Audrey didn’t accept his apology.
Scott told him he was no longer welcome in our home.
After they left, Scott sat beside her.
“I should’ve listened when your mom said something was wrong,” he said. “And I should’ve noticed how much you were hurting.”
Audrey wiped her eyes.
“She can still audition.”
“Can I still dance?”
“We’ll find out,” I said.
I called Ms. Alvarez that evening. The recital auditions were the following week, and Audrey had missed lessons she needed to prepare.
“She can still audition,” Ms. Alvarez said. “I’ll help her catch up, but she’ll have to earn her place like everyone else.”
When I told Audrey, she pulled her dance shoes out of her bag for the first time in weeks.
“Mia always wanted Audrey to do well.”
She practiced every evening, sometimes getting frustrated enough to cry. Scott adjusted his schedule to handle pickups, and I took her to extra lessons whenever I could.
