Toe to Toe (On Pointe Book 1) by Penelope Freed (comprehension books txt) 📗

This Tyler is a little more vulnerable, a little more sweet. I grin up at him, “Text me,” I say and rise up on my toes to kiss his cheek before I spin around and skip back to my car. I give him a little wave as I climb in, then crank up the music for the drive home.

I don’t bother being quiet when I let myself into the house since my curfew isn’t for another forty-five minutes. Goody two-shoes Hannah Banana is good for one thing, at least. When I told my dad she was coming with us he laid off on the Spanish Inquisition about where I was going, smiled, and told me to be home by midnight. I guess having a reputation for always following the rules will get you that kind of response. I should remember this trick and use it again.

“Hey Dad,” I call out as I walk past the kitchen. He’s got his head in the freezer, probably hoping he can find some ice cream. At least it’s not Martha, she’s probably in bed already. I swear, she goes to bed almost as early as my monster siblings do.

“Hey pumpkin, have fun?” he asks, emerging with a carton of cookies ‘n cream. “Want some?” I shake my head.

“Nope, we had frozen yogurt,” I pat my flat stomach. “And yes, we had fun. Night Daddy.” I kiss the top of his head and make my escape. I think I hear my dad start to say something about babysitting Aiden and Marie, but I’m already halfway up the stairs so I pretend I don’t hear him. I tiptoe into the monsters’ room, kissing each of those drooly, disgusting sweethearts on the head before heading to my own room.

I flop onto my bed, face buried in my pillow and give a little squeal of happiness. I really like Tyler. He’s so hot, and strong, and we will look so good together. He’s also not totally dumb, so we may be able to have some actual conversation. Bonus: having a boyfriend gives me a built in excuse to get out of babysitting.

I finally unlock my phone to look at the texts that were buzzing in while we were on our date. I didn’t want to check my phone while we were out, I figured if I did then Tyler would think that was okay. And that is not okay with me. If I’m going to have a boyfriend, you better believe he is going to pay attention to me when we are on a date. Gotta train ‘em right from the beginning.

Megan: So…how good a kisser is he?

Madison: Ugh, Megan don’t be such a whore.

Allyson: Don’t call her a whore, slut.

Allyson: JK, you know i love you!

Megan: I hate you bitches.

Madison: No you don’t. You love us. Cause we may be bitches but we are the queen bitches

Megan: Better bow down when we walk by

Allyson: But seriously, Liv. How good a kisser is he?

I love those bitches. Kinda hate them too. I start typing a response when my phone buzzes again in my hand.

Hannah: Sorry I bailed. Headache.

Sure, Hannah. A “headache.” More like your old crush on Tyler reared its ugly head. Well guess what, I won this round. You may have won the family lottery, but this time I’m the one who got the best. I stick my tongue out at an imaginary Hannah and start typing while I change into my pajamas and wash my face.

Me:You may be bitches but you’re MY bitches. I don’t kiss and tell…..but it was…

I attach a gif of fireworks and explosions. They can take that however they want. They don’t need to know if I’ve kissed him or not. Let them think he’s already completely mine, then maybe they’ll back off and hook their claws in someone else.

Chapter 6 Hannah

“Oh my god, my feet hurt so much!” Lisa says, pulling off her pointe shoes. “I have a huge blister, look!” I gag as Lisa thrusts her sweaty foot in my face so I can examine the quarter-sized blister on her heel.

“Gross!” I laugh and shove her foot, knocking Lisa over into Olivia and Katy who are busy packing up their bags too. “I have epsom salts, you can soak it when we get to my house.” I add. After a long week at school and an even longer day of rehearsals, I’m excited to hang out with the girls all night. We’ve been so busy it seems like we hardly see each other, even when we spend hours together at the studio. I can’t remember the last time I hung out with Olivia.

I’m trying hard not to think about how the next three weekends could make or break my dreams too much. Even though I know in my head how much hard work I’ve put in, I can’t shake the feeling that one bad day could ruin everything. I’m hoping that the sleepover tonight will keep me distracted so I don’t psych myself out of a good audition tomorrow.

“Bye Ms. Parker!” I call out as we leave.

“Bye girls, good luck tomorrow! And don’t stay up too late,” she calls back from where she’s locking up the back of the studio.

“Meet you at my house?” I call to Olivia across the parking lot. Katy swings her bags into my trunk, next to mine and Lisa’s, sliding into the backseat while Lisa slides into the front with me. Olivia looks up from her phone and waves.

“I’ll be there soon, gotta swing by my house first,” she calls, head still down, typing furiously on her phone. She smiles at something on the screen, then hops in her car and pulls out of her parking space.

“Hi Mom!” I say, as we crash through the front door, giggling over the story Katy was telling in the car. “What’s for dinner?”

“Hi Mrs. O’Brian!” Katy and Lisa parrot, peeking into the kitchen with me. “That smells yummy, what is it?” Katy adds. The kitchen smells like