Disclaimer: I do not own anything and will not attempt to steal. My parents
raised me right.
Rating: PG-13.
Jody rolled over in bed, unable to sleep. Too much had happened that day. She rolled over and squinted in the darkness at the quartz alarm clock on her bedside table. It read three-fifteen.
Jody groaned and slammed her face against her pillow. If she didn't get some sleep soon, she'd be completely dysfunctional the next day- and she didn't want to do that. She squeezed her eyes shut and bade sleep to come, but it didn't work. Her surroundings were way too unusual, and she had trouble sleeping in new places.
Rising to her feet, Jody slid them into a pair of slippers and padded out into the living room. She crossed it and easily found the kitchen in the dark, flipping on a light and opening the fridge.
"Mind if I join you?"
Jody straightened up immediately, startled by the voice. Her hands slipped from the bottle of juice she was holding, but luckily she managed to catch it before it fell to the floor.
Cooper was standing there, hair tousled, dressed in only a pair of gray sweats, held up by a threadbare drawstring. His eyes, though hooded, looked sharp and alert. Apparently she wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep.
"You startled me," she murmured, realizing too late how obvious she sounded. Cooper smiled; then he leaned over and took the juice from her hands. He crossed the kitchen in a single ballet leap, then poured the juice into two jelly glasses he pulled from the cabinet above the sink.
"Here you go," he handed it to her across the kitchen island. Then he went digging around in the refrigerator.
"What are you doing?" Jody said to his backside.
"I'm hungry." He pulled a pack of pre-packaged turkey, three cheese slices, and a jar of mayonnaise out, then tossed them onto the table, pulling a loaf of Wonder bread from the top of the fridge as he did so. "Want a sandwich?"
At three in the morning? Jody shook her head. Then her stomach growled loudly, as if in abject disagreement. Cooper smirked, and she laughed good- naturedly at herself. "Guess I do want one." She moved forward, stopping Cooper from spreading the mayo on a slice of bread. "Not THIS crap, though. Let me show you how to make a real sandwich."
Cooper shrugged and took a seat at the table, chewing on a piece of turkey, to tide him over till the food was ready. Jody shoved four slices of bread into the toaster, then went to work, digging in the fridge. She found mustard, lettuce, half of a slicing tomato, half and onion and part of the carcass of a rotisserie chicken.
Five minutes later, she set her finished project in front of Cooper, who dug into it with gusto. She looked her own sandwich; chicken, tomato, onion, cheese, mayo and mustard, all layered on four pieces of white toast. Biting into it, she stared at her tablemate, who was already beginning on the other half of HIS sandwich. She handed him a napkin with raised eyebrows.
Cooper took it and wiped his mouth. "Thanks," he said, sheepishly. "This is really good. What do you call it?"
"A club sandwich, I guess," Jody answered with her mouth full. "It tastes better with bacon. My dad makes them the best."
Cooper nodded and took a sip of his juice. "You and I are probably the only ballet dancers on the face of the earth who'll eat like this in the middle of the night. I'm impressed that you attempt it."
Jody rolled her eyes. "I've always been like this. High metabolism, I guess. I never gain weight- that's probably the only good thing about my body where ballet is concerned."
"But you don't have to worry about that anymore," Cooper leaned forward, pale eyes earnest. "You're a principle now."
Feeling suddenly shy, Jody busied herself with her sandwich, and Cooper got up and placed his glass and plate in the sink. He burped. "Sorry."
Jody smiled. "That's okay." She watched as Cooper strode over to the small tape deck that stood on the counter. He fiddled with it, and a soft jazz tune filled the air.
Jody opened her mouth to protest, not wanting to wake Stephan, but the music was so relaxing, and her stomach so full, that she rested her chin in her hands, staring dreamily out the window at the dark night sky. Cooper, his back still to her, raked one hand through his hair.
"You know," he said, low. "I've never really apologized. For the last time you were here, you know, and-"
"It's okay," Jody said, abruptly, cutting him off. "It was as much my fault as it was yours, and we're over that now."
