On Pointe by Lorie Ann Grover Read Free Book Online Page A

down and up.
    Tommy’s the only irritating guy here.
    He’s actually eyeing Devin again.
    Plié, down and up.
    Nathan seems really sweet.
    He’s driven and focused to get better.
    But Elton is by far the best.
    In ballet and friendliness.
    Overall, the guys are like the girls,
    in that we are all here to do the same thing.
    To learn to dance.
    Maybe because the competition isn’t so intense
    for them,
    they can be more relaxed.
    Could I make friends with one of them
    sometime?
    Plié, down and up.
    â€œAnd turn,” says Madame.
    The rhythm of the music.
    The rhythm of the traffic outside.
    The rhythm of our feet
    brushing the floor.
    It feels good
    to be in rhythm.
    I wait behind Rosella
    at the water fountain.
    Her backbone pokes out each notch
    like a row of tiny fists.
    She wipes her lips and steps away.
    â€œHi,” I say.
    She barely nods,
    then joins her group on the floor.
    I bend over the fountain
    and drink deeply.
    The cold contracts my chest
    into a knot.
    I sputter out the mouthful
    and step away.
    It’s my group’s turn.
    I take the spot Rosella stood in
    a second ago.
    There’s still a twist
    in my chest.
    I shoulder my bag
    and cross the street
    to the coffee shop.
    I wait in the noisy line
    and order a cup of tea.
    The other customers’ chatter
    and the latte machine’s hissing
    cover me up
    while I sit at the little table.
    So Rosella ignored me the whole time,
    but it feels so good
    that Elton believes I’ll make it
    into the company.
    I squeeze
    the honey bear
    tight around the waist
    and swirl the gold stream
    into my cup.
    That’s a sweet thought.
    â€œHi,” she says.
    I don’t breathe.
    Dia sits down
    across from me.
    My wood stirrer
    slips from my fingers
    and sticks to the table.
    â€œHi,” pops out of me.
    She looks so different
    in street clothes
    with her hair
    down loose.
    â€œI was walking
    by the conservatory
    and saw you come in here.”
    â€œOh,” I say.
    â€œSo, how was class?”
    â€œNormal.”
    We sit.
    â€œNot like yesterday,
    when Madame actually smiled,” I add.
    â€œNo way!” says Dia.
    Now we both smile.
    It feels great.
    â€œSo, how are you?” I finally ask.
    â€œI don’t know. Okay?”
    She bites her thumbnail.
    â€œYou know what she said to me?”
    â€œWhat?” I lean forward.
    Dia looks at the ceiling.
    â€œShe said
    I don’t have a dancer’s body.
    That I should
    redirect my efforts.
    That I would be welcome
    in the adult class.”
    I gasp. “How humiliating!”
    â€œTell me about it.
    Most of them are so lame,
    they can hardly move across the floor.”
    â€œSo, what are you going to do?”
    Dia shrugs. “I guess I kind of knew
    this was going to happen.
    I started imagining it awhile ago.”
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œMmm hmm. I had time to get used to the idea.”
    She tucks her bra strap back under her shirt.
    â€œMostly I’m going to hang out,
    take it easy the rest of the summer.
    Then maybe I’ll try out for lacrosse.”
    â€œThat’d be fun,” I make myself say.
    â€œYeah. ’Cause there’s no way I’d ever
    go to that adult class.
    What a bunch of losers.”
    â€œRight.” I smooth my napkin.
    â€œBut won’t you miss ballet?”
    Dia flips her hair behind her shoulder.
    â€œMaybe. But I’m ready to try other stuff.
    I don’t have
    a choice.”
    She pulls her chair closer.
    â€œYou know one thing?” she asks.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI still felt beautiful
    when I danced.
    All the way up to the last class.
    Maybe I didn’t look that great,
    but I felt like I did.
    Way down
    deep inside.
    You know what I mean?”
    â€œMaybe,” I whisper.
    Maybe that’s another name
    for being turned inside out.
    Beautiful.
    â€œWould you believe this is a
    double tall mocha latte
    with whole milk and whipped cream?”
    â€œYou are