“Also,” Marin said, looking shyly at Diya as our laughter died down. “I think you have an amazing voice. I’m jealous of it, to be honest. A lot of people are. I think you’ll be on Broadway in, like, a year, tops.”

“Oh.” Diya gave her a soft smile. “Thanks, Marin.”

Marin nodded. As she walked away, Diya shook her head in awe. “I still can’t get over the ‘be a normal human and everyone will assume it’s normal-sized’ part.” Our laughter kicked up again. I’d only really hung out with Diya once before, but it felt like we were old friends.

When I glanced at the senior group again, my happy feelings dissolved. Ethan was staring at Jude. Jude was staring at the floor, his mouth tight. Then he pushed off the stage and out the door.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

REHEARSAL WAS ABOUT TO START, but Jude hadn’t come back yet. He’d looked so hurt. Was it because I was friends with his ex? Did he hate her that much? Did he hate me that much?

“Alina!” Ms. Langford’s voice startled me out of my thoughts. She waved me over to where she was sitting in the front row. “Good news about the ballet duet for the ‘Broadway Melody’ number,” she said, her tone a bit clipped. She was still annoyed at me for missing so much rehearsal, and I didn’t blame her.

“Great,” I said, trying to show enthusiasm. God, Jude probably wouldn’t want to learn another dance with me now. I was sure he’d be civil about it, like he was with Diya rehearsing the bench scene. The thought turned me cold. I’d hate being civil with Jude when we’d been so much more.

“I wanted to get someone who could do it justice, so I called around, and Kira Dobrow said she’d do it. She said you were a student of hers?”

That snapped me out of my Jude thoughts. “Wait, what?” I tried to remember how to breathe. “You—you’re not, you’re not choreographing it?”

“Ballet isn’t my forte, Alina. Kira will give you something much better to work with. Your and Jude’s first rehearsal with her is this Saturday.”

Sweat broke out on my forehead, the back of my neck. If it was Kira, it wouldn’t be ballet in quotation marks. It would be Ballet with a capital B. The kind I couldn’t do anymore. “Um… Ms. Langford… the thing is—”

“Oh, I almost forgot, we’ll need to fit you for the costume,” Ms. Langford interrupted. She went on about the measurements, but I wasn’t processing. Eventually, she shooed me back onto the stage. I took my place upstage right and spotted Jude. He’d finally returned. I watched Ms. Langford telling him about the duet. He nodded, a bit grimly. He didn’t look for me.