The Long Game (Joshaya)

Audition

* Maya's POV *

Today's the day. My performance today can determine my entire future. I pack my leotard, tights, and pointe shoes into my bag, then pull my hair into a ballet bun. I never really liked how tight and clean the bun had to be, but it's a requirement. I at myself in the mirror and take a deep breath. I pull my black leather jacket over the pale pink t-shirt and jeans. I'm sure no one would think "Oh, she's a ballerina," when they saw me. For some reason, it didn't bother me. I think it should, but it just doesn't.

"You got this, Maya," I say to my reflection. "You've done this routine a thousand times."

I grab my phone and head to the door. When I open it, Riley is standing in front of me with a huge smile on her face.

"Just wanted to stop by and wish you good luck!" she says, pulling me into a hug.

"Thanks, Riles."

"Is Josh gonna be there?"

"I'm meeting up with him after. Have you talked to Lucas yet?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine." I hear some resistance in her voice, but I don't think it means anything. "I actually came here for another reason, too."

"What?"

She smiles, pulls a piece of paper out of her pocket and hands it to me. I recognize the school seal right away.

Riley Matthews,

Congratulations! You have been selected to join Harvard School's class of 2024.

I can't even read the rest of the letter because Riley starts jumping up and down with excitement.

"I got into Harvard!"

"Oh my gosh, Riley!" I pull her into a hug as we continue to jump around. "When did you get the letter?"

"This morning."

"Wait, what about California? And Lucas?"

Riley stops jumping and bites her lip. "Um, we decided to just...keep in touch."

"You guys broke up?"

"I wouldn't say that...more like, taking a break. If we decide we want to try the long distance relationship thing, we'll give it a shot."

I don't want to talk about relationships right now, so I decide to change the subject. "So, you're gonna be an Ivy leaguer, huh?"

"Yeah, I am," she chuckles. "I still can't believe it." She smiles and me and grabs my hands. "You're gonna do amazing at your audition."

"I'll see you later. We gotta do something to celebrate!" Riley waves good bye to me as I walk downstairs. The subway ride to the theater seems blurry and muffled, like everything was put on mute and all I could focus on is myself. I pull out my phone and see a text from Josh.

Josh: You're an amazing dancer. I know you're gonna blow Juilliard out of the water! See you soon :)

I smile at Josh's text and reply with a thank you. It helped me calm my nerves a little bit as the world came back into focus. I take another deep breath as I get off the subway and before I walk into the theater. When I walk through the halls to find the dressing room, there are already girls stretching and practicing their dances. They're tall, slim, beautiful, and nothing on them is out of place. I feel my heart gradually increase in speed to the point where I think it's going to burst out of my chest. I begin to stretch as I watch other girls be called out onto stage for their audition. As I go through the dance in my head, I see Robbie waving at me.