“Let’s take a five minute break?” Connor says, blessedly giving his dancers a moment to catch their breath after ten straight minutes of his cardio-intensive choreography.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEtVsOp2Un
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Eve pushes up the sleeves of her hoodie and then pulls them down again. She can feel the dampness of sweat under the collar of her shirt, pasting her hair to the back of her neck. A droplet trickles down the bridge of her nose and drips off the tip. Taking a deep breath, Eve accepts that she has to take off the hoodie or risk overheating.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHvWYAfwYk
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Taking it off, she leaves it against the wall beside her water bottle. Maybe no one will notice—672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdRdJ5THC9
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“What happened to your arm?” Connor asks, standing arms akimbo and looking at her in the mirror.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDVHGzvG01
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She tugs at the bandage self-consciously. “Oh. Nothing, really. I just needed a few stitches.”672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqH7cX8oJDI
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He turns around and looks at her directly now. She’s aware of how all eight of the other dancers are watching them.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZEvEDsv8i
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“Stitches?” he repeats, saying it like it’s a dirty word. “What happened between last night and now that you had to get stitches?”672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhYX2IGGBx
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This is exactly what Eve had been hoping to avoid—the reason she considered not coming to class today. She can’t skip, though, when they have a performance coming up so soon.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEoDfJ0q3x
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“I…kinda got stabbed.” She scratches around the stitches, through the bandage.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANdY4rhOfC
672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3er1NOIIz
“You…kinda…got…stabbed,” he says, taking a step toward her. “How does that happen?”672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNsluPULRB
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Everyone is still staring. Eve feels the danger in him right now—a compressed spring, a snake ready to strike. She has to fight not to take a step back. She didn’t do anything wrong.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFk7JuDeW0
672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57VcT0P7Bl
“Well, I leave food in the breakroom fridge at work sometimes,” she says, words coming out in a rush. “I don’t want it to spoil in the car. So I stop by work on the way after dance and on my way home.”672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5OMN1Q6wO
672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNXYJtvj0c
Connor doesn’t say anything, so she keeps going.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbm1RrHEvJd
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“I went there after leaving class last night.”672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKTM6MPyja
672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaANwJtUx8
“At midnight,” he says now, as if he’s just making sure.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxqFC7y6WU
672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SPEGnbId0
“At midnight,” she confirms. She can’t look him in the eyes, so she looks past him to the back of his head in the mirror. “I usually just pop in, grab my food, and pop out. But last night, this man showed up. He used to work there but was fired a few months ago.”672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrNciOPCah
672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7pjW5MGRD
His expression doesn’t change. In fact, he doesn’t move in the slightest. A quick glance at the clock shows her their five minute break has long since passed.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSFVgrvOHi
672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrtSDBqyWa
“He was trying to get into the building,” Eve says. “He tried to make me let him in, but I wouldn’t. So…he got pissed off and stabbed me.”672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrskSeLgVQ4
672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUm9V6oXMxY
Now his eyebrows shoot up.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspsTtO7Y4p
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She adds quickly, “It’s fine, though. I was lucky. He went for my stomach, but I managed to block him with my arm.”672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDw8M3i0082
672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmfQP1QMkm
“Lucky,” he says, voice dripping with disbelief. “You were lucky you were only stabbed in the arm and not in the gut.”672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpnVIs62ec
672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83kPUoYEHa
Veins in his right temple turn into miniature mountain ranges.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgT4gzPfkFH
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“What about those times you made me come into the office with you because you were too scared to go into the building by yourself at night? Where was that fear last night?”672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTicdI8Uvt
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“I can’t rely on you all the time. You said so yourself,” she says.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHvdKyA35u
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“Connor, man,” another of the dancers says, stepping in. “At least she’s okay, right?672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUe9JdfpwU
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“I can’t believe you’re so stupid!” Connor bursts, ignoring him. “You really don’t have any common sense! So when I say you shouldn’t rely on me all the time, it means you should go to deserted office buildings by yourself in the middle of the night?”672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusFuGwIPYf
672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBgrIlYtbC
Eve’s surprised by his vehemence. Actually…no, she isn’t. There’s a reason she tried to hide the bandage and considered not coming to class today.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNAJYJDlFP
672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjsqLdoiTvv
“You’re right,” she says quietly. “I was reckless.”672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmK5y1WNaC
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All the steam seems to evaporate from Connor, then. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before turning back to the mirror. His eyes graze the clock. He claps his hands together once.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtD2VTTeU1Q
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“Looks like our five minute break turned into a ten minute break. Let’s get back to work. Let’s go from the top—with counts first and then music. Ready? Five, six, seven, eight…”672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMUPDODjQQ
672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhZLv1bkyb
Eve watches him in the mirror, following his choreography but also observing his expression. He’s settled back into the friendly, but strict dance instructor and choreographer, but she knows him well enough that she can see the concern in his eyes and feel it in the tension of his shoulders.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomVbtyCzpS
672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdlyEyJK74
Thank you, Connor.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsbK4tadk9
Penana
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