Cooper nodded; his back was still turned. "Ever heard this piece?" he asked.
Jody shook her head. "Never."
"I didn't think so. Close your eyes and listen to it."
Jody did so.
"What does it make you think of? Don't answer right away."
Jody thought for a minute, her head filling with the soft, slow, languid tempo of the jazz, the instruments moving in and moving out, slowing and quickening, making her feel alternating warm and cold.
"It sounds like....a hot summer night," she said, slowly. "A smoke-filled lounge with the AC on the blink. In New Orleans. It has to be New Orleans. A jazz singer, a woman, maybe- in a dark blue sequined gown, maybe dark red. And a martini. Two olives. "
"Two OLIVES?" Cooper chuckled quietly in the darkness, and she laughed with him. "You got the gist of it, though." He turned the music down. "I see, in the beginning, a classical dance," he said. "Maybe to the Ascot Race theme in My Fair Lady. I want it to get across to the audience that these are rich bastards." He paused.
"And?"
"Well, there's this guy," he said, cheeks dimpling. "Young. Impetuous. He goes to this club one night, and sees this lounge singer and dancer. She'll really have to stand out among the others- maybe she'll wear no jewelry, while the others have a lot on- or something. Anyway, he's in love, but she's already involved with this guy who's more in her social class."
Jody nodded, already mesmerized, both by his voice and by the story. "Sounds a little like "Dancing in New York," she mentioned.
Cooper rolled his eyes. "Just listen, willya? So. like I was saying. He steals her away and takes her home with him. That'll be an opportunity for a great pas de deux, and all that. Then she'll meet his parents, family and friends." He paused to take a breath.
"In the end," Cooper continued, "There'll be this huge dance number with all the family and friends of the rich guy- and the audience will see how painfully she's trying to fit in, how hard it is for her. Her timing will be off. She won't dance as well. Her outfit will be a little different. More..common. Anyway, she'll realize she's not for his world, and she'll leave." His voice, warm, rich and resonant as the cellos strings pulsating in the music, hung in the air.
"Does the guy go after her?"
Cooper looked at her and smiled. "Haven't thought that far ahead yet."
They fell into a companionable silence for a while, listening to the jazz; then Cooper looked at Jody and laughed outright. "Your feet are moving, you know."
"They are?" Jody stared down at them in surprise, and sure enough, she was standing in fifth position. "Oh, jeez. I need sleep."
"Me, too. Good night, Jody Sawyer."
"Sleep well, Cooper Nielson."
He reached for the light, and all was dark.
**********************************************************
"JOOODDDDYYYYY!!!"
Jody stood on tiptoe, squinting as she looked down the sidewalk. A tall, slender girl was flying down towards her, hair flying, with a shorter guy in tow.
"Hey, Eva," she said, laughing, as they reached her. "Hey, Charlie."
"Hey, yourself." Charlie walked up to her, kissing her gently, as Eva stood on the sidelines and rolled her eyes, tapping her foot.
"Thank you SO much for not being mad," she whispered into his jacket lapel, her eyes filling. Charlie had been shocked when Jody told him about her living arrangements, but he'd listened to Jody's explanation patiently. "Look, I trust you, okay?" he said, cutting off the elaborate apology speech she'd prepared. "Do whatever you have to do."
God, he's a good guy, Jody thought, looking up at him, holding him tightly around the waist. I hope nothing messes this up.
"Oh, good LORD," Eva said impatiently, breaking the embrace. "Can you two please stop now? We've got to get going. Charlie, get us a couple Metrocards for the bus while we look for some coffee."
"Your wish is my command, milady." Charlie took the two wrinkled five- dollar bills that Eva offered him and headed for the corner store.
"So, where exactly is this place?" Eva said, as the girls purchased coffee and sticky rolls from a vendor.
"Downtown Queens. We'll have to take the train. I don't think a bus goes all the way out there."
"Great. I come all the way from Bo-freakin'ston to get eaten alive by a subway rat."
"Jonathan would love that."
"Wouldn't he?" Laughing, the girls headed for Charlie as he emerged from the store, and the three headed for the subway station.
