The Ballerina
Mirror Mirror On The Wall.
“Why are you doing this?” Acelynn sounded like a prissy little brat. But she didn’t care. “We don’t know each other – I’m not even sure if you even remotely like me. Why are you—“
“Peace.” Luke replied calmly. “I want to get to know you.”
The girl ripped her hand away from Luke’s, but flinched when he tried to keep a grasp and put pressure on her palm. Luke looked uncharacteristically concerned. “You’ve had three years, and you choose now? Why?” Acelynn was even surprised that he wanted to know her at all. He usually acted so coldly towards her.
The boy shrugged. “I guess I realized we had more in common than I thought.”
“In what universe?” She blurted. The ballerina suddenly felt very faint and dizzy. What was going on with her? Lately she had felt so angry. Usually she was calm and collected. Now her emotions were controlling every move she made.
“This one.” Luke said simply. “Do you want to go out, or go back to your parents?”
Acelynn wanted to go back to her father, and go home. But what would her mother say? What would her parents think? As odd as it seemed, going with the strange boy was way simpler. “We can go.” She said guardedly.
“Good.” The dark haired boy replied. He gestured his head towards his truck, which sat in the parking lot.
Acelynn sighed, and complied. After the adrenaline filled night, she was done fighting. She was also hungry, and she remembered that Luke promised to feed her. Hopefully it was high in fat and delicious; she could work off the weight tomorrow.
She jerked the red door open and climbed into the truck. Luke did the same, and began to start the truck. De javu. Except they were both wearing entirely different clothes; Luke was preppy, and Acelynn had pants this time. After three tries, the truck roared with life, and they were off. And this time, Acelynn secured her seat belt. She caught a glimpse of Luke’s smirk as she did so.
“So where are we going?” She could hear in her own voice, she was tired.
“I was thinking the park.” Luke shrugged.
“The park? Why the park?” Acelynn was hungry. The park didn’t have food.
The boy sighed. “I… I need to talk to someone… You.” His words sounded forced.
The brunette was surprised. “Why? About what?”
Luke looked extremely uncomfortable now. “I’d rather not talk about it now… Not while I’m driving.” Acelynn’s nerves went wild after his words. Was he unstable? Would being in the car put her in danger? “I just get a little emotional at the topic.”
If Acelynn thought she was surprised before, that was nothing. Boys were supposed to be tough as nails. They were supposed to laugh everything off and try to get girls to make out in janitor’s closets. Boys weren’t supposed to use the word emotion. “Oh.” She replied lamely.
An awkward silence had engulfed the pair. Only to be interrupted by a loud gurgle from the pit of Acelynn’s stomach. Her face turned red, and Luke laughed loudly. The truck began to swerve slightly as the boy shook with amusement. “If you were hungry, you should have said so.” Acelynn turned an even deeper red, and faced away from Luke to try and hide it. “We can eat if you want to.”
Luke looked around for a place with food, and spotted a small diner. “You okay with burgers?” Acelynn nodded furiously. “You got it, Ace.”
It took years of bonding and trust to let Jojo call Acelynn, Ace. But when Luke said it, it sounded so natural. So easy. It felt right. “Thanks.”
Luke took a deep breath, and looked peaceful. She couldn’t see herself, but Acelynn figured she looked like a train wreck. Her hair was pulled back and you could see her whole face, she was wearing old cargo pants over a lavender leotard, and she was tense. Very, very tense. “You can relax; I promise I won’t make any more sudden U-turns.”
After a few minutes, Luke parked in two parking spaces crookedly. But Acelynn didn’t find anything wrong with it at this particular place – no one was here. She could only see two waitresses through the giant window, and one old man sitting at a booth. It seemed laid back and bored, so she could relax there.
But only to be disturbed by the unruly boy. “Let’s go.” He rasped and tackled his door open. Acelynn did the same. Luke didn’t bother locking the truck, and even left the driver window down. Though the ballerina was sure no one would do anything shady. No one was there to do anything shady. “Hurry up.”
