New Girl

Dancers Eat Chocolate Too

We all piled into the Hetherington House common room, still dressed in our arrival clothes. Looking around I was glad I'd dressed casually...only Holly stood out in her designer leather jacket and heeled boots. I sat squished on the couch between Marie and Alli, relieved I'd been able to make friends so quickly. Everyone else in year 11 knew eachother-it wasn't common to be accepted into this year because of the way GCSE exams worked out, so I felt really lucky. I glanced at the girls in the room-about half were Year 11s like me and the other half were year 10s. They were all slim, with long limbs and elegant necks, and I realized what an honor it was to be here. 

"Right girls!" Mrs. Jenkins called, snapping me out of my thoughts as she clapped her hands. "Class starts at 8:00 bright and early tomorow morning. Year 10s, you've got ballet first thing. 11s, you have some acadmeic work first, then you go to dance. Look at your scheduales to get exact timings alright? Don't want you to be late on the first day of this year."

She began to hand out slips of paper with our names and scheduales on them. "For those of you that are new this year," and I felt her glance at me and a few of the year 10s, "please don't stress. Your teachers will understand if you get lost-Elhmurst is  a big school. But don't be afraid to ask students in your year-they'll be more than willing to help!" 

Eagerly I looked at my scheduale for tomorrow (it was different every day): I had English and maths first thing in the morning, followed by History and a short break. Ballet started at 11:30 in studio 2. Then I had lunch, and a pointe class followed by pas de deux in the afternoon. There was a seminar on dancer's nutrition from 4-5:00, and then we had a break for homework until tea at 6:30. Lights out at 10:00. I was exhausted just looking at it. I leaned over to whisper to Alli. "Jeez I'm gona be dead tomorrow!" I said, seriously worried about my stamina for tomorrow. "Don't worry," she said, smiling. "We'll all be suffering. First day back is always the worst. After a few weeks though it gets easier!" I hoped so. It looked I was gonna have barely enough time to breathe! 

"And finally, no boys in the dorms. EVER." I caught Mrs. Jenkins saying, and I looked up, sheepeish that I'd been too busy soaking up my sheduale and thinking about tomorrow to realize she was going over dorm rules. Oh well I'd ask the girls about anything important tonight. "We had an incident last year,' she said looking at the year 11s sternly, "that is NOT to be repeated this year, understood?" I caught a few of the girls blushing and looking guilty. Amused, I made a mental note to ask my roomies about it later. It would make for a good gossip session tonight.

"Okay girls, thats all for now. I suggest you get a good nights sleep, tomorow will be a very long day for you all. I'll be coming round at 10:00 to check that you're all in your beds, no exceptions!" Immediately everyone started talking and comparing scheduales. 

"I haven't danced all summer!" Marie groaned as she stood up and bent down in an attempt to lightly stretch her hamstrings.

"Ooo bad luck" Alli said, grinning at her. You'll be lucky if you dont pass out tomorrow in Mr. Carpers class!" Marie immediately straightened up and grapped her scheduale.

"IT'S HIM!?" she cried. Ali nodded.

"NOO" Marie groaned and promptly fell backwards onto the couch. "I think I might have developed a serious illness by tomorrow morning." We laughed.

"He's big on stamina, and his jump combinations are killer," Alli explained. Oh dear, I thought.  

"Come on, lets go back to the room. I'm daying to change into my pyjamas, these jeans are so tight I can't breathe!" Sophie announced standing up. 

"Just leave me here to wallow in self pity!" Marie exclaimed dramatically, pulling a pillow over her head. "I am so out of shape this its a joke! While Sophie was overseas dancing her ass off at the Ausralian Ballet School, I was sat at home in front of the telly eating crisps and watching musicals. Please don't laugh at me tomorrow. I might sleep the whole day." At the end of her dramatic monologue, she rolled over to one side, clutched the pillow to her chest and closed her eyes. Alli laughed and grabbed her arm. 

"Come on Sleeping Beauty, there'll be plenty of time for that later! Tonight is gossip night! We've got to get Julia aquainted and filled in!" Marie opened one eye lazily. "True. Will we have chocolate?"

"LOADS!" Nicole called popping her head back around the corner as she walked out the door.

"Fine then, I'm in!" Marie grinned, standing up in a flourish and linking arms with me. "To onzies and chocolate we come!" And becan to sing "We're off to eat some chocolate, some wonderful Cadbury Flakes!" to the tune of The famous Wizard of Oz song. I could tell already that life with Marie would never be boring.