Fake It 'Til You Break It(46)

I glare straight ahead. If he still wants to keep this fakeness up, he needs to understand that it doesn’t come before or between dance, and that what my coach says goes. Yes, this is only my school team and not my competition team, but still. I’m on the front line for a reason and his power trip isn’t getting in the way of the gold stamp that this puts on my college applications.

“Demi,” Miranda barks and my head jerks her way. “Sass, not anger.”

I clear my throat, quickly putting my game face on.

I don’t miss Nico’s chuckle.

Considering Miranda left him with me, I guess she agrees with our pairing.

Miranda pushes play on the recording. “We’re already at one, but I’ll repeat it for the sake of the steps.”

She continues to count, and in what seems like slow motion, Nico slides his hands down my ribs, fingers spreading out at my hips. Mine come up to cover his as I jump a foot into the air. The second my feet hit the floor, I nudge him off as he forgets to let go.

In the next second, all of us girls are dropping into a left split, and the guys start freaking out, completely losing their cool with whoops and oh damns making us laugh.

We push to our feet as a laughing Miranda turns to the grinning coach. “Maybe I should have explained what they were about to do.”

He laughs lightly, then heads for the door. “Give them five minutes to change at the end, but they’re all yours for now. Can’t give them to you this week but starting next you can have them for twenty minutes, twice a week and in the morning only. Boys, this means I get twenty extra after school, so plan for it.”

“Yes, Coach,” is shouted by the guys.

He nods and walks out.

Miranda’s tense gaze comes back to me. “Demi,” she calls on me as I’m the front liner. “Keep steps one through three and give us the last seven.”

I nod and take a few steps forward. I lift my arms, assuming Nico will understand to place his hands back on me, but when no movement follows, I glance over my shoulder to find Nico glaring at my bloomers.

I snap my fingers, and a few others chuckle as that glare cuts up to mine.

He looks around, realizing everyone is watching the two of us, then he steps out. “What?”

I roll my eyes. “Do what you just did, but leave your hands loose on my hips, so I can move them while adding steps.”

He doesn’t hesitate, scooting in so close his sweats are rubbing against my ass.

I ignore the thickness of him brushing against me and start counting.

Nico’s hands go from my ribs to my waist, and hold.

“Five.” I spin to face him, gripping his hoodie mid stomach. “Six.” I drop down, my legs butterflied, face at his crotch. “Seven.” I’m back in his face, chest to chest. “Eight.” I push off of him, and just like I knew he would, he creeps back in with a frown. I smile. “Nine.” His brows knit. I grip his hand and spin out, both of us now facing forward, our elbows bent, hands up. “Ten.”

She said we’re escorting them, so I take a few slow, dramatic steps forward and he moves with me before I drop his hand and turn to the others.

A few girls whistle and clap while Miranda stands there processing.

After a moment she nods. “That’s perfect. Messy, needs serious precision, and practice, but a perfect entrance. They come in hot, get knocked down a peg, but fire back with a dominant flare. Complete story to tell before a big game.”

Nico’s eyes slide to mine, and I almost detect a flash of satisfaction coming from his, but he blinks, and it’s gone.

We only have time to run through it once with everyone and it’s a shit show, but Miranda advises us to try and get together to practice this week if we can swing it.

The boys are dismissed while us girls hang back to go over our schedule for the week, and then we’re let go.

I use the time I have left to take a quick shower and dress in my normal clothes, but I’m too exhausted to mess with my hair, so I tie it back in a slick ponytail, throwing some mousse in to give the illusion of natural body.

As usual, I’m one of the last to leave, rushing out the door, only to slam into Nico on my exit.

“What...” I trail off as he uses his body to drive mine back a few steps, trapping me in the small divide that leads into the locker room.

“What are you doing?”

His eyes narrow. “I gotta ask to hide away with my girl?”

I frown and he holds a finger to his mouth, telling me to keep quiet.

Right then, a girl on my team comes out of the locker room door, squealing when she sees us.

“Sorry.” She laughs as she disappears.

Nico waits for the door to close completely then looks back to me. “I had to leave the beach. Today’s the first day I could make it back.”

From where I want to ask but don’t.

I nod instead. “I gathered when I woke up and you were, you know, gone, and when I didn’t see you in class all week. You and Trent thought you were really cute, by the way.”

That makes him mad.

“I never said I was done,” he says sharply. “You shouldn’t have been planning to go with Alex in the first fuckin’ place.”

A laugh bubbles out of me. “What was I supposed to think? You took off, I assumed that meant mission accomplished.”