She was a ballerina, wound as tight as the corset in her costumes. He was a hockey player determined to make a friend out of someone who didn't want any. She was willing to entertain the idea. But only because he wiggled his way past her defenses to...
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We all stood outside of Stefano's office, waiting anxiously. Auditions were complete for Swan Lake, and there was word that he would be posting the results on the bulletin board in several minutes.
I tried to look disinterested, knowing Andrea was watching me like a hawk, but I imagine I looked just as tense as my coworkers. We had all tried so hard to do our best. We didn't want to fail in the eyes of the choreographers, or even worse: our competition.
There was mild chattering amongst the group. I was pretty certain Clarissa was chatting my ear off, but I didn't even notice. I had busted my ass at auditions. I gave them sorrow, I gave them hope, I gave them love, all while executing perfect technique. I deserved Odette/Odile. Stefano might have thought I could be a better Cinderella, but I'd had enough trouble in my life to capture the emotion perfectly this time. The only thing I was concerned about was how tired I'd potentially looked, given my new schedule.
I'd given up attending class in the morning and instead, my average day was spent sleeping in a little later, going to Stefano's rehearsal, heading to class, catching a quick lunch (usually a pre-made salad from whole foods), heading to rehearsal with Brandt, then spending the next hour or two practicing on my own. By dinner time, I was just getting home and usually opted for a shower over food, and then bed.
Luckily, that left very little time for me to think about the whole Loren situation, and I texted him to let him know I was going to disappear for a few weeks. He was kind enough in his response and - given my history - refused to tell me to break a leg at my audition, and instead just told me that he knew I would kill it.
There wasn't much time to over-analyze that response because within moments, Stefano opened the door, tacked four sheets of paper on the cork board, and returned to his office.
To say there was a stampede was an understatement.
Despite being insanely curious, I hung back and waited until the first hoard (usually soloists) cleared the way, either celebrating their win or grumbling their loss. When there was room, I approached the board, eyeing the sheet carefully.
Cast A
Odette/Odile - Eleanor Abrams
I resisted doing my own victory dance and instead took my cast mate's congratulations in graceful stride, excusing myself from the scene. When I'd made it outside, I immediately pulled my phone from my bag and stared at the screen, my mood souring.
Who was I to tell first? Annabel and I had only spoken once since her move to Seattle, and it was just to tell me that they had all arrived safely. Somehow, we were back on not so great terms. So that left Loren. Who I was currently trying to avoid just to sort out my own thoughts.
