Secrets Of Spring | Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso ;; Watari Ryota |

Chapter Ten

Maika
Saturday, the day of the Towa Dance Competition

As my alarm rings, I quickly get out of bed and change into my black leotard, pink tights, and gray sweatpants. I head to the bathroom and wash my face and brush my teeth. "Big day. This will be my last dance." I sadly sigh but then breathe in and weakly smile. "I need to smile so I can get points for expressions,"

I head back to my room and get my duffle bag and grab my costume on the hanger. As I exit my house, I start sprinting towards Towa Hall. "Dang it, I missed the bus!! If I miss barre I'm screwed,"

"Hey, Maika!" I hear a voice shout behind me.

"Wait up!!" Another voice yells. I stop and turn around to see Watari, Tsubaki, Kaori and Kousei on bikes riding towards me.

"Hey guys!! Sorry but I'm running late," I explain out of breath.

"Hop on and we'll get you there in no time!" Watari says. I quickly stand on the back of his bike. "Hold tight!" He starts peddling at full speed as the rest of them follow.

"Why do you have to be there so early?! Doesn't the contest start around two?" Tsubaki asks.

"Yeah but they test us on barre technique before the actual competition," I clarify. I look down at my phone to check the time. 11:00 a.m.

"Thirty minutes till barre!! I still need to stretch!" I announce.

"Almost there!!" Watari says as we approach the building.

The contest hall becomes clearer in view as we approach it. His bike comes to a sudden stop as we flip off and land on my feet. "Thanks for the ride!! I'll see you inside!!" I yell and wave back at them.

"Good luck!!" Kousei and Watari yell back.

"Break a leg!" Kaori and Tsubaki cheer.

I head inside and run to the dressing room. The other girls are already ready and stretching and practicing. I put down my stuff and put my hair up into a bun. I get my assigned number which turns out to be five and start stretching and warming up. Around me, girls surround me, all in their own cliques. Many of them are from local dance schools. Because my mom is the only one that can pay for my classes, I opted to not enroll in a dance school ever since last year, but obviously, that doesn't deter me from competing still. They help each other warm up and talk amongst themselves. A part of me misses studio life but another part is thankful--if I had to say goodbye to my friends at the studio in my condition, my heart would break even more.

• • •

After the barre section concludes, I change into my dress for my dance and tie the ribbons on my pointe shoes around my ankles. The deep crimson velvet hugs my figure and baby pink silk covers the upper chest area, roses lining the top where the straps are. At the bottom of the deep v-cut neckline, another rose meets in the middle and a rose gold applique trails down to my tutu. The tutu is adorned with layers of tulle that resemble rose petals. On the inside closest to my body, the tulle matches the red of the bodice, then fades to a pale pink on the edges. I look around at the sea of contestants in their costumes after examining mine. Girls in dresses for Swan Lake, Cinderella, Giselle, Red Shoes, etcetera, surround me. I stick out like a sore thumb since I'm not doing a popular ballet.

I exit the dressing room and practice alone in the empty hallway. "Okay, arabesque step through chassé, preparation attitude turn... Ugh, I should've practiced more..." I mumble in frustration.

"Are you okay Maika?" I hear someone ask.

I turn and see Watari standing in front of me. "No, I'm so not prepared, this dance is going to be horrible," I reply. "Just leave now before I make a fool of myself in front of everyone,"