If that's supposed to be Alex its a bad choice by the editors. The photo has nothing to do with the overall story which is more about Leah, naturally, than Alex who is just a secondary character in the series.

This is the book where Leah briefly dates a boy named Peter who does NOT attend SFBA, he's a basketball player at Manzanita High looking for a date to take to the next school dance and watch him play at the games. But Leah's not the cheerleader Peter wants her to be, she's already dedicated herself to a career in dance. Yet she likes Peter, he's handsome and fun to be with and she's never had a boyfriend before who kisses her and takes her out on dates. Leah knows this is what her life would be like if she was a normal high school student and she longs to follow Alex-toss dance aside for love.

Leah exhausts herself by staying out late with Peter, worries about getting in trouble with Madame and her friends due to the lies she tells to cover up her secret meetings with him, she even skips classes to be with Peter until both admit their lack of common interests prevents them from ever having a real relationship together and they share one last farewell kiss before breaking up.

Meanwhile, Alex struggles with the decision to break away from the confines of SFBA. She has a boyfriend now, the college social scene is calling, she's lost her passion for dance, Madame's rules are too demanding and this is what finally pushes her to leave the school and embrace her freedom. The gang throws a farewell party for her at the end and that's the entire plot of the book.

Andrei makes a few brief appearances. Leah is slated to dance Circles and the pas de trois from Swan Lake (see book #6 Curtain Call) for a hospital benefit performance. Due to a basketball game, Peter can't make it. He has zero interest in ballet anyway which leads to their eventual break-up.

The book is boring and predictable. I only bought it to complete my collection. Besides, I'm a huge fan of ballet and enjoyed reading this series to learn more about a dancer's life and the glossary of dance terms included at the end is always helpful. ( )