“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.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvA50713cpi
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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.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6rAbzkcUB
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Taking it off, she leaves it against the wall beside her water bottle. Maybe no one will notice—613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLn1HexrtAF
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“What happened to your arm?” Connor asks, standing arms akimbo and looking at her in the mirror.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxijuE7wIBX
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She tugs at the bandage self-consciously. “Oh. Nothing, really. I just needed a few stitches.”613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡof109uTP0G
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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.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63ZBaSplyR
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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?”613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttuZkMTf1e
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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.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf478k5po6f
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“I…kinda got stabbed.” She scratches around the stitches, through the bandage.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqH8APbbfIs
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“You…kinda…got…stabbed,” he says, taking a step toward her. “How does that happen?”613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYElfDUf7Q3
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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.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3C3nVFtU5
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“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.”613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhqnjJ7pao
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Connor doesn’t say anything, so she keeps going.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZSJ03DqHN
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“I went there after leaving class last night.”613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtMV8dvGrZ
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“At midnight,” he says now, as if he’s just making sure.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHsIN5hjla
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“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.”613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx0xT8Lg8W4
613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuOtmbkD92
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.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZvIG5ENo9
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“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.”613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3py4QJnel
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Now his eyebrows shoot up.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqXtWfnQSM
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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.”613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbqYdKoJ5m
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“Lucky,” he says, voice dripping with disbelief. “You were lucky you were only stabbed in the arm and not in the gut.”613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrpZY9Ktgt
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Veins in his right temple turn into miniature mountain ranges.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZ2kPZd5yd
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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?”613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFiLK9Wsqx
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“I can’t rely on you all the time. You said so yourself,” she says.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhDCFHvDCM
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“Connor, man,” another of the dancers says, stepping in. “At least she’s okay, right?613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEJiN3IUea
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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?”613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlP69yvdVi
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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.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEkosH7xh7
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“You’re right,” she says quietly. “I was reckless.”613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mpNFvRE9K
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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.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRJcJ4S3P8
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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…”613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiINhXBRRD5
613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkff92AzlQ
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.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFG6WFmDXmB
613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA01Od84sul
Thank you, Connor.613Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9EHeeiBoj
Penana
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