Cruel Kisses (It's Just High School #2) - Thandiwe Mpofu Page 0,94
a lie and you know it,” he mutters. “Oh, and heads up, I’m probably going to fuck Rye or Jaz or both.”
I swat his arm, shaking my head.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“I’m honest, Cupcake,” he smirks.
Yeah, that he was, when he wanted to be. A comfortable, soothing silence falls over the room and we just stand there for a while.
“I wish you could promise not to hurt me.”
“Me or my brother?”
“Both of you,” I whisper. “And Cole.”
“Ah, Cole would never lie to you, for some reason you bring the honesty out of him.”
Hmm, Cole was sweet. “What about the Fitz brothers?”
He’s silent after that, giving me my answer. I guess I shouldn’t be disappointed. He isn’t feeding me fairytales and lies. I respect that.
“I’m so sorry, Cupcake,” Liam whispers. “I know she meant the world to you and I know your world makes no sense anymore, I can relate.”
“You can relate?”
“Fuck, Mia, you’ve met Courtney. You’ve seen what she’s made of.”
The anger in his voice is too raw to ignore. I turn around and look u into his stormy eyes.
“What happened?” I question, my heart now in my fucking throat.
“The sky fucking fell, Mia,” he growls. “That’s what happened.”
It’s the look in his eyes, the same one that I saw in Julian’s that makes me pause. How fucked up can kids be? Is this just high school anymore?
21
“I’m sorry love, what did you say your name was again?” the lady with the big hair and super red lips questions, her French accent thick as she looks down at her iPad, scrolling for my name.
“Mia,” I mutter, breathing hard and fast, I just danced my heart out, with my eyes closed, allowing myself to dance from my soul as the notes from the song crooned in the room.
I bled my heart out, like Liam told me to before he kissed me good luck and I even talked to Cole on the phone who told me not to fucking break my leg. Exactly in those words.
In the large room, with mirrors covering every wall, I swear I could feel Nancy’s ghost, like she was there with me. And now, I have ten pairs of eyes staring at me, all of them with varied looks of awe on their faces.
“You really are Nancy’s daughter, aren’t you?” the older lady questions. When I came in the first time, she looked at me funny when I told them my full name, like I was making it up or something.
“Yes.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss, love,” she says, her eyes welling with tears. I guess she was really moved by Nancy. “Your technique, it’s…”
“So exquisite,” another judge says, his eyebrows joined together like a single line. Well then. “You danced with your broken heart, like your entire body felt it.”
I look down at my ballet flats, my heart starting to race as tears well in my eyes at their words.
“Honestly, you’re one of the best dancers we’ve ever had here,” the older lady says, looking at me like she’s about to say something I’m not going to like. “Unfortunately, we can’t take you.”
“What?” the other judges mutter, looking outraged.
Then the older lady whispers something to them that sounds a lot like “From the Bs” in French. I watch as their eyes widen, as if whoever they just spoke of is never mentioned within these walls. I just stand there, not at all surprised.
I guess this is what I deserve, I mean, I did kill her. Why would she allow me to dance on her turf? I doubt she even wants me to dance at all, maybe because I’m a liar, tainting her legacy.
You don’t belong here. No one loves you.
The voice is back, hauntingly close to me as if whoever is speaking is right behind me.
So, as the judges argue among themselves, I take several steps back until I reach the door and then leave, running down the hall to the bathroom where Liam finds me.
I guess he saw me racing out of the audition room, tears streaming down my face.
“What happened?” he demands, his jaw locked, face clouding with anger. “What did they do? Did they reject you?”
All I can do is nod, my chest hurting so bad, I think I’m going to pass out.
“Fuck this, what did they say? I’ll sort this out! They have another thing coming if they think they can just reject you! No one rejects my Cupcake. Ever!”