Breaking Pointe

Chapter 4

Ariel's Point of View

 So, I got in. Starting today, I am a student at one of the best ballet schools in the world. My dream come true. 

However, there is a downside to all of this. Intense ballet training since the age of four means no spare time whatsoever. That means absolutely no boys, no hobbies that don't involve dance, no thinking about anything that isn't related to dance. My mother always believed that ballet should be all that I think, live, and breathe. Some days I would hardly have enough time to think about anything but what step came next.

I'd never had a friend that wasn't a dancer, and I hardly saw my family, except for holidays and special occasions. Therefore, I was always a little sad to leave my family whenever our time together came to an end.

I was born in a small town, where practically everyone is known for something. There's football players, artists, musicians, and then there's me. In primary school, I was called "Ariel the Ballerina" or simply just "Ballet Girl". That is because I never had any time to play with my schoolmates. I never went to school dances or parties because I was far too busy training. 

Thankfully, all of my hard work paid off. I was accepted into a prestigious junior ballet school in Manchester when I was only nine years old. The fact that I was accepted into my dream school as well was even more gratifying. 

Although, I must admit, sometimes I would get glimpses of what I believed my life would be like if I wasn't accepted into that junior ballet school. I imagined myself studying at a normal school, having normal friends, living a perfectly normal life. 

Then, the realization hits me. Normal is boring. This is what I was born to do. This is what I have worked so hard for. Why be ordinary when you could be doing what you love every day?

"Ariel, it's time to wake up! You have a big, big day ahead of you!" My mother's voice echoed through my bedroom door, snapping me out of my thoughts. I sighed, listening to the familiar sounds of my bones clicking and cracking as I walked over to my closet and got dressed as quickly as possible.

An hour later, I found myself watching the town pass by through the car window. After pointing and flexing my feet nearly one million times and watching raindrops cover the windows, I drifted off to sleep. When I awoke, the beautiful city of London was just coming into view, and my heart started racing.

Soon enough, I was walking up the steps to the student residence area, and into what would be my bedroom for the next year. It was a simple room. The walls were painted light pink, with a mahogany desk and two twin-sized beds on opposite sides of the room. Small, yet cozy.

My mother and I said our goodbyes, and I swore I could see tears in her eyes, which was quite unusual for her. I threw my suitcases onto one of the beds and started to unpack my things. I was in the middle of hanging up my favorite dress in the bureau when I heard a scream from outside the hall. I dropped the dress in surprise when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my shoulders.

"You must be Ariel!" a shrill voice exclaimed, the speaker practically screaming into my ear. I turned to see a girl with blonde hair, wearing a purple leotard and ripped tights. She looked familiar, and I couldn't figure out why she made me feel uneasy. 

"I'm guessing you're Juliet," I chuckled, trying to match her tone of excitement.

Why not try to make at least one friend this year?

"So we're roommates, huh?" She asked with a grin. Then, it hit me. She was the girl from audition week, the one who played the loud music, dancing around like an idiot. She had made a fool of herself, and that poor boy with the glasses. I started wondering if he actually was accepted. I hoped that if he wasn't, it wasn't because of her stupid little stunt that she tried to pull.