• The song that goes with this chapter won't make sense until the end. Another trigger warning in this one •

"Sit."

The moment Fiona had walked into the DanceDec that following Wednesday, Adam had led her to the studio and proceeded to close the door. Fiona had dumped her bag down and taken off her shoes to start their usual warmup routine, but when she looked up, she saw Adam was nowhere near the stereo. Instead he had walked up to the wall, grabbed a chair and dragged it into the centre.

"I thought we were supposed to dance?" Fiona said, watching as he repeated the process and went to the wall and grabbed another chair, placing it so they were facing each other with a few feet's distance. The setup strangely reminded her of an AA meeting.

"We'll get to that," He replied and then slung himself into one of the chairs. He gestured towards the second and looked at her. "First, we talk."

Fiona felt the resistance in her body as she looked at the chair and watched Adam patiently wait for her to come sit in it. Suddenly the AA scenario turned into a shrink session. After last night, she knew they couldn't go on pretending. He had seen and she couldn't keep going on the way she was if she wanted to continue to dance with him.

'If you want to keep working with me, and I know you do, you have to stop doing this, do you hear me?'

Taking a deep breath, Fiona therefore reluctantly stepped forward and slowly took a seat in the chair. She felt herself close up like a shy clam when Adam eyed her with a long, probing stare, like he was trying to see through her. Fiona lowered her eyes to the floor and stayed silent, hoping to get this over with quick.

"When I was ten years old, I started to ask my grams where my parents were," He then suddenly started. Fiona blinked and looked up to see Adam pursing his lips. "I said to her; 'Grams, will I ever get to meet my family?' and she replied to me, 'that depends on who you see as you family.'"

Fiona watched him meet her with a small smile. It wasn't happy like his smiles usually were, though. There was a doleful glint to it.

"I didn't like that answer," He continued. "Not one bit. I knew my parents had left me at the orphanage for a reason, but I didn't know why. Around my 12th birthday, I started to lose hope that they'd ever come back for me. Kids at that age rarely get adopted. My only chance of having a family was either waiting for my mom and dad to come back, or go and make my own. You know which one I chose."

Fiona pressed her lips together. She remembered; "You joined a gang."

Adam slowly nodded and turned his eyes down again. "I was so ready to not be alone anymore. My friends were getting adopted, and the ones who weren't... they ran off and joined a gang," He exhaled and then ran a hand through his hair. "For someone who's never had a family, that was the closest we ever got to having one. They took care of us, they protected us, they fed us and said we were part of something bigger now. Something better." He slowly lifted his eyes and gazed at Fiona with a sad look. "I believed them."

Fiona's face softened. He was telling her how he had felt so desperate for a family, he had taken anything that resembled it remotely. And how his desperation to get what he wanted had led him down a dark road of mistakes.

"I hated doing what I did," He told, lowering his eyes and shaking his head. "I didn't know what I was carrying in those bags, but I know it wasn't spices. I hated that I was delivering them to people who passed it on to other people—people my own age. I was contributing to all the violence on the streets, but I didn't care because I finally had a home for the first time in my life."

Fiona watched as Adam sighed and then buried his head in his hands, rubbing it. He was silent for a few moments before starting with a new breath.

"When the police arrested me, I was almost relieved," He said and somehow managed to lift a little smile on to his lips. "Around this time, I was living half at the orphanage and half at the clubhouse. The police called the orphanage and told them of my situation, and that's when grams showed up. They told her I was facing at least two years in juvie because of the amount of product I had been carrying. Since I wasn't talking, they couldn't cut me any slack. You know what my grams did?" He looked up at Fiona.

She shook her head, but then saw as his smile evolved until he was almost grinning. But there was a teary glint in his eyes.

"She told them I danced," He smiled, shaking his head. "She told the officer who arrested me that I was a bright young kid who just desperately wanted to fit in somewhere. I just wanted to feel a part of something, and that I made some dumb choices along the way. That I was just a kid, but that I would never harm a soul. And what I had done, I had done so unknowingly and in the faith that God would lead me to my family. And you know what? He did."

Fiona lifted her eyes when Adam stood up and started walking the floor, taking a lap around the room. His smile softened to a warm glow.