In less than an hour's time, they had arrived at their destination, and Jody glanced nervously at her boyfriend as they neared the place. "You really didn't have to come, you know," she said, sideways, out of Eva's earshot.
"And miss seeing Cooper's studio?" Charlie chuckled. "No way. Plus, I want to see what kind of company my girl's dancing principal for." He draped a playful arm around her shoulders.
They reached the studio in minutes.
"Wow, nice place," Eva said, once they had gotten inside. "Didn't look like much from the outside, but..."
"Jody?"
Jody turned in time to see Cooper standing there dressed in tights and a large blue flannel shirt, a bemused grin on his face. "You brought company, I see."
"They wanted to see the studio," she began, but Eva had already sprung forward, grabbing Cooper's hand.
"C'mon, Nielson, give me a tour of this place."
Cooper did accordingly, and as it had happened with Jody and Erik, the trio ended up in the studio.
"Damn, this studio is amazing, Cooper," Eva remarked, testing out the slick wood floor with her bare toes (she had kicked her sandals off.) "Jonathan would kill for this lighting. I mean, he would literally commit MURDER. He bitches about ours all the time."
"How is my main competition anyway?" Cooper asked lightly. "What's he been up to?"
Eva dropped to her heels and sat on the floor, swinging her feet up into Cooper's lap. "We-ell..." She grinned mischievously and glanced at Charlie for support. "Should I tell him?"
Charlie gave her a slightly disapproving look. "It's probably just a rumor, Eva."
"A rumor? Gossip?" Jody leaned forward over her boyfriend, eyes sparkling. "DO tell, do TELL."
"You, too?" Charlie stared at Jody in disbelief. "You two are SO sad. Cooper, don't you-"
"So, what happened?" Cooper stood up and squeezed in between Eva and Jody, pushing Charlie to the side. His eyes were gleaming with interest; it was obvious that he hadn't heard anything form the ABA since he'd started his company.
"- join in." Charlie finished his sentence and rolled his eyes to the ceiling in disgust. "Forget it. You're just as bad as the girls."
"Quiet!" Both Jody and Cooper spoke in unison. "Go ahead, Eva." Charlie rolled his eyes heavenward once more, though it was clear that he was trying not to laugh. "You people are ridiculous. I'm going to the snack machine." He got up and left.
"Weeeeeellllllll," Eva said, clearly enjoying her moment in the spotlight, "I'll tell you about Maureen first. Remember her boyfriend? That cute waiter guy?"
"Of course," Jody said. "He was so-"
"Yeah, I KNOW," Eva said, rolling her eyes in delight. "SERIOUS eye candy, though I'll die before I tell Maureen that. Anyway, at our ABC congratulatory banquet yesterday, she was there as an usher 'cause she works in the office- I guess they were a little shorthanded. Anyway, she saw Maureen's boyfriend and totally flipped."
Jody gasped. "Are you serious?"
Eva nodded. "Yup. She started screaming on him that HE was the real reason her daughter quit ballet, and she hated stupid boys like him who ruined the career plans of young women, and he should be castrated."
"Oh my God." Jody leaned back in shock. Even Cooper, who NEVER looked surprised, was looking at her with raised eyebrows.
"That's not the worst of it," Eva continued gleefully. "She called him a hormonally charged, testosteronally overloaded dick in Nikes, and then she overturned his hor d' ouvers tray!"
"You're joking."
"I kid you not, Sawyer. The woman is certi-freakin'-fiably insane. When she was finished with him, she stomped out, giving me a dagger look as she passed me, I might add."
"Oh my GOD!" Jody shook her head. "Poor Maureen."
"I'll say." Eva shook her head, her ponytail bouncing with her enthusiasm. "I never liked the girl much- although we're cool now- but I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."
"Enough about Maureen," Cooper said, impatiently. "What else is going on?"
"Gallina and Sergei are planning their wedding already, but neither of them want to move. Sergei is definitely good enough to get into the San Francisco ballet, but he doesn't want to leave New York- not that I blame him. I mean, leave the ABA for a ballet school atop a fucking fault line? I'd stay here, too!"
