190"I just don't understand why they were so harsh. He had to kidnap me to get me to go on a date with him." I tried not to include Cole in the group. There were certain things you forgave your dance partner.
"We were just worried." We got up, done stretching. "You are the first girl he could ever be serious about and it scared us. Isaac in particular."
"Isaac?" It seemed to me that Isaac had other interests with regards to me. I shivered at the thought.
"Yes, Isaac. Far too many of Noah's girlfriends have ended up coming on to him. He wanted to be sure that you were not like that." Cole and I sat in the theater seats to put on our slippers.
"I don't want to be in a room with him ever again if I can help it," I shuddered.
"It's just – with all of Noah's other girlfriends," Cole searched for words, his shoes forgotten. I cut in.
"He is not my boyfriend." I pointed out. "I got kidnapped into one date."
"But you know he wants to be," Cole countered.
"He didn't even talk to me on the car ride home."
"Maybe he didn't want to make things worse?" Cole was trying so hard.
"You're a good friend," I told him.
"Yeah, well, he's a good friend to all of us. Which is why, we were so nasty last night. He could not have been serious with any of his other girlfriends." He laid a hand on mine. "His parents would never approve." He gave me a meaningful look.
What was he getting at? Why was I different than any other girl he had brought home? Asha's words inexplicably flitted across my mind, if you want me to stop bothering your friends either get your sister to start dating Jewish boys or you should look for a boy who isn't Semitic.
"It's because I am Jewish." I did not even realize I had said it out loud until Cole looked away from me and started busily tying his shoelaces.
"Not only that," Cole countered. "You are the first girl he has brought in that isn't a total ditz. His parents would not approve of that either." He sighed and looked up at me, "but you are the first Jewish boy he has brought home."
"Boy?" I asked, smiling. Cole turned beat red.
"I forget that not everyone likes boys." I slung an arm around his shoulder, my shoes on.
"I'm with you there." In the moment that my hands were occupied Cole grabbed my tote bag. I gave him a stern look, "I am walking up the hill tonight."
"It's too cold." He said, dancing out of my reach. "I can't have a sick dance partner." I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off. "I'll drive you, don't worry. I want both you and Noah alive when you cool down."
"Thanks."
"No problem."
They were white with purple streaks across the length of their petals. Their long stems were so bright; it was obvious that they were freshly cut. I wondered where he had found orchids in the middle of winter.
"Just friends?" Asha came in with a mutual friend, Ross. She turned to him, "Told you they were more than friends."
Ross looked over the flowers and me, "I think these are more of an apology than anything else. Right?"
"I think so," I responded. I looked up at Ross's blonde hair and green eyes, wondering how he could read situations so easily. Maybe it got easier with height. Ross had plenty of height at nearly six and a half feet.
"We came to wish you good luck tonight," Asha said, glibly changing subjects.
"You are going to be amazing. Point won't know what hit it." Ross eyed me carefully, "But you need to have some food before you go on stage. If I am not mistaken, you are already at least five pounds short of your normal weight."
I turned red at his insinuation. It was not a big deal if I had lost eight pounds over the past two weeks. Just a result of the more strenuous practice schedule I was keeping. "I am eating. And I will eat after the show. I'll throw up from nerves if I have anything now."
"Sorry, no can do," Asha put in. She fished around her bag for a moment then held out a paper bag to me. I opened it and peered inside. "Peanut butter and Jelly is good for the soul," Asha said sternly.
"Now, eat." Ross could be very intimidating when he so chose. I took a bite out of the sandwich.
"Okay, we are off so that you can get together in peace, but finish that sandwich." Asha breezed out of the room.
"Later, Kiddo," Ross shrugged and followed Asha.
I checked my bag one more time to make sure that everything I needed was still in there. I dropped the sandwich in, just in case I wanted it later. I was shouldering my bag to go when Noah stepped into my doorway.