"My sentence was reduced on the grounds that my grams would adopt me and provide me with a better home," He told, circling back to his chair. "The officer who arrested me was convinced that if I was released after my sentence was served, I would go straight back into old habits and I'd be right back in in a few months. Instead, he said that if my grams adopted me and kept me out of trouble, he would let me off with a reduced sentence, plus time served. I think my grams had the adoption papers filed within the hour after that talk." He chuckled.

Fiona smiled back faintly as he sat down again and then looked her in the eyes. She couldn't help but feel the same strange pull in her stomach like yesterday. Something was drawing her towards him in a way that made her feel... warm. And safe, somehow. Not exactly physically, though... it was more... emotionally.

"When my grams adopted me, she retired from the church at the same time and we moved to a different part of Harlem after I got out," He said. "She signed me up for dance classes here because she saw a spark in me whenever I used to dance at the orphanage. The moment I arrived here, I met Kalo who told me she had never seen a white boy with feet as fast as mine," He grinned. "She taught me how to get down the right way and introduced me to everyone here. And that's the moment I finally found my family. My real family."

Fiona didn't realize she was tearing up until she suddenly felt a salty tear on her lip. She quickly wiped her cheek and looked away. He had been truly blessed with a beautiful family.

"I'm not my grandma, Fee," Adam then said. "I didn't understand what she meant by 'spark' until about a week and two days ago when I happened to spot a certain ballet girl through the crack of a curtain."

Fiona felt her stomach tighten and a lump in her throat grew to the size of a baseball. She tried to swallow as she looked up through blurry eyes and saw Adam watching her with a little smile.

"She was spinning her foot off while crying her heart out, but she wasn't slowing down. Damn, no. She kept on going and going, even though it was clearly causing her pain to do so," He whispered. "She didn't stop, Fiona. She didn't care about herself, she cared about dancing. And here we are today, about to find out why."

Fiona swallowed the lump in her throat with difficulty. His words... his words were hitting her hard for some reason. The music from all the other studios weren't even noticeable anymore. It all faded away as they sat in their little bubble.

Breathe... breathe...

– And then for the first time in years, Fiona release a breath that contained everything she had been holding on to ever since she put her walls up.

"My... my d-dad," Her voice cracked, but she quickly sucked in another breath and wrapped her arms around herself so she didn't crumble. She shut her eyes and kept going, pushing the overdue words out. "My dad, h-he... when I was s-six, I really wanted to learn h-how to dance... my dad... my dad he helped me."

Fiona trembled inside when she realized that was the first time in years she had said that word aloud; Dad. The very thought of him always brought her pain and heartache, so she had blocked most of him away. Only when she danced did he come back to life.

"I w-was... I was learning to pirouette," She continued, trying to breathe and stop her hands from shaking. All of her was shaking, but she persevered. Adam was listening to her closely. "On my second try, h-he collapsed on the ground and had a heart attack. H-he didn't make it."

The tears fell down her cheeks now, and even though she wiped them away, they kept coming back. Adam sat there quietly and let her cry them out until she could breathe again. When she finally could, he slowly moved forward and somehow produced a handkerchief from his pocket.

"It makes sense now," He said while Fiona dried her eyes with his tissue and sniveled quietly. The ache in her chest hurt so much, but there was also a strange other feeling... or rather the lack thereof. She felt... strangely empty. "Why you cried during your spins."

"I haven't been able to do a proper fouetté since..." Her voice died out. "Much less a pirouette," She continued, hiccuping. "I-I can't... I just c-can't, every time I try I just—"

"You freeze up," Adam nodded when she looked up. "I saw."

Fiona lowered her eyes again and folded the handkerchief in her hand. There was a long, quiet moment, that finally got followed up by Adam's deep sigh.

"Tell me why you chose ballet," He then asked, making Fiona lift her eyes and her brow. "There are tons of dance styles out there. What made you choose ballet specifically?"

Fiona knew the answer to that one perfectly. "Because ballet... ballet is all about... control. You choose how good you want to be. How much you want to succeed." And it was all that had kept her together all these years. Constant discipline.

"That's present-day Fiona talking," Adam replied. "Why did six-year-old Fiona want to dance ballet?" He wanted to know, giving her another questioning stare.

The question took her back. Suddenly she was six years old again, sitting in her old living room, watching Swan Lake for the first time on the old grainy TV.

"Because... I wanted to look pretty like a princess," She awkwardly mumbled and felt her cheeks heat up. Adam's lips lifted in a little grin. "They were so graceful and elegant, and I guess... I guess I liked that..."

