Instructions for Dancing

X is pleased that Evie made up with her friends; they hug in the dance studio, and she admits he was right. Fifi teases them about getting too close, so they jump apart. With Danceball six weeks away, Fifi leads them through tough, long practices. A few hours later, she tells them that their chemistry has improved greatly, but they still need to improve to win. She insists they need three days—Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays—to practice the tango, since it’s the most difficult of their dances.

Evie and X text about Fifi’s ridiculous schedule and how she repeats “more caliente!” when they salsa (179). X writes that he’s reading Cupcakes and Kisses, joking that he didn’t expect it to be so dirty. Evie texts that he’s reading the first bakery scene, a steamy scene in which the characters have a food fight and then get intimate. She laughs at their banter, as X makes comments about how frosting only belongs on cake and asks what “gorgeous mounts of flesh” are (179). Evie can’t respond faster since he’s making her laugh too much.