As Fiona came home that evening and dumped her bag on the kitchen floor next to the dining table, she found her mom looking over her shoulder at her, giving her a smile. "Hey, honey. How was your day?"

Fiona crept into one of the chairs and pulled her leg up. "It was okay. Nothing special."

Her mom gave her a quick assessment from the stove where she was cooking dinner. "You look worn out. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah..." She fiddled a little with the cutlery on their minuscule dining table. "What's for dinner?"

"Roasted chicken with sweet potatoes, béarnaise sauce and a green salad."

"Sounds great." She offered her mom a small smile before she turned back to stirring the pot again. She then let out an exhale. Why did she always cook so calorie-fed food?

They ate together and talked about everything and nothing. Fiona listened to her mom tell her about the day she'd had at the diner she worked at while Fiona nibbled on the small piece of chicken she had selected and managed to eat one whole potato. She left the sauce untouched but dug into the salad, eating as much as she could. By the time her mom was done eating, Fiona had been done for 15 minutes.

"Thank you for dinner," She said as she washed her plate and cutlery clean and put them back in the cupboard and drawer where they belonged. "I'm gonna go take a shower and get started on my homework."

"Alright, hon. Call if you need help," Her mom said as Fiona picked up her bag and headed for her room. "No staying awake past 11pm. I'll be checking on you!"

"I won't." Fiona promised before she quickly closed the door to her room. Dumping her bag down again, she let out a shaky sigh and closed her eyes, simply just leaning back against the door for a moment.

Then she went into the bathroom.

She locked the door and turned on the shower before turning to the toilet and flipping the seat up. She crouched down on all fours and took a deep breath, then she closed her eyes and stuck a finger down her throat as far as it went.

Her dinner came up with an acid-like taste that burned her throat all the way. She retched two more times, then coughed and quickly hit the flusher. Leaning back on her feet, she closed the toilet lid again and raggedly breathed.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

The taste of vomit lingered in her mouth, but she was used to it by now. She slowly got up and grabbed her toothbrush. She scrubbed her mouth clean before stripping down and then finally stepped under the spray of the shower.

The calming effect of the water eased her tight muscles and made her relax at last. The day had been beyond what she could mentally handle, but somehow she had pulled through. She had no idea how.

After about half an hour of rinsing her skin and washing her hair, she stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself. Her frizzy curls would be a mess to tame, but oils always made it easier. She lotioned her skin and flossed her teeth to get anything she had missed, then stepped out of the bathroom and into her bedroom again.

Her school bag waited for her by the door.

With a sigh, she tiredly walked up to it and grabbed what she needed. She splayed out her homework on her bed and got to work.

Today had been hard. Tomorrow would be harder. She had no idea what she was going to do. She wanted this so badly, but the fear inside her locked her limbs and made it nigh impossible for her to see how it was going to be possible.