"You want a ride?" I thought about the options, either I could walk in the cold, as I had planned, or I could sit quietly in the heated car with Noah for five minutes.
"No thank you." I moved passed him into the hallway and closed my door.
"Listen, I know you are still mad at me, but if I let you walk downhill, Cole will kill me," Noah had caught me by the arm to get my attention. I looked down at his hand and back up at him. He removed his hand.
"I am sure Cole will understand. I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to eat on the way down and I don't want your car to get dirty." It was a blatant lie, but I did not need this headache right now.
Then he did the one thing I should have realized he was going to do from the beginning. He reached down and stole my tote bag. "Now, let's go."
I considered walking down anyway, he would not screw over his dance troop because of me. He would give me back my tote bag when I got there. But, I decided that that was one step too far. I followed him to his car.
"I'm sorry for the way my friends acted. I should have stopped them, it was inappropriate."
"I don't want to think about it now. We have a performance tonight." I was already feeling nauseous. "I hate performances."
"I don't know why, you've been ready since Sunday."
"Liking performances requires liking people. I don't like people." Noah put the car in park and shut off the engine.
"Have it your own way then," he got out of the car and I scrambled to follow him.
We walked into the auditorium in silence, dancers had already started arriving and it wasn't a second before Lisa swooped in and corralled Noah into practicing their solo. I went backstage to change.
The outfits they wore were not that flattering for me, but neither were they terrible. True to her word, Lisa had them ready for Tuesday night's rehearsal. They matched the others and fit my measurements exactly. In truth, it was these costumes that I hated. They made me look twenty pounds heavier than my already rotund size.
"That costume looks big on you." Cole had found me and was inspecting me with critical eyes. "Did Lisa get the measurements wrong? I didn't notice on Tuesday."
I looked over myself in the mirror, "No, I'm sure it's fine." I moved to do my makeup.
Cole caught my arm, not letting me go that easily, "Because you seem lighter than you did two weeks ago when we first started the lifts."
"I don't know what you are talking about." I looked away from him.
"I think you do," Cole replied sternly, pulling me back in front of the mirror. "And we are going out for a nice meal after this performance. My treat."
I smiled at that, "If I can keep anything down, I can pay for dinner."
"Yes, but I lucked out with dance partners. It would be rude of me not to acknowledge it by treating you to a good meal." I rolled my eyes at him and twisted away to do my makeup.
"I'll be ready to stretch in five minutes," I told him. He sat down to wait.
"Hey what's this." I turned to glance at him and found him holding the sandwich from my bag. I cringed.
"My friends thought I needed to eat before performing. I told them that my stomach was not up to it. But did they believe me? So I brought it for later." I continued lining my eyes with kohl.
"As soon as you are done you are eating this." I rolled my eyes and finished applying my makeup.
"Let's stretch," I turned to him smiling. But he was holding out the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Cole, if you don't want me to throw up all over the stage, get that away from me. I will eat later. I promise."
He considered his options. He knew what a dancers nerves could be like. "Okay. But I get to order for you." I stuck my tongue out at him.
"You were great!" Asha bounded into my dressing room with roses. Ross followed behind. "I knew you would be, but that was amazing."
"She fell asleep," Ross said dryly. "For a half hour. She was out like a light. I had to wake her because she was snoring."
"Ross!" Asha stamped her foot. "I told you not to tell her that."
"Heh, she knows you don't like ballet that much. She's okay with it."
In fact, I was having trouble not cracking up at it. The two of them . . . well, let's just say, few people could make me laugh that hard. "Thanks for the flowers, I'll have a the most colorful room on campus this February."
"Yeah. Are you going out to an after party, or do ballet dancers not do that?" I smiled at her implication. Asha was not letting go of her idea that people who danced ballet had their noses about ten feet off the ground.
"I don't actually know. Cole is taking me out for dinner." Asha looked worried at that.
