Falling to Pieces // l.t.

One

One ~ Casey

"I'm sure Daniels won't get the lead - she's not the best ballerina."

My head shot up to where two girls were murmuring about me - they shot a smirk in my direction and headed off towards the performance board where the cast list for The Nutcracker was posted. After sliding into my flats, I shrugged my bag onto my shoulder and followed the girls. I knew I probably didn't get the part, but I went anyway to see if I even made it into the show. Jasmine, one of the best ballerinas in this school, was heading in the opposite direction to everyone else - a frown plastered on her face.

"Well done, little miss perfect," she scowled at me and stalked out of the studio.

I shook her comment off and continued down the hall - where everyone's eyes were on me. As I approached the board, the girls patted me on the back and muttered congratulations when I manoeuvred past. My eyes flicked to the top of the sheet where 'Clara' was printed in a posh font, and then they shifted slowly across to who received the part.

While my eyes started to tear up, I pinched my leg to make sure I wasn't dreaming that this was happening. 'Casey Daniels' was printed in the same swirly font next to 'Clara' and I started to chuckle. I heard a light squeak from behind me and then slim arms wrapping around my shoulders, squeezing the breath out of me.

"Casey, I can't believe you got the part!" Emilia, my closest friend, started to jump up and down - almost causing me to fall over.

"I can't believe it either! I thought I was dreaming when I read the sheet," I laughed and wiped away my tears of joy.

We shared a hug until Emilia's phone played the gentle tune of Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" - which I thought was quite ironic considering the situation we're in now. She rummaged through the front pocket of her bag in search of her phone - answering it at the last moment of the ringtone.

Emilia finished her long phone call to her mother and turned back to me. "Mother asked if your family would like to come over for a celebratory dinner for us getting parts in the show."

"That would be lovely, Sugar Plum Fairy," I giggled.

"Then let's go Clara," she replied, giggling as well.

I pulled my phone from my bag and dialled my mother's number to tell her about the dinner invitation - straining to contain the news about my role when she was trying to pry the information from me. Before she could say anything else, I hung up the phone and hid it underneath my clothes in my bag.

My friend and I talked about how beautiful our costumes would be when a gang of punks walked past us. One of them with the messy brown hair met my eyes and smirked, then turned back to his friends. A chill ran down my spine and I linked my arm through Emilia's, trying my best to pay attention to what she was talking about.

"Did you see those guys that just walked past?" I interrupted her rant about how rude the girls in her class were.

"What guys?" she looked confused and followed my gaze when I looked behind me. The brown haired boy turned his head and our eyes met once again - causing me to whip my head back around to face Emilia.

"They're pretty creepy, and that one kept looking at me!" Shivering, I continued walking, slightly dragging Emi along the path.

"Look, Casey. Quit dragging me, they won't follow!" She said, pulling me back and checking her shoes for scuffs.

"Sorry, you know I have anxiety!"

"I know, let's just go back to yours and we can forget about him," Emilia always calmed me in a situation like this, and I'm grateful for it because otherwise I'd be an emotional wreck.

Dinner at Emilia's was first class; the food tasted like it was made by chefs in a high-class restaurant. Their family was perfect - rich, loving parents with two perfect children - and sometimes I wish that my family was like that. My parents were rich, yes, but they were hardly ever home because of work and I didn't have a sibling so Emilia was the closest person I have to a sister. Well, she was the only person I had.

She knew about what I had gone through before I attended the dance academy, where I met her, and she helped me through everything. I was taunted at my previous school by everyone - and that isn't an exaggeration. Everyone saw me as a freak, a prude, a bitch, you name it - I was called it on a daily basis. However, it didn't end there; every day I was pushed into the cold metal of the lockers or pushed over in the hallway and no one helped me - everyone laughed in my face. Around this time, my parents were barely home so I had no one to talk to about my problems (not that I would've) but I needed that confidence that someone in this cruel world cared about me.

I started to self harm - pulling my hair and hitting myself with any objects I could find - but as time progressed, I hurt myself more. I began to slit my wrists, but not very deep. This helped ease my pain by physically hurting myself. The longer it continued, the more scars I gave myself - both mentally and physically - and the deeper they got. No one knew about this because they were always covered - and my parents didn't seem to notice much of a change in me. My anorexia started after that; I seemed to have an obsession with trying to be perfect.

No fifteen year old should experience what I did. At seventeen, I was only borderline underweight, but the self harm continued - but that's when I met Emilia and she helped me turn my life around. She told my parents everything, even though I was reluctant, but I realise now how that helped me in the long run - even though I still cut myself occasionally.

My best friend was essentially my saviour.

~:~:~

A/N ~ So this is the first chapter! What do you think of Casey and her past? I imagine her as Alyson Stoner, just so you guys know (I'll post a pic on the side →).

Love you x