The Duet

2 - Sophie

We are doing our Pliés at the barre when he comes in. Late. Madame Blanchet closes her eyes for a mere moment, in frustration, before she turns to where Edward stands.

We all know that if it was anyone else, she would be furious and we would be forced to do thirty crunches. But she can't exactly insult Edward considering his mother finances a lot of the school.

"Sorry I'm late." He doesn't supply an excuse, he just strides over to where Charlotte is standing and mimics our Pliés.

There are sixteen people in this class. Ten girls and six boys. I guess seven now. Simon is standing in front of me and Bea is behind.

"The last time I was late, she told me how I was a weakling and instead of doing something useful with my somewhat promising life, I was here." Simon whispered. "She said that she was embarrassed for me. He barely gets a look!"

Today is Friday, the official day that I start practicing with Edward. I had woken up early this morning, like I always do, in the hopes of maybe seeing Edward. He wasn't there.

I don't know why I was disappointed, but I was. I look over at him now and can't help but notice how flawless his Pliés are.

Anxiety gnaws at my stomach as I remember that I will be going home today. Don't get me wrong, I love my family. Which consists of my asshole father, my absent mother, my two brothers, one older, one younger and my older sister.

Just sometimes, home gets a bit messy. But that usually involves my parents. Seeing my siblings is always the highlight of my two months, so fingers crossed my father isn't around. I internally groan at the thought.

"Knees out, Amara!" Madame Blanchet says as she thrusts Amara's knees to the side. She tsks and carries on down the line, inspecting our Pliés.

---

"I'm just saying, while Finnick is definitely considered the hottest, there is just something truly sexy about Johanna that is overlooked." Bea tells me as we queue in the lunch line. She's always going on about how everyone's favourite character is Finnick (The Hunger Games) when her's is obviously Johanna.

We're just reaching the food when Edward pushes in front of me.

"Hello?!" I say.

"Hi." He says, turning back around.

"You pushed in." I say, slightly annoyed. We'd been queuing for twenty minutes.

"Oh, right. Sorry I guess." He says, but he doesn't make any kind of move to correct his ways. I am about to retaliate when Bea grabs my arm and gives me a warning look.

"Don't." She whispers. I am liking Edward less and less. My whole body is screaming at me to put him in his place but Bea's pleading eyes stop me in my tracks. How am I ever going to be able to perform a duet with him?

Once Edward walks away and sits down with his food, that should have been mine, I mutter "Asshole."

"Yes, he may be, but he's also the most important person in this place so you need to keep yourself in check." Bea says.

"I need to keep myself in check?!" I ask, incredulously.

"Yes." She says bluntly. "Look, you may not understand this, and I'm not saying that it's your fault, but people like him are untouchable to people like you." She didn't say us. She said you.

"I got into this school fairly. I worked hard at it." I pointed out. She sighs.

"Of course you did. But that's exactly the point, isn't it? He got in because his mother went here. He has connections. You don't." Her words were like a knife to the chest. Simon is always the nice one and she is always the honest one. I know that. I know not to be affected by her words because they are truthful, but it still hurts. A lot.