Dancing for the Lord The Academy - By Emily Goodman Page 0,48
Christmas, but we are two days later—and the way the weather’s looking, there’s too good a chance we’d get snowed in.”
“What, you don’t have understudies?” he teased.
“No.” And Danni’s voice took on the same flat quality Nick’s had possessed the day she’d asked that same question. “No, I don’t have an understudy. It—the girl who was supposed to dance it got hurt, and she apparently didn’t believe in understudies.”
Michael was silent for several seconds, trying to process that one. “Doesn’t…believe…in understudies,” he said slowly.
“Yeah.” Danni’s voice was grim. “She informed them, when they asked her if there was someone that she would prefer to have as her understudy, that she would ‘prefer’ not to have to worry about someone standing in the wings, eager to see her fail.”
“Well—“ Michael stopped. “I can’t blame her…but I don’t agree with her, either,” he said slowly.
“You have to know Katarina to know how it would have come out sounding, too,” she admitted. “She’s not the nicest person I’ve met since I came here.”
“Wait—is that the girl who was so determined to see you fail before? And now you’ve got her part?” Michael shook his head. “You’re getting in over your head, Dragonfly.”
“Her part and her partner,” Danni informed him. “Which is worse, because Nick is pretty much the best guy out here.”
“Oh, so it’s ‘Nick,’ now, is it?” Michael teased. Thankfully, he was still showing no signs of jealousy. Danni was relieved by that; she didn’t know what she would have done if Michael had decided to be jealous of her.
“Turns out, he pretty much hates Nicholas,” she informed him. “So it’s Nick…but the teachers insist on referring to him as Nicholas, so sometimes….” She shrugged, knowing that he would hear it in her voice even though he couldn’t see her.
“Well, I wish you the best,” he informed her.
“Why the sudden optimism?” she demanded suddenly. “I thought you were going to be grumbling about how I ought to be missing you more, or something.”
Michael laughed. “Honestly? I made it all day at school today without the brace. It’s the first time in weeks I’ve been able to do that, and I’m taking the opportunity to rejoice. Nothing is going to get me down today. And besides….” His voice turned teasing again. “The more status you get now, the better my chances when I finally get out there with you. I mean, you won’t leave me in the dirt completely, now will you?”
“Not a chance,” Danni informed him fervently. “You’re still my best friend, Michael. Always.”
“Good. You just make sure you don’t forget it, huh?” He sighed. “I would happily have stayed your partner forever, Danni—but I’m happy for you, too. You need to have these experiences out there—and it’s not like I’m dancing solo.”
“Good.” She meant it, too. “You weren’t designed for solo work. It’s a pas de deux for you.”
“And you, Dragonfly.” He smiled; she could hear it in his next words. “Sounds like you’re on the verge of falling asleep on the phone with me.”
“I am,” she admitted cheerfully. “It’s been a long few days. Remember, I’m cramming a lot of practice into two weeks.”
“You get to be a prima ballerina, and you’ll be doing that all the time,” he reminded her warmly.
“Yes, but I’m not a prima ballerina yet.” Although she was dancing the prime role, and she knew it. “Besides, I don’t want to mess this up.”
“You won’t,” Michael informed her warmly. “You can do this. For now, though, go to sleep—before I end up having to hang up on you. I always feel bad when I have to do that.”
“Once!” she protested. “You’ve done it once!”
“And once was more than enough.” He sobered. “Take care of yourself, Danni. I’ll see you soon, all right? And…I’ll be praying.”
She fell asleep with a smile on her face that night—and every night, all weekend. She was dancing the way she was meant to dance, and living out the dream. It didn’t get any better than this.
Chapter Nine
Thanksgiving was over and done before Danni even noticed its passage. If she thought about it at all, it was with a fond nod to the holiday, a brief reflection on her family and friends back home, and how they would be preparing for the day. Suddenly, the last week of rehearsals prior to the performance was on them, and Danni knew full well that if she didn’t push herself, and push hard, she was never going to be ready.