Luke’s voice broke Acelynn out of her trance, and she followed the boy through the door he opened. He politely asked for a booth in the corner, and the waitress complied. The seats were sticky and a sickly red color. But the menu was sitting on the table, and that’s all Acelynn cared about. She tore open the laminated paper and began to search for something edible.
After choosing a cheeseburger and fries, Acelynn finally looked up and saw Luke staring at her with an amused smile. “What?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but then quickly sobered. His smile was gone. “Nothing.”
The girl squinted her eyes at Luke, but said nothing. The two sat in silence for what seemed forever, when Acelynn blurted: “I’ll be right back.” She got up from the booth and headed over to the restroom without giving Luke one glance. She needed to take her hair down. She needed to calm herself down. She needed to get collected.
Acelynn hadn’t looked in a mirror in so long. Really looked in a mirror. Even though she was constantly around them – in the dance studio, in the dressing room, the bathroom, the hallway – she avoided looking in them. Mirrors reflected you. Mirrors told you things that your friends wouldn’t.
Mirrors scared the ballerina.
But in the awkwardly lit confined restroom, the mirror was streaked and less intimidating. Acelynn slowly approached it, fiddling with the strings on her pants. It shouldn’t be this hard. It was a man-made object.
But it showed flaws.
It helped perfect your appearance.
The ballerina took a breath and closed her eyes. She walked towards it slowly and cautiously. Her hands touched the sink, and she knew she was facing the reflective glass. Her breath quickened to the pace of her speeding heart rate.
Why was this so hard? People looked in the mirror several times a day. And most enjoyed it. It shouldn’t have been that hard to just open her eyes, but it was.
Luke probably thought she was a freak for taking so long.
That triggered something inside Acelynn that made her open her eyes without even thinking about it.
A girl, with light, curly brown hair tied in a neat bun, in a lavender leotard looked back at Acelynn. It was like a dream; she recognized the reflection but the girl seemed so different from what she remembered.
Acelynn pulled out the purple ribbon from her hair and let her brown locks fall around her face. The curls reached the middle of her back, and crowded each other in medium sized spirals. That was slightly more familiar. The ballerina sighed, and stepped away from the mirror. The two would probably never get along. The mirror and the girl just had different morals.
Acelynn took one last calming breath before she opened the bathroom door to return back to Luke and the worn booth.
“Peace.” Luke replied calmly. “I want to get to know you.”
The girl ripped her hand away from Luke’s, but flinched when he tried to keep a grasp and put pressure on her palm. Luke looked uncharacteristically concerned. “You’ve had three years, and you choose now? Why?” Acelynn was even surprised that he wanted to know her at all. He usually acted so coldly towards her.
The boy shrugged. “I guess I realized we had more in common than I thought.”
“In what universe?” She blurted. The ballerina suddenly felt very faint and dizzy. What was going on with her? Lately she had felt so angry. Usually she was calm and collected. Now her emotions were controlling every move she made.
“This one.” Luke said simply. “Do you want to go out, or go back to your parents?”
Acelynn wanted to go back to her father, and go home. But what would her mother say? What would her parents think? As odd as it seemed, going with the strange boy was way simpler. “We can go.” She said guardedly.
“Good.” The dark haired boy replied. He gestured his head towards his truck, which sat in the parking lot.
Acelynn sighed, and complied. After the adrenaline filled night, she was done fighting. She was also hungry, and she remembered that Luke promised to feed her. Hopefully it was high in fat and delicious; she could work off the weight tomorrow.
She jerked the red door open and climbed into the truck. Luke did the same, and began to start the truck. De javu. Except they were both wearing entirely different clothes; Luke was preppy, and Acelynn had pants this time. After three tries, the truck roared with life, and they were off. And this time, Acelynn secured her seat belt. She caught a glimpse of Luke’s smirk as she did so.
“So where are we going?” She could hear in her own voice, she was tired.
“I was thinking the park.” Luke shrugged.
“The park? Why the park?” Acelynn was hungry. The park didn’t have food.
The boy sighed. “I… I need to talk to someone… You.” His words sounded forced.
The brunette was surprised. “Why? About what?”
Luke looked extremely uncomfortable now. “I’d rather not talk about it now… Not while I’m driving.” Acelynn’s nerves went wild after his words. Was he unstable? Would being in the car put her in danger? “I just get a little emotional at the topic.”
