Breaking The Ice

Learning To Be Ophelia

(A/N) I'm so not proud of this chapter, as I had said before I hit a massive writer's block. Irk, such a sort chapter. Whatever, I'm trying to finish up this story as soon as possible. Next chapter is the big important one.

Chapter 16

When you're in a play, but you're not the one rehearsing at that moment, it could get pretty boring. The actors and actresses had been casted but it was really painful to here them speaking with words like thy, thou, hereth, thee, and so many more I never knew existed. Some of the students who unfortunately did not get their character, were in charged of making the props. So far, all I could make out was a scraggly withering tree and even they were getting bored and one was unconsciously sawing off a tree branch as he stared into space.

I groaned inwardly as I changed my seating position for the hundredth time. Zoe was absent from school today so it wasn't like I had anyone to talk to. Even Daniel had walked out an hour ago so I couldn't pester him, but his tolerance level had soared ever since his talk with Sydney Peyton, but he still got annoyed with me easily. But he did seem a little happier now, I took credit for that.

'I want you to feel Hamlet's spirit in you when you speak your lines!' Mr Arrington said to Haven Bourke who was playing Hamlet. 'No! You can't stand here, this is where the steam will be blasted out from. Do you want a large stream of air gushing at your face? Alright, just stop! We shall take five!' He announced and all the actors kind of crumbled on stage. 'Miss Fischer!' Mr Arrington called my name so abruptly I jumped to my feet and accidentally smacked the person beside me.

'Yes, Mr Arrington?' I responded.

He brought me aside and told me, 'I have asked for a choreographer to come and teach you a routine. I've decided to omit out your dialogues and you shall only be portraying Ophelia by your dance. She should be here about now.'

Right on cue, the doors to the hall opened and a petite figure walked in. I broke into a smile. Finally! A familiar person. 'Ms Rowanne!'

'Rebecca? I didn't think you'd do another solo,' she said and grinned. 'Come on, let's get to work. You should come to the studio earlier today, then we can work on your routine.'

I nodded. 'Might as well, I had a text from mum saying she was going to cook chicken wings. I wasn't sure what it is that she put in her marination but I thought of flowers whenever I ate it.' Mum just loved experimenting in the kitchen and most of the time, the food that she made was either odd tasting or indigestible. Ryan and I let her think that she was an accomplished cook, but she really wasn't.

Ms Rowanne took us up on the stage where it was more spacious but I felt self-conscious dancing in front of my classmates and knowing that they would probably be watching and judging. Ms Rowanne told me to get use to the feeling because it was part of performing.

For this routine that she had choreographed, we were ditching pointe shoes (praise the lord!) and went for soft pink ballet shoes instead. Ms Rowanne danced the whole routine for me once and all I could say was that it was jaw-dropping. The dance was so beautiful, slightly twisted - but only because Ophelia was supposedly going crazy, but the moves were definitely hard and challenging. Another thing, I had to dance with a bunch of flowers. Props made dancing a lot more tricky, there was a high possibility of messing up your props.

I struggled to learn up the dance steps and Ms Rowanne wasn't going easy on me. In that one hour period, I've managed to break a toenail, bruise my knees and sprained my neck so I wouldn't be surprised if I started walking lopsided. That was were Ms Rowanne decided that I had enough. 'Okay Rebecca, I don't think you're doing your best today, for whatever reasons, I hope to see you before class afterwards so we can polish up your techniques. Get some rest. I need to get back to the academy. I have a class in twenty minutes. Bye, Rebecca!'

'Bye Ms Rowanne!' I said before flopping down on the floor unceremoniously. I felt stressed whenever I couldn't get my steps right. I began slowly peeling off my shoes.

'Oi, Fischer!' A familiar voice said and I looked up to see Daniel leaning casually against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. 'They're about to switch off the lights. Stop dawdling!'

I couldn't help but grin when I saw him and quickly threw my bag over my shoulder and hurried over to his side. 'Were you waiting for me? Awwwww, I knew you miss me, in your own weird way.' I cooed as we headed out to the hallway together.

'In your dreams, Fischer,' Daniel muttered. 'I just had to get my phone which I left behind. And it wasn't like I had anywhere else to go.' He steered me into an empty corner and stopped. 'Fischer,' he started.

'Yeah?' I tilted my head sideways to get a better look at him, which was probably a bad idea because my heart skipped a beat.

'The play is next week, so are you free after that?' Daniel asked and I began to get really suspicious. I couldn't get over the fact that there was a possibility that he would kidnap me still. 'I was wondering-'

'Oh wait, hang on,' I said, reaching into my pocket for my buzzing phone. It was Ms Rowanne on the phone. She offered to drive me to the dance academy. 'Daniel,' I turned to him who seemed to be slightly annoyed, for reasons I did not know. 'I gotta run. See you tomorrow. Bye!'

At the academy, Ms Rowanne was helping me with my Ophelia dance routine when Reagan entered the studio. 'What is this?' She demanded as she dumped her bag in a corner. 'Do we have new syllables to learn? Or is there an upcoming concert which I'm not informed of?'

'No,' Ms Rowanne replied. 'Rebecca has a school play and she has a solo dance to work on. Go do your warmups first, give us some time and I will come to you soon.'

Reagan narrowed her eyes. 'Still playing a pumpkin?' She snorted and laughed. 'Who in their right mind would allow Fischer to dance? She would only end up messing up everything like she did as a pumpkin. She's dancing for her school play? Westlane Academy, I've heard of their upcoming play, a boring Hamlet. just what they needed, someone to make things worse.' I was standing right in front of her but she conversed with Ms Rowanne as if I wasn't there at all.

My face grew hot and I clenched my fists. 'Shut up, Reagan!' I lost all control of myself and yelled. 'Could you stop poking into my business because I'm sick and tired of you degrading me!'

Then it was Reagan's turn to grow made and become blotchy in the face. 'You better watch it, loser! Ever since you came to Maybrooks, you've been trying to steal my spot in class. Guess what, it's not going to happen because you're just a pathetic little nobody! And I'm going to make sure everyone knows that!'

I nearly pounced on her but Ms Rowanne interfered just in time before someone got to the hospital with a missing eyeball and a broken leg. 'Girls, this is a ballet class. A place for dancers to express themselves with graceful movements, not through shouting and insulting others. Anyone who wishes to do so shall kindly leave the room now. No one? Good! Let's learn your Grand Allegro.'