“Smolder!” Ms. Langford yelled, and we quickly re-smoldered. I kicked my leg up near Jude’s ear, and he caught my ankle without the lavender leg warmer for the first time. My stomach jolted as I felt the heat of his fingers through my tights. Jude dipped me, and when I came back up, I was supposed to stop about six inches away from his face. But something pulled me in closer. My lips almost brushed his.

The lights dimmed, my cue to exit. As I backed into the wings to change into my pink ballet costume, I kept my eyes on his.

He kept his on mine. The lights turned up. The chorus streamed onstage again. They started dancing the next section, but Jude was still staring at me. A second later, his head snapped back to the front and he joined everyone a few beats late.

During the ballet part, we heard no catcalls from the auditorium. There were a few gasps, like when I did the slow développé and held it. But otherwise, it was stunned silence. When the dance was over, it hurt to let go of Jude’s hand and move in circles away from him, back into the wings alone. But he had a scene right after and was pretty much onstage for the rest of the run-through. At least I was giving him a ride home tonight. I’d have to talk to him then.

After we practiced the finale and the curtain call, Mrs. Sorenson gathered us onstage for one last round of notes. Margot, Ethan, Jude, and I sat in a little clump. Someone started passing out programs for the show as Mrs. Sorenson gave final pointers. In addition to the names of the cast and the order of the scenes, the program was like a mini-yearbook for the musical people. You could submit short messages for your friends, and pictures from rehearsals with funny captions.

“Alina,” Mrs. Sorenson projected over the whispers and giggles, “you went in closer to Jude at the end of the Vamp dance. That was great, do that for the show.”

I nodded, ignoring Margot’s and Ethan’s looks.

“And Jude, when you stared into the wings after she exited and missed the first part of the dance? Fantabulous. Really sold the spell she put over you. Do that for the show, too.”

“Okay.” Jude quickly looked down at his program. Under all that pancake makeup, I thought I spied a blush.

Then Mrs. Sorenson told us how proud she was of everyone, and how much she truly loved us all. At least, I think that was what she said—the murmurs had gotten louder as people pointed to something in the program.

“What’s going on?” Margot hissed, paging through her program.

Laney’s head poked in. “Page seven,” she whispered, and then crawled away.