Sunday Snippet

 

Today's snippet is from my upcoming release, Torn.  You can pre-order your copy on AMAZON

Torn, En Pointe, Book One

Mickie B. Ashling 

All rights reserved

Now, in my sixteenth year, I had passed Talia by several inches, and thanks to my consistent bodybuilding, had added many more layers of muscle. I would never be one of the taller dancers, but at five-feet-eleven, I made an excellent partner for Talia who stood at five-feet-four. Even when Talia got on point, I bested her by several inches. I could lift her above me with hardly a wobble and our fish dives were close to perfect. Aside from our physical compatibility, the level of trust between us had been firmly established years ago. Talia never worried about her safety when she launched herself into the air, knowing I would catch her or die trying. Our intuitive connection gave us the upper hand in the special dynamic between partners. We moved as one unit, and I had always put Talia’s safety and comfort first. I encouraged her when she was down, and Talia routinely boosted my confidence when I stumbled during a particularly difficult movement. It was never a question of who was right or wrong only how we could improve to showcase each other’s best qualities. 

Henri was a little over six-feet tall and still growing. He would have a lot more choices when it came to partnering, but he was only interested in a solo career, which was just as well. We wouldn’t have to fight for Talia’s attention, although I knew Henri couldn’t care less about her. The animosity between them that had started when he first showed up continued to grow through the years. It was the only dark cloud in our bright future. I tried to smooth the path toward a genuine friendship between my two best friends, but I was routinely disappointed.

Talia accused me of being blind to Henri’s faults, and since he was perfect in my eyes, I couldn’t disagree. Onu advised a gentle let down because he was convinced Henri was falling in love with me. I told him Henri wasn’t gay. Onu said I was a complete blockhead if I missed the admiration in Henri’s eyes. I continued to speculate about Henri’s orientation until my thirteenth birthday.