get too close.

“You know why we’re here, right?” I ask, keeping my voice low.

She glances at me briefly, then looks back at the water. “More swan watching?”

“Nope.” I shake my head. “Trust falls.”

She raises an eyebrow. “You’re joking.”

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