The Shoes

I gazed into the window of Broadway Dance Store, which was filled with people trying to start their Christmas shopping. But that wasn't what caught my eye, it was the brand new Pretty Pink Pointé shoes in the window. I glanced at my dance bag slung across my shoulder. My old, ripped, dingy, tight, pointé shoes inside. How I wished I could get them for Christmas, but I knew that they would be an "extra".
Ever since my mom, Grace, lost her job, there had been lots of "extras" or things we didn't need or couldn't afford. Like my sister Brooke's skating, which she complains about every day. She would say:
"Why does Emma get to do her dance, and I don't get to do my skating?"
Then mom would reply: "Because, sweetie, skating costs a lot more money than Emma's dance."
They were having that same argument when I walked in the door to our tiny apartment.
"Why can't I do just one day of skating a week? Emma gets to do three of dance, and Nutcracker!"
My mom obviously hadn't noticed me yet, because she glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone was there, so I ducked behind our old couch.
"Brooke, you know that were losing money? Right?" Brooke nodded her head, ever since mom lost her job, we were losing money fast.
"Well," mom lowered her voice, and checked if anyone was around " after Nutcracker Emma is going to have to stop dance."
"What!" I screamed, I felt like had been stabbed in the chest with a knife. My eyes overflowed with tears. I ran to the corner of the room where my bed that I shared with Brooke stood. I slammed into it and buried my head in the pillow.
I knew I was being selfish, I should have been grateful that mom let me continue dance after she lost her job. But I couldn't stop, not here, not now. Dance was my LIFE, I couldn't live without it, or at least, I thought I couldn't. My mom tried to comfort me,while Brooke could care less.
"I'm so sorry Emma, there just isn't enough money to pay for dance.
"Oh please Emma, your life will go on." Brooke replied sassily. "At least mom let you continue dance after she lost her job. I haven't skated all this time."
It seemed to last forever, but it was just 15 minutes before we sat down to dinner. But I just pushed around my buttered noodles, I wasn't hungry. Which was surprising because we ate very little.
The next day was Nutcracker tryouts. When I got to my dance studio, New York Dance Company, I set down my bag on a bench and started putting on my pointé shoes. Just as I had finished lacing up my shoes, Paige Allester and her little minions, Molly and Maddie walked in. I sighed, Paige was not only the most popular girl at NYDC, but also at my school. I tried to ignore them and do my warm ups, but it didn't work.
"Oh Emma," Paige cooed "Why, it looks as if your shoes will fall apart during the tryouts!" She laughed, which was followed by a chorus of laughter from Molly and Maddie.
"Look at them! They are all brown and ripped!" Molly teased, and they walked away laughing.
I sighed and went over to the NYDC news board, which had the schedule for Nutcracker tryouts. Because there were so many dancers, they split it up by level. I was in pointé 2, a level higher than most other 12 year old girls. So I was level 8 out of 12. I looked at the names for pointé 2, no Paige. Yes! But my best friend Kate was. Kate had transferred to our school last year, and we became best friends. Pointé 2 tryouts started at 2:30, right now it was 2:20. So only 10 minutes until the tryouts would start. Just then Kate came in and walked over to me. "So, what level are you in Em?" She asked me.
"I'm in pointé 2, same as you!" I replied excitedly. "And Paige isn't!" I whispered in her ear. I saw a smile creep across her face.
"Good, one less hour we have to deal with her."
We both laughed, and Kate took out her pointé shoes and started to put them on. I checked the clock as Kate started warming up.
"Tryouts will start in 6 minutes, girls in pointé 2!" Said Miss Alice, who was running the tryouts. So by the time Kate and I were done with warm ups, it was time to start the tryouts.
We walked into the studio, one I'd been in a million times, but some how it felt different, I don't know why. I had been on pointé for a almost two years now, I had tried out and been in the Nutcracker before. It just felt, different.
The tryouts went okay, they weren't very hard, and I knew I did my best. The hardest part was the fact that I hadn't been en pointé in a while, and I was a little rusty.
After we got out Kate asked: "So, how do you think it went?" she looked a little shaken up.
"I think it went fine, what's wrong Kate?" I asked.
"Oh nothing, I'm just a little nervous," she quickly said.
"Okay," I replied, but I had a feeling it was more than just some nerves that had her shaken up. We walked over to the bench and started taking off our pointé shoes, just then Paige and her minions walked over.
"Well, look who it is, tweedle-dee and tweedle-dumb." Paige laughed and Molly and Madie smirked, like the worst was yet to come.
"Oh, Kate, I was watching your tryouts," she continued. "There is no way you'll make the cut to be in Nutcracker!" She laughed, and the color drained from Kate's face.
"Paige, be quiet and leave her alone," I shot back.
"Oh yeah, what are you going to do, Emma?" Paige fired back.
"Emma, stop." Kate pleaded "This is my problem, not yours." Now I see why Kate had been so shaken up, Paige had obviously been teasing her before the tryouts.
"Yeah Emma, listen to Kate, it's her problem, not yours," Paige smiled.
"Come on Kate, let's get out of here," I said, and we did.
Two weeks later I walked into NYDC, and saw girls all crowded around the news board, "They must of put up the roles for Nutcracker," I thought as I set down my bag. So I pushed my way through the crowd of girls and scanned the sheet for my name, then I saw it, Emma Willson - Flower. I didn't know what to think. I finally had a role en pointe in Nutcracker, sure it wasn't Clara, but it was still great! I looked on the sheet for Kate's name, she was a flower too! I was so excited! But then, of course, Paige had to come in and ruin the moment. She pushed through the crowd next to me, flowed by none other than Molly and Maddie. Paige smirked at me, and then I saw it, Paige Allester - Clara.
