“Let’s take a five minute break?” Connor says, blessedly giving his dancers a moment to catch their breath after ten straight minutes of his cardio-intensive choreography.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5H97d4BGT
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt95nTWhHhJ
Eve pushes up the sleeves of her hoodie and then pulls them down again. She can feel the dampness of sweat under the collar of her shirt, pasting her hair to the back of her neck. A droplet trickles down the bridge of her nose and drips off the tip. Taking a deep breath, Eve accepts that she has to take off the hoodie or risk overheating.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2xJmzmuWn
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GxTNbvr5S
Taking it off, she leaves it against the wall beside her water bottle. Maybe no one will notice—727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLBxbrCNwN
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnSu63Y0wO
“What happened to your arm?” Connor asks, standing arms akimbo and looking at her in the mirror.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDon8Ac4Zzf
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRokjfTYJt
She tugs at the bandage self-consciously. “Oh. Nothing, really. I just needed a few stitches.”727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvKjtvqV2c
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ039qVc09AD
He turns around and looks at her directly now. She’s aware of how all eight of the other dancers are watching them.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPPgyuIIqF
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoX3HDJ0GSV
“Stitches?” he repeats, saying it like it’s a dirty word. “What happened between last night and now that you had to get stitches?”727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUFPw7awjK
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMyvfmLFr8V
This is exactly what Eve had been hoping to avoid—the reason she considered not coming to class today. She can’t skip, though, when they have a performance coming up so soon.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlFbG2yGkG
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQw68VrPD4r
“I…kinda got stabbed.” She scratches around the stitches, through the bandage.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFg9PXnTL2x
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKJICL3Ufx
“You…kinda…got…stabbed,” he says, taking a step toward her. “How does that happen?”727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVfulu0bEp
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xT9P0601X
Everyone is still staring. Eve feels the danger in him right now—a compressed spring, a snake ready to strike. She has to fight not to take a step back. She didn’t do anything wrong.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Ui2KMqcXq
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQHcHHzoKw
“Well, I leave food in the breakroom fridge at work sometimes,” she says, words coming out in a rush. “I don’t want it to spoil in the car. So I stop by work on the way after dance and on my way home.”727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhTXNLPmFH
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdg8TK4vlhz
Connor doesn’t say anything, so she keeps going.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIz9XolZ3wW
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡat3btlsUny
“I went there after leaving class last night.”727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMM4FEbdWkx
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfferf4Hdz
“At midnight,” he says now, as if he’s just making sure.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4e8x0jNOcN
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgzB2ebqr6
“At midnight,” she confirms. She can’t look him in the eyes, so she looks past him to the back of his head in the mirror. “I usually just pop in, grab my food, and pop out. But last night, this man showed up. He used to work there but was fired a few months ago.”727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelBHZUsjeK
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡil2oi34vlX
His expression doesn’t change. In fact, he doesn’t move in the slightest. A quick glance at the clock shows her their five minute break has long since passed.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBVNdiXYLE
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltEkZnROR2
“He was trying to get into the building,” Eve says. “He tried to make me let him in, but I wouldn’t. So…he got pissed off and stabbed me.”727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzq521lgxtU
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrFZadyLpA
Now his eyebrows shoot up.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopyWv8GfM2
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNncVqCpq6
She adds quickly, “It’s fine, though. I was lucky. He went for my stomach, but I managed to block him with my arm.”727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvouohdUe4Z
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUu58YEMAC
“Lucky,” he says, voice dripping with disbelief. “You were lucky you were only stabbed in the arm and not in the gut.”727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrohmqy0cF
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6VTP9Gpecq
Veins in his right temple turn into miniature mountain ranges.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOD2H4yGW7s
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wSYAv0hWU
“What about those times you made me come into the office with you because you were too scared to go into the building by yourself at night? Where was that fear last night?”727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2n2fiLUyq
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKY8uMsVJb
“I can’t rely on you all the time. You said so yourself,” she says.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPNyFCt5Nj
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Iir9JGfCm
“Connor, man,” another of the dancers says, stepping in. “At least she’s okay, right?727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ow5dXWhdI
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKmolQ4noC
“I can’t believe you’re so stupid!” Connor bursts, ignoring him. “You really don’t have any common sense! So when I say you shouldn’t rely on me all the time, it means you should go to deserted office buildings by yourself in the middle of the night?”727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFzaQY2suH
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMvVSCd0YP
Eve’s surprised by his vehemence. Actually…no, she isn’t. There’s a reason she tried to hide the bandage and considered not coming to class today.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBA5XsvtYSv
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8KDcoZslC
“You’re right,” she says quietly. “I was reckless.”727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmzT1lYp0J
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvT40U8bJf
All the steam seems to evaporate from Connor, then. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before turning back to the mirror. His eyes graze the clock. He claps his hands together once.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWTwwGadDn
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubu5JibStO
“Looks like our five minute break turned into a ten minute break. Let’s get back to work. Let’s go from the top—with counts first and then music. Ready? Five, six, seven, eight…”727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbojDkFmze
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOzUtHKJRO
Eve watches him in the mirror, following his choreography but also observing his expression. He’s settled back into the friendly, but strict dance instructor and choreographer, but she knows him well enough that she can see the concern in his eyes and feel it in the tension of his shoulders.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzIVbR5cb1
727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8ADwwuIDK
Thank you, Connor.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFOGWZFzYA
Penana
search
登入arrow_drop_down
註冊arrow_drop_down
