“Rhetorical question, Lurch. Hold it, people!” The words were barely out of her mouth and someone had already rushed to turn off the music. “Take five or work on your double pirouettes. I don’t care, do something,” she said, narrowing her eyes at Blaine as she zeroed in on him. “What’s your problem today? That wasn’t rhetorical, by the way.”
The second time the pet name was used on him, he let it go. In the grand scheme of things? Being called Lurch because of his hair was the least of his issues. However, passing this class was near the top of them. Along with the rest of the others the normally overachieving, polite student who’d been becoming increasingly distant and not quite overachieving the past few weeks was struggling with. Blaine felt his stomach fill with ice and then plummet to the floor the minute Cassandra called out for everyone to stop. It was cemented under the floorboards when she turned her narrow gaze directly at him. Stuttering to say anything, his eyes were practically screaming an apology to make up for his lack of knowing what to say and not have it sound like some flimsy reason for his routine falling apart.
“I.. There’s nothing I can tell you that isn’t going to sound like I’m only trying to make an excuse for myself. I’ll get it together. Starting now..,” he swallowed the lump in his throat to keep from rambling on further as he felt himself close to doing the opposite.
pianokeysandbowties 