"So, we aren't the only ones who noticed that your costume was too big for you," Ross stated accurately, his green eyes meeting mine. I ducked my head. "Don't worry, Asha, I think I saw his boyfriend bring him flowers already. Cole is not trying to seduce her." I could see Asha breathe a sigh of relief.
"We'll see you tomorrow, then?"
"Yeah," I smiled as my friends left, taking the flowers. I knew Asha would cut them and put them in a vase until I got a chance to. She just thought ahead that way.
"You ready to go?" Cole leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed.
"Only if you let me keep my bag," I countered.
"You'll want to put it in the trunk anyway, you won't want where we are going."
"Where are we going," I asked, following him out of the room.
"You'll see." Cole's smirk was not boding well for me at all.
"Is Peter coming?" Peter had seemed pretty cool the other night at the house, even if he was part of that group of boys.
"He'll meet us there." Cole smiled down at me confidently. I glowered back at him. It seemed that everyone except me got to know what was going on. I hated people. Hated, hated, hated people.
"Did you have fun performing tonight?" Cole's question confused me a little.
"I was dancing, wasn't I? How could it not be fun?" Of course, there was the audience to contend with. But really, once I was out on the stage, it did not matter that there were people watching. I was just dancing.
"Yeah," His dark features lit into a huge smile. "I should have known you would feel that way."
"Why?"
"You'll see."
Cole drove a new car, a black hybrid SUV, and I rolled my eyes at the contradiction, as I stowed my bag in the back.
"What?" He asked, indignant.
"Nothing," I scoffed. "Just admiring how much your car suits you."
"Really?" He smiled, "Thanks, Ro."
I shook my head in disbelief and checked my pockets. I had my keys, my wallet and my cell phone. Nobody was trapping me tonight.
"So, where are we going, again?" I figured asking one more time couldn't hurt.
"Ro," his voice held a warning as he ran my name through a taffy pull. "You'll find out when we get there."
"Hmph," I crossed my arms and shook my head, seriously annoyed.
It wasn't until he stopped the car that I realized why Cole had not told me where we were going.
"No," I said, looking meaningfully at Cole. "I am not going in there."
"Comon, Ro, it'll be fun. Noah is hosting a party for Point, and he couldn't exactly do it in your dorm. Just come and see. They'll behave, I promise."
"I think I'll walk back to campus now," I opened the car door.
Or, tried to.
"Cole," I practically growled the word.
"Child locks," he said simply. I leaned back on the head rest in frustration. They never quit, did they? "You are coming into the house if I have to carry you. Something we are both well aware I can do. So, are you coming, or do I have to carry you."
"I'll come," I grumbled. But when he came around to my side of the car I tried to make a run for it. Cole's hand fast caught my own and he quickly used it as leverage to sling me over his shoulder.
"Nice try," he said sarcastically. He set me down before the front door, but trapped me there with his massive body. I stuck my tongue out at him as he rang the doorbell.
"Thanks for bringing her," Noah answered the door.
"Some people start with hello," having nowhere else to go, I breezed past him into the house. But, before I got more than a few steps Jason blocked my path.
"Excuse me," I told him, none too kindly. I had been forced into this, therefore, I did not have to play nicely with anyone.
"You're excused," he said, with no move to get out of my way. I folded my arms, waiting. "Oh, you want me to move? Sorry, can't."
"Of course you can, you just lift up your feet, and step, out of my way." I was patronizing him. I knew I was patronizing him. I even knew better than to do that. He was a smart, put together, viciously sarcastic, and, on the whole, rather dangerous, person. Patronizing him had to be the worst idea I ever had.
And yet, I couldn't help myself.
"You are confusing the physical ability to move, with the social ability to move, and let me tell you, Miss . . . what is your last name?"
"Carlson."
"Not very Jewish," he stuffed his hands in his pockets. Immediately, my hand went to my neck, where I wore a silver nameplate of my first name in Hebrew. But, I had forgotten to put it on after the performance. I fished it out of my pocket.
"It was changed when my family came to the States. It was Korason. It's Sephardic." I put the necklace on, fingering it for comfort.
