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He said it with his head down, his eyes on the floor

"I'll think of so tears into my pillow

Josh's face dropped and actually turned ashen when I told hiive him an explanation, but he just shook his head

"What is it, your parents don't think I'h?" he shot back atalone in the school hallway before I could deny it

I felt as if I were entering Celine's private world of shado One of , "All work and no play irl" The world that had becoray Even when it was a clear sky, I felt as if clouds hung over me My moodiness seeped into my performances at lessons Madame Malisorf's eyes narrowed into slits of suspicion Celine had made me promise never to tell Madame Malisorf how hard she and I worked on the weekends, but my master teacher was too perceptive

"Aren't you resting your legs'?" she asked me directly one afternoon Celine was in her usual corner observing I glanced her way Madame Malisorf followed the shift in my eyes and turned

"Celine, are you working this student seven days a week?" she demanded

"On occasion, I go over so and--"

"I want her to have a full twenty-four hours of rest Those muscles need some time to rebuild Every time ork out, we break them down You, of all people, should know that," she said, shaking her head "Make sure she has the rest required," she demanded

Celine promised, but never kept her proe and then a depression, backing herself into one of those dark corners in the house to stare sadly at the pictures of her forraraers I didn't have the heart to put up any real resistance

I tried to do better, to be sharp, to hitme, I did my homework and went to bed early I even did what she had asked me to do when I first enrolled in school I pretended to have craot myself excused from physical education class a nurown terrified of being tired or sluggish

Su closer and with it was the proious dance school However, money couldn't buy someone a place in the school Everyone had to audition and Celine's new obsession was getting reed to help win o to the school because she was going to spend most of her summer in Europe as she usually did My lessons became reviews of fundamentals Dimitri rarely came to practice anymore He had already been accepted to a school for dance in New York City and was preparing hi

We had to travel to Bennington, Ver held I was actually excited about it because I would be spending eight weeks at the school and I had read the program and schedule and seen that there was more rest and recreation tiive me more time At the end of the school's brochure were testimonials written by former students andaround the campfire, their weekly social dance, and short bus trips tohad to do with dance The school's philosophy was that a more rounded person o there and it amazed me that so many people would compete to spend so much money

At my final lesson before the audition, Madah what she predicted would be the school's test She stood back alongside Celine and tried to be an objective judge At the end she and Celine spoke softly for a moment and then Madame Malisorf smiled

"I would give you a place in my school, Janet," she said "You've made considerable improvement and you have reached a quality of performance that would justify the investment of further time and effort," she claimed Celine beamed