𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐘 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑 | mileven au.

ONE...

CHAPTER ONE
"A CAUTIONARY TALE!"

eleanor hopper groaned quietly to herself as she fell out of one of her turns. she rarely fell out of her turns, and she knew mother wouldn't be so pleased if she had witnessed it. she heavily sighed, brushing a caramel strand of hair that had fallen out of her perfectly compacted bun behind her ear.

she walked back over to the bars where she had previously been, feeling slightly defeated. taking a deep breath, she watched as the other dancers in her class practiced their pique turns across the floor, causing a small smile to grace her features.

"are you going, tiny?" maxine mayfield glanced over at el. the inseparable duo had met when they were both only two years old in a, "mommy-and-me ballet class." ever since then, they had been attached at the hip. even though they were now fifteen-year-olds, their bond had only strengthened throughout their years of friendship.

eleanor had earned herself the nickname, 'tiny,' due to the fact that she was always taking classes with the, well, more advanced dancers. everyone in her current class, besides max, was at least two years older than her.

not to mention, she has remained undefeated since she was eleven years old. the petite girl was without a doubt considered the best dancer in hawkins, even possibly the best in indiana. everyone around her knew she was going places, and eleanor was quite aware of it too.

"going where?" el tilted her head while fiddling with her thumbs and maintaining her prefect posture, staring back up at her friend. max practically towered over el, considering el already had a short stature to begin with.

"to the sleepover at nancy wheeler's house tonight, she invited the whole team. it's going to be so much fun! i can pick you up if you want." max offered, pointing and flexing her feet as she picked dirt and debris out of her short nail beds.

"who's nancy wheeler? i-i didn't even know there was a sleepover happening. besides, mother probably wouldn't approve." el meekly stated, using all of her strength to not roll her eyes.

"nancy, she's the new girl on the team. she's right over there. she'd be happy to have you there, she seems super nice." max pointed to a fawn-haired girl with a tiny waist. but, she had these ginormous brown eyes that you could stare into from a mile away. faint freckles danced along her gleaming face, a straight line placed on her frosty lips as she extended her leg into the air.

"mother might let me go if i tell her she's new to the team." el grinned slightly. the thought of having a sleepover with someone besides max thrilled her beyond belief. she knew not to get her hopes up, though, mother was awfully strict when it came to el spending time with other dancers. she had an irrational fear that they would negatively influence her.

"tiny and gingerhead, i'm seeing a lot more talking than turning!" the dance instructor hollered over the noise of pointe shoes delicately tapping against the floor, causing a giggle to escape from el's parted lips.

—

her clenched fist pounded on the door, her hand shaking as she did so. after a lengthy and rather mundane conversation with her mother, eleanor and her mother had finally come to a compromise. they agreed that she could attend the sleepover, but only if she went to the dance studio an hour earlier than usual the following day.