“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.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtcer1Xv0d
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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.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIq0lPdzymY
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Taking it off, she leaves it against the wall beside her water bottle. Maybe no one will notice—722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf77EQaCa95
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLjd74OUyY
“What happened to your arm?” Connor asks, standing arms akimbo and looking at her in the mirror.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCERfPWHXLV
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She tugs at the bandage self-consciously. “Oh. Nothing, really. I just needed a few stitches.”722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8A0qn3TTnW
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He turns around and looks at her directly now. She’s aware of how all eight of the other dancers are watching them.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQC39iA91d
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“Stitches?” he repeats, saying it like it’s a dirty word. “What happened between last night and now that you had to get stitches?”722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkw9irZDRFO
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARCJikDeWT
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.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBL9pUkTimM
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBr7cebQCdK
“I…kinda got stabbed.” She scratches around the stitches, through the bandage.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpZVE1vZB8
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yIiGhwSDs
“You…kinda…got…stabbed,” he says, taking a step toward her. “How does that happen?”722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXrGaE6rmK
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tVPszkoVt
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.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8C6uuYGUAW
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“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.”722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtwrcvjhs1
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡponnheLLWA
Connor doesn’t say anything, so she keeps going.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXkxH3l3W8
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4XEwRm89H
“I went there after leaving class last night.”722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmu8B4YOP1
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRE0uBLOAkL
“At midnight,” he says now, as if he’s just making sure.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuX1xZnpVb
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SYjHmodge
“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.”722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajV3VroQsD
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ42fGJ7sJD
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.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOGL54XAKm
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWQueSl9dd
“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.”722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0z6pyD1sB
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Now his eyebrows shoot up.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iOdCJA8Zx
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She adds quickly, “It’s fine, though. I was lucky. He went for my stomach, but I managed to block him with my arm.”722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTn9CI7qj5J
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiUhBwRoy6
“Lucky,” he says, voice dripping with disbelief. “You were lucky you were only stabbed in the arm and not in the gut.”722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENwxMb106S
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Veins in his right temple turn into miniature mountain ranges.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnWBVUE01r
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“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?”722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivqORjcvG6
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBK93BJC9yg
“I can’t rely on you all the time. You said so yourself,” she says.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUk12HAdE7
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfc13HwdbQn
“Connor, man,” another of the dancers says, stepping in. “At least she’s okay, right?722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2cgGuHGYN
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFretVL05L
“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?”722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7SJTiiU7o
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgPVPOeELG
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.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxSrdGquMO
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MeL723EbO
“You’re right,” she says quietly. “I was reckless.”722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDR8TmRvNB
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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.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEc5G2128f
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“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…”722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iRvCxpAjN
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpzkM0tqsd
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.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMK3FwDOZS
722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmACxOTDAe
Thank you, Connor.722Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirJPUNl5jn
Penana
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