"No need to get defensive, Miss Carlson, I'm not questioning your religion." He leaned against the wall, but still managed to block the hallway so I could not get by him, "Anyone who goes to services nearly every week can be whatever religion they feel like if you ask me."
"What?" Why did he know when I went to shul? I felt the need to throw up. Screw rudeness. I pushed past him.
"That was impressive." He said as he followed me. "I've never met someone who could put up with that for so long. Come, I have specific instructions and I don't fancy angering Cole. Him I could take, but Peter would kill me."
"What are you talking about?" I was weaving in and out of people, trying to loose him in the crowd, but he was so close, he was practically whispering in my ear. Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and started toeing me up the nearest staircase. I tried to wrest myself free, but he held on tight.
When he reached the top of the stairs, Jason stopped turned back to look at me. "You don't even make a scene when someone is dragging you off." I tugged at my hand, trying to retrieve it, but he just smirked. "I told you, Cole gave me orders." He opened a door to his left and pulled me into a room.
"I don't know what you are – oh." A folding table was set up in the room and on it, was a full cooked dinner.
"It's salmon, because Noah didn't think you ate meat, and pasta, because Cole thought you needed to eat more carbs."
"You cooked this?" I was shocked. I didn't know that Jason could cook.
"Yes. I hate ballet, can't stay awake for more than three minutes of it. That is saying something too, because I love to see beautiful girls dance. At any rate, I was left with kitchen duty." He held out a chair for me. I rolled my eyes, but took it. "I also wanted to apologize for last week. It was made clear to me that I behaved inappropriately."
"No need . . . thank you." I looked up at him in wonder, a hand finding it's way to my necklace. I had misinterpreted him, it seemed, because this was truly a nice thing to do. "Thank you," I repeated.
"Yeah, well, make sure to give our boy a chance," he ran a hand, almost nervously, through his mop of brown hair.
"Only if he promises not to do anything creepy," I replied.
"No promises on that," he replied, sitting down across from me.
"What about the fact that I am not going to be a politician?" I poured myself some of the wine he had set on the table. I was tickled that it was White Zinfandel, a wine that was more sugar sweet than anything else, but I kept that to myself.
"About that," he had suddenly gone back to his half teasing press secretary front. Then he dropped it, as if air had just been let out of a balloon. "You are the first girl he has ever brought home that has more than a pea for a brain. We couldn't even be sure that you weren't trying to use him for your own gain. Noah set us straight there, but his politics won't go away, you know that right?"
"I thought that he might make a decent friend, even after . . . well, anyway, I was not looking for a date or a boyfriend, or anything like that."
"I don't think I am the person you want to have this conversation with."
"Yeah," I sighed. "You're right." Then a thought occurred to me, "Isn't this odd for the middle of an after party?"
"Heh," that was not Jason. I turned and looked up to see Isaac at the door. "Ballerinas take forever to get ready. The party doesn't start for another half hour."
"Ah," Jason cut in. "I believe that is my cue to cut out. I'll talk to you later, Ruth." He stood up to leave.
"Bye," I said, faintly. My throat had started to close when I realized that Isaac was in the room. I closed my eyes for a moment in an attempt to steady myself, but when I opened them again, I just felt closer to anaphylactic shock.
"Are you alright?" Isaac's question was laced with a double meaning I could not grasp, but it caught Jason's attention.
Funny how I was hoping Jason might help me here.
"Isaac," Jason's voice held a stern warning. I watched as Isaac seemed to debate his options. Finally, he sighed, and nodded.
"I know, I know, I'll play nice."
"See that you don't make things worse, anyway." Jason half saluted me and left, closing the door behind him.
"Um, well," I started, hoping to get out of the room just as easily as Jason had.
"You can't leave," Isaac said flatly, his voice for once holding none of its innuendos. "Jason is locking us in here until it is time for the party." He held up his hands at my glare, "Not my idea, believe me, but you are known for your propensity to run off." He tapped a finger on the table, "And if nothing else comes of our charming half hour together, at least you will eat your supper."