She just didn't want to disappoint herself... and even more so, disappoint her father.

~~~

The DanceDec was lively as always when Fiona jumped off the bus, straight from school, and walked inside. Her insides were churning and she had more than five times been close to getting off the bus, turning around and driving home instead.

She was scared. Adam was a sweet guy and maybe he really did just want to help her, but she didn't want to dig up her past, and that was exactly what would happen if she didn't pull her shit together and danced perfectly today. She couldn't show her weakness in her turns and she couldn't get stage fright when they started dancing together.

No room for flaws. No weakness. Only perfection.

Mustering up her courage, she swallowed her fears and walked in with her head lowered and her bottom lip skewered between her teeth. The other kids were jumping around to ten different kinds of music that blasted from separate studios, and the smell of sweat engulfed her as she took the stairs and walked up to studio 13, feeling her anxiety rise with each step she ascended.

Breathe. Focus. Breathe. Focus. She continued chanting it in her head until a voice suddenly pierced through it.

"You came."

Stopping up in her track just outside studio 13, Fiona slowly turned around and found Adam standing there in a pair of gray, loose-fitted slacks and a green top, sweat already shining vaguely on his arms. His forest green eyes were looking assessingly at her, a soft lift to his right eyebrow.

"Yeah," Fiona managed to get out. Her tongue felt dry like sandpaper. "I did."

Adam's lips slowly rose into a little smile. "I'm glad. So you accept my offer? Three weeks of tutoring?"

Not trusting her voice this time, she nodded stiffly. She couldn't look him in the eyes and instead stared at the floor, a spot right beyond his feet.

"Great. Then we better get started. Ain't got a moment to lose." With that, he walked up to her and opened studio 13, stepping inside. After a short moment of silently panicking again, she followed him. This was happening.

"So are you warmed up or do we need to stretch you out first?" He asked while going up to the stereo with his phone, plugging it in. Fiona's eyes saw him scroll through a long playlist, his lips pressing together concentratedly as if trying to decide.

"I'm stretched out," She nervously replied, feeling her fingers shake lightly. Breathe. Focus. "C-can we just get started?"

Adam glanced over his shoulder and eyed up her anxious expression. "You're stiff as a stick. You need to loosen up." A grin suddenly erupted on his face. "I've got just the thing!"

"I usually warm up to Beethoven," Fiona enlightened when he scrolled determinedly through his phone. He chuckled at her reply and shook his head.

"No Beethoven today, baby. I think I know what your jam is, though." He finally selected a track.

A song she had never heard before started playing through the stereo, but one thing was for certain; it certainly wasn't Beethoven.

Adam put down his phone and began walking up to her, smirking as the music thumped. Her eyes grew wide when he then wagged his finger at her, telling her to step onto the dance floor.

"That's... that's not my jam," She said as he begun dancing a little, still motioning her to come closer. She didn't move from her spot, only tried to listen to the lyrics of the song playing. The beat was impossible. Too fast. How were you supposed to dance to that?

"Come on, don't be chicken," He chuckled. His face was a picture of tease, eyes sparkling and lips pulled into a crooked grin. He came closer to her, tapping his feet to the beat. "I don't bite. Well, not unless you're into that."

She felt her lungs shrink. Her comfort zone was being squeezed uncomfortably tight when he kept coming closer, now suddenly standing right in front of her. "I... I..." Breathe. Focus. Breathe...

"Come on, you gotta move," He said, taking her hands and pulling her out onto the floor. Her body stiffened when he let his hands fall to her hips and forced them to twirl to the beat. "Loosen up. Just feel the music move you."

"I, no—I can't dance like that," She protested, her whole body stiffening up as he moved closer and ground his own hips against hers to help them along. It only resulted in him popping her personal bubble. "A-Adam, I can't—"

"Woah, look at you, red suits you," He suddenly chuckled and pinched her cheek. How the fuck could he see her blush? "Are you embarrassed? Come on, never danced with a guy before?"

Fiona's blood ran cold and her lips locked themselves. Admitting she'd never danced with a guy before was much worse than admitting she hadn't danced with anyone since her father.

"Snap, you haven't?!" Adam exclaimed and then laughed. "Well, let's change that, baby. Here, put your hands on my hips."

He took her hands and placed them on his own hips, locking her fingers around his hip bones before she could protest. Her lungs snapped completely shut. "A-A-Adam—"

"Now look at me and feel what I'm doing," He said and lifted her chin when she begun averting her eyes, feeling the room spin when she couldn't breathe. "Come on, look at my beautiful eyes. I promise you won't hate them."

"Adam, I don't want to dance—"

"Sorry, I don't understand those words," He said, giving her a grin. "Now, step back, step forth, right foot, left foot, right, left..."

He maneuvered her body, pressing his own against hers. When she felt his chest press against her own, that's when she shattered.

Pushing away from him and escaping his grip, she rushed to a corner while clutching herself, hyperventilating. Sobs escaped her lips and she felt her whole body trembling, going into a panic attack.

"Holy shit, Fee. I'm sorry, are you okay?" Adam instantly shut off the music and rushed to her side. He rubbed her back when she bent over forward, trying to breathe. "Shit, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just trying to get you out of your shell."

"I can't—" Fiona choked and whimpered when her knees buckled and refused to hold her up anymore. She nearly collapsed, but Adam swiftly caught her with a shocked expression before slowly pulling her down to the floor. He knelt down next to her and wrapped an arm around her.

