Practice Makes Perfect (Completed)

Chapter 22

Allison liked to think she was fairly well adjusted given her training schedule, and a fair sized friend group at school confirmed that. How she spent her Friday evenings contradicted that.

"I have to admit, I miss the handstands."

She stuck out her tongue at her next door neighbor as she preformed another ballet mandated exercise. He had it easy, sitting on the chimney and watching while she repeated the same moves until her legs ached. These weren't even the right kind of exercises for the makeshift balance beam they had nailed to the apex of the roof.

"I have to get in shape. For Tabitha."

He snorted. "If you aren't in shape then no one is."

"Well I'm not in shape for ballet. I'm good at cartwheels, not twirls."

"I don't think touching your toe to your knee a hundred times is going to make you any better."

"Well Coach Dobbs does, and he's the boss."

"But--"

"C'mon Noah, I need you. Not this you, the you who has supported my ambitions since before I knew what they were. Ballet is insanely difficult, and I don't think I can do this without your help."

He sighed. "I'm sorry Alli. I just didn't want you to throw away your passion for something like ballet."

"I'm not throwing away gymnastics. I'm setting it aside for awhile, on Tabithas behalf."

"I know." He stood up from the chimney. "And I have something for you. I'll be right back."

The roofs tilt was steep, and most would have scooted along on all fours to keep from slipping and falling. Noah had spent enough hours on Allison's roof that he took the incline at a run and leapt for the next door roof. He stuck the landing like a pro, and swung himself into the nearest window from the edge of the roof. Allison knew from prior experience that the opening went to his room, and watched for shadows in the window as she continued her workout.

Just to the left of Noahs window a wooden board stretched between his roof and her own. It was this board that Noah grabbed when he emerge from the window a few minutes later with something pink tied around his neck. He gripped the board tight as he moved across the gap, not pulling himself up until he reached the edge of Allison's roof. He could hang there for hours, but balance had never been his forte. He met Allison at the top of the roof just as she switched to her other leg.

"What did you bring." She put her foot down as she asked.

He untied the pink ribbon from his neck to reveal the shoes dangling at the end.

"They're from the Emilia shrine. Nothing says professional hip hop dancer like an untouched pair of pointe shoes."

"You probably shouldn't--"

"We've had this discussion a million times. Emilia thinks it's as absurd as I do. She's in college,  not dead."

"I'm not even ready for pointe yet. "

He hesitantly joined her on the wooden beam. "Sure you are. Come sit with me."

He took her hand and led her to the chimney, where they squished close enough to share the same side of the square. Noah helped her put on the ballet shoes and crudely lace the ribbons. The toes felt weird and kind of tight, and the shoes themselves felt heavy as she swung her feet. It was certainly different than the cloth shoes she had worn on stage.

"Stay sitting just for a second." Noah said as he stood. He was only comfortable on the beam because be was certain he could catch his balance in the roof if he fell. "I'm going to help you."

He took a moment to steady himself, then nodded to Allison. "See if you can put the flat part of the toe on the ground. "

Allison had been a gymnast for long enough that pointing her toes wasn't an issue, and she set the toes of the shoes against the ground without trouble. It would be putting weight on her toes that would cause the problems.

"I'm gonna touch you waist, okay?"

Allison nodded, and Noah put gentle hands on her waist. She felt his grip tighten as he lifted her weight from the ground, holding her pointed toes less than an inch from the ground.

"I always forget how little you weigh."

There was a pause as he adjusted his balance to account for Allison's weight and the slight wind that blew past them. She did what she could to keep her toes pointed.

"I'm gonna lower you, just a bit." He warned, and began to do just that.

Allison squeezed her eyes shut and he set her toes against the floor. Slowly, he added more weight. It was fine until she was supporting nearly half her body weight. At that point, her ankles started shaking, and after a moment, she lost her balance and fell. She might have fallen off the roof altogether, or at least off their beam, had Noah not immediately pulled her to his chest. She reached for him instictivly, and for a moment they were entertained, holding each other as if their life depended on it. She could hear his heart beat and could feel him breathe a sigh of relief as he gently loosened his embrace. He kept his hands on her waist as if afraid she would fall.

"If you want to try again, I  think I'll keep you closer to me. I can catch you easier if you fall again."

His words were level headed and rational, but she could hear the concern in his voice. They both knew first-hand how bad a tumble from this height could be.

"I'll be more careful too." She promised.

He lifted her again, this time closer to his body so he had more control. They made it to about half her weight again and her ankles shook with the pressure and the stretch.

"Can you hold me like this for a second?"

Noah nodded. "Take as long as you need. I can hold you forever."

With the extra time, she adjusted to the position. As soon as he got the go ahead, Noah helped her continue her descent, letting her hold even more of her body weight until she was supporting herself. His hands remained on her waist to keep her balanced, but she was otherwise without support.

"See?" He smiled and his blue eyes reflected the moon for just a moment. "You're a natural."

She giggled, which almost sent her off balance and forced her to loop her arms around Noahs neck for support. Her toes and ankles hurt more than she would have expected but the pain was overshadowed but the joy of her triumph.

"I have an idea." Noahs grin was a little lopsided, but it was infectuous. "Put your foot on your knee like earlier. I can hold you up."

She repeated the move that she had been practicing all night, leaning on Noah until she could support herself on one foot. She even went so far as to remove her hands from his shoulders.

"Okay. You're going to have to trust me."

Before she could ask any questions, he started her spinning. He let go for just a second as she twirled, then pulled her instantly to his chest as she faced him again. As he he hugged her, she giggled, drunk on the energy of the night and the thrill of the twirl. When Noah set her back down, it was on flat feet, but he left his arms on her waist all the same.

"If you need me to support you in ballet, I will do everything in my power to make this easy and fun. But I'm begging you Alli, don t forget about the things that used to be your everything."

He pulled her in for one last hug before he let her go entirely. "I have to get home before my mom finds the missing shoes."

He swung down to the edge of the roof, making his way across the board once more. Once he was safely inside, he turned back and waved a hand at Allison. She smiled and waved back. Then, she watched him flick out his light and disappeared.