The Devil of DiRisio Read Online Free Page B

are.” Will kissed my forehead but I continued crying. It wasn’t only the ‘fat’ comment I was upset about. It was everything. I wasn’t doing as well as I wanted in any of my classes.
    I understood I was no longer the prima ballerina like I was at Ms. Alexander’s studio, but I refused to believe that in a few short weeks I had transformed into a truly awful and uncoordinated dancer. But the way they yelled at me all the time made me think just that. I always did everything wrong.
    “I have good news,” Will said , trying to change the subject and cheer me up. “Last night in Greece, coach left me in for twenty-eight minutes, and I scored fifteen points. That’s the best I’ve done since I got here.”
    Will played professional basketball for the Rome team Lottomatica . Money didn’t really matter to him, since he could live a lifetime just on his trust fund alone. All he cared about was playing basketball and being close to me. He eventually wanted to play in the NBA and I eventually wanted to dance with the Russian Ballet alongside Natalia Karleskaya , my idol. Lately, Will had finally started getting the recognition he deserved on the team. He was a sensational basketball player. Not that I was an expert or anything, but I knew he would be a star, and soon.
    “That’s great, babe,” I said, feigning enthusiasm.
    “I also had three rebounds, eight assists and a blocked shot. I think he’s starting to see my potential. I think he might put me in more often now.”
    “That’s great, babe,” I said with a yawn as Will continued with the details of his breakout performance in the game against the Greek team. I really wanted to know what went on in his life. I cared about him a lot and I wanted him to be successful, but I was so weak from dancing all day everyday that I fell asleep as he spoke.
    I woke up with a start, not knowing where I was. Will must have carried me to bed. I looked over and saw him at my side, sleeping peacefully. He looked so cute when he slept. What was I talking about? He looked cute when he was awake. He was always cute. I looked at the clock. It was six forty-five in the morning. Oh God, six forty-five. I had class at seven.
    “Will, why didn’t you wake me up? I have class in fifteen minutes.”
    “What?” he moaned.
    “Get up! You gotta take me to the academy. I have class in fifteen minutes.” I jumped out of bed and searched for my clothes. Will didn’t move. “Get up!” I yelled as I slapped him on the back. I ran to his closet and took out a pair of pants and a shirt for him to put on. He still didn’t move. “Will!”
    “What?” he yelled.
    “I have to go.”
    “No, you don’t, it’s Saturday.”
    “It is?” Will groaned a yes. “Oh,” I said, sitting on the bed. “Sorry.” I was really out of it. Lack of sleep had stressed my mind, making my thoughts fuzzy and incoherent. I tried to concentrate. There was something I needed to do on Saturday. Something important I needed to do. Then it hit me. “Saturday? That’s even worse. I have an exam. I have to study. I don’t even have my books. You see? This is why I don’t live here.” Will reached out from under the blankets and pulled me down on the bed.
    “Your exam is next Saturday. Do you think I would let you forget something like that?” He kissed me and snuggled next to me, falling asleep again in an instant.
    I should have been glad that Will remembered the correct date of my exam even though I didn’t, but I wasn’t. It just showed once again that I couldn’t make it on my own. I needed someone else to get me through everything and help me stay organized. For most of my life, my sister Sasha filled that role, now Will. When would it be me?
     
    ~ * * * ~
     
    That afternoon, when I went back to the dorms, I saw Joshua carrying out boxes to his car. Olga sat in the front seat with her head in her hands.
    “What’s wrong?” I asked after tapping on the window.
    She rolled it down and