I had woken up this morning and my ribs were hurting so bad I actually contemplated not going into the dance studio today. But I couldn't do that. I had to go in. If I didn't, they would probably replace me and I couldn't have that. I literally crawled out of bed the best I could and changed into a pair of black leggings and a grey long sleeve t-shirt. Then everything would be covered up. I slid on some socks and then my shoes before grabbing my phone and walking to the bathroom. In the medicine cabinet there was pain killers and I need them before I go in. In fact, I would probably need them while I was there but I wasn't gonna take them with me and make Gleb think I was some sort of pill popper. I took the two pills that were in my hand and then walked out of the house. I looked tired. But that was because I'd barely slept last night. I couldn't. My ribs were in too much pain and I couldn't stop crying. This happened every single time I was abused. I cried. You'd think I would be used to it by now and I was but that didn't mean it didn't hurt my heart any less. It broke my heart every time because I knew I was in hell with someone that really didn't love me. Someone who always made it seem like my fault to the point where I actually believed that it was. In my mind I was blaming myself for my ribs hurting because I wasn't home on time. I had put him in a bad mood and because of that I was punished. I had managed to tell myself that I deserved the beatings I got.
I pulled up to the dance studio and got out before walking in. Gleb wasn't here yet so I took this opportunity to look at the damage. I hadn't actually seen it yet. I was afraid to look but I was curious too. I set my stuff down and then walked over to the mirror. I lifted my shirt up and gasped. My stomach and sides were purple and black. The bruises were so prominent and sensitive. I heard the door open and quickly put my shirt down before turning to Gleb who was walking in. "Hey." he said. "You're here early. I wasn't expecting you for another hour."
"Am I early?" I asked. I checked my phone. I was early. "I'm sorry." I looked at him. "Are you mad?"
"No. Of course not." he said. "I like the fact that you're early. It shows that you're driven and eager to learn and that's great."
"Yeah." I said. "I am."
"Well, there's something I wanna talk to you about first. Something I noticed yesterday." he said. Oh no. Did he figure it out that quick? Did I give him some sort of hint of it on accident? I was freaking out right now and I was frozen in my spot. "Come on over here." He sat down on the floor and I walked over to sit next to him while also preparing myself for anything he was about to say. I took a deep breath as he looked at me. "This show is all about chemistry between partners. I noticed that you're a little tense and disconnected. And we need to somehow connect with each other. I want us to have amazing chemistry on that dance floor and in rehearsal because it is very important. I want you to trust me because I will not do anything to hurt you or fail you in any way. I promise that. I need you to be open about trying new things because that's what this show is all about. Trying new things that you've never done before and I want you to go a long way in this competition. But for that to happen, we have to connect. We're going to become friends. I know it." I didn't know how Cole was going to feel about this. "So, let's try to connect to start out today." I nodded. He stood up and then helped me up. I winced as I stood because of my ribs. The pain killers were working but it still didn't stop the pain when I moved. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." I said. "I'll be fine. Let's just get to work." We stood in front of the mirror and, again, went over the dance. Every move I made hurt but I was trying like hell not to show it unless I was turned away from the mirror and Gleb. I didn't want the questions. I didn't want anything. I just wanted to dance.
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For the past two weeks, Gleb and I have been rehearsing and it was becoming easier to do the dance faster like I was supposed to. Gleb was a great teacher and he was patient with me. He was kind. Not to mention, we'd been connecting more like he said we had to which only put the dance together more.
