The Devil of DiRisio Read online

  “Oh, come on, I’m sure you can. I know, firsthand, how you dance.” The way he said it made it sound dirty. As if we had done more than dance at The Spanish Fly. Suddenly, I felt like I was cheating on Will just by sitting next to Damian.

  I grabbed my shoes and my leg warmers and went to sit next to Anna Marie across the room.

  The classroom wasn’t that big so I still heard him when he said, “It is in you. Don’t worry, I’ll find it.” He continued to stare at me and smile during the entire class. I felt like he was melting my clothes off with his fiery eyes. I actually tried to cover myself as if I was suddenly naked. He made me uncomfortable.

  Fortunately, Gretchen started pointe class, delivering me from his persistent gaze. I thought he would leave, since pointe class consisted only of girls, but he didn’t. He stood in the corner, staring at each of us like a fat kid staring at a birthday cake. I thought I actually saw him lick his lips.

  ~ * * * ~

  Rehearsal with Alejandro that night was once again insufferable. We had a performance soon, and the company didn’t have enough professionals to play all the parts, so once again they were exploiting us students. It happened all the time. The company was suffering financially, so whenever there was a chance to cut corners, they took it. Instead of hiring more professionals, they forced us to dance for free. We had no choice in the matter. It was either dance when they told you to dance or lose your spot at the academy.

  I held my arabesque perfectly still as Pierre came to lift me. But once again, he missed his cue and wasn’t in position as I bent and jumped for the lift. His hands slipped and, as usual, I fell. Of course, I expected it. I knew it would eventually happen. I caught myself and feigned a bit of decorum, but Alejandro still cut off the music and started screaming at us. Well, really, he screamed at me. How could he be upset with me? I was the one getting dropped all the time.

  After rattling off everything wrong with me like he was reading some sort of laundry list, Alejandro turned to Pierre, gave him some words of encouragement in French, and then patted him on the back. Pierre grinned like an idiot buffoon and continued to stare off into space as he had been doing during Alejandro’s entire tirade. I wanted to quit right then and there, but then what would I do? Move in with Will and live in his shadow for the rest of my life? I didn’t want that. I needed to prove myself.

  Alejandro let everyone go at six except Pierre and me. He kept us working until eight-fifteen doing the lifts over and over again. When we were done, I was so sore I could barely walk. Dancing with Pierre all the time could very possibly end my career. I had to do something. I had to find another partner. But not tonight. Tonight, I just wanted to sleep.

  I grabbed my stuff and limped out of the studio as Pierre stayed behind and talked to Alejandro. I wondered what they were talking about. They were probably trying to figure out a way to replace me. Honestly, I didn’t care at that point. It was one stupid recital that I could do without. Pierre could go find another partner that he could toss around like a rag doll.

  I was so angry with Alejandro and Pierre that I almost didn’t notice Will slouched in a chair in the lobby next to a bouquet of white roses. From his stylish outfit, I could tell he had planned a special evening. His sleek tan trench coat with winter white cashmere scarf tucked neatly behind the lapels covered an expensive navy blue Armani suit. I was pleased to see he had decided to ditch his dirty red Converse All-Stars that he used to wear with everything, but I kind of missed them. They showed how weird and sentimental he was, just like me. He was wearing those shoes the first time he saw me dance back in New Jersey. Since then, he rarely took them off. He thought they brought him luck. He probably regretted not wearing them tonight. It was very unlucky for his selfish girlfriend to keep him waiting while she finished a useless and unproductive rehearsal.

  I watched as Will stood and flipped the light switch three times. From the angry look the lobby receptionist gave him, I could tell that wasn’t the first time he had done that. I wondered how long he had been waiting. It had to have been a long time.

  “Oh, no, did we have a date tonight?” I asked walking toward him.

  “Yeah, I had reservations at seven-oh-two.”