Did everyone know about that? I was going to kill Noah. Or Cole. Whichever one I got my hands on first.
"So, eat up." He slid into the chair opposite me, taking food for himself. I shrugged, and followed his example, not sure what else to do.
We ate in an uncomfortable silence for nearly ten minutes. I think the silence held so long because while it was uncomfortable, I refused to break it, and Isaac just kept waiting for me to.
"Okay," he said finally. "Never fight with you over stubbornness. You'll always win."
I snorted at that. It started off as out of laughter, but I tried to make it sound as derisive as possible. I looked up from my plate and studied Isaac's form. I did not know why his dark, intense, form incited such fear and rage in me, but it did.
"I have nothing to say to you," I told him.
"I suspect you have many things to say, which you chose not to, because you are too polite," Isaac countered. I opened my mouth to shoot that down, and closed it again. He was right.
"Too accurate for your taste?" I fought down the urge to stick out my tongue at that.
"Listen, we only have twenty more minutes of each other's company to endure. Let's make it as painless as possible and do so in silence, thank you." I went back to my food.
"Sorry. No dice. If you don't talk, you can miss the party for all I care." What was this with me, strange men, and stranger rules?
"Okay, what do you want me to say?"
"That you forgive me for being an ass the other night."
"I'm not having this conversation now." Breaking down the door seemed like a good option.
"Then when, Pretty One?" Isaac leaned across the table and took my hand. "You've got my full attention right now."
"I'm going." I wrenched my hand from his grasp and bounded across the room.
"Ruth –"
The door handle gave under my hand and I shot my antagonist a look as I opened the door and left the room, somewhat haughtily. It took me a moment to consider my options. I felt in my pocket for my cell phone, my security blanket, and made a decision.
I walked down the hall, away from the stairs as Asha's phone rang.
"Hey, Sssweety, how're the ballerinass?" She sounded like a snake.
"Not too good, I need a lift out of here," I told her, desperate.
"Can't, honey, I'm at a party."
"I can tell," I responded dryly. "How many drinks have you had already? I saw you less than an hour ago."
"It'ss a good party. I can't drive. Call Rosss."
"Thanks, Asha." I closed my phone with a definite snap, annoyed. Ross did not have a car. Although, he would walk back with me, something I was not looking forward to doing by myself. I dialed his number, leaning against a door. I played with the wood of the doorframe as it kept ringing.
"Hello, this is Ross, leave a –" I closed the phone.
"Damn it Ross Elerst," I muttered, and tried him again.
Suddenly, the whole world came out from under me and I ended up square on my rear, completely confused. "Ow," I muttered, rubbing my bruised tail bone.
"Where's Ross," a voice said somewhere above my head. "He knows he isn't welcome here.
"Hello? Hello, Ro? Is everything alright?" He had answered the phone.
"Ross," I said with relief into my lifeline. "Everything's fine, but I need to get out of here. Do you know where Noah's friends live?"
"Yeah . . ."
"Can you come get me? I don't fancy walking back by myself." Suddenly the phone was wrenched from my grasp.
"She's fine. Everything is fine. Don't you dare come here." I struggled to look up at who was talking, but I could not manage it.
"Yes, it's me, you asshole. I'll make sure she gets home alright. But if you come here . . ." I started to get up, but he laid a hand on my shoulder keeping me in place.
"I told you she is fine. Now, just don't call her, and don't come here, and everything will be fine." He was definitely stronger than I expected. But I managed to get a good look at him, it was Keith. He was hanging up the phone.
"I'll take that back, now." I said referring to my cell phone. I wanted to call Ross back.
"You are a piece of work, you know that?" Keith completely ignored my request, but let me stand up. "You had to be friends with Ross Elerst." He shook his head. "Isaac is going to flip."
