𝐧𝐜𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲
𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰! (𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰)
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𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙛𝙛

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞 : 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬

I'm sitting in my homeroom class. It's December 5th, the day of one of my last rehearsals before the show. It's the end of the day and I'll have to run out of this school to reach the theater. We've been having to practice in the theater this week to get a feel for the stage. I'm super nervous, since our second show week is in Pennsylvania. I don't understand why, but it is.

Walker and I have texted, but we haven't discussed the almost kiss. It was kind of awkward to talk to him. But, how am I supposed to bring it up in the first place? The bell rings, dismissing us to go home. I stand up from my desk and speed walk to the door. I need to get out of here as soon as possible. I go to my locker in search for my math notebook. Eloise walks up to me, a smile plastered on her face.

"Hey, what's up?" I say, turning around as I slide on my thin jacket. She covers her pink cheeks.

"I kissed Dexter," she whispers, practically jumping up and down for joy. I grin at her.

"It's about time," I respond, closing my locker with my backpack and dance bag in hand. "Olivia and I have been waiting." Eloise blushes. I wish I could tell her about my almost-kiss. I don't want people finding out, especially since only Viktoria knows. Walker's friends like Brady and Dior know that we are friends, but nothing more.

"Oh, I have to run. You know, dance and all that stuff," I explain, pointing to my dance bag. "Bye, tell me more later." I watch as she waves, and I walk out of the building. I slide my AirPods in my ears and play "Bad Idea, Right?" by Olivia Rodrigo. The bus stop is right next to my school, so it's a short walk. I approach it and sit down on a bench. I notice I have some missing texts from Walker. God, if Leena didn't interrupt us, we could be together.

walkie talkie 🧐

heyyy 🤗

hellooo 😋

soo for the premiere
u wanna hang out with
us the following day?

like you mean charlie and leah?

yeah

OMG
I CAN MEET DIOR
THE LOML

she's like 17...

walker shush
anyway what should i
wear for it
like a blue dress?
i have options

no, wear what u want
you'll look pretty in
it anyway so

awh thank youu

yeah ☺️
oh i got tickets for ur show
super excited cause leena
and dior are coming

WHAT
SO I CAN SEE THE LOML
BEFORE THE PREMIERE
WIN IS A WIN IMO

UGH STOP TALKING ABT
DIOR BEING THE LOYL

NEVER

🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

I watch as the bus pulls up to the stop, and I stand up. My bags are on my shoulder as I step into the bus. I slip into a seat and wait as more people file in. I open my messages back up.

walkie talkie 🧐

so when's ur bday again?

january 5th
why what's up?

oh nothing
just curious

oh alright 🫠🫠

It's so awkward for us. I miss our old conversations before we met in person. I miss our FaceTime calls. I miss everything.

~

It's the day. My most important show, the one in Philadelphia. I watch through the wings as I see Viktoria dancing beautifully. She does 3 pirouettes on pointe and I grin. I know she can't see me, but I'm so happy for her. Ms. Greenstone taps me on the shoulder. I turn to her and smile.

"You ready, Delilah?" She asks, fixing my tutu.

"As ready as I can be," I answer. I watch as the Waltz of the Flowers ends and they run off stage. Unfortunately, Viktoria exits from the other side. But, she does wave to me through the wings. I wave and give her a thumbs up.

"Just breathe. Don't stress," Ms. Greenstone whispers, watching for my time to come out. She nudges me so I can go out. I walk out with a smile plastered on my face. My pointe shoes feel sturdy and comfortable. My hair is secure, along with my tutu. I listen to the music as I smile at the crowd. The moves simply flow to my brain as I develop. My heart is pounding in my chest, especially since I know Walker and Dior are watching. The music calms me down, slowing my heartbeat down. Elegance is a huge factor of ballet, and if I accomplish that, no one will notice if I make a mistake. As long as I move on quickly from it and don't make it obvious, I'll be perfectly fine.

The manege is next. The chaines and pique tour en dehors give me the hardest challenge, almost causing me to fall off pointe. I don't fail, thankfully. I end with my pose as the audience claps extravagantly. I smile brightly and step back from the middle of the stage. Nothing will get better than this.

After my show, I rush to the stage to bow. It's me and my partner who bow and curtsy together. This can't be real! Me, with my partner, bowing after I did one of the most loved roles ever. Thankfully, the curtain closes. We don't move at all until it is fully closed. I run to Kayla and Viktoria, who give me the biggest hug ever.

"I'm so proud of you!" Kayla expresses to me, hugging me tightly. "Amazing work, Viktoria. You were the best out of your group in my opinion." The three of us quietly laugh as we walk offstage to the dressing rooms. I have a dressing room with the rest of the girls with variations. I congratulate the Dew Drop fairy, who is played by a brunette girl. I take off my tutu, my leotard, tights, and undertard still remaining. Over it, I slide on my Tupac shirt and black cargo pants. My bag is stuffed with makeup, hair spray, and 5 pairs of ballet shoes. It's heavy as I walk out of the dressing room. I catch Viktoria walking out.

"Hey!" I call, approaching the brunette.

"Hello, just about to meet my friends. Oh, they want to go out later, so I gotta go. You did amazing, though. Love you!" Viktoria expresses, blowing a kiss and walking a different direction. I shrug as I head out to the lobby, where family and friends usually wait. I see Walker, holding a bouquet of roses in his hand. He's on his phone until Dior taps on his shoulder and points at me. He smiles and walks toward me. We hug tightly.

"You were amazing!" Leena exclaims, approaching Walker and I. Leena elbows Walker as he hands me the bouquet.

"Thank you guys!" I express. Dior walks up to me, and I try not to freak out. "Oh my god, Dior?"

"Yes, hi! You did so good, and you look more amazing in person!" Dior exclaims. I furrow my brow. "Oh, Walker has sent pictures of you in our Percy-" Walker pinches her and I laugh.

"Well, you two are extremely gorgeous," I say to Leena and Dior. They both hug me, Walker rolling his eyes.

"Of course, she loves Dior more than me," Walker says dramatically. I chuckle.

"Well, I heard you are coming to the premiere?" Dior adds. I nod.

"Yes, definitely. I love Percy Jackson so much," I respond. Dior grins. She pulls out her phone to her Instagram and looks up my account name.

"Okay, can I follow you?" Dior asks.

"Uh, duh, of course!" I reply, chuckling. I notice Walker staring at me as we meet eyes. I give him a tiny smile as I wait for Dior's follow request on my spam. I accept it, along with Leena's. The two girls embrace me again, this time with Walker joining. It's a heartfelt moment, and I'm excited to see them again at the premiere soon.