Practice Makes Perfect (Completed)

Chapter 27

Anastasia spent six hours a day training for ballet. Three hours a day were in front of her coach, who tried to keep her weight off her foot, and the other three in the privacy of her own studio, where she danced on a broken ankle like her life depended on it.

Pinned to the wall in her private studio was a flyer for the dance school she wanted to get into. Without a solid performance at the state meet, she would never get in

She was almost used to the agony of dancing on a broken bone. She just had to get used to dancing well.

More than anything, Anastasia knew she needed a win at the state meet.

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Allison did all her real training with a coach, but her favorite training was on the roof with Noah. Holding his hand, she did her best moves on the beam nailed to her roof. Training took her mind off of Tabitha's situation, but it was Noah who helped her come up with a solution.

"How much is the award for the state meet?"

After looking it up, Tabitha was shocked. It was more than she ever would have guessed.

"And how much does Tabitha need?"

Allison ran the numbers, and the award money would be just enough. Excited by the prospect of success, she threw herself into Noah's arms. "You did it! It'll be enough."

With renewed vigor, she redoubled her efforts.

More than anything, Allison knew she needed a win at the state meet.

---

Anastasia hadn't talked to Luke in weeks. She missed him more than anything, but she knew he was a distraction. It was probably for the best. It gave her more time to focus on her routine.

"Careful on that last turn. You're leaning a little too far into it." Her coach warned.

She took his advice, ignored the pain and repeated the move. She needed this to work.

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As the competition approached, Allison's weekly meetings with Noah turned into nightly meetings. He was the only one who could calm her stress, and rehearsing the ballet moves on a thin beam was helping her improve her precision.

Noah brought her water, snacks and encouragement. Without him, she never would have gotten any better.

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With only weeks to go until the competition, Anastasia's coach still wasn't letting her practice on her bad ankle. She asked again and again, but her thought it was a bad idea.

Clearly, he was only holding her back. All the same, she needed the tips, so she let him stick around.

---

Allison missed the days when she could enjoy ballet. The pressure on her from the competition was unbearable. One night, after an hour and a half of rooftop practice, she broke down in tears.

"I can't do this."

Noah wrapped her up in his arms and held her tight. He told her that she could do anything. To him, she was invincible. To him, she was perfect. He repeated the same words over and over until Allison started to believe it.

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Anastasia looked at the pictures on her wall. most of them were of her with her parents, clipped from newspapers. In the pictures, she was young and her parents were distracted. All the same, it was good to see their faces every once in a while.

Pinned to the bulletin board was a picture of Luke and his absurd hat. It hurt her to admit that he was as gone as her parents. Yet again, she had been abandoned.

The wall above her bed was filled with ballet pictures, printed form websites and taken by her coach. This wall, this sport, was the only thing that hadn't abandoned her. Ballet was her everything. As she packed a bag for the tournament, she knew she needed to win. The sport was all she had left.

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As Allison packed a bag for the competition, Noah sat on the edge of her bed. It was her first time to be in her room, but already he was comfortable. Her room was merely an extension of her personality, and he had known her for years.

As Noah watched, Allison took a picture of Tabitha out of a frame. She tucked it into her bag. As she stared at the folded piece of paper, Noah came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You're going to do great."

Allison couldn't just hope he was right, she had to make him right. Tabitha depended on it.