dancing in the stars (ballerina x singer wlw romance)

chapter twenty-six

SUMMER

I walk through the dance studio on quiet feet. My pointe shoes are laced up tightly and they make no sound against the hardwood floor. I pass by an open door, where a group of little girls are twirling around with their dance instructor. A shot of nostalgia burns in my chest at their giggles and happy smiles, I used to be one of them.
In my group, the girls are leaving after we practiced the choreographies for four hours, they are free to go. Every single girl looks at me, up and down, I'm not friends with either of them– Just Mila, who's not here right now, and I'm well aware of all the whispering they do about me. Too young to be a prima ballerina. Isn't her ankle fucked up? Why is she still here? Why does she get to stay and we don't? A nepobaby does not belong here. Well, I ask the same question every day, girls.

The air is cold when everyone leaves, leaving me alone with Daisy Silver for the first time since I stormed out of here without looking back. She texted me at least every two hours, asking me if I went to the gym and telling me 'not to eat so much on thanksgiving'. I obviously didn't reply, I turned off her texts and just focused on spending a good time with my family and Willow.

"Are you ready?" her voice is sharp, steady but I nod anyway, ignoring the way my body shakes. I am not afraid of her, I needed to rest these two days– my leg has been killing me.
I ignore the way my leg whines in discomfort, knowing it won't stop. Perks of being a ballerina, I guess.
"Okay, now. I trust you, you know this choreography from memory, right?" she asks me and I force myself not to roll my eyes. Of course I do, I've been working on this for months, every hour of the day. The movements are second nature to me.
But, I simply nod. "Great. But what happens if you forget a step? It could happen, you know? What will you do?"

I swallow hard. "Improvise. But, it won't happen. I'm ready. I've been ready my whole life." Am I, though?

"I know you are." she nods, grabbing her phone with one hand. "But today, I want you to improvise. I'm going to press play and you're going to improvise the moves."

"Okay." I nod, placing myself in the middle of the room. My reflection staring back at me.

I put myself in the croisé position, ready to get started just as she presses play. Improvising it's not hard for me– I am making a dance to one of Willow's songs, so it's not a hard thing to do. My body moves around the studio as if I'm floating. Dancing freely is one of my favorite things to do so, I just get lost in the music and my movements.
Adagio, turns, plié, tendu, rond de jambe, petit allegro, grand allegro, repeat.
And I do it with a smile on my face, I can't even remember the last time I smiled being here trapped in these four walls. Probably my first class, when I was fifteen and everything seemed so bright and big. I feel free, feeling a little girl again in my black leotards and purple skirt. Madame Daisy shuts down the music and I stop, catching my breath and the smile disappearing from my face as I ignore the pain my leg.

"Well, that was great." she nods, her brows furrowed and not even a smile on her face. "Now, let's focus on what's important. You do know that you're my youngest prima ballerina, right?" I nod. "And you do know that I want the best for you. I know what is best for you, you believe it?" I don't but I nod anyway.
"I'm sorry for saying all the things I said the other day. Just know that I care about you and your future. I want you to be the biggest ballerina on earth. I want you to accomplish all the things I didn't. I want you to be skinny and pretty and have all the people behind you. I want you to succeed, you know?"

My nose wrinkles at those words. I don't want that. "I need you to be the best, Summer. You are, you're so close to the sky that I don't want you to stop. I won't let you, okay? You're my..." puppet? Doll? "You're my star. I'm really proud of you."