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19: Costume Fitting

**Elle POV**

"What do you mean you lost the costume?" I asked surprised. I was in the middle of the dance fitting room surrounded by mothers who had taken it to themselves to help out the dance studio. In this case they became known as the costume moms.

They were the ones who knew every detail of every costume and made sure that we were all set before we set foot on the stage on our performance day.

"Ms. Marina told us to get rid of the last costume since it was torn in so many places." Mrs. Kenda said as she walked over to me carrying a big box in her arms.

"She sent us out to get you another costume and so we have done just that. Don't worry Elle, we won't let you run on stage with nothing." She replied with a small smile. She thought she was being funny. I thought she was being plain annoying.

"Well thank goodness for that." I replied eyeing the box. She smiled and took out two pieces from the box that I guessed were my costume.

" Go into the changing room and put this on." She said, handing me the costume. The pieces were velvet and the color was a blue shade with hints of green and gems embedded in certain places.

I walked into the hallway and as I passed I saw the boys fitting room door slightly open. Chris, Finn and Rob were in there talking while two mothers were walking around them with a measuring tape. Rob noticed me by the door and smiled but I quickly turned away and almost ran into the girls' bathroom.

I knew that I should be honoring that deal made by Cody but at the same time I believed that he would never follow it anyway. He already was breaking it after all by picking me up after class everyday. I was sure this was just normal procedure. I looked once more at my costume and grumbled. Out of all the dances I had to be placed in, I had to get the one where the girl is dressed with the least amount of clothes.

I walked past the bathroom stalls and opened up the curtain where the costume dressing rooms were placed. It was a classic ballet school room. Pink walls and white tile floor. A big table stood in the center of the room filled with ballet shoes and ribbons and elastic bands, followed by bags of makeup and hair pins and deodorant. Everything that a dancer would normally have in her dance bag was on that table. On one wall was a counter made of white marble with a huge mirror and lights circling it. Opposite that mirror was a tall mirror that stood horizontal for anyone wanting to look at themselves completely from their shoes to their tight ballet hair. That mirror was being occupied when I walked in.

I noticed who it was immediately by the light pink dress and her dark brown hair tied up. Rosie was looking at herself with a look of doubt on her face. She turned slowly while facing the mirror, constantly moving the skirt around and lifting her leg up to ninety degrees to see how it would look.

When I walked in, she barely paid any attention to me. I smiled.

"Apart from the fact that the dress should be burned with fire, you look adorable." I said walking up to her. She turned to me and gave me a silly face.

"I hate it Elle. It makes me look so little."

"You're supposed to be little, Rosie. You're supposed to be twelve years old, not seventeen or eighteen." I replied walking to the dressing room stalls.

"Katie didn't wear this dress last year right?" She asked. I thought back to last year. Katie was last year's Clara and I remember she did very well. Right after the performance she got calls from multiple different companies asking her to come see them since they were interested in her future or some sort of crap like that. She was gone before the spring rehearsals started.

"I don't know. I think she wore that white dress with the light pink ribbon." I replied. As I spoke I was trying to fit the top on and was having some difficulty. I must have made some noise because I heard Rosie laugh.