"So what did they decide?"
"They're kind of at a stalemate right now."
"I give 'em six months," Cooper said cynically. Jody shoved him. Eva smirked, then continued.
"Okay. Here's the BIGGEST news." Eva leaned forward, eyes glimmering, a conspirator's grin on her pretty face. "Guess what super-famous, super-rich ballerina is in the family way, UNPLANNED, I might add?"
Jody gasped. "No!"
Eva sat back on her haunches and nodded. "Yup. Kathleen's PREGNANT." When neither one of them made a comment, staring at her, open-mouthed, she laughed. "Yeah, that's pretty much how I reacted." Cooper wasn't laughing along with her. In fact, his face had turned a dead white. "It can't....I mean, technically, it's just a rumor, right?"
"I SAW the medical report when I was in the nutritionist's office. It was lying on her desk." When neither one of them responded to that, she continued. "Looks like Mr. Reeves wasn't as careful as he should have been, huh?"
"I would say so," Jody said, shocked. "That's going to cut at least two years off her dancing career, if it doesn't end it completely."
"I'm telling you." Eva shook her head again. "You'd think they'd be more careful, you know?"
Without a word, Cooper got up abruptly and headed for the door, his face still alarmingly low in color.
"Cooper?" Jody asked. "What's the matt-"
He made a slashing gesture in the air with his palm and pushed the door open with such great force that it hit the wall opposite it with a terrific crash, shaking the entire building and nearly braining poor Charlie, who was walking in with a Diet Coke.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!?" Charlie demanded, shaking Coke droplets off his shirt.
Cooper ignored him and headed for the front door, teeth clenched, hair flying. He strode out onto the street in his slippers and dance gear, sending a small flock of pigeons feeding in front scurrying for cover. Eva, Charlie, and Jody, who had run to the front door, watched him stalk to the edge of the sidewalk, hail a cab, and take off down the street.
"Whoa," muttered Eva.
"I'll say," Jody said, eyes wide.
**I'll update soon! Find out what happens to Cooper! Review review review!!!***
Rating: PG-13.
Jody rolled over in bed, unable to sleep. Too much had happened that day. She rolled over and squinted in the darkness at the quartz alarm clock on her bedside table. It read three-fifteen.
Jody groaned and slammed her face against her pillow. If she didn't get some sleep soon, she'd be completely dysfunctional the next day- and she didn't want to do that. She squeezed her eyes shut and bade sleep to come, but it didn't work. Her surroundings were way too unusual, and she had trouble sleeping in new places.
Rising to her feet, Jody slid them into a pair of slippers and padded out into the living room. She crossed it and easily found the kitchen in the dark, flipping on a light and opening the fridge.
"Mind if I join you?"
Jody straightened up immediately, startled by the voice. Her hands slipped from the bottle of juice she was holding, but luckily she managed to catch it before it fell to the floor.
Cooper was standing there, hair tousled, dressed in only a pair of gray sweats, held up by a threadbare drawstring. His eyes, though hooded, looked sharp and alert. Apparently she wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep.
"You startled me," she murmured, realizing too late how obvious she sounded. Cooper smiled; then he leaned over and took the juice from her hands. He crossed the kitchen in a single ballet leap, then poured the juice into two jelly glasses he pulled from the cabinet above the sink.
"Here you go," he handed it to her across the kitchen island. Then he went digging around in the refrigerator.
"What are you doing?" Jody said to his backside.
"I'm hungry." He pulled a pack of pre-packaged turkey, three cheese slices, and a jar of mayonnaise out, then tossed them onto the table, pulling a loaf of Wonder bread from the top of the fridge as he did so. "Want a sandwich?"
At three in the morning? Jody shook her head. Then her stomach growled loudly, as if in abject disagreement. Cooper smirked, and she laughed good- naturedly at herself. "Guess I do want one." She moved forward, stopping Cooper from spreading the mayo on a slice of bread. "Not THIS crap, though. Let me show you how to make a real sandwich."