"Oh girls look!" Paige said, "I'm going to be Clara and you're going to be Clara's friends, isn't that just wonderful? We'll all be together!" Paige asked them, and they both nodded there heads in unison. Luckily I ducked out into the crowd of girls before I got the worst of it, just in time to see Kate walk in.
"Kate, you're in Nutcracker, a flower!" I yelled to her. A huge smile lit across her face.
"Really?" She called back.
"Really," I answered, smiling.
The rest of dance was uneventful except for a few more remarks from Paige about how she was Clara and we weren't, bla, bla, bla. But other than that the rest of ballet was fine. As were all of the practices for The Nutcracker, in fact, everything was fine and normal, until the day of the Nutcracker.
"Okay, listen up girls!" Miss Alice yelled across the dressing room 15 minutes before we all had to be ready, which caught everyone's attention, even Paige, Molly's, and Maddie's.
"I have a big announcement to make!" Everyone groaned, usually miss Alice's big announcements were things like "A dancer could not make it today," or "One of the props has been broken."
"Wait girls, I think you'll like this one." The room fell silent, everyone wanted to hear miss Alice's "good" news.
"There will be a talent scout here to give out two, three year scholarships to the Joffrey Ballet School." The room fell silent with awe and Miss Alice walked out. I couldn't believe a talent scout from The Joffrey Ballet School was coming to OUR performance of the Nutcracker, and not some fancy other one with professional dancers, and a two year scholarship, that must be A LOT of money. As soon as she was out of the room, everyone burst out talking.
"Wow," Kate gasped. "Whoever gets those scholarships will be SO lucky!" She finished.
"I know right?" I replied. "I wonder how they got the talent scout to come here." I said as we got up to go to the water fountain. Paige had obviously heard us, because she said:
"Who cares how they got the talent scout here, I am SO getting one of those scholarships! I mean I'm Clara, the main character, how could I NOT get one of them?" She laughed.
"Paige, get real," I replied. "I mean, obviously the seniors will get them," I said.
"Oh really so you're already admitting you won't get it. Good . Less work for me." She said. I just sighed and walked away.
Soon the party scene girls were called back stage, but it seemed like forever until we were. I was already dressed, so there was nothing for me to do except for wait around and do nothing.
Finally we were called back, and we went through the long narrow tunnel to the backstage area. We were next to go up, but I wasn't really nervous. I mean, I had been in The Nutcracker before, but still, there was that talent scout here and if I got one of the scholarships.... No, the seniors would get them, I was just a flower, anyway. So I got out on stage and did my best, and was off as quickly as I came on. Soon I was sitting in the dressing room, waiting for finale and curtain call. Luckily I didn't have to deal with Paige gloating how she would get one of the scholarships.
Finally we were called out again to do finale and curtain call, and that came and went. But as the final applause died down, a thin, middle aged man in a business suit came up. "This must be the talent scout." I thought. The man poked at the mic, and some feed back came out, but when he poked it a second time, it was fine. He cleared his throat and straightened some notes.
"I am a talent scout from the Joffrey School of Ballet, I will award two, three year scholarships to the Joffrey." He started.
"My first scholarship will go to... Alisa Mater!" That made sense, because Alisa had been the sugar plum fairy.
"And my second..." Paige smiled as he said this, like she knew she was going to get it.
"Emma Willson!" He finished, Paige's face turned to shock, as did mine. I couldn't believe it, I got the scholarship. I could barely walk up to go get it. Then I realized what this meant for me, I could continue dance!
My friends and family congratulated me after I got off, but I still couldn't believe what had happened util school on Monday.
The bell rang, and I sat down in my seat next to Paige in my second hour math class.
"Don't forget, we have our test on Friday this week, so study hard!" Mrs. Wells reminded us. We turned in our homework, as usual, and Mrs. Wells taught the lesson and assigned us more homework, as usual. But as everyone was leaving and packing up, Paige went up to the front of the classroom to ask Mrs. Wells a question, she looked to have a worried look on her face when she asked Mrs. Wells her question. Then Mrs. Wells looked like she was thinking, and then she called me up.
"Emma W," she said. "Please come upfront." and so I made my way to the front of the classroom.
"Emma," she said.
"You're doing well on this unit right?" I nodded my head, this had been one of the easier units for me.
"Good. Would it be possible for you to help Paige? She's having some trouble." I looked at Paige, her face told me to say no, but this was a teacher, and I couldn't decline.
"Yes, I will help." I said.
The next few days my only thoughts were, what did I get myself into? The first day or so, Paige was her normal self, resisting my help and hanging out with Molly and Maddie. But, slowly but surely I got her to come around and was able to help her, so by Friday's test, she was ready, even if she still had the same attitude towards me . The test wasn't that hard for me, and when I turned it in I saw that Paige was coming to turn hers into the basket. I smiled, because I was proud of her that she was doing better. She had not gotten the unit at all, so some nights I had to stay up late helping her, but she seemed to get it at the end.
On Monday we got back our test scores, I got an A, I was proud of myself, but I was even prouder when Paige showed me her grade and it was an A as well. I knew that she had worked hard to do it. Still her attitude was the same. The next day was the last one before winter break, so there was lots of excitement.
When I opened my locker to put away my coat and things, I noticed a red bag with a green tag on it that said: Thank you Emma, from Paige. "What, Paige got a gift for me?" I thought. But still gently opened the bag and pulled out what was inside. I couldn't believe my eyes, it was the Pretty Pink Pointé shoes I had wanted, exactly my size.
That day during second hour math when Mrs. Wells wasn't looking I scrawled "Thank you" on a piece of of paper and handed it to Paige, and when she read it she looked up and smiled at me. It wasn't a smirk, and didn't have any trace of snideness or sarcasm in it.

It was the first real smile she had ever given me.