"What's wrong with Ross?" He was one of the best people I knew.
"Nothing. Nothing." Keith said absently. "Aren't you and Isaac supposed to be making nice right now?" Keith looked like he was not happy that I was not running on schedule.
"She left. Apparently, I offended her." Isaac had emerged from the room where we had been eating dinner. "And no, I am not surprised that she is friends with Elerst. He is right up her alley."
"Well, fix things." He retreated down the stairs. I followed him, ducking out of Isaac's way.
"Is there something I can help you with?" Keith asked when we reached the bottom of the stairs.
"You still have my cell phone."
"Oh, yeah." He handed it back to me, rather grudgingly. I made my way for the exit. "Where are you going?" He called. Isaac sat down on the steps next to him.
I ignored him. He could order everyone else around, but he was not in charge of me.
"Why do you even bother? For attention? We aren't going to let you just walk out because you want to, you know that? Don't you have any consideration for other people?"
"This is stupid," was my pathetic reply, but he had really managed to get me angry.
"What is?" I turned at the woman's voice. A tall blonde was folding her coat over her arm and walking into the room. Lisa. "Surely not our little party? Cole promised he would not tell you anything about it." She drew her bottom lip lower.
"He hasn't," I said, trying to find myself. "There is a party?" I tried to sound curious, but really I just wanted to go home.
"Oh, yes. We always have a party when we get a new Point member. And you looked so good tonight. Didn't she, Keith?" She crossed in front of me to give Keith a quick kiss. "Didn't she?"
"Yes," he said faintly, his attention clearly on the gorgeous woman in front of him. "But nothing like you."
Isaac made a gagging noise.
"No, of course not. She has darker hair," Lisa brushed off the compliment. She turned back to me, "You really did look great. And you danced well too."
"Well?" Cole came in from the other direction, presumably the kitchen. "She is the best partner I ever had."
"I am sure Jennifer is very good," I demurred.
"I'm not," Isaac interjected, just to be contrary I was sure.
"Was," Lisa countered. "They discovered why it was taking so long to heal her ankle. There is a hairline fracture in her ankle, I forget which bone. Jenny is done dancing."
I winced, eventually, we would all have to stop dancing, but I could not imagine doing so now. "I'm sorry," I practically whispered.
"I'm not," Lisa said happily, taking my hands, "Because now we get to keep you, without being uneven. Cole will be happy."
"Lisa!" Cole sounded shocked. Then he smiled, "But it will be good to keep you." He told me earnestly.
"Thank you." I forced a smile onto my face, but it did not reach my eyes. Trying not to let Cole see that I was upset, or Isaac that I was weak, I met Keith's gaze. To my surprise Keith was looking at me, appraising. I looked away, I had no desire to be judged right then. "But I don't know if I will have time for Point this term and I would not want to short change your troope."
I did not know why I said that, but their request that I lose twenty five pounds before the spring concert occurred to me.
"Don't worry about the time," Cole interjected. "You learned our whole routine in two weeks." Lisa also voiced her assent.
"How many dances is your routine?" Isaac's question was loaded, but Lisa failed to notice that.
"Around ten, depending on the show," She said happily, snaking an arm around Keith's waist. Isaac shot me a meaningful glance – which I totally missed the meaning of. He shook his head at my lack of comprehension. And seemed to decide on a new tactic.
"So, have you noticed how much weight Ruth has lost over the last two weeks?"
"Yes, doesn't she look wonderful?" Lisa was oblivious to the fact that I was going to kill Isaac, with my bare hands.
Noah walked in from the kitchen.
"If you guys could just help me, everything is almost ready for the party."
A/N: Okay, so I am not really happy with this chapter, so feel free to give me advice on how to fix it. Also, I am working on the next chapter, it just seemed like this was the right place for a brake. Thank you to the people who reviewed. I am not really sure if you wanted individual responses, as I really don't know what I am doing, but if you did, I can rectify that. Again, thanks for reading. jlr