The Ballerina
Papercut.
“Oh, wow. How awkward is that?” Acelynn laughed, staring at her wrist. She had just shuffled papers around on the table when one smoothly and lightly slit her wrist.
“You’re so emo, Ace.” Jojo, Acelynn’s best friend laughed with her.
“You caught me. I’m a paper cutter.” Acelynn was always handy when any first-aid was necessary, and pulled a Sponge Bob band-aid out of her messenger bag. She split the wax-paper covering and pressed the adhesive to the small cut.
“I should send you to the shrink’s office.” Jojo replied, with a joking look on her face.
Acelynn feigned fear. “Then they’ll just ship me off to the coo-coo hut.”
“Well you know the time was coming eventually. So have you nailed your routine yet?” Jojo asked, excited.
Acelynn rolled her eyes. Somehow, their conversations always seemed to revert back to ballet. Jojo’s parents weren’t as big fanatics as Acelynn’s were, but she herself was. She was obsessed with grace and technique; something Acelynn wasn’t interested in. However, she was good at it. And her parents knew that. “Yes.”
“Lucky. I still can’t get that last spin. It’s too many!” Jojo complained. Though, Acelynn didn’t have much sympathy for her; Jojo chose the routine herself.
“Why don’t you cut down one spin, but quicken the pace.”
“I tried that but it doesn’t go with the music.” Jojo sighed, as if the idea was ridiculous.
“Sorry.” The brunette tried to sound sincere, but it was hard. There was only so much one could do.
The bell rang, and with a jolt, Acelynn began to collect all of the papers spread across the cafeteria table; she was cramming for three tests that day. But it didn’t really matter in the end – she already had contracts signed for ballet positions. It was just that Acelynn wanted to excel in something that normal kids were doing.
“See you after school, ‘kay?” Jojo smiled, and picked up her one-strap back pack from the ground, and waved goodbye.
“Bye.” Acelynn muttered, and headed in the opposite direction. Her first class was supposed to be gym – but she wasn’t required to take it. The high school gym class developed all the wrong muscles for a dancer. Her parents and ballet instructor made a huge deal of it, and finally convinced the school to let her take another elective. Most of the school had heard of this (courtesy of Jojo, who also went through the same thing) and threw a fit about it. “Why was Acelynn so special? She should just grow out of the ballerina phase anyway” they would hiss.
But if anyone had asked Acelynn, they would have known that she would have gladly taken gym.
“Sorry.” Acelynn exclaimed, after she had run into someone on her way to study hall. When she took a look at who the person was, her heart raced and a sudden chill went through her.
Luke Spencer – Huckleberry high school’s number one delinquent. Incredibly known for ditching class and getting in fights. But when the two collided he didn’t acknowledge Acelynn’s existence; he just recomposed himself and continued down the hall.
Luke was the opposite of Acelynn; tall, bulky, always wore black, he smoked, and worst of all – he was a boy. It the ballerina world, boys were off limits. Boys meant sex, and sex made babies. Babies ruined your body. Even if you were to get an abortion; the surgery would kill your career.
Like it mattered anyway; no one wanted to even talk to Acelynn. Boys weren’t amused with her non-existent chest, and girls were too judging. Acelynn had her ballet, and she had her parent’s dreams. That’s all she would ever have.
“You’re so emo, Ace.” Jojo, Acelynn’s best friend laughed with her.
“You caught me. I’m a paper cutter.” Acelynn was always handy when any first-aid was necessary, and pulled a Sponge Bob band-aid out of her messenger bag. She split the wax-paper covering and pressed the adhesive to the small cut.
“I should send you to the shrink’s office.” Jojo replied, with a joking look on her face.
Acelynn feigned fear. “Then they’ll just ship me off to the coo-coo hut.”
“Well you know the time was coming eventually. So have you nailed your routine yet?” Jojo asked, excited.
Acelynn rolled her eyes. Somehow, their conversations always seemed to revert back to ballet. Jojo’s parents weren’t as big fanatics as Acelynn’s were, but she herself was. She was obsessed with grace and technique; something Acelynn wasn’t interested in. However, she was good at it. And her parents knew that. “Yes.”
“Lucky. I still can’t get that last spin. It’s too many!” Jojo complained. Though, Acelynn didn’t have much sympathy for her; Jojo chose the routine herself.
“Why don’t you cut down one spin, but quicken the pace.”
“I tried that but it doesn’t go with the music.” Jojo sighed, as if the idea was ridiculous.
“Sorry.” The brunette tried to sound sincere, but it was hard. There was only so much one could do.
The bell rang, and with a jolt, Acelynn began to collect all of the papers spread across the cafeteria table; she was cramming for three tests that day. But it didn’t really matter in the end – she already had contracts signed for ballet positions. It was just that Acelynn wanted to excel in something that normal kids were doing.
“See you after school, ‘kay?” Jojo smiled, and picked up her one-strap back pack from the ground, and waved goodbye.
“Bye.” Acelynn muttered, and headed in the opposite direction. Her first class was supposed to be gym – but she wasn’t required to take it. The high school gym class developed all the wrong muscles for a dancer. Her parents and ballet instructor made a huge deal of it, and finally convinced the school to let her take another elective. Most of the school had heard of this (courtesy of Jojo, who also went through the same thing) and threw a fit about it. “Why was Acelynn so special? She should just grow out of the ballerina phase anyway” they would hiss.
But if anyone had asked Acelynn, they would have known that she would have gladly taken gym.
“Sorry.” Acelynn exclaimed, after she had run into someone on her way to study hall. When she took a look at who the person was, her heart raced and a sudden chill went through her.
Luke Spencer – Huckleberry high school’s number one delinquent. Incredibly known for ditching class and getting in fights. But when the two collided he didn’t acknowledge Acelynn’s existence; he just recomposed himself and continued down the hall.
Luke was the opposite of Acelynn; tall, bulky, always wore black, he smoked, and worst of all – he was a boy. It the ballerina world, boys were off limits. Boys meant sex, and sex made babies. Babies ruined your body. Even if you were to get an abortion; the surgery would kill your career.
Like it mattered anyway; no one wanted to even talk to Acelynn. Boys weren’t amused with her non-existent chest, and girls were too judging. Acelynn had her ballet, and she had her parent’s dreams. That’s all she would ever have.