"Breathe, Fee, I'm so sorry," His voice was so concerned. He continued rubbing her back, but now lifted her chin and forced her to turn her head. "Look at me, Fiona. Right here, look at me. Look."

She managed to flip her eyes up and find his green irises looking calmingly at her. They pierced her brown ones and exuded calmness as he took a deep breath. Fiona mirrored it involuntarily.

"That's it. We're breathing. In and out, like air does. In and out," He kept looking at her and breathing with her. "We're not dancing anymore, we're just sitting here like two human beings, turning oxygen into carbon dioxide. Fuck we're good at it. In and out. Keep going. Good job, Fee, you're an expert."

"Stop talking," She clapped a hand over his face when he began annoying her. She couldn't be sure as she looked away, but she thought she felt him smile against her palm. "This was a mistake... I can't do this."

Adam removed her hand and instead held it in his own, giving it a squeeze. "No, it wasn't. I just misjudged you. I just thought you were shy, not—"

"Not what?"

He pressed his lips together. "Afraid. What's holding you back when you dance? I see it in your eyes. You're scared of something."

"I'm not scared of anything."

"Then dance with me right now."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because!" Fiona shouted and jumped to her feet again, pacing away from him. "Why do you have to stick your nose in my business? I told you, this was a mistake, I've changed my mind, I can't do this—"

"Whoa, hey, pump your breaks, don't curve me again," Adam said and stood as well when she was already aiming for her bag. "Fee, you can do this, I just need to come at you from a different angle. I can still teach you, I just—"

"How?" Fiona snapped, feeling the stubborn tears well up in her eyes. "How can you teach me when I can't dance with you?! Why do you even want to?"

"Do you trust me?" He said and leveled her with his eyes. They were sober and calm, no joking this time. "Say yes and I'll show you. Say no and walk out that door, throwing away your only chance at winning that scholarship."

Fiona's limbs froze up and her lips squeezed themselves tightly together. Anxiety still rush inside her veins, but will and persistence lodged in her mind.

Her father died teaching her how to dance. If she didn't do this... if she threw away a once in a lifetime opportunity when it appeared... she would be dishonoring his memory. She owed him to try, to not be scared and finish what he tried to do.

"How?" She croaked again, her voice breaking apart. "How..."

"Come here," He said and extended his hand, waiting for her to come closer. "Put on your pointe shoes. Don't think about anything, just trust me, alright?"

Gulping, she hesitantly took it. She then slowly dug her hand into her bag and found her pointe shoes. When she sat down to begin tying them on, he nodded and walked up to the door.

"I'll be right back. Don't move, okay?" He told.

Fiona stayed on the floor as he ran out, and focused on tightening her shoes. Three minutes passed where she stood up and rested her shoes against the linoleum, bending and stretching her feet. Then, the creak of the door sounded. She turned around and found Adam standing there, holding something in his hand; A yellow and blue school tie.

"Trust me on this, okay?" He said and came up to her, lifting the tie. "I won't drop you and I definitely won't let you fall."

"What are you gonna do with that?" She asked, already knowing the answer when he lifted it to her face.

"Turn around. Face the mirror," He said, and for some reason, she did. She saw his reflection lift the tie over her head, then bring it to her eyes where he began tying it behind her head. She closed her eyes and let the darkness descend. "This way you can't see me. You'll only hear the music. Don't focus on my touch, just focus on the rhythm and your steps, alright?"

Fiona felt as he tied the last knot. She could scarcely see the light dipping in from the ridge of her nose, but other than that, it was completely dark. She heard footsteps, then the sound of thumbs meeting a screen, then finally a small thud.

An enchanting sound poured through the system. A gentle piano and a soft set of violins created a melodious tune that instantly flowed through her body. Like a drug, her nerves calmed down and she exhaled, feeling the calmness wrap around her.

"Good," Adam's voice gently spoke. "Now dance, Fee. Don't go en pointe, just show me your steps."

It was scary, but Fiona somehow trusted his words and put her faith into his hands as she rose to the flats of her toes, not en pointe like he said. She felt his palms softly land on her waist, steadying her balance and keeping posture straight. Gulping, she tried to focus on the music like he said and took the first step.

Moving forward, she elevated her leg and instantly felt Adam's hand come to her thigh and support it. Her pulse spiked at the intimacy, but something felt different. The fact that she couldn't see him, couldn't see him see her... she hadn't really thought this would work, yet somehow it did. The music kept her lulled and her concentration sharpened on her steps rather than his touch. Breathe.

Feeling him turn her about ninety degrees, she lowered her leg and instead lifted it to en angle at her front. As her arm lifted above her head, she felt his finger twine with hers and steady her balance once again; he held her by her waist and kept her leveled on the ground as she set off.

"Nice and slow," His voice was a gentle whisper. Exhaling, Fiona turned her leg out and let herself spin, slowly. A simple turn, that was it. Her knee grazed his thigh as she came to her position again. Slowly lowering her leg and arms, Adam placed both hands on her hips.

"Sous-sus." She followed his command and let her feet cross on the floor. Rising to her toes, she exhaled and placed her hands on his, centering herself. With her point in the mirror being gone, every step felt shaky and scary.

But Adam had her back ever step of the way.

"Now grand battement," He held her firmly by her hips as her right leg lifted high and slowly lowered again. She could feel his stealth and confidence behind her seep into her, powering her own. It was weak, but it was something she had never felt before. Not since...

