dancing in the stars (ballerina x singer wlw romance)

chapter twenty-two

WILLOW

"Okay, so. What do you have so far?" Professor Queens crosses her arms over her chest and leans back on her chair.

I place my green notebook on her desk and open it until I found the song. "I was thinking about this one."

"Do you want me to read it or do you want to sing?" she raises her brows at me. aha, trick question.

I chew on my lip to keep myself from smiling. "I'll sing it but it doesn't have a finished melody yet."

She hums with a small nod and grabs my notebook either way before grabbing her glasses and placing them over her nose.
I clear my throat, already warmed up to sing in front of her, and I try not to study her face when she reads my potential song for the showcase.
I've been working with Professor Queens for months now, she's really talented and she loves almost all my songs. If there's something wrong with one, she's going to tell me, no matter if it hurts or not. I love that about her. The honesty is what I need most these days.

I open my mouths and the words leave me, softly and deep like the song I wrote.

"...And you laugh, and you dance in the wind and you sway, and you hug, and you kiss but there's darkness behind those eyes even when you smile." I take a deep breath, closing my eyes and letting myself get lost on the song. "Oh, summer child, you don't have to act like all you feel is mild. You don't really love the sun, it drives you wild. You're lying, summer child."

When I open my eyes after hitting the last note, Professor Queens is smiling, her bright eyes sparkling as she looks at me. She places the notebook back to my side and gives me a few claps that bring color to my cheeks. "This song is beautiful, Willow. Perfect." okay, I sense a but...
"But," there it is. My heart sinks. "Are you sure Summer can build a choreography over it?"

I swallow the big knot that's forming in my throat and nod. "She says she can. I trust her, she's the best."

"That she is." she nods with a proud smile. "You have a bright future, Willow and I chose her because I know the two of you can take over the world if you want to."

My lips twist in a smile. "Thank you."

"You may go, now." she tells me and I nod, standing up. "Just a question."

"Yes?"

"Is there a reason you wrote the song? It seems... personal."

I press my lips together, feeling an uncomfortable sensation in my stomach. "No, I don't know. I write whatever comes to mind. Sometimes they're just stories made up by me."

"That part, when you say, 'aren't you way too busy taking care of everybody to take of yourself'?" she quotes me with a smile. "That part, almost brought me to tears. It's really beautiful, Willow. I'm really proud of you."

Oh, not that word. It triggers something in me. Tears. No, I won't cry in front of my professor.
Instead, I nod with a soft smile. "Thank you so much, Professor Queens. It means a lot to me."

"Of course. Can you call, uh..." she looks at her laptop. "Pippa Brown, for me?"

I step outside her office, asking to the seven girls who is Pippa Brown. A girl with blonde hair raises her hand and after I tell her it's her turn, I leave the building.
The soft breeze from October makes me regret my choice of not wearing a jacket. I wrap my hands over my sweater and start walking to McDonald's. I'm not working today but Maya asked me to grab some food on my way to the dorm and I'm a bit hungry so who am I to say no?