Slamming the door behind her, Tory marched out of David’s office, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. She could hear the man call out after her, but she didn’t stop. What was there left to say?

Nothing, if you didn’t take into account her growing urge to curse the man out. But that would hardly be the professional thing to do, would it?

Luckily, David didn’t chase after her, so Tory made her way through the winding hallways of Sarandon Dance Academy, looking for people she actually wanted to see, and not yell at.

Ass, she thought, thanking her lucky stars that David had given up on the pursuit.

She didn’t feel like she could refrain from telling him in violent detail what she thought of him right about now.

She found two of her troupe-mates down at the rehearsal area, busy stretching and trying to look like they just hadn’t been trying to eavesdrop on her conversation with the boss.

Mirrors lined two walls of the large space, with a dance barre off to one side. The walls had recently been painted a garish pink, despite Tory’s objections. What were they, a kids’ ballet studio?

Not that the décor was any of her business now.

Caroline, a petite redhead with freckles that made her look ten years younger than she actually was, spoke up first.

“Hey,” she said, trying to sound cheerful. “How did it go?”

The man behind her dropped his warm-up, turning his attention to Tory. They must have guessed at the answer already, either from the look on Tory’s face or from the loud conversation that had to have echoed out from the paper-thin walls of David’s office.

But, judging by the hesitant smiles, they were still holding out hope. Tory didn’t have that luxury.

“You must have heard the shouting,” she replied, leaning on the doorframe.

“So… not good?” Caroline hesitantly asked.

“No, not good,” Tory confirmed.

The smiles dropped. Tory noticed Caroline quickly glance at her right leg, and she shifted uncomfortably on her feet. Clad in dark jeans, she knew her scars weren’t visible, but that didn’t mean everyone didn’t know they were there.

Blake, a lanky, dark-haired man who tended to solve all life’s problems with copious amounts of red wine, exchanged a meaningful look with Caroline before turning to Tory.

“So… More time off?” he asked.

“You could say that,” Tory shrugged. “If by ‘more’ you mean all.”

Wait. Does that make sense?

“Of the time. All of the time off,” she quickly added, shaking her head. “Ah, hell, I fucked that up. But you get the point. Just imagine I said something really smart, and pithy.”

Blake looked stunned, and he was rarely at a loss for words. Caroline, however, didn’t waste any time running the length of the room and wrapping her arms around Tory.

“Oof,” Tory complained, having more trouble steadying herself than she would have liked to admit.

“Sorry, sorry,” Caroline chirped, letting her go. “It’s just… David is an idiot to fire you. You’re an awesome dancer. If he just gave you a little more time…”

“Time,” Tory scoffed. “David’s already busy looking for my replacement. My time is officially up.”

She hadn’t meant to sound so bitter, but the wound was so fresh, she could hardly help it. And anyway, she was way too proud to ever beg David for more time, or for him to keep her spot open. She didn’t need any charity. Especially not from a snake in the grass like him.

Temper flaring, Tory ground her teeth. There was no need to ruin Blake and Caroline’s day with her foul mood. So, with great effort, she managed to conjure up a smile that she hoped didn’t look totally demented.

“It’s fine,” she shrugged. “I’ll land on my feet.”

“You always do,” Blake grinned. “Haven’t seen you stumble once.”

“And don’t you forget it,” Tory grinned back.

Tucking a strand of golden-brown hair back into the loose bun resting at the nape of her neck, Tory tried to hold onto the smile on her face, but couldn’t quite manage. Was this really her last time in this space that had been her second home for so long?

She was going to miss it. Garish pink walls and all.

“So,” Caroline said, cutting through the silence that had fallen over the room. “We having drinks tonight or what? We have to celebrate the fact that you don’t ever have to see David’s face again.”

Tory couldn’t help but laugh.

“You know, when you put it like that…” she said.

Inside, the pain of being cast aside still throbbed, like a fresh bruise. She was reminded of a Barbie doll she had once. It had been her favorite toy for all of two months after Christmas.

But then the dog had gotten to it, chewing off an arm and a leg, slobbering all over the doll’s fabulous fake hair. So into the trash it went.

All right, Tory, she sighed to herself. That comparison is a little dramatic, even for you.

“I bet you’re not even worried,” Blake smiled, walking over to throw a graceful arm over her shoulders. “You probably already have a plan to take over the world or something. I just ask you be kind to us commoners once you have the planet under your thumb.”

Tory rolled her eyes. Blake always did have the habit of overestimating her. Usually, it was sweet. But in her current position, it just made her feel even more worthless. Truth was, she had no plan. Some stupid part of her had still hoped her meeting with David would go well. That some miracle would happen. That her knee would stop aching, and the brace around her ankle would suddenly be unnecessary.

“Don’t put her on the spot, Blake,” Caroline chided. “Give the girl a chance to breathe.”

Blake suddenly looked sheepish. With one final squeeze, he let go of her shoulders.

Seeing concern cloud over her friends’ faces, Tory suddenly felt compelled to lie.

“Don’t worry about me, guys,” she said, twisting her face into a carefree smile. “I’m taking this as a chance to start fresh. You know, turn a new leaf, see where life takes me. I’m thinking it could be like an adventure.”

Ugh. Now I sound like a greeting card. A bad one, at that.

Truth was, dancing was something that all three of them loved more than anything, and didn’t know how to live without. That was just how it went. Once you were bitten by the bug, there was no turning back.

Fortunately, both Caroline and Blake seemed to be buying her little motivational speech, if their eager nods were anything to go on.

“I like adventures,” Blake said.

“I’d hardly call swiping right on Tinder all day long adventurous,” Caroline teased.

Smiling to herself, Tory watched her two friends get into an argument over who was actually more bold and courageous. She was glad to have the attention off her. Because there was no adventure waiting for her.

At least not that she knew of.