"You said you wanted to be a ballerina, Claire. That's all I've heard for the past year." Mom lifts my chin. "That you wanted to be a princess and twirl on your tippy toes."
My eyes fill with tears as I look around the room.
"What's wrong? Tell Mommy."
I shake my head and start to run for the door, but Mommy pulls me into her arms. "Claire, don't run away. Just tell me what's wrong."
"I'm scared."
She smoothes my hair back. "There's nothing to be afraid of, though, sweetie. Just be yourself."
"But what if no one likes me?"
A tall man walks up to me and smiles. "Someone not like you? No." He shakes his head. "I already like you, Claire. I'm Mr. Robins. I'd like to teach you how to twirl on your toes along with my new friend, little Tiffany. Would you like that?" He looks like the prince from Sleeping Beauty, but with longer hair and dark brown eyes. He's wearing tights and slippers with a baggy shirt. Despite being nice, I squeeze Mommy tighter.
Tiffany smiles at me and offers her hand, tilting her head, but I stare at her big blue eyes. Her brown hair is twisted in a knot on the top of her head. I'm not sure how she got it like that, but it looks like it's tight, like it'd hurt. My mom just put mine in a ponytail. "Would you like that, Claire? To come with Tiffany and me?"
I shake my head.
Mommy laughs. "You're not here for people to like you, silly girl. You're here to dance. Just dance. Chin up, Claire." She tilts my head up and swipes my tears away. "You can do this." I try to smile. She kisses my forehead. "You're going to absolutely love it. The dance." She pushes me back some and puts her hand over the thumping beneath my leotard. "It's in here, Claire. It's inside you. Go learn how to show it to the world."
My arms squeeze Mommy's waist as tight as I can, but she pushes me away. "Don't go, Mommy."
"I love you, my Claire Bear. Now, go learn how to be a ballerina."
YOU ARE READING
Heartfall - COMPLETED
Romance"I'll love you a second past forever..." -- Claire Ballerina Claire Ross has never been good enough. Not for the girls in the elite group of professional dancers in her class and certainly not for her brutally honest, overbearing ballet teacher. She...
