“Look!” I pointed at the sign that said WELCOME TO CONNECTICUT.

Eliza filled me in on all the gossip from the dance studio. I wished I had more time to visit with my old school friends too, but I just didn’t have enough before we both had to get back.

However, Eliza’s mom had a little surprise for me on the way to the dance studio. She pulled off an exit early, and right away I knew where we were going.

“I thought you’d like to swing by for a moment,” Eliza’s mom said kindly.

My old neighborhood! We drove up the street and passed my former neighbors’ houses. When we got to my old house, Eliza’s mom stopped the car.

It looked exactly the same. Except for some holiday decorations in the window that obviously were not ours. So the same. But different.

Our new house was so different from this one, which had three floors and not as many windows, and enormous trees that have lost their leaves surrounding it. I stared up at my old bedroom window and wondered if they had repainted my purple walls.

“I hate to interrupt, but we have to move forward,” Eliza’s mom said.

Yes, I had to move forward.

“Is that weird to look at your old house and know that it’s not your house anymore?” Eliza asked. “That would kind of drive me crazy knowing that somebody else was living in my bedroom! And using my bathroom! Also, I would miss it so much—I don’t know how you do it!”

I slumped down in my seat. I mean, it’s not like I had a choice. I was mostly quiet as we turned a few corners and then pulled up into a familiar parking lot.

Dance City Studios!

My old studio! It looked exactly the same as it had when I’d left!

“Come on,” said Eliza, leading me from the parking lot through the glass front door.

“Harper, is that you?” Lucinda, the receptionist, was at the front desk, looking just like I remembered her. “Have you come back to visit us?” She came around the desk for a big hug.

“We miss you around here, you know. The little ones have been asking where you went.” She smiled.

That made me both happy and sad to hear, but I couldn’t start bawling so soon into my visit. This was only the first minute. Sniff. Okay, maybe I could. I blinked back my tears. We moved on, passing by classes in session. Through the glass, I caught glimpses of each one. Wow, being here was making old memories come back to me. I remembered the time I’d spent to perfect my signature spin in the classroom we were walking by.

“She’s here!” Eliza ran down the hallway and threw her arms around me. “We’re having a party for you! Okay, not exactly for you.”

Everyone was gathered there for a special Friday-Night-In fundraiser. Proceeds were to go toward raising tuition fees for one talented dancer of limited means. There was pizza, music, and dancing, so I was glad to be there. I’d missed New York–style pizza. So badly. It didn’t matter that this was my second time eating pizza. I would eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert when I was here!