Blue (The Spectrum Series: #3)

Chapter Nine

After class, before I can walk into the locker room to change, Ms. Rhodes calls me over to her. "Ms. Lockheart?" I turn around to find her walking over to me. She's not my childhood dancer, Ms. Garfield, but she is beautiful for her age. Dark crimson hair up in a loose ponytail, tall body slim and adoring a black leotard.

"Yes, Ms. Rhodes?" I answer, trying not to sound like I'm preparing for her to throw a tomato at my face and tell me how much my dancing sucks. Flashes of those girls bawling away their makeup makes me swallow, hard.

"Don't look so scared, I'm not going to yell at you or anything." She laughs and I flush, biting my lip, unable to wave away the nerves biting my bruised feet. I feel incredibly self-conscious as her icy-blue eyes rake my face.

"Can I ask what you are going to do?" I ask, my voice uncontrollably small.

The corners of her red lips shoot up to one side. "You are doing fairly well, far better than your pears, so far..." Is this supposed to be a threat? Before I can not ask her if it is, she adds, "Keep it up. You're on my radar for a part in the Snowflake showcase." And my heart skips out of my chest and lands on my jaw on the floor.

The Snowflake performance is an annual showcase the school holds, and all the well-performed artists from each program has the chance to be on the grand stage. The whole class performs as well, but everyone really anticipates for the star pupils of the class. Hearing that I may be one of the very few to be under the proud spotlight at thee Snowflake showcase makes it hard to believe, and hard to breathe.

I leave the studio and remain stunned throughout my other classes, even as I ride up the elevator to my dorm. But as I step off and see the amount of people setting up a folding table in the lounge, my shock is replaced by confusion. I watch a guy set down a water-cooler, and my confusion turns into bewilderment. I may not have any experience with parties in real-life, but I have watched enough teen movies to know this is a setup for a party. I'm thrown back in the puzzled headspace on my way to my room. This is Juilliard, a school that prides itself on professionalism and strict rules... how are the people here allowed to throw a party in the long?

I step inside my room and find Evie, of all people, Finn, and Riley on her bed. Finn's face is scrunched up behind the white-light of his laptop, tapping furiously hard. Laying down, Evie stares up at her phone, popping a gum loudly, while Riley plays with her hair as she recites a part I've heard maybe a million times this week.

"Sup, Lily. Why does your face look like that?" Riley asks.

I gesture my thumb behind me. "Who's throwing the party? I wasn't even aware we could have one in the dorm." I walk over to my bed and toe off my shoes while waving to get Finn's attention; he returns my wave with a big smile. Evie just pops her gum. Heaving a tired sigh, I sit on the edge of my bed.

"We can as long as the cops are called, and it's the whole wing," Riley answers and smiles excitedly. "I can't wait! There's supposed to be some E there, and I haven't had that since like, last summer."

"E?" I pull my hair down from its tight ponytail and sigh at the wave of relief spreading through my loose hair. I neatly tie the ribbon and put it away in its container. I rake my fingers through it and listen to Riley, trying not to fall into a pleasured coma.

"Um... ecstasy... duh," Evie sasses, looking at me incredulously. As if I should know every code word for every drug known to man. I didn't even know Riley did drugs, she doesn't seem like the type. Though, nowadays, no one looks like the type in order to blend in.

"You do drugs, Riley?" I try not to sound judgmental, but drugs only fudge your brain, which is quite an asset since acting requires learning lines and directions.