Beautiful Monster(56)

              “Sure.” She checked her phone, and then picked up her own coat. “Are you alright?”
              “I’m fine.” Once we were outside, the cool breeze hit me like a calming wave. “I just…I don’t know how to feel. Schizophrenic is probably the right answer. One second, I was happy to be there, and the next second, I was angry for not getting it on my own. And then I was…”
              “Life of a performer,” Porsche said, with a shrug. “A different emotion every second and it’s never half-assed either.”
              “I just…I wish I had gotten it on my own,” I said, and she draped an arm around my shoulders.
              “Don’t worry about it. The important part is they saw you today.”
              “Right,” I replied, although I didn’t believe her.
              The sun was just setting when we got back to school, half way down the horizon. Porsche bid me goodbye at the entrance, heading to the dancer’s wing to spend the night. I thanked her and turned in the opposite direction, glad for the chance of silence. It didn’t last long however.#p#分页标题#e#
              Liam was stalking down the empty hallway with haste, and I knew exactly where he was going. As much as I wanted to ignore him, I couldn’t. I nodded to him as we passed each other, and he nodded back. Already, his eyes were dark and he was pale, and I knew he didn’t have long. I thought I would escape without a word, leaving him to enter the half hidden door, when suddenly he called out to me.
              “Amy!”
Rolling my eyes, I back tracked a few paces.
              “Yes?”
              “The door’s locked.” He jiggled the handle a few more times. “Damn Peter, that forgetful sod.”
              I glanced out the window. The sun was almost set, and I could see it in Liam’s face that he didn’t have much time. “Uh…”
              “Please go to reception and ask them for a spare set of keys. Tell them it’s for me, I’ll call ahead.”
              The condescending tone of the scholarship winner was still in my head, and part of me didn’t want to help him. But he met my eyes, gritting his teeth, and I could see the pain of transformation already taking place. I nodded and headed swiftly down the hall. Getting the key was no problem. Students got locked out all the time and needed the master key. I brought it to Liam within minutes, and he took it, gratefully.
              “Did it go well today?” he asked, as he slipped it in the lock.
              “Yeah, except for the part where they sounded like they would have called me in anyway. They treated me like a reality show winner, Liam.”
              He raised an eyebrow as the door opened.
              “But they saw you,” he said. “And they saw your talent.”
              “That’s what Porsche said.” I replied, and he smiled. For a moment, that smile floated me back to a time when things were different.
              “Well, she’s a smart one. It’s just the way Shannon is,” he shrugged. “And talent like yours deserves to be seen, Amy, no matter how you get there.”
              “By lying and pretending to be someone I’m not?” I accused him, and he glared at me, handing me back the key without another word. We held each other’s gaze a moment, and then he slammed the door in my face. Rolling my eyes, I went to hand the key back to reception. I wanted nothing more than a hot shower and sleep.