Chapter ElevenStill intoxicated by the cheers and applause, I rush backstage with an armful of flowers and Adam’s hand resting on my lower back.     “Well-done!” Ms. Azizen gushes; she pulls us both into her arms, grinning like a child on Christmas morning. “You made me very proud!”

Chapter ThirteenI miss his face completely and the ball goes flying over his shoulder. The large dog barks and goes chasing after the ball. He looks at me with his head tilted at an angle and a shy smile on his face. That is all it takes to make me a sobbing mess.     “Hey, hey, hey,” he says in a low, comforting voice, coming closer to me. “I am so sorry you missed me, should I give you the ball so you will try again?&

Chapter FifteenWhen we reach the school building, I am reluctant to go in. I do not think that I can face Cleo and Adam. Even if I do not talk to them, there is no escaping seeing them. I wonder what everyone thinks now that they are a couple days after I was strutting down the hallway hand-in-hand with Adam. I must be a laughingstock! The thought of taking a break and going home becomes palatable to me once again. But then the image of my Mum’s smiling face fills my mind. She would not have run away when faced with such challenges at ballet school. She would have faced it head on.