Chapter Four

I bit my lip. My ankle hurt so badly.

Do not cry, Riley, do not cry.

‘Riley!’ Paige yelled, breaking away from the corner and rushing over to me. A few busybody girls followed her.

I had to get out of the room. I absolutely could not have a repeat of yesterday.

Paige flung herself down next to me. ‘I knew something was wrong!’ she exclaimed. ‘Is it your ankle?’

The other girls arrived at the scene and Miss Caroline pushed through them. ‘Give her some space,’ she said, gently. ‘Riley? What’s happened? Did you land funny?’

‘I … I …’ I hung my head and clutched at my ankle, trying to stop the flares of pain from running up my shin. ‘I hurt it a little at basketball and then I put too much weight on it and … and …’ I grimaced. ‘It really hurts!’

Miss Caroline looked at me and I felt like she knew everything that was going on in my head, including that I felt like the world’s biggest dummy.

‘Okay, Riley,’ she said, and gave a brisk clap. ‘Girls, that’s enough, return to the corner. Bethany, you run and get Jay – he’s on the reception desk today – and tell him to come and carry Riley out to my office. Paige, you want to go with them?’

Paige nodded very seriously, her long lashes blinking back her own tears.

Miss Caroline knelt down next to me while everyone else but Paige went back to the corner.

‘She probably did it on purpose,’ I heard one girl, Jasmine, mutter. ‘For the attention.’

Jasmine is a great dancer but she’s also pretty snobby. She and her sidekick, Tove, are always making life difficult for me and my friends. It was just like Jasmine to say something like that, and stupid too, because as if I wanted everyone eyeballing me while I was sprawled on the ground.

But my ankle hurt too much to even think about saying something snappy back to her.

‘Can you put weight on it?’ Miss Caroline asked.

I shook my head. I knew I couldn’t. It was ten times worse than at basketball. I was really afraid I’d done something serious.

‘You’ve probably got a sprain, judging by the way you landed,’ Miss Caroline said. ‘We’ll keep it elevated and ice it here, but I’ll get Jay to call your parents to come pick you up. I recommend you go to the doctor, honey, especially if you had a problem with it before class.’

I nodded miserably and wished the walls of Silver Shoes would tumble down around me. ‘I’m sorry, Miss Caroline,’ I whispered. ‘I just didn’t want to miss today’s lesson, not with exams so close.’

Miss Caroline gave a kind chuckle and squeezed my arm. ‘I understand,’ she said. ‘Your commitment is fantastic. But you should never put your health at risk. You only had to tell me and I would have let you modify everything – or you even could have watched along with me to keep the steps in your memory. It isn’t a weakness to give your body a rest every now and then.’

Paige put her arms around me. ‘Riley is very stubborn,’ she said, ‘but that’s why we love her. She always gives everything 100 per cent, Miss Caroline.’

Miss Caroline nodded at my ankle. ‘Well, let’s just hope you make a 100 per cent recovery from this.’

Jay dashed in then, making ambulance noises. He’s the hip hop teacher at Silver Shoes. Everyone has a crush on him because he’s young and funny and has terrific shaggy hair. Not me, though. Having three older brothers makes you allergic to boys!

‘Doctor Jay to the rescue,’ he joked, pretend-driving to me. ‘Heard you got yourself an injury, Riles? You okay, chicky? You need ol’ Jay to give you a leg up?’

I nodded.

‘Woo!’ Jay teased. ‘Not even a comeback from the young lady! This must be serious!’

That, at least, made me smile.

‘Come on,’ Jay said. ‘Hang onto my arm there, that’s it.’ I put all my weight on my left leg as he helped me upright. ‘Now I get to sweep you off your feet.’ He grinned and, to my total embarrassment, lifted me up so I was being carried off like some princess in a fairytale.

Poor Paige gave an embarrassed giggle for me as Jay tipped her a wink.

‘It’s how I get all the ladies,’ he said. ‘Right! Let’s go get some ice and make some calls. The health and wellbeing of Madam’s dainty foot depends on it!’

But I had a feeling that my injury was a lot more serious than his jokiness let on.