"That's more like it," He chuckled. "So, princess. Why aren't you dancing?"

Fiona looked up, but couldn't help but frown. "What do you mean?"

"I've only ever seen you dance once, Fiona," Adam stood up and walked into the studio. "You were right here and you were throwing it back so hard that when you were done, you started the happy waterworks."

Fiona remembered that day. It couldn't have been more than a few days ago, but it felt like ages. She remembered the feeling in her stomach after she had done that... the strange, bubbly sensation that had left her shaking afterwards...

"You were dancing, Fee," Adam slowly came up to her and knelt down in front of her chair. He smiled up at her when Fiona shyly looked away. "Shit, you nearly lowered my credentials. Ever since that day, I've tried to make you dance that freely again, but you keep locking up. Why is that?"

Fiona looked down into her lap, pressing her lips together. He would think it was stupid... "I..."

Adam's hand suddenly came on top of hers and took it. Both of his hands then enveloped hers and it made her look up as her heart jumped an extra beat. His jungly green eyes met hers.

"I know I'm not a shrink," He said, looking into her eyes and searching her face for a sign of retreat. She stayed put and didn't waver from his gaze. "But I want to help you work through whatever's holding you back. You have so much potential, Fee, but you're holding back on yourself. If I can help you unwind in any way, just know I'll do whatever."

Fiona couldn't help but tear up, smiling weakly. Adam smiled back and then lifted his thumb to wipe away a tear on her cheek. Her cheek suddenly felt hot where he had touched her.

"Why do you... care so much?" She whispered. She didn't mean to say the words aloud, but her thoughts slipped out. She had wondered so long why he cared for her so much when they never really knew each other that well until now. Why did he want to help her so badly?

"Because that's what friends do," He replied with a little grin.

"We're friends?" The words blurted from her mouth. She had felt it last night, but she hadn't been sure. Now...

"You're welcome," He winked and then stood up, patting her shoulder. Fiona blinked a couple of times, but then snapped out of it. Friends...

She heard him shuffle up to the stereo, and she then figured perhaps their talk was over. She stayed in her seat, though, looking into her lap.

"I owe you an apology," It then suddenly sounded from the stereo, instead of music pouring out. She turned her head and saw Adam lingering. He slowly turned towards her and shot her a little look. "For yesterday. What I did wasn't nice, but you have to understand that I've... I've been around enough people with these sort of problems to know how to approach them. It's hard, but it's the fastest way to get them to confess."

Fiona wasn't an expert on eating disorders, but she still knew a thing or two. She knew she would have never admitted to anyone who confronted her point blank that she had an eating disorder. It would've led to a lot of questions she didn't like and quite possibly more fuss than what needed to be made. Not to mention her mother would be so disappointed in her... she couldn't have survived seeing the pain on her face if she found out.

But yesterday Adam didn't give her a choice. He had payed attention to the signs and had been subtle about it until last night. He had provoked her with the burger he knew she wouldn't let stay down. When he followed her to the bathroom, he knew she couldn't have passed it off as food poisoning or anything like that. It would've taken longer to develop, and besides, her crying kind of gave away the act...

"I had to confront you to get the truth from you," He said, pressing his lips together. "We would've been doing a whole different dance if I hadn't. But I'm sorry I had to spring it on you like that..."

Fiona sighed and closed her eyes. She was mad, but still strangely not at him. She knew he had done it in good faith... but it didn't hurt any less that her secret was now out. She feared what changes it would make. "I just... please don't tell anyone. If my mom finds out, she won't let me come back here, and she definitely won't let me audition."

Adam pursed his lips and slowly placed his hands on his hips, before changing his mind and crossing them over his chest. "So your mom doesn't know. How long have you been—"

"Only a couple of months," Fiona truthfully replied. She swallowed and looked down when Adam clenched his jaw. "Only for preparation to the audition..."

He nodded, once. She knew he wasn't buying it, though.

"You and I both know you don't need to slim yourself down for the audition, Fiona," He said, slowly walking towards her. He held a pensive gaze on his face as he looked at the floor. "Tell me why you started doing it in the first place for real. And don't give me any crap about your physique and appearance. You're small as a bean."

