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me.
    “Oh,” I say, because I didn’t expect that. Eve always seems so distant.
    She laughs and says, “Let’s go again, this time with hips.”
    “Aren’t the others going to get here soon?” I ask.
    “We’ll stop when they do.”
    I really hadn’t expected to find her here, but it makes sense, so I ask, “Do you come before every class to practice?”
    Eve nods. “It’s my secret strategy for success.” She’s still smiling like we’ve won a competition.
    “How come you’re so happy?” I ask.
    Eve turns away from me slightly, so she’s not looking at me as she says, “I’ve waited a long time to find someone as serious about dance as I am. I’m glad it’s you. You could be really, really good, you know.”
    I don’t know how to respond to that. On the one hand, she’s saying I’m not that good, but on the other, I know she means to compliment me.
    “Thanks, I think.”
    “Okay, let’s go again!” Eve jumps around me in a totally un-Eve-like way, making me laugh along with her. After a second she stops, and we both settle back into posture until she nods at me and presses the remote, and we start a slow arm undulation.
    By the time the rest of the girls come in, I’m tired but loosened up, and after a couple of sips of water I’m ready for class. Dana strides in and takes her position in front of the mirrors. We go through the warm-up quickly, then get into place and strike our starting poses. Dana starts the music.
    The first girls move. I count the beats so that when my turn comes, I am in perfect time. My body glides through the motions until our sequence is over and the wave of movement flows along to the next batch of girls. When we all dance into the pinwheel, I am still in perfect time, and my footwork is flawless, so I don’t lose any momentum when I step out for the shimmy. Eve grins at me as I position myself beside her and Bea, and I grin back.
    The rest of the song goes smoothly. When we end, we all wait silently to digest what has happened. Dana always stands at the front of the room, watching with her hands on her hips, but today her hands are clasped in front of her chest like she’s concentrating really hard.
    “Girls, that was amazing!” she says.
    Something inside me softens when she says that, and I realize I’ve been clenching my jaw for days. I let out a little whoop. The girls laugh, but then join me, and the twelve of us whistle and jump around until Dana says, “Let’s see if you can do it again.”
    That sobers us up, but there are still grins on our faces as we settle into our poses and wait for the music. This time Dana is back to stopping us as we run through, but she only stops for me once, thankfully, and I breathe easier as we come to the last beat.
    When the music ends, Dana says, “I have news.”
    All the tension returns, because this is going to be the moment. I glance around. Who is she going to cut? Robin’s face is beet red, and Bea pulls at a lock of her hair. Alex stares at her toes. Only Eve stares boldly at Dana. But then Dana says, “I’ve chosen the costume for the dance, and I have a sample here to show you.”
    I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and feel my jaw relax again. Robin’s face goes back to its normal color, and Bea lets go of her hair. Dana walks to the doorway and reaches up to a suit bag hanging off it. She unzips it slowly, as if to prolong the suspense, then reaches in and pulls out the costume.
    The skirt is white, straight from the hips to a slight flare at the bottom, and threaded in gold so it sparkles. Dana pulls it on over her leggings and straightens it, then kicks out a leg, showing off the long slit that starts mid-thigh. Next, she pulls a belt out of the bag. It’s white, as wide as my hand and banded in gold studs. Dana wraps it around the top of the skirt, adjusting both so they sit low on her hips. When she pulls off her tights, we get the full effect of the skirt: shimmery but