The Ballerina

“So your father tells me you’ve been vomiting on purpose, and you cut your wrist.” Wow. The therapist didn’t sugar coat anything, did he?

“Uh, what?” Acelynn replied.

“On September third, your father said that you had vomited in your bathroom late at night. Can you tell me why?”

The ballerina thought back to around that time. The only time she remembered puking was when she felt so sick that her mother was cheating on her father with Acelynn’s insufferable dance instructor. But she didn’t feel the need to share this with the therapist – whom she forgot the name of already. “I was sick. I had a stomach bug.” She lied gracefully.

Unfortunately, the doctor didn’t buy it. “I see.” He replied skeptically and wrote something down on his pad of paper.



Every day for the past two months, Acelynn had been babysat and watched like an infant. Luckily, she convinced the adults that ballet was an excellent release for her stresses. They hesitantly trusted her.

Every other day she went to therapy with the doctor she forgot the name of. It wasn’t necessary to remember anyway – she didn’t address him much. Why would someone want a job as stupid as a therapist? No wonder people stayed in the sessions so long – the doctor drove her crazy! He was so condescending, it took all her energy not to tear across the room and slap the man. He talked to her slowly as if she were a small child incapable of understanding.

After her ‘therapy’ she went to Luke’s home, in which she was now welcomed by Tuck, and vented her feelings for real.

Luke picked her up from the psychiatric office at seven sharp, and took Acelynn to his home. It was the deal – she would withstand the tortures of “tough love” if she had Luke in her life. Dana Adams wanted nothing of him, believing he was the creature that destroyed her perfect ballerina daughter, and still stood dead set against it. But Acelynn proved to be very difficult otherwise.

“I hate him. I hate him with a fiery passion and I hope he dies.” The girl spat at Luke, who was taking the blow of the hate Acelynn felt for the old man.

“What this time?” He sighed.

“It’s just everything.” Acelynn pouted and collapsed next to him on the grey bed spread.

Luke said nothing, and just combed through the ballerina’s tawny hair. He had become incredibly affectionate towards her, and she liked it.

The nameless doctor once told her that physical contact helps comfort oneself, after she was forced to tell him what happened when they were in the park. As if she was confused as to why she needed Luke in her life.

The blue eyed teen was soft and warm when they were alone. He was still self-conscious about talking about himself and his life, but Acelynn was patient. Luke had become her protector in public places, as well. She didn’t like it when he became stony and hard to defend her – it scared the poor girl. But she kept in her mind that Luke did it for her, and that warmed her soul. The rugged boy had even gone so far as to change his whole school schedule to be in the same lunch as Acelynn, with most of the same classes.

The whole school seemed to watch as the two Siamese twins – connected by the mind – got closer and closer every day.

“I told you before – just quit. You can use by basement as your studio.” Luke said at last.

Acelynn wanted to – so, so badly. But the boy had already saved her life. He had given her a life partner of sorts. Luke had given the ballerina himself. So how could he possibly be offering more? Acelynn already owed him so much. She felt guilty for taking so much of his time. His attention and focus.

“My dad wants me to do this.” She replied quietly. And that was true as well – Acelynn promised herself that as long as she lied to Thomas Adams, she would make his life as painless as possible. Until she told him the truth of her, her mother, and just everything in general – she would go to therapy like he asked. It helped him sleep better at night, she knew.

Luke told her that he honestly couldn’t really sympathize. He and his own father had a rocky past – which he still wouldn’t go into detail about, but Acelynn understood. It would be like picking at old wounds that never healed.

The boy just shrugged and continued to comb through the ballerina’s hair. It was a rare time when Tuck didn’t interrupt the two, with his dark humor and gift of making them uncomfortable and awkward, so they basked in the quiet.

Acelynn tried to get along with Tuck; she truly, honestly did. But she couldn’t help it – the older boy knew what buttons to press. His condescending smirk (even though she wasn’t the one confined to her house), his lazy way of leaning over her when they were alone, and his awful smoking habit, which was even worse than Luke’s. Acelynn didn’t hate him, but she definitely didn’t like him.

“I’m hungry.” She announced, and looked to Luke – whose eyes were closed until Acelynn addressed him. Then his dark blue eyes, like bottle glass, appeared from behind his eyelids.

“Okay.” He replied, and sat upright.

Luke slowly unfolded himself from the bed and pulled Acelynn up as well. Doug, the girl Rottweiler, eagerly pranced into the room when she heard motion. The dog had taken an immediate liking to the ballerina, who also accepted a new canine companion. Luke was excited that Doug accepted Acelynn, because she didn’t seem to like some people, and he considered the dog one of his best friends.

“Hey, Girl.” Luke patted the dog on the head and walked past her with Acelynn’s hand tangled in his.

“Where are we going?” The girl asked, following Luke without hesitation.

The boy shrugged and continued to walk through the house. He lead her through the many hallways and down the descending staircase to the entry way. Luke disconnected himself from Acelynn to pull on his large, black Vans and allowed the girl to tie on her own grey converse. He had bought them for her weeks ago after her only casual shoes’ soles ripped. Acelynn had tried to convince him that she could get her father to fork over some cash for new shoes, but Luke was determined to help her in any way he could.

Luke was her guardian angel. Her protector. What the hell would she do without him?

“Maybe we’ll just drive around. I’ll find something for you.” That was Luke – always doing everything to make the girl happy.

“Are you talking about birth control?” A voice from behind – obviously Tuck – asked.

The two seventeen year olds both turned around at the same time and glared at Tuck. The nineteen year old leaned against the wall with his left arm and smirked. “No, Tuck.” Luke sighed.

It had been two months since Acelynn had began to hang around the Spencer Manor almost every day, and the two teens had never done anything sexual in any way. Tuck knew that – he had often been caught spying on them through the crack in Luke’s bedroom door because they never bothered to close it. But would he give up the old pregnancy bit? No, of course not. It just wasn’t Tuck.

The green eyed boy only rolled his eyes. “We’re going to get something to eat. You’re welcome to join us if you like.” Luke continued.

It had only been recently – in the last few days – that Tuck had been taken off house arrest. Acelynn was surprised when he had still stuck around the same house he had been cooped up in for months, and Luke had to agree. He said that Tuck was never an indoor person to begin with.

The older boy hesitated, but declined swiftly and scurried up the stairs. “Well, that was odd.” Acelynn murmured. She had never seen Tuck say no to food. He was usually such an eating-machine – often stealing her food as well as scarfing down his own.

Luke waved off the odd behavior and opened the front door. “That’s just Tuck.”

Acelynn timidly agreed and followed the blue-eyed boy out the door into the cool November air.