Fiona lifted her legs up on the chair and hugged them. She realized then she probably looked even more like a bean right now. She didn't care as she folded her hands and leaned her forehead against her knees. "I... I just..." Her throat closed up and she gulped. She wasn't ready to tell him yet. Couldn't... she wasn't there yet. "I can't."

She heard him sigh, but then his footsteps came closer and halted in front of her. She suddenly felt his hand on her shoulder. "Alright. When you're ready, just promise me you'll tell me."

Fiona nodded silently, but didn't lift her head. She couldn't face him right now.

"Did you have breakfast this morning?"

Fiona pressed her lips together, but nodded.

"Did it stay down? Don't lie to me."

She thinned her mouth again, but then sighed and shook her head.

"Alright." She heard Adam sigh once more before taking a seat across from her again. "Here's what we're going to do, then. From now on, we eat together. Just you and me. I can't make sure you eat your breakfast or lunch on the week days, but on the weekends, you and I sit together in here and eat. You eat as much as you can without feeling sick, and in return, I won't hassle you about it. When you need to go to the bathroom, I go with you. That's my only condition."

Fiona finally looked up and carefully met his eyes. He sat perfectly calmly in his chair and looked at her, waiting for her reply. Fiona swallowed a lump, but then nodded. "Okay."

"And one more thing. Until your audition, I come home with you every night to eat dinner with you. That's not up for discussion either."

At that, Fiona's eyes widened and her head flew up. As Adam stood up and started walking towards the stereo again, she jumped up from her seat as well. "You can't. My mom will flip if I bring a boy home every day after hours. I'm already in trouble because of my grades," She confessed and watched Adam pull his phone out to plug it into the speakers.

"Two birds, one stone then," He said. "We study together and eat dinner together. Tell your mom I'm your new study partner. Trust me, she'll go apeshit once she sees my report card."

Fiona shook her head and tried not to flip out herself. Adam in her home, in her room, her mom around with the two of them sitting there, talking and Adam's mouth that had no filter... "it's not going to work out, I'm telling you."

"And I'm telling you, it'll work out just fine," He said, finally turning towards his phone to select a song. "Moms love me. I'm too lovable to not—"

The door suddenly burst open, and both of them spun towards it to see Rani looking around until she spotted Adam by the stereo. By the look on her face, something was wrong. "Es Kalo."

"¿Que pasó?" Adam abandoned his phone and quickly walked up to her when Rani shook her head.

"El pinché bastardo trato de to tocarla," She nearly spat the words out and Adam's face grew hard in one second. "Kalo llegó al lugar y él trató de tocarla."

"¿Donde está?" Adam shot out and ran at her when Rani gestured him along.

"En el baño," She replied, pressing her lips together.

Adam cursed under his breath and without a word ran out of the studio. Fiona quickly followed behind both of them, confused. What the hell had happened?

She followed Adam to the girls bathroom where a bunch of people seemed to have gathered around. Both girls and boys were forming a hoard in the doorway, making Adam yell at them all to get them to move and allow him passage through.

Once through, Fiona lost sight of him, but couldn't help but do like the rest of them, mushing around to get a peak inside at what the hell was going on. Finally, she managed to get to the front where she found Adam and Rani cuddled up on the floor next to a crying Kalo.

"It's okay," Adam said and held her tightly, slinging an arm around her when she buried her face in her lap. She was a whole mess, crying and shaking, but also shouting curse words and other things Fiona didn't understand. "It's over now, you're not going back there. Back the fuck off, guys!" He yelled at the watching crowd. "Give her some space, for fuck's sake."

Some of the people backed away, including Fiona, but once Adam spotted her, he gently waved her over. Fiona shook her head quickly. It wasn't her scene.

But Adam kept waving her over, nodding down at Kalo who was crying her eyes out. It was then Fiona remembered she still had Adam's handkerchief clutched in her hand.

Carefully walking in, she crouched down to Kalo who lifted her eyes for a second to see who had approached. She then lowered her eyes when Fiona held out the handkerchief to her. "I'm so sorry..."

She didn't know what the hell was going on, but if a girl like Kalo was crying, Hell had to have frozen over. She looked at Fiona for a moment before taking the tissue and nodding a thanks. Adam smiled beside her, mouthing the words.

"I want to kill him," She whispered, wiping her eyes and shaking her head again. "He fucking made me believe I actually had a chance when all he fucking wanted was to sleep with me—"

"Forget about him," Adam said, squeezing her shoulder.

