Ballet Hurts; A Tiny Pretty Things Fanfiction

Joie de Vivre

Y/n's POV

"Leg behind. It's called arabesque, not secabesque. Square épaulement. Better," Brooks spoke as Madame DuBois walked into the studio with another woman. "Oh, I see our guest provided the motivation I didn't. Fine, rest." All of us went to get out of our arabesque, but Madame DuBois stopped us.

"No. Hold. After all, Sienna Milken is dans la maison. As you know, I've granted the rare exception for three students to dance in a music video that Miss Milken is in town to choreograph and perform. This is your chance to show one of the country's best dancers just what you're made of before her eliminatory dance-off. Thank you," Madame DuBois said and left the studio. I got out of my arabesque, groaning as my back began to ache. Later that day, it was time for the audition for the music video. The boys were using half of the studio to practice while us girls took up the other half and were lounging around talking to each other. My eyes gravitated to Oren, who was working on his turns. I smiled a little and started to stretch out my legs. This could be the lead I had been hoping for all you, and I did not want to mess anything up. As I was stretching, Oren walked up to me.

"Hey. Aren't you going to ice your foot before the audition?" Oren asked.

"No. I think I should be fine. It isn't hurting too much today. Good luck," I tell him.

"Yeah. You too," Oren murmured. The auditions started, and Sienna was having everyone go against 2 others. For the first round, I went up against Esme. I did the choreography Sienna assigned, and at certain moments, I did a bit of improve just like I was supposed to. Sienna watched me closely, and when I finished, she smiled. Hopefully that was a good sign. After that, I went against Gwen, and when it was time for the improve, I thought I would do a jump to be different than everyone, who seemed to be focused on turns. My jumps were always spot on, and I figured that if I did one, I would definitely get the role. I spun to the side and leapt up to do a grand jeté, and as I landed, pain shot up my right foot. I cried out quietly and collapsed to the floor, hanging my head as Gwen continued danced next to me.

"All right. Thank you both," Sienna stated. I glanced over at Sienna, but she didn't even bother looking at me. It was almost like she was disappointed. Hell, she probably was. I stood up abruptly and limped over to my things, grabbing my bag.

"Y/n," Oren called out. I ignored Oren's calls and left the studio, hot tears streaming down my face. Of course, when I had this amazing opportunity, my injury had to get in the way. This stupid injury was getting in the way of everything. Cassie was out of the running, which meant I was the top dancer. I should be getting these lead roles, not Bette or June or Neveah. That night, I decided to go visit Cassie in the hospital. I hadn't gotten the chance to see her, and even though we weren't friends, I didn't want her to be alone. I knew from when I was in the hospital that being alone sucked, and it was always better when someone was with you. As I was standing at Cassie's bedside, the hospital room door opened, and Officer Cruz walked in.

"This cast list, you know it?" Officer Cruz asked and held out a piece of paper. I glanced at the list briefly, and I automatically knew what it was. Everyone at the Archer school did too. It was the cast list for Sleeping Beauty.

"Yeah, we call it old news," I reply.

"Lilac Fairy was your part, yes? Always number two. How did that feel?" Officer Cruz questioned.

"Who cares? We're not even dancing it," I point out.

"True. It all changed the night Cassie fell. And more than any other girl, you stood to benefit. I call that a motive," Officer Cruz told me.

"That's quite a leap, officer. You should try ballet," I mutter and cross my arms over my chest.

"The fight you had with Cassie the night she fell, it must haunt you," Officer Cruz started. "Or why else would you be here?"

"Okay, so, that night, the cast list leaked. Maybe I didn't like what I saw. It doesn't mean I did anything about it. The truth is, I needed Cassie. There wasn't anyone else who forced me to up my game and dance better. And the reason I'm here isn't because I feel guilty. It's because I know how scary it is to wake up alone in a hospital room with needles poking and prodding you everywhere. Even though I didn't like Cassie, no one deserves to be here alone. No one," I exclaim.

"You had an accident?" Officer Cruz questioned. "Tell me about it."

"It has nothing to do with what happened to Cassie," I answer. "At the start of this year, I thought I would finally be the Archer school's star. But then Oren cheated on me, and Cassie came back from Paris with more experience and practice. I wanted to be number one. I needed to be number one. So I stayed up all day and night practicing in the studio. The days blurred together, and the next thing I know, I'm waking up in a hospital. I was so busy trying to better my dancing that I forgot to take care of myself. That's what happened."

"Oh. Sorry," Officer Cruz spoke.

"Don't be. It wasn't anyone's fault but my own. And while you're here, there's something you should know. The cast list in your hand, that's the first draft. If you're looking for some real evidence, find the new one," I say.

"What are you talking about?" Officer Cruz asked.

"That's not the updated version of the cast. The list you've got says that Shane was set to play Desire, but Master Brooks changed it at the last minute to Nabil. And I wasn't going to play the Lilac Fairy. Bette was. I think that's something you should look into," I explain before leaving the hospital room.