Undeniably
By Cala Riley
Copyright @ 2020 by Cala Riley
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, except brief quotes used for reviews and certain other non-commercial uses, as per copyright laws. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Undeniably Cover Photo by: TakeCover Designs
Dedication:
Krys, are words even enough to express how grateful we are for you? Thank you for always being here for us and taking our vague ideas and then turning them into beautiful covers. If people judge our books by the covers, you made sure they would fall in love with us. Thank you.
-Cala & Riley
Prologue
Morgan, fourteen years old, freshman in high school.
“Morgan, you got a letter in the mail,” My mom’s singsong voice calls me from my room.
My heart races. The only mail I’ve been waiting for is the determination from Hamilton Dance Academy. I’ve wanted to go there ever since I saw the Hamilton Company perform the Nutcracker back when I was six. The way the dancers floated across the dance floor spoke to me.
A week later, my mom enrolled me in ballet classes.
Running down the stairs, I find both Mom and Dad standing at the kitchen counter, the letter in question dangling in my mom’s hand.
“What took you so long?” she teases.
My heart stops at the small envelope. It surely is a rejection letter.
I reluctantly take it from her hand and stare at it as my thoughts run wild.
I’ve wanted nothing more than to become a professional dancer. I prayed for it every single night. As the nerves threaten to consume me, I think of Keaton, my best friend.
I wish he were here with me. He always calms the anxiety that lives inside me. He’s my comfort zone.
Thinking of him has the opposite effect. The thought of having to leave him causes a fresh wave of anxiety to wash over me.
“Are you going to open it or not?” Dad’s voice jars me from my thoughts.
I look up to see them watching me, each wearing an expression of nervousness.
My heart continues to thump in my chest as my quivering hands toy with the edge of the envelope. “What if I didn’t get in?”
“What if you did?” Dad counters.
I roll my eyes. My dad’s always saying corny stuff like that.
My mom scolds him under her breath before she takes my hands in hers, holding the envelope between the two.
“If you didn’t, then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. There’s no point worrying about something that hasn’t happened. The important thing is that you tried your best. You gave it all you had. That’s something to be proud of. Whether or not you get accepted won’t change that accomplishment. Either way, you won’t know until you open it.”
Taking a calming breath, I look back to the letter between our hands. I drag it out of hers before opening the top. Hesitantly, I take out the piece of paper that determines my future. I squeeze my eyes shut as I unfold the letter.
“I can’t look. You do it.”
Dad chuckles, but Mom is as patient as ever. “I could look at it for you, but I think you should look at it yourself. When you dig deep inside and face your fears, you’ll learn that you’re braver than you thought.”
“I know.”
I know what Mom is saying is right. She always says that it’s important for me to take charge of my life. She’s always made me do things on my own but made it known she will be right there even when things get hard.
Slowly, I unclench my eyes before opening them. I allow myself to scan the letter before reading the words.
Dear Morgan Wright,
We are pleased to invite you to join us in the fall….
I scream. I scream so loud and so hard that my throat feels raw after a few seconds.
“I got in!”
I’m engulfed in a group hug before the words escape my mouth. I can hear them giving me words of congratulations, but all I can think about is that I need to tell one person the best news of my life.
Keaton.
I pull back from my parents with tears in my eyes.
“I have to tell Keaton.”
They each give me a warm smile.
“Let’s go tell him then.” Mom grabs her keys as she shoos me out the door.
On the way over, my excitement wanes as I realize that I will be leaving Keaton. I won’t have my best friend by my side. We haven’t been separated for more than a week since we were eight. Hamilton Dance Academy is in Chicago, an hour and a half away, but it seems further.
We talked about this possibility. He said he would visit Chicago, and I would come home often. Every weekend, if I could. My stomach sours at the thought of being so far away.
“What if Keaton forgets about me?” I voice my concern aloud.
“Don’t be silly. That boy is half in love with you. He could never forget you,” my mom jokes. She’s said this since we met, that we would one day end up together. Then it was disgusting to think about, but with time, my feelings changed.
I suddenly found Keaton attractive. I’ve had thoughts that one shouldn’t have about her best friend. Keaton acts the same as he always has, so obviously it’s all one-sided.
As we pull up to his house, I sit in the car another minute. I have this sense that this moment will change my entire life.
“Honey, Keaton will be happy for you. You will still get to come home, and I’m sure Reed will bring him to visit you. Don’t worry