"He's an asshole," Rani bid in, muttering something vehement in Spanish. "If he wants to sleep with something, I got a few choice things he can sleep with, starting with a motherfucking—"

"Rani, por favor," Adam warned. She shut up, but still whispered something in Spanish under her breath.

Suddenly there was more commotion behind them, and Fiona turned to find Dimitri, along with Twitch and a few other guys come to the doorway, all of them panting. Dimitri laid one eye on Kalo, then cursed. "What the fuck happened?!"

"Hotshot tried to touch her," Rani sniped before Adam could shut her up. "He tried to goddamn rape her and this asshole thinks just because he's got money, it's okay."

Dimitri gripped his head, and then before Fiona could process it, hit the door so hard, it banged against the wall. "I'm gonna fucking kill him. Let's roll out."

"Dimitri, no," Adam yelled, but he and the guys had already nodded to each other and were leaving. "Ay, dios mio." He shot to his feet and angrily growled. "I gotta stop them before they do something stupid. Stay with her," He turned to Fiona quickly and gave her a look. "Look after her, please."

And just like that, he ran out as well, yelling after the guys who were probably halfway down the stairs by now.

Everything was chaos. Fiona found herself in the midst of it, not knowing what the hell to do. She had heard what Rani said and now knew what was happening. She slowly turned towards Kalo who had cupped her face after the boys had left and was shaking her head slowly.

'Stay with her. Look after her, please.'

Fiona didn't know her from Eve, but she did know her from Adam. Even though they weren't close friends, there was one thing she could relate with her on. Being a minority.

"Fuck this shit," Kalo cried, but also angrily balled up her fist as Fiona sat down next to her. "I don't care what happens to that asshole, but if those guys go and get themselves locked up because of me—"

"Adam will stop them," Fiona found herself voicing, causing both Rani and Kalo to look at her. She swallowed, but somehow persisted. "He's good at talking to people..."

Kalo seemed to soften a bit. She sighed and then nodded, and before Fiona could move, she leaned her head against her shoulder and rested up against Fiona.

"He always looks after everybody," She mumbled, holding his handkerchief out and looking at it. "He's like everyone's big brother. Man, I probably would've done what those guys did. He always keeps us straight when we wanna do some shit. I don't know how he does it."

Fiona couldn't agree more. He had a natural talent for dancing, but his superpower was his heart. He only saw the best in people, and somehow in life, too. Even when it seemed like everyone around him was falling to pieces.

"He's a good guy," Fiona said, feeling Kalo settle down little by little. "He always makes you feel better."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kalo smile a little. "When he's not annoying the crap out of you, anyway."

Fiona couldn't help but chuckle, but then quickly stopped when she realized it was inappropriate. She saw Kalo sit up and dry her eyes one last time before looking over at her.

"You know, I don't really know you or anything, but I like you," She said. Fiona slightly expanded her eyes. "You're quiet most of the time, but I think you're really nice. And I think you're good for Adam."

"W-What?" Fiona blinked. Somehow the topic had gone from her almost being assaulted to them talking about Adam. And her.

"Because you make him happy," Kalo smiled and leaned down on her shoulder again.

Fiona sat quietly as silence fell in the bathroom. Everyone but her and Rani had left, leaving the bathroom calm and peaceful. She had no idea how long they sat there, but it felt like hours. And through those hours, only one question rang in her head.

