Having achieved his goal, Pyotr seemed pleased with himself. "Alright. You go home. Come back tomorrow. Eight o'clock." With another satisfied nod and a small smile, the older man left them alone to recover themselves.<br/><br/>Olivia slipped her shoes off with a tired sigh and wiggled her toes. Her legs felt like jelly and a hot bath sounded lovely, but part of her did not want to be the first person to leave. It almost felt like letting Max beat her if she went home first, as if it were some kind of test in its own right. It was ridiculous, she knew, but the feeling was still there.<br/><br/>Eventually, still without a word, she stood up and shoved her shoes into her bag. It was time to go home and think. Her future depended on this decision. If she missed this season, it would be ten times more difficult to work back into things next year, and that was even if Ben was able to dance by then.<br/><br/>Or ever.<br/><br/>Without a backward glance, she slipped her shoes on and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Don't forget to turn out the lights."<br/><br/><hr/><br/>"I can't dance with him, Ben. How could Pyotr think it would work?"<br/><br/>"Liv...I hate to say it, but it really does seem like it's him and Nationals, or nothing. If you can stand him for a season or two, I'll bust by bum and get back to you. He's a horrible person, I know, but it might be worth it for a little while. At least try. You don't have to speak with him much, and maybe you'll even show him a thing or two about being a decent human being and a good dancer."<br/><br/>"He<em>is</em>good..." she murmured into the phone. "I thought it was all just show."<br/><br/>"Yeah, well don't let that prick know that. Just keep him at arm's length, use him to get to Nationals and whatever else you can, and then kick him to the curb. He doesn't deserve a partner like you. Eyes on the prize, Liv. Don't let him distract you with his spitefulness. Do what it takes to win, just like he and Bella did, okay? Stay strong."<br/><br/>"Alright."<br/><br/>"You're my best friend, Liv. Trust me. He'll probably try to sweet talk you into doing what he wants, but you need to remember what a horrible person he is, okay? Don't fall for it."<br/><br/>She nodded, though he obviously could not see her. "Alright. Thanks, Ben. Have a good night."<br/><br/>"If I can!" he replied with a chuckle.<br/><br/>Olivia smiled gently as she hung up the phone and lay back in bed to stare at the ceiling. Ben was right. She could work with Max until she could have Ben back, and then Max could to....well...somewhere unpleasant. He deserved it for all the things he and Bella had said and done to them.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The following morning, Olivia threw on some leggings and a tank top, made sure her bag was packed and her lunch was made, then made her way to the studio. Music flowed from the studio beside the one Pyotr reserved for them most of the time and she assumed it was the first ballet class of the day. It stopped as soon as the studio door closed. That was the nice thing about this studio. The walls were virtually soundproof so only the loudest of sounds came through them.<br/><br/>Her eyes immediately fell on Max and she quickly averted her gaze with a small scowl. In an effort to ease her instant animosity, she tried to recall what Ben had said about working with him until she got where she wanted to go. She could do that. It was only fair, given what Max and Bella had done to them, was it not? She deserved this. And if Max had stolen it from her before, he was going to get it for her now. She just had to work with him for a little while.<br/><br/>Pyotr walked in just as she was getting her heels on. He nodded in further satisfaction at seeing both of them there after their initial reluctance. "Good. Now, we will work on the waltz. Then rumba."<br/><br/>Olivia sighed and got to her feet as the coach began demonstrating moves, putting together a short routine for the next competition. Each dance would have a set routine that would work with whatever music the judges played, as they never knew what the songs would be. They never lasted the entire song. Just long enough so the judges could critique each couple on their dance. Though they would practice for several hours, it would certainly be nothing like the grueling chain of dances Pyotr had put them through the day before.<br/><br/>Olivia decided that today she would do her best not to speak to Max. She was not a spiteful person normally, and she had all but used up her stock of insults the previous day. However childish it might be, pretending he was invisible seemed like her best option at that point.