A Love-Hate Relationship

9~ One Word: Ugh

I entered Mrs. Samuel's dance studio, seeing a whole bunch of teens, both boys and girls, doing stretches or standing around talking. All of them wore casual dance attire, though their shirts were the same as mine; tight, black T-shirts with the academy logo printed in white on the back.

I stepped inside, feeling my nerves skyrocket. I sat down on the floor to do warm-up stretches along with everyone else. No one seemed to acknowledge me.

The teacher was at the front, sitting on a chair and looking at her phone. She suddenly stood, facing the students. "Everyone, please form a circle."

The chatter stopped and the groups broke up, forming a circle in the center of the room. I hurriedly took my place between two of the girls.

"Good afternoon, and welcome back. I hope all of you have had a nice week. Is there anyone new here today?"

I raised my hand along with two other girls and a boy.

"Welcome. Could you come up here and tell me your names?" She picked up a clipboard and pen from the wooden floor and clicked the pen to write.

I gave my name, then heard the others'; Bella, Karleen, and Keith.

"What days are you coming to class?" the teacher asked.

"I'm coming every Wednesday and Friday, and I'll be practicing at home," I said.

If I could, I would've come all week, but I needed room to do homework and spend time with my family.

"Okay." The teacher stopped writing and put her clipboard and pen on the floor. "Welcome to Ringing Talent. I'm Mrs. Celia Samuel, your new instructor. You may join the others."

We returned to the group of dancers, who still stood in a circle.

"So, I need the Christmas/New Year's dance group to separate and practice the routine, and the rest to do some basic exercises. In December, we'll be selecting the Valentine's Day group." The group split in two; about twenty going to one side of the room while the rest went to the other.

I followed the other new kids and looked at the Christmas group, who was already getting in position. The room was quite big, so everyone could dance in peace.

Mrs. Samuel turned on a Bluetooth speaker and went on her phone, probably connecting the devices. After a few moments, the Nutcracker song started playing.

The dancers began their routine, flawlessly twirling and tiptoeing in different directions. I watched them, fascinated by their perfect balance and soft movements.

I sat down to finish my warm-up stretches. As I reached forwards and touched my toes, I looked at a girl next to me, who had golden blonde hair and brown eyes.

"Hi, I'm Marissa."

The girl gave me a look, seemingly annoyed, and ignored me.

"Okay..." I whispered awkwardly.

I turned when a girl on my right tapped on my shoulder. I faced a dark-skinned girl with dark brown eyes and long, beautiful black hair. She was one of the girls that just started here with me, named Bella.

"Hi. My name's Bella. You're new here, too, right?" she said.

"Yeah, I'm Marissa. I just moved to Wisconsin last week," I said.

"Oh, cool!" She turned so she could split her legs and touch her toes one by one. "Which part of Bayfield do you live in?"

"Right here in Drummond. You?"

"I live in Port Wing. I was in my school's dance club, but it wasn't that great, so I tried out here yesterday. And now I'm starting here."

"How long have you been dancing?" I asked her.