No One's Watching by Sandy Green Read Free Book Online

don’t have a ballet solo until I think of something to tell Mom first.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Nicki pulled a strand of auburn hair and twirled it in her fingers.
    â€œMy mom expects me to dance a ballet solo in the end-of-camp performance. She thinks the recognition will help me land an apprenticeship in a ballet company. Or a summer scholarship at one of their schools. It’s important to us, my grandma included, I get a ballet solo this year.”
    â€œCould be.” Dira brushed salt from the pretzels off her lap. “Scouts from ballet companies come to the performance.”
    Scouts. I cringed. “For some reason, Shelly has it out for me. She hates me. She’s like one big tattletale. It’s so elementary school.” Each time Shelly ratted on me, Mom had that same empty, hurt face. Like I’d abandoned her. Grandma and I were the only family Mom had left, and Grandma was ancient. Why hadn’t Mom ever at least dated? She must have loved my father so much she couldn’t bear to be with another man after he died. At least, I think he died when I was a baby or before I was born. She never said. It must have been tragic. And dance related. I was positive he was a dancer.
    â€œShelly won’t tell your mom, will she?”
    Nicki wandered by Candace’s desk. “Don’t worry about Shelly. What’s up with her roommate, Amy? Short hair and a giant butt. Not my idea of a ballet dancer.” Nicki studied Candace’s framed picture of her dachshund, Suzy. “This looks like my dad’s girlfriend.”
    Dira snapped a pretzel in half. “What was Shelly doing on our floor, anyway?”
    Nicki replaced the picture and took the pretzel bag back, giggling. “They kicked her off hers.”
    Dira nodded. “There’s a girl like her in my ballet school back home.”
    â€œThere’s probably a girl like her in every studio.” Candace straightened the picture Nicki had set back.
    I sank into my mattress. Write to Mom? Is that what Shelly thinks I’ll do before she has a chance to write her mom about my news? I stared at my hands. I could guarantee her mother would tell mine. My fingers grew cold.
    â€œWho’s doing Don Q with Jupiter?” Candace dusted her dresser top.
    â€œTiffany, the new girl.” Dira pursed her lips.
    â€œHe’s hot. She doesn’t deserve him. Not from what I’ve seen of her anyway.” Nicki pushed herself off the bed and wandered around the room. “What’s with his name, anyway? I thought he was Jewish.”
    We took turns shrugging.
    Dira rolled the pretzel bag closed. “Mixed parents?”
    Nicki collected the subscription cards I’d tossed to the floor. “Yeah, like his dad is Zeus?”
    â€œThat would be Saturn.” Candace met our gazes. “What? I’m into mythology. Saturn ate his children.”
    â€œEww.” Nicki tossed the cards into the trash can and picked up a narrow black case on my bedside table. “What’s this?”
    â€œKit’s flute.” Candace sat on her bed.
    Nicki studied the label on the case. “Kitri Othersen. I didn’t remember Othersen was your last name.”
    â€œIt’s Danish. I know I don’t look Danish with my black hair and freckles.” There was another reason not to do Irish dance. I didn’t look remotely Irish, either.
    Nicki shrugged and laid the case on my bed. “Entertain us.”
    Why not? I flipped open my flute case and twisted the polished, cold pieces together. A gleaming, silver fire stick. I tested the airflow through the mouth hole and adjusted the tuning cork. When I reached for my blue book of songs, it fell open.
    â€œPerfect choice.” Nicki scooped up the open book and dropped it on the bed. “Have you ever played Danny Boy ?”
    I smoothed the book and studied the notes. “A long time ago. I forgot it sounded Irish.”
    I