The Boxer & The Ballerina

Chapter One: The Gym

"5, 6, 7, 8," he mumbled under his breath as he began to practice his routine. He moved with such elegance and grace, eyes focused on his reflection in the wall filled with mirrors. His movements were quick but steady and controlled. He told a story with every move.

Harry had been in ballet for as long as he can remember. His mother was very supportive of him, however, his dad was a bit hesitant on accepting his love for ballet. For years, his father suggested trying out "real sports" such as football, rugby, basketball, but none of those ever interested Harry enough to actually give them a genuine try. He did play football for some time to put an end to his dad's persistence but it just wasn't his thing. Ballet had more emotion and that was what Harry loved most about it. It was a form of expression for him and he couldn't express himself in the way he wanted to by playing football. His older sister, Gemma, also did ballet for some time but she wasn't as passionate about it as Harry was. Nevertheless, she was the strongest support system Harry could ever ask for, even outside of ballet. Gemma and Harry did most everything together; they were like two peas in a pod. They didn't see each other often now though since they were both at their top colleges in separate locations.

Harry was 18 and a freshman in college. He had gotten into his top college choice which was unfortunately hours away from home. He would try to visit home occasionally on the weekends when he was free from schoolwork. But he made it his goal to always return home at least once a month for his mother's sake, as all her babies have left the nest.

It was 7:30 in the morning. Harry wouldn't necessarily consider himself a morning person but for ballet? He'd get up at 3 am if he had to. The gym was the only place on campus where he could practice at peace. He tried practicing in his single dorm room but it was crowded and the noises from other students were distracting. He found the gym and decided to practice there whenever he could, though it was hard to find a time when this specific practice room was empty. He got lucky today because the morning yoga session got canceled.

He finished his dance number with better posture than the last time he rehearsed and his reflection gave him a large, wide smile. He sighed happily as he ruffled his brown curls and reached for his water bottle. He clicked his phone on and looked at the time: 7:33 am. Maybe he had some time to squeeze in a few more moves before grabbing breakfast and heading to class. He got back into position, muttered his steps under his breath, and took off into his own ballet world. Time passed by quicker than he anticipated and before he knew it, it was 7:53 am.

"Shit, shit, shit," Harry rambled to himself quietly as he threw on some gray joggers over his tights and a black hoodie over his white tee. He didn't have time to shower or change. Quickly, he grabbed his backpack and flung it over his shoulder, and sped-walked out of the practice room, bumping into another person leaving the gym.

"Sorry, excuse me," Harry said as he kept his head down and his pace up. He heard the voice of the person he bumped into say "Woah there" but he carried on. Luckily, the cafeteria was nearby so he quickly grabbed his favorite quick breakfast: a yogurt parfait. He would either have to eat it on his way to class or in class. He decided on the latter since eating and walking quickly didn't necessarily seem like a good combo for a clutz like himself. He made it to class with two minutes to spare. He didn't think he'd ever walked that fast before in his life. He sat in a seat in the back since he would be eating and didn't want to disturb anyone's learning - or appetite. He opened his parfait which consisted of nonfat plain yogurt, blackberries, raspberries, and granola. He dumped all the ingredients in and gave it a stir just in time for his professor to start the lecture. It was only the third week since classes had started but Harry was sort of finding it hard to focus in this specific class. The class was biology and he's only taking it because it's a required class for all students to take. Nonetheless, Harry paid attention the best he could and reviewed materials as needed. He was a great student, could be considered a model student if he also participated in on-campus extracurriculars. His report cards always showed straight A's; he was even a tutor to other students in high school. But he was somewhat experiencing what is called 'the burnout." This is where he just didn't have the motivation or the energy to push himself to his limits academically. But at the same time, he would probably pass out if he got a B or below. He continued taking notes on diseases, leaving his barely eaten parfait at the corner of his desk. Suddenly, the door opened loudly, and in came a tall black-haired boy dressed in shorts and a hoodie that read "Virginity Rocks."