Nicolette's head was spinning, and continued to do so the next day when she woke to her alarm. She wasn't usually a restless sleeper, but the heavy decision that weighed on her mind kept her from sleeping soundly.

She went about her normal schedule of a quick and insufficient breakfast, followed by a short shower, then she was out the door to the studio. Her weekday practices always started promptly at ten in the morning, according to the instructor, but they actually started at nine fifty just to spite the stragglers. Mrs. Drift, as they were instructed to call her, thought herself the best instructor in Arizona, and judging by the letter shoved in Nicolettes duffle, her arrogance wasn't unwarranted.

"Nicky! You're late!"

Obviously, that was the first thing Nicolette wanted to hear in the morning from another human being. She threw her duffle bag over her shoulder and locked her car, the chirp echoing through the heavy morning air. It already felt like a bajillion degrees outside. "Hey Jay." She replied a little unenthusiastic. "I'm not actually late." Jay rolled his eyes and fell into step next to her, hand hovering on her back as he held the door open for her. "Technically, but you know Drift." He said with a sigh, the sounds of a woman counting off and shouting out warm up positions to the assembled pupils reaching their ears. The two hastily, but quietly, pulled and laced their shoes on then padded carefully to their designated spots. They waited until they could join the choreography, then started moving in unison with the rest of the class. It If was one thing Drift absolutely hated, it was a broken symmetry.

Mrs. Drift cut through the air like a conductor silencing a symphony, the dancers freezing instantly in their spots of arms outstretched, and right leg sticking behind them while they stood on their left toes. "Good job, now partner up!" She demanded, a collective thud sounding as the dancers fell to their heels and scrambled to find partners. Due to the extremely disproportionate female to male ratio, the majority of the women in the class immediately made a beeline for the men. Jay saw the incoming horde of vipers and grabbed Nicolettes arm roughly, pulling her into his side with a wide, fake smile. She stumbled to the side, her sheer practice skirt flaring out to the side as she fell gracefully into her friend.

"Ow, Jay!" She hissed, her ribs pulling in a way it made her bruises flare up. "Sorry Nicky, but the vultures are staring me down like roadkill." He responded with an unapologetic tone. She rolled her eyes, but nonetheless stayed by him as the flock of tule rustled past them. Nicolette didn't understand why the other girls in her session thought it was necessary to wear their tutus all the damn time, but it wasn't her place to judge much. She did know, however, that they looked down at her for her sneakers and sash like skirt. "Too grimy" to be a ballerina, they called her.

"Man, I don't see why all the girls in this class think I'm available." Jay whispered to Nicolette, snapping her out of her icy glare. Her gray gaze moved to look at Jay with incredulity. "You're not?" She asked, incredibly surprised. "Of course not, you're a full time job as it is." Jay responded, poking Nicolettes cheek. She rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Oh, nice to see where I stand to you." She said sarcastically as Nrs. Drift demanded the attention of the class again.

Sternly, Drift directed her class. "With your partners, practice the routine we've been working on. No... mistakes!" She said in a warning, pointedly glaring at a particular gaggle of vultures with their classic donut buns and pastel blush.  Nicolette sighed and turned to Jay, who was holding his hands out expectantly. "Do you want to be the girl this time?" She asked with a teasing grin, taking Jays hands and preparing herself to start the middle of the routine, the part the two of them had the most trouble with. "Ha! Fuck no, I much rather my flat foot to your twinkle toe." Jay scoffed, lifting Nicolette up on the crook of his arms.

"Hey so I've got a major game changer." She spoke, tending her muscles so her legs would straighten out. She closed her eyes as the air conditioned air rushed past her face while Jay walked her in a quick curled, setting her down so she could pick up the next part of the routine. "What's up, Nicky?" Jay asked, interested. "Say, hypothetically, I got an opportunity to travel to.. uh, Europe." Nicolette said, trying to not lie through her teeth, but also fudge the truth enough for her friend. His eyebrows shot up, looking at Nicolette with knowing eyes. "Then I'd say, hypothetically of course-", Jay smiled, making Nicolette smile in return, "Yeah, naturally." She cut in.
"-to have fun." Jay finished.

"Jay, Nicolette. What could you possibly be talking about?" Drift startled Jay so much, he dropped Nicolette. She gasped lightly and caught herself gracefully, her legs falling into a flawless split as she glared at Jay from the floor. "Just some mail I got, Sherry." She said happily. The instructor glared at her pupil. "It's Mrs. Drift to you, Dannenberg." The woman snarked, before turning to Jay. "You're all dismissed for the day." She said loudly, her eyes never leaving Jay's before she walked away.

With a breathy chuckle, Jay turned to Nicolette. "Did that seem odd to you?" He asked, helping his friend up. "Oh, incredibly. At least she let us out early, i have to go to the park." Nicolette sighed, brushing her butt off as she walked to her bag. "Ah, some deep thinking for today?" Jay asked, swiping the same tube of cream from the day before out of the pocket Nicolette routinely kept it in. She shrugged as she pulled on her favorite leggings- they had corset lacing on the calf going down- under her skirt. "Nothing horribly time consuming, but something worth walking around for." She said, slipping on her sneakers and taking off her practice skirt. She zipped up her bag and stood ready to go.

"I'll need that back tomorrow, Jay. And for the love of god, buy your own!"