If Acelynn thought she was surprised before, that was nothing. Boys were supposed to be tough as nails. They were supposed to laugh everything off and try to get girls to make out in janitor’s closets. Boys weren’t supposed to use the word emotion. “Oh.” She replied lamely.
An awkward silence had engulfed the pair. Only to be interrupted by a loud gurgle from the pit of Acelynn’s stomach. Her face turned red, and Luke laughed loudly. The truck began to swerve slightly as the boy shook with amusement. “If you were hungry, you should have said so.” Acelynn turned an even deeper red, and faced away from Luke to try and hide it. “We can eat if you want to.”
Luke looked around for a place with food, and spotted a small diner. “You okay with burgers?” Acelynn nodded furiously. “You got it, Ace.”
It took years of bonding and trust to let Jojo call Acelynn, Ace. But when Luke said it, it sounded so natural. So easy. It felt right. “Thanks.”
Luke took a deep breath, and looked peaceful. She couldn’t see herself, but Acelynn figured she looked like a train wreck. Her hair was pulled back and you could see her whole face, she was wearing old cargo pants over a lavender leotard, and she was tense. Very, very tense. “You can relax; I promise I won’t make any more sudden U-turns.”
After a few minutes, Luke parked in two parking spaces crookedly. But Acelynn didn’t find anything wrong with it at this particular place – no one was here. She could only see two waitresses through the giant window, and one old man sitting at a booth. It seemed laid back and bored, so she could relax there.
But only to be disturbed by the unruly boy. “Let’s go.” He rasped and tackled his door open. Acelynn did the same. Luke didn’t bother locking the truck, and even left the driver window down. Though the ballerina was sure no one would do anything shady. No one was there to do anything shady. “Hurry up.”
Luke’s voice broke Acelynn out of her trance, and she followed the boy through the door he opened. He politely asked for a booth in the corner, and the waitress complied. The seats were sticky and a sickly red color. But the menu was sitting on the table, and that’s all Acelynn cared about. She tore open the laminated paper and began to search for something edible.
After choosing a cheeseburger and fries, Acelynn finally looked up and saw Luke staring at her with an amused smile. “What?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but then quickly sobered. His smile was gone. “Nothing.”
The girl squinted her eyes at Luke, but said nothing. The two sat in silence for what seemed forever, when Acelynn blurted: “I’ll be right back.” She got up from the booth and headed over to the restroom without giving Luke one glance. She needed to take her hair down. She needed to calm herself down. She needed to get collected.
Acelynn hadn’t looked in a mirror in so long. Really looked in a mirror. Even though she was constantly around them – in the dance studio, in the dressing room, the bathroom, the hallway – she avoided looking in them. Mirrors reflected you. Mirrors told you things that your friends wouldn’t.
Mirrors scared the ballerina.
But in the awkwardly lit confined restroom, the mirror was streaked and less intimidating. Acelynn slowly approached it, fiddling with the strings on her pants. It shouldn’t be this hard. It was a man-made object.
But it showed flaws.
It helped perfect your appearance.
The ballerina took a breath and closed her eyes. She walked towards it slowly and cautiously. Her hands touched the sink, and she knew she was facing the reflective glass. Her breath quickened to the pace of her speeding heart rate.
Why was this so hard? People looked in the mirror several times a day. And most enjoyed it. It shouldn’t have been that hard to just open her eyes, but it was.
Luke probably thought she was a freak for taking so long.
That triggered something inside Acelynn that made her open her eyes without even thinking about it.
A girl, with light, curly brown hair tied in a neat bun, in a lavender leotard looked back at Acelynn. It was like a dream; she recognized the reflection but the girl seemed so different from what she remembered.
Acelynn pulled out the purple ribbon from her hair and let her brown locks fall around her face. The curls reached the middle of her back, and crowded each other in medium sized spirals. That was slightly more familiar. The ballerina sighed, and stepped away from the mirror. The two would probably never get along. The mirror and the girl just had different morals.
Acelynn took one last calming breath before she opened the bathroom door to return back to Luke and the worn booth.