"You're doing good, Fee," He murmured close to her ear. "Don't lose focus."

Maybe he could read minds, or maybe he had notice the way her respiration had stopped for a few seconds. Just as she could feel his strength, he could sense her angst. Giving her hip a little squeeze, he centered her once again and made her slowly exhale.

"That's right. Breathing humans. That's us." God, even when he was annoying, his words somehow worked. The dumbness distracted her from the fear. "You think you're ready to dance with me yet?"

"I..." Was she? It seemed so soon. Sure, his little tie-trick may have worked, but she doubted she was just magically fixed now—even if his school colors were the colors of Ravenclaw.

"We'll take it nice and easy," He pulled the tie off her head and allowed her to regain her sight. Blinking in the sudden harsh light, she caught him walking up to his phone to change the music. "We'll stay in the classical. You know Romeo and Juliet?"

"Uh... yeah." Every ballet dancer worth her pointe shoes knew Romeo and Juliet.

"How about the Paris and Juliet pas de deux? The simplified version." He glanced over his shoulder when she remained mute. "Come on. Let's try it. We can stop if you start feeling the jitters."

Taking a deep breath, Fiona reminded herself again why she was doing this, putting herself through this torture. New York Ballet. Her father. Doing what she loved.

Exhaling, she opened her eyes and looked at Adam who stood by the soundsystem, awaiting her reply. "Okay."

A smile broke out on his lips. "Fuckin' A. Let's do this. From the arabesque."

The music started playing and Adam hurried up behind her. Fiona felt her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she realized this was really happening. She was about to dance with a boy. As she felt Adam move up behind her and take his place, her body nervously went into her own position. The blood was rushing in her ears so loudly she almost couldn't hear the music. Her eyes were pinned on the two of them in the mirror, seeing him stand perfectly behind her, waiting for their mark.

Three, two, one...

Fiona moved as her cue came and Adam moved right alongside her, supporting her arms. On cue with her cue, her anxiety blared up as well and made her legs shake as she lifted to her toes. Improper balance nearly threw her off until she heard something that suddenly distracted her.

– Adam was humming along to the music right behind her.

Not really sure how to react, Fiona frowned, blinked and kept dancing. Adam kept humming behind her, even going up into the high squeaks of the violin. It sounded awful. Somehow, she made it through the first few steps by listening to his annoying humming. The fact that it was right near her ear didn't help. Or did it?

As she started focusing her attention more on her annoyance to his humming, she forgot about the fact that she was supposed to be feeling anxious about this part. It was exactly like when you had a pain somewhere; if you hit yourself somewhere else, the other pain almost became redundant. Adam's humming was her pain. A pain in her goddamn ass.

Watching him grin at her irritated expression in the reflection of the mirror, he only kept humming and dancing with her. Her anxiety rose and fell throughout the whole routine, but to her unbelievable surprise, it mostly stayed dull. She couldn't believe it. Was an annoying distraction really all she had needed?

Before she knew it, the scene came to an end. She ended gracefully with her hands folded beautifully in the air while Adam slid to his knee on the floor in an elegant pose. As the music faded, she saw his grin evolve and turn into a full laugh. "Yeeeeah! That's what I'm talking about, baby! Woo!"

Slapping her straight across her butt, which was eye-height with his head, he jumped up and fist-bumped the air, just as Fiona screeched, mortified. Watching Adam do a sassy victory dance, she seriously started questioning if that was really his passion or just too much Adderall. Nobody was this hype. Were they?

"You did it, princess! You slayed the fucking beast all on your own!" He grinned, coming up to her. "How did it feel?"

To be honest, she was still in shock. She couldn't believe she had actually pulled through, but she guessed it had been a victory. And a good day. Who knew if tomorrow would go as well?

Holy shit, tomorrow. She really was committed to this, wasn't she?

"It felt... okay, I guess," She replied. It hadn't been as bad as she thought it would be. Sometimes, the mind built things up bigger than they really were... and sometimes it didn't.

"We should do it again straight away," He said, going back to his phone. "We can play around with a few different pieces today, but I think we did this one perfectly."

"You know a lot of classics?" Amidst all her own shock, Fiona had almost failed to notice how well he had danced as well. His technique was beautiful, very straight and on point. It made her wonder what his story was; how a ballet boy turned hip hop.

"Some," He scrolled through his playlist, finding another classical song. A slow smirk spread on his lips. "But I'm more into the newer stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love old school, but new jive works better with my style."

"What is your style?" Fiona asked, placing her hands on her hips.

He turned his eyes to her and flashed her that same little smirk. "You'll find out if you keep dancing with me."

God, he was annoying. Watching him grin, she sighed and then heard as the music of Swan Lake started pouring through the system. They really were going classic.

"Whenever you're ready," He put his phone down and started walking up to her.

"I'm ready. And could you try not to hum so loudly this time?" She bickered, only to annoy him back. She secretly didn't want him to stop.

Chuckling, he gripped her hips and leaned in to her ear. "I was trying so hard not to hum High School Musical."

• • •

♪ 'Take my hand. I'll take the lead. And every turn - you'll be safe with me.' ♪

*Cue the shock, he knows HSM*

By the way, the Juliet and Paris routine looks like the video below if you were wondering.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]