  “I’m sorry, Will.” He stood and hugged me as I started crying. I felt the familiar ring box through his jacket as I rested my head on his chest. He was going to propose again. I didn’t have the strength for another proposal. I was just too tired.

  “It’s fine. Don’t cry. I know you’re busy. We can do it some other time.” Will wiped the tears from my eyes and said, “Are you hungry? Let’s go find you some dinner.”

  “I’m not hungry. I just want to sleep.”

  “Are you sure? What have you eaten today?” Will had a concerned look in his eyes. Why was he wondering what I ate all of a sudden?

  “I’ve eaten plenty. Now, I just want to sleep,” I said defensively.

  “Why don’t you spend the night at my place? I haven’t seen you in three days. I’ll make you dinner. We can lay out by the pool—”

  “Will, I just want to sleep.” He relented only after I promised to have lunch with him the next day.

  Will walked me back to the dorms where we just said a quick good night. He wanted more, but I was so weak and sore. I needed sleep. When I went upstairs I saw Damian Karl making out with Cynthia outside her door. She had both legs wrapped around him and he was squeezing her butt as he wooed her in French. So, I was right. He was French. But then again, what did I care?

  Chapter 7

  Obsession

  Completely exhausted, I plopped on my bed without even undressing. I felt like if I didn’t sleep for the next twelve hours straight I would shrivel up and die. But for some reason, that night, my mind wouldn’t shut off. Every time I closed my eyes I had the same dream. Pierre would lift me high in the air as he grunted and moaned like I was the heaviest thing in the world. Then he would purposely drop me into a toilet, along with my career. The vision was so real that I could almost smell Pierre’s familiar stench. I actually got up and opened a window.

  Anna Marie went to Paris for the weekend trying to find true love, so I had the room to myself. I felt lonely. I regretted sending Will home. I decided to watch a little television. I flipped through the channels and somehow ended up on MTV. I hated when Anna Marie watched this station for hours on end. I always thought it had nothing to offer but brain dead, sex-obsessed idiots singing pointless, mind-numbing garbage masquerading as music. But lately, I had been complaining less when she forced me to endure it. I think it may have had something to do with Damian Karl’s visit. I thought about what he said to me the other day. What did he see in me? I couldn’t dance like that. I knew I couldn’t. But then again, I had never tried.

  Four half-naked black girls were singing about how they “do it” when I decided to get up and try this mysterious “it.” I watched their movements and copied everything I saw. It wasn’t as hard as I thought. Some of the steps were completely impossible, but maybe that was because I needed practice in the genre.

  After a couple of hours, a video choreographed by Damian Karl came on. I only knew that because I saw him in it. His hair was in cornrows and he was shirtless with baggy jeans. My God, he looked sexy. I quickly found my digital camera and videotaped it. For the rest of the night, I replayed the video and danced to it until I had Damian’s style down perfectly. I didn’t know why. I guess, for some reason, it was important for me to prove myself to someone.

  ~ * * * ~

  The first day of hip-hop class wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Damian was a tough teacher, but I kept up with him. Every once in a while he would look at me, smile, then throw something at us even more challenging. Everyone had trouble with his intricate choreography, so I wasn’t completely embarrassed when I missed a step. I think he enjoyed making a room full of accomplished ballet dancers seem uncoordinated and awkward.

  As soon as he dismissed us, I rushed back to my room to call Will a
nd see what time he would be coming for lunch. I didn’t need to call, though, because when I opened my door, he was there. He had covered all the windows, making the room romantically dark. He placed flowers on every available surface and played opera music in the background. He had laid out a blanket in between me and Anna Marie’s beds covered with fruits, cheeses, breads, and meats. He even had a bottle of apple cider chilling in a bucket. It brought tears to my eyes.

  “You are amazing,” I said as I kissed him over and over.

  “You deserve it. You’ve been working way too hard.”

  I sat down on the floor with Will as he filled a champagne glass with cider.

