Spring Knight: Young Adult Romance Novella (A Seasons of Change Standalone) Read Free Page B

she remained standing, not a shake in sight.
    He ignored her.
    “All right, everyone, gather round! Make sure you can hear me because I’m only going to say it once, if you misinterpret or don’t hear something, you’re cut,” Adam shouted, and everyone formed a semi-circle around him, Aiden tagging on the end with a few other newbies who’d been waiting for auditions to start. He looked out of place and uncomfortable, which was unusual for him. Not once had Kayleigh seen him look like he didn’t fit in. Yet it felt nice, like he was on her turf and she had the upper hand.
    “We’re going to start with dancing because if you can’t dance you’re no good for anything in the show. I want you all in pairs—”
    People started turning to each other and pointing, ignoring Adam as they tried to snag the best dancers.
    “No! I will be doing the pairing, and then I’ll show you the steps. You have fifteen minutes to practise before everyone will perform. You mess up, you’re cut.”
    The room let out a simultaneous groan, including Kayleigh since she knew what was coming by his staring at her. Adam liked throwing his weight around, and it was one of the reasons people were starting to see her as a better alternative. Not only was she beating him in grades, but she wasn’t a complete and utter jackass to people. She had gained the class’ respect through kindness.
    When Kayleigh turned her attention back to Adam, he was already listing names and people were pairing off to find a space on the performance floor.
    “And finally, Kayleigh and Aiden.”
    Kayleigh rolled her eyes at him; he was so predictable. Did he really think pairing her up with the new guy meant he could prove her incompetent? He’d have a riot on his hands if that was the case. All female roles had been cast and Kayleigh had, of course, gotten the female lead. He couldn’t abuse his power without it backfiring.
    Nodding her head towards the floor, she signalled for Aiden to follow her. As they stood face-to-face, waiting for instructions, Faye—a member of her class and someone Kayleigh was closest to—touched her arm to get her attention.
    “He’s
not
out to get you, is he?” She snorted sarcastically causing Kayleigh to laugh.
    “He can try, but he’s forgetting one important factor in his game.”
    “What’s that?”
    “People like me better, including the director. He shouldn’t be messing with me.” She smiled at Faye, who was glancing over her shoulder and nodding.
    “What’s he doing here anyway? Didn’t think commitment to anything was his thing.”
    “Don’t ask, it’s a long story. Regardless, he needs to get through.” Kayleigh tried to subtly imply that she needed people to have her back as well as Aiden’s, but she wasn’t sure how well the message was received.
    “No problem, I wouldn’t want him leaving. We need someone new to admire now and then, and he fits the role perfectly.”
    Kayleigh rolled her eyes so as not to let on to her true feelings. Faye, on the other hand, gave her a knowing look. However, before she could reply, she felt a tap on her shoulder.
    Turning to face Aiden she noticed he looked irritated. “Shouldn’t you be listening to him teach the steps?” He nodded his head in the direction of Adam where he was going through a series of moves with a volunteer. She almost laughed, but refrained, thinking it would be unfair.
    “I choreographed the dances, I know them better than him.”
    Aiden’s eyes widened slightly before he regained his composure. “Lucky I got paired with you then.”
    “Trust me, it wasn’t luck. Adam’s out for my head and he wants you gone. He thinks you’ll screw up and he can get you out, and then show me up.”
    “Sorry about that. I’ll try not to screw up.” He looked smug, despite the apology. It frustrated her that he saw it all as a big game. It might have been for him since he had nothing riding on the performance, but she did. The thought caused a