Four am

chapter one

"Tendu. one."

"Two. hold."

"Three, neck up." 

"Four, where's first position?"

"Five, Six."

"HEATHER STOP TALKING."

I hear Mrs. Baryshnikov yelling at Heather from across the hall as I'm running to class already 15 minutes late. Heather had to put her in a bad mood and now she will be furious with me as I come in late. While I'm running past Diana Mrs. Baryshnikov's secretary and niece. She looks at me and throws me a worried look and I smile back.

As I run into studio C Mrs. Baryshnikov is giving me the death glare, if looks could kill I would be dead. 

"Nice of you to finally show up Ms. Zoe." Mrs. Baryshnikov says in her thick Russian accent. "The next time someone talks while dancing you will all be staying an extra half hour to do conditioning." 

Leah and Adriana (Everyone calls her Adri) roll their eyes as they look at Heather, and smile at me when I put my bag down and join them on the barre to warm up. They are my best friends and I would die without them. Our ballet class is small as we are the elite students of the Lakeside Ballet Academy, it consists of Heather and her clique and 2 other girls who don't attend Lakeside Academy where we go to school. You can't forget about the boys but they don't always dance with us. Most importantly me and my best friends.

-

 After what felt like 5 hours of dancing, my legs are sore and my knee is killing me. Mrs. B finally says my favourite words ever. 

"I will see you, ladies, later today." 

We have practice twice a day once in the morning from 5 until 7 am but only on Monday and Thursdays and the second one in the evenings. They're much longer than morning practice from 4:30 pm to 9:30 every day except on Wednesday and Sunday, even on those days you'll most likely find me practicing. 

As I was walking out with Adri and Leah they asked me once again if I wanted to go to a party with them, I've been telling them no ever since freshman year. I would much rather be in the studio dancing. 

I usually walk home and drink my smoothie but today Adri asked me if I wanted her to drive me since I looked more tired than usual, I told her I needed to clear my head so I decided to walk. Just as I turned around from waving bye to Adri and Leah, a tall guy bumped into me who I have to say looked very hot. He has brown curly hair and piercing jade green eyes. With my luck today my smoothie spilled all over me. This can't be happening to me not right now.

 "Watch where you're going, asshole," I tell him as I looked up. "Oh, shit" I whispered to myself as I looked up. 

 "You ran into me, peanut." He says looking at me up and down. It was Cole Vanderbilt, the hottest, most popular guy that attends Lakeside Academy just had to bump into me. The sun was barely shining. What is he doing out so early, I thought to myself. 

I didn't say anything. I just rolled my eyes and walked past him, bumping my shoulder into his, then I felt his hand around my wrist-twisting me close to his chest. I don't think he realized that my breakfast was all over my shirt. But I felt like I couldn't move because I was frozen. I looked over to my side to see if Adri and Leah were still there, they weren't. Cole leaned his head right by my ear saying "I think you owe me an apology." I felt an involuntary shiver go down my spine. 

"W-What, why." I managed to say while looking deep into his piercing jade green eyes. 

"Because you bumped into me, peanut" he whispered. Why is he calling me peanut? Does he not know my name, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. I heard my phone ringing which pulled me out of my thoughts, looking down at my phone. Shit, my mom is calling me. 

"I have to go." I said and managed to wiggle myself out of his grip, while I started to run home. I looked at the time I'm going to be late for school. I still need to shower, eat breakfast and change.

"Mama, I'm home!" I screamed as I entered the house. Going to the kitchen to see where my mom is. "Dad?" I say running into my dad's arms. "I thought you weren't going to be home until Wednesday?" Getting some of my smoothie on his shirt, he didn't seem to care. 

"My flight got canceled," he says while still hugging me tightly. My dad's a pilot so he's not a home that much, I still get excited when he comes home. 

 "Zoelle Jade. Where were you?" My mom says as she is coming down the stairs in her scrubs, she's a paediatric doctor. 

"Sorry mama some idiot ran into me and I spilled my smoothie on myself." She's not usually worried about me coming home late. 

"Well hurry up and get changed, remember when I told you last week that Maya's son is going to stay with us until they get back from Africa."

"Wait he's coming today?" 

"Yes, now go get changed," my mom said. I kissed her on the cheek as I ran past her on the stairs. Maya works with my mom and she's been her best friend since they were in med school. My dad is also friends with her husband. My mom said her son was really nice and kind. Surprisingly I've never met him before. I wasn't too worried about him living with us for a couple of weeks. 

Just as I got into my room and turned into my walk-in closet, I see my little sister Maddie trying to steal my clothes. She doesn't realize that I'm here. 

"MADISON VICTORIA" I scream. I hate when she takes my clothes, she has more than enough clothes of her own, she doesn't need to be stealing mine as well. 

"ZOE!" She jumps and turns around to face me with an innocent smile on her face. That works on mom and dad but not on me. "O-Oh I was just ummm, you know." 

"Save it and get out" still holding my shirt behind her back she starts to walk out. "Maddie," I say scowling at her. 

"Yes," she says all innocently."

"Give me my shirt back." Saying as I rip it from her hands. I quickly get changed. 

I hear the doorbell ring, and I hurry down the stairs to say hi to Maya and her son whom I've never met before. Or at least I thought. 

First chapter posted! Let me know how you like it!

Love you beautiful 

J