Did she really make Adam happy?

~~~

It was hours later when Adam finally showed up. It was almost 7pm and Fiona had long ago gone back to their studio, after Kalo announced that she was going home. Rani had offered to take her, which had left Fiona gravitating back towards the empty studio she and Adam had been supposed to be dancing in today.

Instead, Fiona's emotions had taken a dance of their own.

Something had happened today inside Fiona that made her realize something she probably should've realized sooner in her life, but it wasn't until Kalo had suddenly gotten off the bathroom floor and walked up to a sink and spoken, she realized it herself.

"Fuck this," Kalo had said and looked at herself. "I'm not going to let that bastard change me or hold me down. I'm not a fucking victim, I'm woman who's going to make his sorry ass regret what he did some day. Just watch me."

She had then walked out and Rani had followed her, leaving Fiona to think about a lot of things.

She had been holding herself back all of her life. She knew she had done it, but she hadn't stopped, because moving on like it hadn't happened... as if her father hadn't died... she couldn't forget it, and every step she had taken had showed it.

But now, after today, Fiona had realized she didn't have to forget it or even try and move past it. She just had to accept it, no matter how much it hurt. She didn't want to accept that her dad had died, she didn't want to accept that the hurt in her chest was probably there to stay. But she had to just keep on going anyway.

When Fiona finally saw the door open and an exhausted Adam stepped in, rubbing his face before looking up at her, she knew what she had to do. It had been a long day, but it wasn't over yet.

"It's because I don't deserve it," She spoke as Adam was about to say something, but instead halted up. He raised a confused brow, which made Fiona gulp and continue. "I don't deserve... food. I... I-I killed my dad when I made him help me dance, and I just have this constant guilt in my chest, and unless I somehow punish myself, I can't—"

"Stop," Adam said and lifted a hand. His tired face softened as Fiona shook and cradled herself in her arms. "You didn't kill your father, Fiona. That's simply not possible."

"But I did," She said, her voice cracking. He hadn't been there, so he didn't understand it. "One moment he was healthy as a horse, the next he was just dead. I pushed him too hard, if we had just stopped and called it a night—"

"He still would've collapsed, Fee," Adam walked up to her when she closed her eyes and let the tears fall. He cupped her face and leaned down. "Fiona. Whether or not you danced, it would've happened. These things just happen sometimes. We don't know why, but they just do. You couldn't possibly have provoked it. Do you understand?"

Fiona kept her eyes closed, but she felt his thumb rub her cheek, before his arm came around her and pulled her into his arms. He had probably spent all day fighting those guys, arguing and then comforting Kalo. And here he was, still selflessly giving out hugs, even though he was exhausted.

"That's why you hold back," He whispered against her hair. "That's why you do this to yourself. You dance for him, don't you?"

"He would've died for nothing if I didn't," Fiona quietly whispered back.

Adam pulled back and met her eyes again. He cupped her face with both hands. "Fiona, no. That's not why you're supposed to dance. You don't dance out of obligation; You dance in tribute," He leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers. "You dance, not just because that's what he would've wanted, but because you wanted it. Remember? You can still be a princess, Fiona." His lips curved up a little. "Princess Fiona."

"Stop," She muttered, closing her eyes and pulling a little away when he chuckled quietly. She was so tired, but his stupid joke still made her smile inside.

Adam leaned in, and then to Fiona's surprise, pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "It's been a long day. I could use some dinner right around now."

When he pulled back, Fiona felt her cheeks slightly redden, but decided to ignore it. He was right, it had been a long, crazy day. A lot of emotions had been on the line.

"I'm not weak, you know," She whispered as Adam walked up to the stereo where he had left his phone. He paused and looked back at her. "I just chose my own way to be strong."

He sent her a little smile before nodding once. "I know."

She wanted him to know that just because she was wounded and just because she did what she did... she wasn't a weak girl. She knew what she wanted in life, she just... had to find ways to cope with her pain. Maybe it hadn't been the right way, but her choices hadn't weakened her. If anything, they had just taught her that one pain didn't mask another. It only made the internal pain that much worse.

"So what now?" Fiona said, looking around the studio, out into the hall, through the cracked curtains, to see the few people who were still there wandering around in a gloomy state. After today's event, everyone had been somewhat down and had retreated to their own corner. The family had taken a blow.

"There's only one thing to do at the end of a bad day," Adam replied. Fiona turned her eyes back and saw him lay down his phone. "Dance."

Music started playing through the speakers. Happy music. Fiona couldn't help but shake her head and smile as Adam walked into the center of the dance floor and stretched out his hand towards her. With a tired grin, he beckoned her.

Releasing the tension in her shoulders, Fiona stepped forward and let Adam swing her into his arms, twirling her against his chest. The song was much too upbeat, but it seemed neither of them cared. Adam chuckled as he pressed her back against his chest, wrapping his arms around her and rocking her slowly from side to side.

And for the first time since... forever, Fiona felt a burden drop off her shoulders when she rested against Adam and felt not even a quiver of fear or anxiety fill her body.

But something else entirely did.

• • •

Okay we got a little corny, but next time we're back to the usual shenanigans. There's only so much teen fiction I can take before I pop a nut.