Breaking Pointe

Chapter Six

Ballet practice was harder than usual. Tina worked all of the girls hard, but seemed to pick on Jordan and Arabella the most. Yes, apparently that was possible. Tina pulled the two girls aside afterward. 

“You girls know that auditions for the Nutcracker are coming up, right?” she asked. Of course Arabella knew! It was what she had been working toward since she was six! Jordan had a similar expression. “Yes, of course you do. The auditions are in one month. You better bring it. Not only is this the biggest event of the year for the studio, it is important for recruiting.” Arabella nodded, that was how she got involved. Tina continued, “Representatives from Julliard and Eastman have already RSVP’d. You two are the most talented and distinguished ballerinas here and I am certain one of you will get the lead. The other will be the understudy. There is a lot at stake here so push yourselves and each other. I expect perfection. Dismissed.” she left leaving Arabella and Jordan standing there stunned.

Jordan was the first to recover. ”I’ve got this in the bag. You know she always picks the skinnier ballerina. She expects perfection.”

Arabella rolled her eyes and walked away but the jab hit where it was supposed to. She sat down in the bathroom for a minute, put her head between her knees, and took a deep breaths to calm herself down. Then she changed back into her clothes from school and headed out. A big pickup truck was sitting outside and a tall boy was leaning against the side of it. He looked like a damn Levi Denim model.

“Shit!” she exclaimed and then covered her mouth. People were always surprised to learn about her dirty mouth when they got to know her because she never swore around new people. “I completely forgot!” she yelled and ran to him.

“That’s alright” he said with a warm smile and kind eyes. “Let me help you up.” He opened the door and helped her in. They drove in comfortable silence and listened to the radio. He switched between classical and country music. He hummed along again, making her smile.

“I was wondering, why is there a classical station on your presets?”

“I’m like an onion, I have many layers” he quoted from Shrek. She laughed and accepted that. For now.

“So am I donkey in this situation?” she asked and he answered with a chuckle.

He pulled up at a Starbucks, parked at a meter, put some quarters in, and walked around to open her door. Getting out was much easier, so he just held her hand to help with her balance. She really didn’t need any balance help, but it made her feel like a princess so she let him.

Once inside, they waited in line quietly, but kept catching the other looking at them and smiling. When they got to the front he ordered a grande black coffee. He put his hand on her back and leaned in. “What do you want darlin’” he said into her ear. His closeness surprised her, but what surprised her even more was that she didn’t mind. She wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

“Green tea” she answered. Green tea was good for weight loss. The java chip had too much sugar in it, although it looked delectable. Just like the boy next to her. She silently scolded herself for that thought. It had just kind of popped up.

“Can I get a name for that?” the beautiful girl working asked him flirtatiously. Apparently Arabella wasn’t the only one that found him delectable. It didn’t make sense, but she felt a pang of jealousy. They weren’t even dating! This definitely wasn’t a date. Was it? She never actually agreed to a date, right? They were never going to be together because of her rule so why shouldn’t he talk to other girls?

As she was thinking this she looked over at him. He didn’t even seem to notice the pretty worker. He took some money out of his wallet and handed it to her.

“Tyler” he answered and Arabella straightened up. He didn’t look at her because he was acting nonchalant but his small smile told her that he knew exactly what he had just done. She would even guess that he had planned it. 

“So you’ll tell her your name but not me.” she said defensively with the perfect mix of sadness and sass.

He opened his mouth to explain himself with a worried expression, but she just laughed and pushed him over to the other line. “Kidding!” she said and he laughed because he knew she had successfully messed with him.

“How did I never guess that?” Arabella smacked her forehead.

“I don’t know, but it sure was funny watching you try.”

“Order for Tyler!” said the worker as she set out their two cups.

“That’s him!” Arabella exclaimed pointing to Tyler. “I know his name.” she said seriously and the worker looked at her like she was crazy. It got a laugh out of him, though. His laugh was absolutely contagious.

They sat down at a cozy table in the corner. Her green tea was delicious. It was the most flavor she had experienced in probably a week. When she sat down (after he had puller her chair out for her) their feet accidentally touched under the table. She jumped and then laughed nervously while she blushed. No footise allowed!

“So, Tyler, how are you today?” she asked trying to start the conversation. He froze and then just stared at her, looking straight into her eyes. “Hello?” she prodded.

“You just said my name.” he stated. She was about to make a sarcastic remark but something in his face stopped her. “That was the first time you said my name” he said, absolutely smoldering. His voice was a little husky and extremely sexy. She drew in a deep breath but kept eye contact. She felt her cheeks getting hot, but she just couldn’t look away.

 “Say it again.” he said, leaning in closer. When he did his knee brushed hers and butterflies swarmed her stomach. He didn’t move it away.

“Tyler” she breathed. She meant to say it normally, but her voice didn’t work right. It came out like a breath. The air between them was so intense, it felt like nobody else was in the room. She watched his lips as he breathed in and then out. They sat like that for a few moments, her heart beating out of her chest.

Arabella was the first to look away, straight to her lap of course. When she did it seemed to break the spell. He leaned back in his chair and she took a sip of her tea to try to return to a normal state. Time for a subject change.

“So tell me about your family” she said and his eyes lit up. He talked animatedly about his big family. It was obvious they were all very close. She relaxed and just enjoyed his company. He was smart, polite, and easy to talk to. The conversation was natural and enjoyable.

“It’s 9:30!” she exclaimed when she finally looked at her phone. Had they really been talking that long?

He laughed in his easy way that made her smile. It was an automatic reaction. “I’ll take you home.”

A/N: hey guys:) How about that tension?;) ow OW! Dedication to Stephanie Elaine93 because she guessed Tyler! Honorable mention to FaithfulRebellion for guessing and because I love her book. So now you know his name, what do you think? I think it suits him:) Why do you think he has a classical preset? Isn't Jordan annoying? Tell me what you think! Vote/comment PLEASE:)

lots of love

Hannah Rose<3