  Even though hunger gnawed my stomach since I’d skipped breakfast, I couldn’t eat for some reason. The sight of food made me nauseated. So, I sat back and drank my cider as Will explained how well things were going on the team for him.

  “So, for the last three games I’ve had triple doubles.” It took about three months after we moved to Italy for me to finally ask someone what a triple double was. Apparently, it’s when someone scored in double digits in any three areas like points, rebounds, and assists, for example.

  “I’m so happy for you, Will. I knew everything would work out. You’re gonna be a star.” I tried to seem happy. I was happy for him, but I was also miserable for myself. Will picked up on my mood and embraced me.

  “I know you don’t like it here, but there are plenty of other dance schools. You can transfer. Or, we can get married and move to another country all together. I’m sure there are dozens of teams that want me.” Will patted his pocket, reminding me of the ring’s presence.

  “Do you have to bring up marriage every time we talk, Will?” I snapped. He closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Will. I don’t know what’s the matter with me. I’m stressed. I’m tired. I love you, I do love you. And I know I’m gonna marry you one day, just not yet. Okay?” Will nodded, but I could tell that I’d hurt him. I didn’t know how much more of me he could take.

  I looked at my watch. Eleven fifty-seven. “I gotta go,” I said, leaping to my feet.

  “But you didn’t eat anything,” he protested.

  “Just leave it and I’ll eat it after my pas de deux class.”

  Will looked skeptical.

  “What about tonight? Can we go out tonight?”

  “Yeah, come by around eight,” I called as I flew out the door and down the stairs.

  ~ * * * ~

  My spirits were up when I went to go get ready for Will that night. Pierre only dropped me twice and Alejandro only called me fat once. It was almost a victory. We were dismissed at seven fifteen, so I had plenty of time to enjoy a long, hot shower before Will arrived. I could practically feel the hot water soothing my aching muscles as I took the leisurely stroll across the courtyard and back to my dorm room.

  I was so enthralled with the imaginary water rolling down my body that I bumped into Damian Karl leaving with Beatriz. He turned and winked at me. Then he put his arm around her and made her giggle with his sweet words of … what was that? Portuguese? Maybe he was from Portugal not France. But then again, what did I care?

  ~ * * * ~

  “What do you mean you don’t want to go out to dinner?” Will threw his arms in the air in frustration.

  “Will, I’m so tired. If we sit in front of some sort of quiet romantic dinner, I might just face plant into my soup bowl.” Will knew this was possible because I had actually done it before as we were having a romantic meal by the fire at his house.

  “Fine,” he said as he put his arm around me. “What do you want to do?”

  “I don’t know, but make it someplace loud and exciting.” We ended up going to The Spanish Fly again. It was perfect. We danced the night away. I was able to relax for the first time in a long time.

  At the end of the night, I was in such a good mood, Will thought he could convince me to go to his place.

  “Will, come on, it’s two in the morning. By the time, we get to your house and you finish kissing me, I’m going to have to get up, turn right back around and come here. And what more can we do at your place anyway? Remember the ‘Sign of the Llama.’ It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It makes perfect sense to me,” he said playfully as he kissed my neck. He backed me up against my dorm room door and slowly inched my skirt up so he could caress my thighs.

  “Will, Anna Marie will hear,” I whined.

  “So?”

  I could feel my resolve weakening. This had to stop. I couldn’t let Will break one of his luck rituals. Anytime he did that it would put him in a funk for weeks. I didn’t need a grumpy boyfriend to add to my problems. “I love you, Will. See you tomorrow,” I said as I kissed him quickly, and then slipped out of his grasp and into the room before he could protest. I closed the door behind me then leaned against it. I heard him sigh in frustration, then tap lightly on the door.

  “I forgot something,” he was saying.

  “No, I won’t marry you, Will Maddox,” I called through the door.

  “No, something else.” I opened the door slightly. He smiled and said, “I love you too, my angel.”

  As soon as I closed the door this time, I heard Anna Marie burst into tears. At first, I thought I had woken her up, but then I noticed that she was lying down watching TV.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked as I went over to her bed and sat next to her.

