The Au Pairs by Cruz Melissa de la

Author:Cruz, Melissa de la [Cruz, Melissa de la]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Young Adult, Fiction
ISBN: 9780689870668
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Published: 2004-05-25T07:00:00+00:00

"Maddy didn't get any," Zoe replied.

"Shut up, Zoe." Madison snapped, humiliated.

"What do you mean she didn't get any?" Mara asked. "Why not?"

"Madame Suzette said she was too fat," Zoe said matter-of- factly.

Mara was so infuriated she couldn't believe her ears. Madison was a healthy child, and so what if she still had a little baby fat around her middle. What kind of person--what kind of teacher--would talk to her students that way?

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"I'm going to give that witch a piece of my mind!" Mara said wrathfully.

"Don't--she's like, French." Eliza said. "She's mean. That's why they send us to her."

"You went here?"

"Yeah. Everyone does. She's famous. She used to date Onassis or something."

"I don't care. You don't treat a kid like that! Look at her!"

Madison was sitting on the floor, hunched over her ballet bag. Mara knew that slouch. It said: No one notice me, please. I'm not worth looking at. Mara had been a little chubby as a kid. She knew what this was like.

"It's not right, Eliza." Jacqui agreed. "Ballet should be fun."

"And Madison loves ballet, don't you?" Mara asked.

"Uh-huh," Madison nodded. She did like it. Other than Madame Suzette, everything else about it was great. The music, the pianos, and every year they put on a recital and got to wear make-up and tutus and everyone came to the show to see them.

"Excuse me? Madame Suzette?" Mara asked.

"Oui?" The sixty year old former ballerina appraised Mara from behind pince-nez glasses.

"I'm Madison's, uh ... guardian," Mara decided. "And about what you said this afternoon? I don't appreciate you talking to her like that."

"Excusez-moi?" Madame asked. In all her years teaching

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spoiled brats how to plie, this was a first. Usually the mothers were so intimidated by her resume and background, no one ever uttered a squeak of protest. But Mara didn't care if the New York Times had once called Madame "the most exquisite dancer this side of Pavlova."

"She might not be very graceful, but she's trying very hard. Doesn't effort count for anything?"

"Non," Madame replied. "This is about performance. If you cannot perform, you cannot be part of my class."

"C'mon Mara," Eliza said, pulling her away.

"This is such bull!" Mara cried.

"Let's go," Jacqui said.

They hustled the little girls down the rickety steps. Mara was still so annoyed. "That woman should not be allowed near children!"

"There's a great Pilates studio that just opened up. I met one of the teachers at Scoop the other day. Really sweet. Anyway, they have a kids' class." Eliza suggested. "I'll tell Anna about it."

"I used to do pilates, it's so much better than ballet," Jacqui told the little girls. "More fun and more relaxed."

The next day, it was settled. Zoe and Madison were enrolled in Pilates, and took them shopping for cute new outfits, to make up for the loss of the black leotards. They all agreed pink tights were for babies anyway.

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at the mercedes-benz polo match, not all the cute Boys are loaded

On the field the horses' hooves sounded like roaring thunder. A loud,

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