Page 42 of Pages of Amber
“Good.”
Her mother tilted her head then let out a satisfied hum. She walked over and took the seat she had the last time she and Director Meusall had been in the room with Amber. A heaviness built in Amber’s throat.
“You’ll be performing Don Quixote soon. The audition was announced a week ago. Dottie tells me you’ve been spending extra time out of the house. Nigel assures me he drives you to the theatre every other day, even when you don’t have practice scheduled.”
Her mom paused, stared at her, her gaze digging into her. “I expect that to mean you did as I asked and relearned every step of this dance. That means I expect not to be disappointed, Amber. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes, mom. I do.” She hesitated then barely stuttered out, “I could show you. The dance. I- I’ve been doing really well with it and you always check on my performance before a show so I thought…”
Her mom said nothing. She simply tipped her chin and narrowed those ice blue eyes. “Go ahead.”
The consent drew a tight breath from Amber. She headed for the speakers and connected her phone, shuffling to the music she had been practicing with for the past weeks. The one she would also use at the audition. Her hand shook as she ran over her mother’s words. She’d been asking Nigel and Dottie about Amber’s whereabouts. Dottie knew about the deal Amber had made with Noah to complete her project and pass the class. She’d needed to tell someone and at the time, Beverly and Lexi hadn’t been speaking to her. Telling her mother was obviously a no-no. She hadn’t said anything to Nigel either but he dropped her off and picked her up from school every day. Lately, she had asked him to pick her an hour later than usual on the days she had tutor sessions with Noah. He hadn’t questioned it at all but he had to be curious. Yet, he and Dottie had covered for her and told her mother she had been busy at the theatre. A grateful sigh escaped Amber and she held it in mind to give them both the biggest hugs ever.
As she danced for her mother, Amber let go of her worries and doubts and forced herself to focus on the music. Every step was intentional, every turn holding a purpose. She imagined dancing beside Evelyn like they had done earlier and her smile brightened. She could do this. She could finish this dance and show her mom she had put in the work she said she would. At the break of the music, Amber found her last step and bowed.
The room was silent. She held still, scared to look up. Her breathing sounded harsh to her ears as she straightened. Her mom was seated in the chair, her legs crossed, her eyes on Amber and a smile on her lips. It was more a little quirk than a smile but Amber’s heart started an uncontrollable beat at the sight of it.
Her mom was smiling.
“Not bad,” she said.
Amber didn’t dare get her hopes up. Her hands clenched, her heart still beating like crazy. “Y-you liked it?”
Her mother looked at her, an eyebrow arched. “It’s much better than the disaster from last time. Keep your balance and no need to over-arch your foot. It’ll cause a strain that might affect your performance. Chin high as always and don’t forget to hold your smile. Add all that in and it’s basically perfect.”
Amber was barely listening. She nodded shakily, tongue tied as her mother stood and left the room, her shoes echoing down the corridor. Warmth bubbled in her chest, a smile crossing her face so wide she felt she might split in two.
She had danced and her mother hadn’t immediately hated it. After that horrible second place and the mess from the last time, she had actually danced for her mom and she hadn’t hated it.
In fact, her mother had smiled. At her.
Amber squealed, the sound launching out of her. She knew it. Her mom was still in there somewhere. Her hope bubbled up, filled like a gas tank to the fullest and revving her brain. Her mom was still here and Amber was going to do everything to bring her out.
Amber had never seen herself liking this routine. When she and Noah had first been paired to work together, she was convinced they would be pulling each other’s hair out in a few days. The turn of events had left her head spinning. Rather than the cat fight she had imagined, she and Noah had made significant progress in changing his reputation among the students. It had taken pushing Noah out of his comfort zone but the sacrifice had been necessary.
Noah had followed up on the Press club getting new equipment. After a meeting they had with Principal Ellis and a few teachers, approval had been given and everything was due to arrive in a month’s time. Kael and Trent were ecstatic and hadn’t stopped talking about it. The other day, she and Noah had been standing in the hallway when a freshman student approached them. He’dgreeted Amber with a shy smile, then surprisingly turned to Noah and asked his help in meeting the secretary for a new class schedule. Noah had stared at the poor boy in shock until Amber had nudged him to get moving. He hadn’t been able to hold back his smile when he returned.
That didn’t mean he went easy on Amber though. Noah insisted on after school tutor sessions at the library where they went through research for her assignment and began to compile it for her work. Amber had brought along a few other class notes she had trouble understanding. Noah hadn’t said anything when she had sheepishly slid them over to him and asked for an explanation. No smug smile. No raised brows. He had simply answered her and given multiple examples to sum up his explanations. By the time she arrived at the theatre for practice, she found herself mentally exhausted and ready to finish the day but she hadn’t failed to notice the smiles that graced her face each time.
The highlight of those tutor sessions was getting to know Evelyn and Emmett better. Attending the fair with them had been an eye-opener. They were certainly a fun trio to hang out with and complimented each other well. Where Noah was introverted and observant, Evelyn was outgoing and friendly while Emmett was funny and jovial with an affinity for annoying his sister. Amber enjoyed watching the sibling dynamic. She knew Noah had an older brother but he barely mentioned him. The few times Evelyn did, Noah remained unresponsive to the conversation. He had been like that at his house too when they were settled around the TV in his brother’s room and she had asked what college his brother was at. She wondered if there was bad blood between them and what might have caused it but didn’t want to ask in case she stepped on a nerve.
Wait. She was being careful not to offend Noah now?
He was just Noah. The boy she had spent years arguing with solely because she enjoyed the challenge of one-upping him.
Apparently, a few weeks in his constant company had made her see Noah as a completely different person. His dark eyes and permanent blank expression didn’t exactly give him points for social interaction but she had begun to understand that while Noah didn’t shirk from the public spotlight, he was comfortable in his. He was introverted but had a presence that made him stand out.
Her evenings were busy with ballet practice. The theatre still buzzed with the announcement of the approaching audition and a certain seriousness had descended on the dancers. She and Evelyn practiced often and Amber found she liked having a partner in sync with her.
By Friday, Amber had barely noticed the week coming to a close. She was nearly finished with her assignment and had caught up on all her classes. Admittedly, Noah had been extremely helpful and patient with everything she needed. They had just stepped out the front doors of Redmington after finishing up at the library early when she spotted Beverly standing a few feet away from the fountain.
“You want me gone that badly, m’lady? You’re barely paying attention.”
“Maybe if you dropped the nickname, I’d actually want to listen to you.”
“Nope.” His lips tipped upwards. “I said we’ll have to meet this weekend to finish up the last chapters. Deadline is next week.”
“I know. Text me the time and place. I’ll be there.”
