Usually I agreed with her, because there was no point in arguing. But I was fed up with her lying to me to make me feel better. I was bitter too. We’d gotten our PSAT scores back, and while Luisa had scored in the 1400s and Nina had gotten a 1200, I hadn’t broken 1000. Kane was the only one who hadn’t beat me, but he treated those tests like a joke. I’d taken mine as though my life depended on it, ensuring I’d had the required number two pencils and gotten a good night’s sleep. So I felt like a massive goober.

“I didn’t do fine,” I snapped at her, feeling bad the second the words were out. I sighed and threw on my hoodie. “I sucked. You can be honest.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Nina said. “Miss Amber always gives good parts to everyone for The Nutcracker.”

Yes, she always gave out good parts, but I hadn’t yet had a solo. Nina and Luisa had both proven their worthiness to Miss Amber. Nina had had a solo since she was ten. She’d been Clara two years ago, and Luisa was Clara last year. So I thought this was my year. But here I was, almost sixteen, and after the mess I made of my tryout, I was likely to be skipped over once again. My humiliation would undoubtedly be accompanied by more maternal disappointment and a serious discussion over whether the three hundred dollars a month was well spent if I insisted on playing around instead of taking dance seriously.

We packed our things and stepped outside, where the moms usually waited for the older kids in the parking lot.

But when we got out there, Kane and Declan were sitting on the benches.

“Ladies,” Kane said, tipping an imaginary hat like a dork.

Luisa got all giggly. She tucked her blond hair behind her ear, and her pale skin bloomed red. “Oh, hi! What’re you guys here for?”

Kane always knew how to get her. “You,” he said, his voice cool, eyes never leaving her face. “Okay?”

She nodded and almost visibly swooned into him. Then she looked back at her mom’s Range Rover. Her eyes stormed over. “I should go.”

Kane knew this. He was such a mind fuck. “Oh. Too bad.” He looked at me and winked. “Guess we’ll just walk this girl home.”

Declan stood and smacked Kane in the back of the head, but the whole time he was looking at me. “Your mom couldn’t pick you up. So Kane said he’d walk you back since it’s getting dark.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Then why are you here?”

He punched Kane in the arm. “I’m walking him.”