Arkady has dedicated his life to the world of ballet. He is known as the bad boy of the dance world, and is an ever rising star. Then he gets injured in what is at first thought to be a tragic accident but turns out to be so much worse. He's lost ballet, and his life feels unbalanced. A friendship with his no-nonsense physical therapist starts him on a new path. He has her friendship, a more honest relationship with his parents, his beloved dog Lou and, for the first time, maybe love in the form of an artist with a disability of his own. But the past isn't done with him yet.

Rise Again

“I will. This is so crazy. Second time this year I’ve ended up in the hospital. I mean, someone tried to kill me in my own apartment. That’s fucked up. Can you text Prisha? She’ll text me tonight about the date. I don’t want her to get no response and worry. And she works here. Someone might tell her that someone she knows is in the hospital,” Arkady says, one thought jumping to another. He can hardly focus, but he knows he doesn’t want to worry Prisha and that he’ll be getting the locks changed on his apartment and extra security.


“Of course. I’ll text her now.” Cade takes his hand off of Arkady, and he misses the feel of it as soon as it’s gone.


“Umm, she’s on her way,” Cade says sheepishly not even five minutes later.


“What? What did you say to her?” Arkady asks.


“I kind of told her the truth, that you were attacked and were in the hospital, and that you’d be fine,” Cade  admits.


“You know how much of a mother hen she is! Of course, that’ll worry her.” Arkady groans.


Chapter 23