Cooper shrugged and took a seat at the table, chewing on a piece of turkey, to tide him over till the food was ready. Jody shoved four slices of bread into the toaster, then went to work, digging in the fridge. She found mustard, lettuce, half of a slicing tomato, half and onion and part of the carcass of a rotisserie chicken.
Five minutes later, she set her finished project in front of Cooper, who dug into it with gusto. She looked her own sandwich; chicken, tomato, onion, cheese, mayo and mustard, all layered on four pieces of white toast. Biting into it, she stared at her tablemate, who was already beginning on the other half of HIS sandwich. She handed him a napkin with raised eyebrows.
Cooper took it and wiped his mouth. "Thanks," he said, sheepishly. "This is really good. What do you call it?"
"A club sandwich, I guess," Jody answered with her mouth full. "It tastes better with bacon. My dad makes them the best."
Cooper nodded and took a sip of his juice. "You and I are probably the only ballet dancers on the face of the earth who'll eat like this in the middle of the night. I'm impressed that you attempt it."
Jody rolled her eyes. "I've always been like this. High metabolism, I guess. I never gain weight- that's probably the only good thing about my body where ballet is concerned."
"But you don't have to worry about that anymore," Cooper leaned forward, pale eyes earnest. "You're a principle now."
Feeling suddenly shy, Jody busied herself with her sandwich, and Cooper got up and placed his glass and plate in the sink. He burped. "Sorry."
Jody smiled. "That's okay." She watched as Cooper strode over to the small tape deck that stood on the counter. He fiddled with it, and a soft jazz tune filled the air.
Jody opened her mouth to protest, not wanting to wake Stephan, but the music was so relaxing, and her stomach so full, that she rested her chin in her hands, staring dreamily out the window at the dark night sky. Cooper, his back still to her, raked one hand through his hair.
"You know," he said, low. "I've never really apologized. For the last time you were here, you know, and-"
"It's okay," Jody said, abruptly, cutting him off. "It was as much my fault as it was yours, and we're over that now."
Cooper nodded; his back was still turned. "Ever heard this piece?" he asked.
Jody shook her head. "Never."
"I didn't think so. Close your eyes and listen to it."
Jody did so.
"What does it make you think of? Don't answer right away."
Jody thought for a minute, her head filling with the soft, slow, languid tempo of the jazz, the instruments moving in and moving out, slowing and quickening, making her feel alternating warm and cold.
"It sounds like....a hot summer night," she said, slowly. "A smoke-filled lounge with the AC on the blink. In New Orleans. It has to be New Orleans. A jazz singer, a woman, maybe- in a dark blue sequined gown, maybe dark red. And a martini. Two olives. "
"Two OLIVES?" Cooper chuckled quietly in the darkness, and she laughed with him. "You got the gist of it, though." He turned the music down. "I see, in the beginning, a classical dance," he said. "Maybe to the Ascot Race theme in My Fair Lady. I want it to get across to the audience that these are rich bastards." He paused.
"And?"
"Well, there's this guy," he said, cheeks dimpling. "Young. Impetuous. He goes to this club one night, and sees this lounge singer and dancer. She'll really have to stand out among the others- maybe she'll wear no jewelry, while the others have a lot on- or something. Anyway, he's in love, but she's already involved with this guy who's more in her social class."
Jody nodded, already mesmerized, both by his voice and by the story. "Sounds a little like "Dancing in New York," she mentioned.
Cooper rolled his eyes. "Just listen, willya? So. like I was saying. He steals her away and takes her home with him. That'll be an opportunity for a great pas de deux, and all that. Then she'll meet his parents, family and friends." He paused to take a breath.
"In the end," Cooper continued, "There'll be this huge dance number with all the family and friends of the rich guy- and the audience will see how painfully she's trying to fit in, how hard it is for her. Her timing will be off. She won't dance as well. Her outfit will be a little different. More..common. Anyway, she'll realize she's not for his world, and she'll leave." His voice, warm, rich and resonant as the cellos strings pulsating in the music, hung in the air.
"Does the guy go after her?"
Cooper looked at her and smiled. "Haven't thought that far ahead yet."
