Inside The House

IX

- Well, a little better, but it's still not that. Try it like I showed you. First the leg forward, then the leg raise, then the jump. - I said to the cheerleaders, whose dancing skills were, to put it mildly, awful.

Yes, the weekend is over and with it, Monday has begun. It is probably an hour after school and I am practicing dance routines with the cheerleaders. I'm following through on a promise I made to the coach. It's rather bizarre that the coach has me training these girls instead of ordering me to practice under his tutelage for the first dance competition. That one will be held in two days. Miraculously, I was added to the list of those willing to participate. I guess it wasn't hard because the competition is in Hightwater, which is local. There isn't even an age group breakdown, and there are supposedly a handful of participants. The next contest will be in two weeks. This one will take place in the town I've already been to, the one with the airport where Gregory picked me and my mom up. The level is supposedly high there. It remains to be seen. As I said, I intend to dance my way into a strong position at this school. Not because I have that ambition just so that asshole Rayan won't be so confident that only he, Randal and Alex are capable of bringing pride to the school. I'm so proud of them, pounding each other with their fists like barbarians. No finesse, no taste. They're just practicing some punches or kicks at a safe distance from me. Honestly, I don't know. I am not interested in boxing. Especially now this sport seems to be even less interesting for me than before.

Apropos Rayan. I read the rest of the "In the Night at Midnight" short. From what I read, it appears that Annabelle is shot with a bow by Otto himself. The whole story was confusing but I understand that Annabelle who fell in love with Otto died by accident (as corny as that may sound). She was torn apart by her love for a young man and at the same time loved her homeland. The implication of all this is that the lovers did not get along. The night Annabelle died, troops of Annabelle's countrymen surrounded the castle. The princess secretly plotted with the lord commanding the army behind the castle that she would open the castle gates at midnight that night and the knights would take control of the castle without bloodshed. Otto on the other hand had a very similar idea. That same night he decided that he would surrender the castle so that without bloodshed the princess' allies would take control of it. He wanted to do this out of love for the girl. Unfortunately, when he went to the tower at midnight to raise the white flag, he mistook Annabelle for a spy whose purpose was to open the gates of the castle so that an enemy army could enter and slaughter Otto's fellow soldiers along with himself. The young man wanted to avoid this at all costs, so without thinking, he shot his bow at the woman's side. When he heard the woman's groan of pain after releasing the arrow, he realized what he had done. He ran down the stairs into the courtyard and grabbed the princess into his arms. What followed were confessions of self-love, bitter tears of despair, and Annabelle died in his arms. Stunned, Otto went to the gate, opened it and when the soldiers outside the walls saw that their beloved princess had been murdered, they slaughtered the castle. They spared no one, and their first victim was Otto.

I really haven't read shit like this in a long time. How could you even write something so hopeless? Obviously this is a great national work, because under the guise of affection and love, great devotion to the country I currently live in is shown. I'm not surprised that no one wanted to perform this play. It's awful, and act ten scene nine is a veritable armageddon of pseudo-romance. Rayan knows it too. He knew it from the beginning, but damn it, it's not my fault. He's the reason we have to play this out. I think really anything would be better, just not this. It's not gonna happen anyway. Rayan and I don't talk to each other because why should we? Maybe my cultural studies teacher will look at me more favorably. She herself knows very well who I have for an assignment partner.

- Max, are you okay now? - I was snapped out of my reverie by one of the cheerleaders who was unsuccessfully trying to repeat the steps I showed them.