Chapter 94: Penny
The nest work is a blut of sweat, sore feet, and not enough sleep.
Every morning starts with school. Then rehearsal. Then sometimes another class. And sometimes both. My life has condensed into pher and prosettes and bruises I stepped counting by Wednesday.
Tyler’s… trying. I’ll give him that
He picked me up the when rehearsal romlote. Both times he was waiting outside the studio, leaning agent his car with his renting. He brought me an energy bar once. It was chocolate chip: I ate it even though I hate chocolate chips. He was trying
The one night he fell asleep and forgot me, I took the bun. It was almost midnight. I didn’t really mind it, not until I got home and Asher was sitting in the dark living room like a statue. He stood the second I opened the door, voice low and sharp–Why the hell didn’t you call me?
I told him I didn’t want to bother him. He looked at me like that was the stupidest thing I’d ever said.
I’ve been avoiding him since.
n you live in the same room.
which is
his hard to do when
We share breakfasts and dinners in our silence. I see him at the counter pouring coffee or in the backyard doing pushups like the ground personally offended him. Sometimes I catch him coming back from a run as I’m heading to school, Shirt drenched, chest rising and falling like he just ran away from something that almost caught him.
I try not to look. Leaking hurts.
Tyler’s been talking about this trip he wants to take in two weeks–a chalet, snow–covered trees, firewood, beer, friend. And me. Of course. And Asher to even though he said no right away.
I told Tyler I can’t ge
Rehearsals.
The Fala.
Being a lead in a commitment and I won’t mess it up.
We fought about it once–just once. I think be knows pushing again/won’t change my mind. Still, every couple days he brings it up. Like maybe I’ll change
I won’t
Now, it’s Friday, Seven PM. My thighs ache. My arms are trembling from being caught too many times mid–spin. My ribs are. My toes. I don’t want to talk about my toes.
The house is quiet when I walk in. The kitchen light is off. No music. No TV.
Tyler’s ar practice. Asher must be out.
Probably with his mysterious girlfriend. The one I still don’t know anything about. Not that I want to know. Not really
1 diag my feet upstairs, unzip my bag, drop it by the bed. I don’t bother burning the light on. The dusk outside filters in enough that I can see well woough to move. I shrug all my jacket and that’s when hear it.
A shift
A breath.
Chapter 94: Penny
Then a shadow moves in the cotnei.
Π
My heart thunders in my chest. My mouth goes dri
“I didn’t think amune was home,“ Threathe, hand over my heart. “You scared the life mut of tor
He stands slowly and walks toward the light switch, Hipping it on. His face is Hank, but there’s tension in his jaw.
This is the first time we’ve been alene since the Korean BBQ mg
I blow out a shaky breath and tinn away, trying to calm down. I keep peeling off my zip hoodie, fingers trembling. I pull it over my head, about a to the bed when I feel it–his hand on my wrist
He spins me
“Tynny,” he says. Sharp. Controlled, But his eyes are fixed on me–not my face. My ribs.
My bare midrill
He’s not looking at me.
He’s looking at the faint yellow and purple bruises blooming across my sides, like inkblots pressed into delicate paper.
“What the hell happened?” he demands.
He steps closer. “hnny”
His hand go to my arm. Not hard, not gentle either.
“Ballet.” I snap, pulling back. “It’s hallet.”
He stares at me.
“Answe
“Luc has to kill me,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm. “He catches me when I fall. Sometimes I fall wrong. Sometimes he grabs too hard. That’s how it
Heblinks
“Then breather
And I can see all that fury trying to cats way out of him. But he nods, slowly. He believes me.
He looks like he wants to say something else. Like he still might punch something, or someone, but instead his eyes deep again. To the bruises. The sell place just beneath my ribs.
His fingers twitch.
I’m suddenly two aware of everything.
The way the light has my skin
The sound of our breathing.
Chapter 94: Penny
The best in the rim.
waisi, finally, but his eyes stay on me a second imper
Then he turns, walks to his bed, sits down like he’s grounding himself.
I don’t say anything
Neither does he
The silence stretches
Until he says, “You shouldn’t have to fout this much for mething you love
And I don’t know how to answer that.
So I don’t
I just stare at the bruises on my skin and wonder how many more it’ll take before I stop
The days pass like a In
psing them at all.
Wake School. Rehearsal. Eat something with Tyler if he’s around. Try not to look at Asher. Try not to think about Asher. Try not to robe the held me. The way he tucked my hair behind my war. The way he smell like clean laundry and danger and home.
Start over.
The routine helps. A little. There’s no time to fall apart scherm my muscles are screaming from training and I’ve got Swan Lake charmegaphy swirling my head like a fever dream.
Tyler is busy. I’m busy, Asher is always either out or working out or somewhere I’m not supposed to be thinking about. And yet, 1-
At school in the pickup line when Tyler drives me in
In the kitchen, reaching for his protein powder, sweat still shining at his collarbones.
On the porch, talking on the phone, voice low and serious
Dece, in the hallway, pasing me with a towel slung over his shoulder. Water from his shower still trailing down his throat.
י
I look away every time. Because I have to.
Because if I don’t, I’ll break something. Probably me,
“And then, just like that, it’s the end of the week.
My parents are coming back tom. The boys will be moving out, going back to their own place.
i don’t think I’m ready-
Not because of Tyler. He and Lare okay, I think. Steady again, sort of. We have dinner when we can. He texti me na
But it’s ret about Tyler.
It’s about the way the air in the house tech different lately. Thicker, leavier.
Like somethings missing already.
r him everwhere
I see that.
The mattress in my room is gene. Folded up and stored of hauled away–I don’t ask. The drawers are empty too. I open in just to check and find nothing.
Chapter 94: Penny
but dust and the faintest whisper of his cologne,
Except.
The bottom drawer isn’t empty.
A black shirt. Folded, like he meant to leave it. Like it’s waiting for
The one he gave me the night of the storm. The night he wrapped me in it like armor. The night he
I sit on the edge of the bed, holding the shirt in my hands. It still s
hat with me in the dark and stayed
like him. That same clean and safety scent that makes
Did he forget it?
Did he leave it?
No Surely not.
I tell myself I’ll ask Tyler to give it back to him. Eventually.
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