They fell into a companionable silence for a while, listening to the jazz; then Cooper looked at Jody and laughed outright. "Your feet are moving, you know."
"They are?" Jody stared down at them in surprise, and sure enough, she was standing in fifth position. "Oh, jeez. I need sleep."
"Me, too. Good night, Jody Sawyer."
"Sleep well, Cooper Nielson."
He reached for the light, and all was dark.
**********************************************************
"JOOODDDDYYYYY!!!"
Jody stood on tiptoe, squinting as she looked down the sidewalk. A tall, slender girl was flying down towards her, hair flying, with a shorter guy in tow.
"Hey, Eva," she said, laughing, as they reached her. "Hey, Charlie."
"Hey, yourself." Charlie walked up to her, kissing her gently, as Eva stood on the sidelines and rolled her eyes, tapping her foot.
"Thank you SO much for not being mad," she whispered into his jacket lapel, her eyes filling. Charlie had been shocked when Jody told him about her living arrangements, but he'd listened to Jody's explanation patiently. "Look, I trust you, okay?" he said, cutting off the elaborate apology speech she'd prepared. "Do whatever you have to do."
God, he's a good guy, Jody thought, looking up at him, holding him tightly around the waist. I hope nothing messes this up.
"Oh, good LORD," Eva said impatiently, breaking the embrace. "Can you two please stop now? We've got to get going. Charlie, get us a couple Metrocards for the bus while we look for some coffee."
"Your wish is my command, milady." Charlie took the two wrinkled five- dollar bills that Eva offered him and headed for the corner store.
"So, where exactly is this place?" Eva said, as the girls purchased coffee and sticky rolls from a vendor.
"Downtown Queens. We'll have to take the train. I don't think a bus goes all the way out there."
"Great. I come all the way from Bo-freakin'ston to get eaten alive by a subway rat."
"Jonathan would love that."
"Wouldn't he?" Laughing, the girls headed for Charlie as he emerged from the store, and the three headed for the subway station.
In less than an hour's time, they had arrived at their destination, and Jody glanced nervously at her boyfriend as they neared the place. "You really didn't have to come, you know," she said, sideways, out of Eva's earshot.
"And miss seeing Cooper's studio?" Charlie chuckled. "No way. Plus, I want to see what kind of company my girl's dancing principal for." He draped a playful arm around her shoulders.
They reached the studio in minutes.
"Wow, nice place," Eva said, once they had gotten inside. "Didn't look like much from the outside, but..."
"Jody?"
Jody turned in time to see Cooper standing there dressed in tights and a large blue flannel shirt, a bemused grin on his face. "You brought company, I see."
"They wanted to see the studio," she began, but Eva had already sprung forward, grabbing Cooper's hand.
"C'mon, Nielson, give me a tour of this place."
Cooper did accordingly, and as it had happened with Jody and Erik, the trio ended up in the studio.
"Damn, this studio is amazing, Cooper," Eva remarked, testing out the slick wood floor with her bare toes (she had kicked her sandals off.) "Jonathan would kill for this lighting. I mean, he would literally commit MURDER. He bitches about ours all the time."
"How is my main competition anyway?" Cooper asked lightly. "What's he been up to?"
Eva dropped to her heels and sat on the floor, swinging her feet up into Cooper's lap. "We-ell..." She grinned mischievously and glanced at Charlie for support. "Should I tell him?"
Charlie gave her a slightly disapproving look. "It's probably just a rumor, Eva."
"A rumor? Gossip?" Jody leaned forward over her boyfriend, eyes sparkling. "DO tell, do TELL."
"You, too?" Charlie stared at Jody in disbelief. "You two are SO sad. Cooper, don't you-"
"So, what happened?" Cooper stood up and squeezed in between Eva and Jody, pushing Charlie to the side. His eyes were gleaming with interest; it was obvious that he hadn't heard anything form the ABA since he'd started his company.
"- join in." Charlie finished his sentence and rolled his eyes to the ceiling in disgust. "Forget it. You're just as bad as the girls."
