Dancing with Fire

Chapter One

I'm sitting on the bus, waiting for it to bring us to school. Really, I'm lucky. Since I'm a really intelligent senior, I have almost all of the credits needed to graduate. And I graduate June 2, which is in 4 days. The only credit I need is a special credit, and I'm taking Advanced Ballet for it. I already take ballet from 4-10 in the morning. My class at school is from 10:30-11:30 in the morning. It's senior's last day, which Charlotte and I are really happy about. She also only takes one class for her senior year, except she takes Advanced Gymnastics for her credit. After school, we both go to our Gymnastics Academy from 12-6. After that, we split up: she goes to cheerleading conditioning from 7-10, and I got to my Martial Arts Academy from 6:30-11 at night. It's exhausting work, but hey, my grades are perfect, and so are Charlotte's. We both have a perfect GPA- 5.0, to be exact. We took all of the AP classes offerred by the school. The bus stops at Time's Square, so I get off, and hurry the 4 blocks to school.
"Rach, will you wait for me?" Charlotte complained loudly. She was still on the bus, having gotten caught in what I like to call "disembarking traffic".
"You snooze, you lose!" I shout, but I wait for her anyways. She gets off, finally, and hurries over to me.
"We're going to be late now!" I complain.
"Then we better run!" She says. We both start sprinting for the school. They take absences and tardies very seriously, and Amanda, my step-mom, would give me some serious crap if I was late. She already didn't like my classes- I had to pay for half of the cost, earned through doing random labor at home. We both get into school, and split up.
"See you in a hour!" She calls behind her shouler.
"See ya Char!" I yell.
        I dash into my ballet class, and plop my bag down on the floor. Then I begin stretching my arms. The bell rings loudly. I made it just in time. I stretch my stomach, back, hamstrings, calves, and finally my feet and wrists. I just came from ballet, but you can never stretch enough. The 5 other girls file into the studio from the changing room. Oh, did I mention how much easier it was to come from ballet? I don't have to change, because my leotard is already on, and my long hair is already up in a tight bun. My teacher comes out, and starts us on the barre. We do some fairly simple exercises, and then we move on to harder things. We finish with a Grand Adaigio, which 2 of the other girls have problems with. I learned it when I was a freshman, so I don't find it, or this class, challenging. I think of this class more as a time for me to go back and review other dance moves.
"Dismissed." Mrs. O'Reilly says. She is a really good teacher, and I will miss her. The other girls file out, but I slowly pack away my pointe shoes. Then I pull on the school's sweatpants, and a small running jacket.
"I will miss having you in my class, Racheal." She says kindly.
"Thanks, Mrs. O'Reilly. I'll miss being in this class." I say sincerely. She throws her head back, and laughs.
"Racheal, I highly doubt that. You are a very talented dancer, and this class probaly bores you out of your mind." She says, smiling.
"Nah, it doesn't bore me. I use this class as a review for posistions and moves that I've already learned. It's actually very helpful." I say modestly. Her computer dings, and she frowns, heading over to it. Then she sighs, which can only mean one thing.
"Was it Amanda?" I ask sullenly.
"Yes. She wants you to come straight home, and to cancel all of your other activities that you have planned for tonight." She says, noting my discouragement.
"Great." I spit out unhappily.
"I'm going to go now, Mrs. O'Reilly. Thanks for teaching me." I say, and then I walk out of the room. Charlotte greets me outside of my class, but I guess my face says it all.
"That witch!" She exclaims.
"This has to be one of the most important days for gymnastics ever, and she wants you to miss!" She rages. I nod, still too upset to say anything. We seperate, and I take the bus home.