Breaking Pointe

Out Of Sync

Friday morning began like any other, with the usual pre-class buzz filling the studio. Stella, Alice, and Bridget walked in together, chatting idly about the weekend plans. The air was thick with the familiar scent of wood polish and the faint lingering musk of sweat from previous sessions.

Stella's mind was already running through the routines they had been practicing all week. The steps, the turns, the lifts—it had all become second nature now, especially with Max. They had fallen into such a comfortable rhythm that the idea of doing anything else didn't even cross her mind.

"Another day, another round of trying to survive without falling on my face," Alice joked, stretching out her arms as they entered.

Bridget laughed. "We're getting better though. I haven't tripped over Ryan in like two days, which is a record."

Stella smiled, distractedly glancing around the room. Her eyes immediately sought out Max. He was already there, casually chatting with Elliot by the mirrors, his easygoing smile making her stomach flip in a way she was still trying to ignore.

She quickly turned back to Alice and Bridget, trying not to make it obvious she had been staring. "Yeah, let's just hope Laurent doesn't throw anything too crazy at us today."

"Don't jinx it," Alice teased, rolling her eyes.

The class started gathering, warming up as usual, everyone seemingly relaxed. Laurent arrived a few moments later, her presence quiet but commanding as always. Stella noticed that today there was an extra sharpness in Laurent's gaze, something different in the way she walked.

"Today, we're going to change things up," Laurent began, clasping her hands together. "I want each of you to switch partners for this session. It's important to see how far you've come with your original partners and to push yourselves in new ways. Let's see what you've learned."

Stella's stomach lurched. She glanced at Max, who caught her eye for a brief moment before they both quickly looked away. A strange heat crawled up her neck. She didn't know why, but the idea of him dancing with someone else today—someone who wasn't her—felt wrong.

"Melanie, you'll pair with Max," Laurent called out. The knot in Stella's stomach tightened.

Melanie walked over to Max with an easy, confident stride, smiling brightly as she took her place beside him. Stella felt an unfamiliar pang as she watched the two of them. She forced herself to look away.

"And Stella, you'll dance with Steven," Laurent continued. Stella turned to see Steven approaching her. She managed a polite smile as they positioned themselves, but already, the energy felt different—strained, unfamiliar. She didn't have the same rhythm with Steven that she had with Max.

Laurent called out the rest of the partners and the music started, and the class began working through Laurent's routine. As they danced, Stella couldn't help but notice how out of sync she and Steven felt. His movements were rigid where Max's had been fluid. Their timing was off, steps not aligning as easily as they should have. Steven tried to guide her through the moves, but the lack of chemistry between them was undeniable.

"You and Alice seem to work well together," Stella said as they took a moment to catch their breath.

"Yeah," Steven nodded, glancing over to where Alice was dancing with Ryan. "We've definitely hit a groove. She's... really easy to work with."

Stella smiled, trying to stay focused on the conversation. "That's great. It's important to find that connection."

"Yeah," Steven agreed. "But this feels... different, doesn't it? We're not quite clicking the same way we do with our partners."