"Quiet!" Both Jody and Cooper spoke in unison. "Go ahead, Eva." Charlie rolled his eyes heavenward once more, though it was clear that he was trying not to laugh. "You people are ridiculous. I'm going to the snack machine." He got up and left.
"Weeeeeellllllll," Eva said, clearly enjoying her moment in the spotlight, "I'll tell you about Maureen first. Remember her boyfriend? That cute waiter guy?"
"Of course," Jody said. "He was so-"
"Yeah, I KNOW," Eva said, rolling her eyes in delight. "SERIOUS eye candy, though I'll die before I tell Maureen that. Anyway, at our ABC congratulatory banquet yesterday, she was there as an usher 'cause she works in the office- I guess they were a little shorthanded. Anyway, she saw Maureen's boyfriend and totally flipped."
Jody gasped. "Are you serious?"
Eva nodded. "Yup. She started screaming on him that HE was the real reason her daughter quit ballet, and she hated stupid boys like him who ruined the career plans of young women, and he should be castrated."
"Oh my God." Jody leaned back in shock. Even Cooper, who NEVER looked surprised, was looking at her with raised eyebrows.
"That's not the worst of it," Eva continued gleefully. "She called him a hormonally charged, testosteronally overloaded dick in Nikes, and then she overturned his hor d' ouvers tray!"
"You're joking."
"I kid you not, Sawyer. The woman is certi-freakin'-fiably insane. When she was finished with him, she stomped out, giving me a dagger look as she passed me, I might add."
"Oh my GOD!" Jody shook her head. "Poor Maureen."
"I'll say." Eva shook her head, her ponytail bouncing with her enthusiasm. "I never liked the girl much- although we're cool now- but I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."
"Enough about Maureen," Cooper said, impatiently. "What else is going on?"
"Gallina and Sergei are planning their wedding already, but neither of them want to move. Sergei is definitely good enough to get into the San Francisco ballet, but he doesn't want to leave New York- not that I blame him. I mean, leave the ABA for a ballet school atop a fucking fault line? I'd stay here, too!"
"So what did they decide?"
"They're kind of at a stalemate right now."
"I give 'em six months," Cooper said cynically. Jody shoved him. Eva smirked, then continued.
"Okay. Here's the BIGGEST news." Eva leaned forward, eyes glimmering, a conspirator's grin on her pretty face. "Guess what super-famous, super-rich ballerina is in the family way, UNPLANNED, I might add?"
Jody gasped. "No!"
Eva sat back on her haunches and nodded. "Yup. Kathleen's PREGNANT." When neither one of them made a comment, staring at her, open-mouthed, she laughed. "Yeah, that's pretty much how I reacted." Cooper wasn't laughing along with her. In fact, his face had turned a dead white. "It can't....I mean, technically, it's just a rumor, right?"
"I SAW the medical report when I was in the nutritionist's office. It was lying on her desk." When neither one of them responded to that, she continued. "Looks like Mr. Reeves wasn't as careful as he should have been, huh?"
"I would say so," Jody said, shocked. "That's going to cut at least two years off her dancing career, if it doesn't end it completely."
"I'm telling you." Eva shook her head again. "You'd think they'd be more careful, you know?"
Without a word, Cooper got up abruptly and headed for the door, his face still alarmingly low in color.
"Cooper?" Jody asked. "What's the matt-"
He made a slashing gesture in the air with his palm and pushed the door open with such great force that it hit the wall opposite it with a terrific crash, shaking the entire building and nearly braining poor Charlie, who was walking in with a Diet Coke.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!?" Charlie demanded, shaking Coke droplets off his shirt.
Cooper ignored him and headed for the front door, teeth clenched, hair flying. He strode out onto the street in his slippers and dance gear, sending a small flock of pigeons feeding in front scurrying for cover. Eva, Charlie, and Jody, who had run to the front door, watched him stalk to the edge of the sidewalk, hail a cab, and take off down the street.
"Whoa," muttered Eva.
"I'll say," Jody said, eyes wide.
**I'll update soon! Find out what happens to Cooper! Review review review!!!***
