I knew Kina wouldn't keep her word. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. She was so full of shit. Last night, when she lied to my face about getting me out of ballet, she was probably smirking the whole time in the darkness. There had been no sincerity in her voice at all.

Since Kina lied to me, now, besides the fact that she was trying to kill me, she was also trying to break me mentally. It was all a game to her. A twisted game Mom had taught her.

I sat in the office chair and sulked. There was no way out of this, was there? It took me several minutes to force myself to undress, but I finally did. The moment I put on the one-piece, I pulled the fabric away from my collar bone, away from my skin. I felt suffocated, anxious, nauseous. I looked for the trash can beside Mrs. Denton's desk in case I needed it. How Mom had been acting, I bet she'd demand I dance in my vomit-covered leotard. Mom wasn't budging from getting her damn way.

I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself, still holding the one-piece away from my skin.

Someone knocked on the door. Then Mrs. Denton's voice said, "Loren?"

I sighed. "Come in."

She opened the door a crack and peeked her head in. "You ready? Class is going to start."

Standing up, I nodded. I put on a brave face, headed toward the door,, and followed Mrs. Denton to the dance floor.

The girls in my ballet class stared at me. The room was silent, so silent I'd be able to hear a pin dropping on top of cotton. When I stood in the front-left spot, my classmates' whispers reached me. My name came up a few times. I may have even heard Illuvy, one of the young dancers, call me a "drama queen." She was a bitch just like her sister Maria.

Trying to keep a brave face, I met Gregory's glance. His eyes were full of worry, but his lips gave a weak smile. It was his way of showing me that things would be okay. I peeked over at Hannah, who was typing on her phone. She couldn't even hide her boredom of being at the dance studio. I couldn't blame her. She probably had homework or had wanted to meet friends after school.

Between different arabesques, pointes, and pirouettes, my legs and arms ached. I had been out of practice for more than a week. I wanted to collapse, but showing weakness would only give my bitchy classmates something else to gossip about.

My gaze darted toward the window closed by blinds. Before my mind fully processed what had happened, I sprinted toward the door. Did someone get hit by a car? I stepped outside. The sun blinded me for a second, and my right leg went numb, so I fell down the concrete steps. My ankle hurt, but the pain didn't stop me. I stood. Lightning shot up my left leg. My right leg still felt numb. Clenching my teeth, I limped to the sidewalk.

Someone grabbed me from behind. I fell back into their arms, and we tumbled to the ground. I covered my mouth and cried and cried and cried. My body trembled.

Not again...

I smelled Mrs. Denton's perfume, and her warm breath touched my ear. "It's okay, Loren. The car stopped in time. It didn't collide into the other car. It's okay."

Then why did I see all that blood on the road? Why did I see someone's body lying on the road, face-down? The back of his bloody head was cracked and broken.

I stared at the boy in the road. He wore the same outfit as Franco the day he died. Slowly, the boy's face turned toward me. Even though his face was damaged--a broken nose, swollen cheeks, and a busted lip--I recognized Franco. He was crying. He was dying alone. I needed to get to him!

I tried to wiggle out of Mrs. Denton's embrace, but she wouldn't let me go. My throat hurt from crying. I couldn't speak. All I could do was cry.

Franco!

"How could you, Loren?" He gave me an icy stare.

"I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

"You're my perfect little dancer. How could you dance for someone else? You're already moving on from me. Did you ever love me?"

I winced from the pain in my heart. It hurt to hear him accuse me of that.

In Mrs. Denton's office, I slumped in a chair beside Mom. Mrs. Denton sat behind her desk. She talked in a calm, patient voice even though I figured she wanted to get back to her class. In the other room, Mr. Denton offered relaxation techniques to the other students. In less than a month, we would be performing Cinderella at the local opera house. Mrs. Denton didn't have time to worry about little ole me.

My gaze lowered to my lap. I had no energy left. At least I had a feeling in my right leg now. Mom and Mrs. Denton talked about me as if I wasn't even in the room. There was nothing I could do to stop it, either. Mom didn't even seem worried. She looked upset. She had the same icy stare on her face that Franco had for me outside, as if this was my ploy to get out of ballet.

Would she voice her suspicions in front of Mrs. Denton?

"You should take Loren to the hospital to get checked out. She fell down the steps," Mrs. Denton suggested.

"And how did that happen? Why was she outside when she should've been inside with the other girls?"

Mrs. Denton cleared her throat. "In the middle of class, we heard tires screeching from outside. The loud noise triggered...an episode from Loren. She ran outside. In her rush to help, she stumbled down the steps. By the time I reached her, she was already limping. She cried out in pain. All I could do was hug her. I believe her tears...were for her brother."

Mom sucked in a breath. Her glare burned into me. She squeezed my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Loren."

"Perhaps she can talk to the school counselor. I'll understand if she needs time off from ballet. I was looking forward to her being one of the evil stepsisters in Cinderella, but her health takes priority."

"Loren, can you give us a minute?" Mom asked. "I'll be right out."

I managed to stand and head for the door. I limped all the way. Before the door closed, Mrs. Denton said, "As you know, there's no refunds, but your balance can be a starting point for next year..."

In the back seat, Gregory held my hand that rested on my lap. I couldn't bring myself to look at him. I was too embarrassed. What he witnessed probably scared him. Heck, my outburst had scared myself. If only I had been able to escape when Franco needed my help...

Mrs. Denton thought I needed help. Was she concerned for me, or did she think I was psycho?

"I'm sorry," Hannah said. "It seems like everything goes wrong when I'm a baby sitter. I'm afraid I suck at it."

Mom said, "Nonsense. I'll take you and Gregory home first. I have to take Loren to the ER for a check-up to make sure her ankle is all right and to make sure she doesn't have another concussion."

"Can we go?" Gregory lifted slightly from his seat. "Please."

At the hospital, Hannah and Gregory made themselves comfortable in the waiting room as I took all of the necessary tests. Mom stood in the room with me to ask the doctor questions. No concussion. A sprained ankle, a bruised shoulder, but everything would heal on its own.

In Kina's room, I took my time crawling on top of her bed and spread out my arms and legs. I laid on my stomach, in my ballerina outfit, and cried, upset that Franco was mad at me for letting Gregory watch me dance.

The door opened and footsteps approached the bed. A dip in the bed let me know someone sat down beside me. Soft hands rubbed my back. Mom. Why wasn't she saying anything? She kissed me on the top of my head and laid her head on my back. Her tears wetted my one-piece.

She said, "I'm sorry for everything. I can't imagine what you felt when you heard tires screeching again. Don't worry, I won't make you go back to ballet if you don't want to. I understand now."