“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.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR250iXozt1
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbaiVzMiLE
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.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMWIWTgYWN
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Taking it off, she leaves it against the wall beside her water bottle. Maybe no one will notice—778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvny4hxMobr
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“What happened to your arm?” Connor asks, standing arms akimbo and looking at her in the mirror.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTJ7sn3oPW
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She tugs at the bandage self-consciously. “Oh. Nothing, really. I just needed a few stitches.”778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWeMO6ZkP5
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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.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPAnvVApIon
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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?”778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCMEiNBZz4
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIilIP0fxnN
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.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNeBxMt2Iis
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“I…kinda got stabbed.” She scratches around the stitches, through the bandage.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmY6KW7N3gP
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuA7fv7hPXq
“You…kinda…got…stabbed,” he says, taking a step toward her. “How does that happen?”778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXMUP497vR
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADOVKz9fWK
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.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TLXoGWSmU
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWItIXreSmx
“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.”778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkx6v6ifZo
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Connor doesn’t say anything, so she keeps going.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPbEEeUpPA
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“I went there after leaving class last night.”778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdk76b2SeTW
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“At midnight,” he says now, as if he’s just making sure.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkHM9tSSTm
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxV5SSnu3Gw
“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.”778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkBaVJWGqr
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZpTRgAVLa
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.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjeekbCTFy
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjI6VGGbEqs
“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.”778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UbZGHJTrC
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Now his eyebrows shoot up.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1uaTLSyDQ
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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.”778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXekIob7MM0
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1rUzmsybn
“Lucky,” he says, voice dripping with disbelief. “You were lucky you were only stabbed in the arm and not in the gut.”778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaq5speaHk
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Veins in his right temple turn into miniature mountain ranges.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQD72t65MMw
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYr09AX84a
“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?”778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4rFBDauZT
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9o2KCFnpfN
“I can’t rely on you all the time. You said so yourself,” she says.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLOvLGiIw4
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“Connor, man,” another of the dancers says, stepping in. “At least she’s okay, right?778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLSoqXBV7R
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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?”778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYltEMFK6tr
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1C3p3ApAmR
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.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZDeM6QVVo
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqF9yL0tmo
“You’re right,” she says quietly. “I was reckless.”778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMS6hzws07
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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.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznzJL2DmWs
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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…”778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7qOnsggDT
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfHXZI3MhH
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.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuuV1QrFyWY
778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMX9y3dOqvk
Thank you, Connor.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXapR7Fd09O
Penana
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