Free Black Sheep by Tabatha Vargo Page B

greeted me instead of my family.
    “You were amazing,” he said with a smile before leaning in and surprising me with a soft kiss on the lips. “Seriously, I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in all my life.”
    I blushed, my cheeks filling from his compliments, and I couldn’t help myself; I leaned up on my toes and kissed him once more. I felt alive and rejuvenated for some reason. As if I could take the dance world by storm. I saw Broadway shows and more in my future, and I couldn’t wait to get started.
    “Well, well.” My dad’s voice broke through the chaos.
    I pulled away from Russell quickly as if I were fifteen being caught kissing a boy. Turning, I was met with my family standing there smiling back at me. All except Tyson, who looked as if he was seconds from exploding.
    His eyes scrutinized Russell, taking him in and sizing him up before connecting with mine. Emotion filled his expression, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. He didn’t look angry or hurt; his expression was something different from anything I’d ever seen, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
    “And who do we have here?” my mom asked, nodding toward Russell.
    Before I could introduce him, Russell stepped forward, shaking my dad’s hand with confidence and a smile.
    “It’s great to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Palmer. I’m Russell Landry. I’ve been dating your daughter for about two weeks.”
    My eyes went wide at his words. I was going to tell them we were friends, at least until things got more serious— if things got more serious—but Russell just went for it. Sure, technically, we were kind of dating, but then again, we were kind of just hanging out too. Nothing was set in stone, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about him meeting my parents just weeks after I’d met him.
    I didn’t have time to think about it with everything going on around me, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to think about it with the way Tyson was looking at me. He looked at me like I’d kicked three puppies and drowned an entire litter of kittens, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it just then. Things were moving too quickly.
    “Well, it’s certainly nice to meet you, Russell.” My mom smiled her forced smile—the one she gave preachers and teachers. “Are you headed home for Christmas to be with your family?”
    “Yes, ma’am, I’m leaving in two days.”
    “Oh well, that’s lovely. I’m sure your parents will be thrilled to have you home.”
    The rest of their conversation melted into a blur of noises around me.
    Braving his expression, I let myself look at Tyson. His jaw was tight, the muscles popping out, as he stood silently behind my parents. My lips shifted, and I attempted to smile at him, but I was only met with steely disregard. He turned away, his eyes skimming the auditorium, and I knew I’d been given the cut.
    Brian was clueless to everything around him since he was glued to his phone. He had some form of technology attached to his hand these days while he played app after app and ignored the world around him. At that moment, I wished I could do the same.
    Once my family had met Russell and we’d said our goodbyes, I showered and collected my bags from my room while they waited downstairs. Our flight wasn’t due out for hours, so we stopped at a nice restaurant two blocks over from the school. It wasn’t long until we were catching our flight out of New York and headed home for Christmas.
    I was excited to get out of the city and back home, but things were off. My dad seemed uncomfortable with Russell, and I knew it was because I hadn’t mentioned him in our conversations. I usually told my dad everything.
    My mom, while still being her cheerful self, was acting strangely, as well. I knew she wasn’t a fan of big cities, and New York was one of the biggest, but it was something more than that. An underlying worry I couldn’t put my finger on.
    But more than anything, it was Tyson’s silence. It cut