  “Everyone’s in love. You’re in love, Will’s in love, they’re in love,” she said pointing to the TV screen. She was watching some sappy romance movie.

  “It’s in Italian. How do you know?”

  “Look at the way he looks at her. You don’t have to speak the language to see love. I want someone to look at me like that.”

  “Anna Marie, you can’t compare yourself to people on TV or even to Will and me. He and I went to the same high school and … ” I was about to say that we’d known each other for a long time, but that wasn’t the case. So, I just said, “You’ll fall in love one day, too.”

  “I don’t even need love. I’ll settle for a date,” she sniffled. “I’ve been here for two years and I haven’t even had one date. One! Men don’t even look at me.”

  “That’s not true. What about … what about … Damian Karl?”

  “Damian Karl? Damian Karl?” Anna Marie sat up and rolled her eyes. “Damian Karl doesn’t count,” she said as if it was common knowledge and I was an idiot for not realizing it. “He would stare at a goat as long as it was female. Besides, he doesn’t stare at anyone as much as he stares at you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You mean you haven’t noticed?” Anna Marie sat up in bed and gave me a classic ‘are you kidding me’ stare.

  “What?”

  “You don’t see how when we have class, he practically ignores the rest of us as he personally shows you step after step?”

  “I thought that was just because I’m so bad at hip-hop.”

  “Oh, here we go again.” Anna Marie sighed, flinging herself dramatically across the bed. “You don’t realize how absolutely gorgeous you are. You drive men crazy. That’s why I don’t go out with you anymore. I’ll never catch a man if I’m standing next to you. You make me look like a troll.”

  Now that I thought about it, we didn’t go out together as much as we used to. When we first came to Rome, we would go to different bars or restaurants almost every night Will was out of town. We hadn’t been out together in weeks. I just thought it was because we were both busy. This revelation was news to me.

  “You have these hazel eyes that seem to hypnotize men; you’re insanely tall with this perfect figure. I would kill for your cleavage. You have the most magnificent mane of jet-black, flowing locks, your lips are kissably full and, if that weren’t enough, you’re completely unaware of your innate sex appeal. It drives men wild the way you’re so beautiful and you don’t even know it.”

  Anna Marie paced the room and waved her a
rms in the air in frustration as she made her various points. “You’re an exotic beauty that most men think is inaccessible, but you’re so innocent, naïve and genuine, they think they have a chance with you. You’re like this soft, innocent, cuddly child wrapped up in a sexy candy shell. The only reason every guy in DiRisio isn’t after you is because half of them are gay and the other half are scared to death of Will. But apparently, Damian isn’t. He’s practically obsessed with you, but you’re so oblivious, you don’t even see it. I swear to God, if I didn’t love you so much I’d hate you.”

  Anna Marie started examining her different body parts, asking me what she could do to improve, but I was too confused to pay attention. Damian Karl obsessed with me? Should I be flattered or … frightened?

  Chapter 8

  Dancer’s Soul

  Hip-hop didn’t feel natural to me, but I worked at it so hard to make up for that. I wasn’t the worst dancer, but sometimes I felt like it. I felt because I was black, I should be the best, but I wasn’t. I thought the other students were snickering behind my back at how uncoordinated I looked in attempting some of Damian’s choreography. But according to Anna Marie, the other students weren’t snickering about that. They also noticed the special attention he gave me.

  After one class, Damian asked me to stay.

  “I am shooting a video in a couple of days. I want you to be in it,” he said as he took his shirt off and wiped his sweat with it.

  “Are you crazy?” I asked, forcing my eyes to not look at his chest. I tilted my head up to keep from even getting a glimpse of it. I think he noticed my obvious attempt to avoid looking at his half-naked body because he smirked. His eyes did some sort of twinkling thing and I felt a little weak in the knees. He knew what effect he had on women, and he enjoyed that power.