Noa
"Noa, you should come show us your moves for ballet." One of the girls looks at me and I can't lie I dozed off at some point and got lost in my thoughts so I have no idea what time it is or what is happening.
"What?" I laugh and she jumps off the stage and takes my hand in hers and pulls me up on the stage. All the girls remember me, I'm shocked, "I can't do ballet."
"Stop lying, yes you can." Daisy laughs and I glare at her. I used to do pointe for five years, from age eight to thirteen and I was very good at it, if you want to count my whole ballet classes it would be ten years so I may have lied.
"Well, it's been a while. I'm a cheerleader, not a ballerina." I admit and the girls laugh. Oh gosh.
A pair of shoes were given to me and I look at them, I stay silent as I think about everything. As my fingertips touch the fabric of the shoes, something inside of me sparks and I sigh.
"Don't laugh, it's been four years," I warn as I take off my shoes and sit down on the stage. I sit for around ten seconds in silence, once I come back to focus I put on the pointe shoes and they fit perfectly. Once tied everything comes back to me, the feeling of being on stage, the memories of the dancing and training and buying new outfits and shoes. The moves come back, and everything returns.
Zara held out her hand to help me up and I thank her and she helps me on my feet.
"Need help getting used to it?" She asks and I nod, "Girls give space, fucking hell."
They all create space and I rest my hand in the girls and we both take a deep breath. I move my foot around to get used to it but I already know what I'm doing, I'm just wanting to feel her skin against mine.
"Go onto pointe, then rise slowly and just do that till you feel comfortable." She explains and I do as she says, after a few goes she was doing it with me and I smile.
It takes five minutes to get used to it.
"Ready?" She whispers and I nod and our eyes meet for a few seconds. My heart flutters and the fluttering ran from my heart down to the tip of my toes.
"Ready," I whisper back and she smiles, I go flat on my feet and walk over to the centre of everyone and take a deep breath as the music started to play.
I rise onto the pointe and then take small steps in a circle, my arms staying fixed in front of me. A feeling floods through me as I move, I feel graceful and gosh I miss this.
Without ease I move around, I stay fixed in one spot as I look out at the seats in front, there are a couple hundred. I stay on my left foot as I lift my right leg slowly keeping my toes pointed and then I lift it higher so it's at a ninety degree and then lower it back down.
I do little steps on the spot as I take a deep breath and let my hands rise above my head so they're in the fifth position. I then let myself turn slowly and do a renversé,
"Holy shit." Daisy whispers and there's a small laugh, "Shut up laughing."
I then do a pirouette for too long because I become tipsy and just stay on the pointe and then I do some spins around in a circle and then finish with another pirouette and then finish.
"And you say you can't do ballet, holy shit Noa that was amazing." One of the girls gasps and they all run over and pull me into a hug.
The only person not hugging me is Zara, she hasn't moved. She's standing at the back corner of the stage staring at me, her eyes open wider than usual, her cheeks darker than usual, her lips in a narrow line but slowly forming into a smile.
She didn't move, not an inch as they hugged me. She didn't move when I was taking off my shoes either, so I walk over to her. That's when she blinks a few times and she looks at me in amazement.
"That was...amazing." She whispers, her voice quiet and I smile, "How?"
"I took classes for ten years, it's been a while though and I'm not as good as I used to be." I admit and she nods and her friends call her over to practice, "I'll go sit back down."
"It's just half an hour, there's drinks backstage if you need anything." She says and I thank her before going off the stage and taking a seat.
These girls have their own building for practice, it's a stage with rows of seats, a backstage, and a few bathrooms and it's three stories high, they practice and perform here. I don't know where their teacher is, maybe she's sick? I was told a while ago that they have a dance teacher, and then they have the top girl who teaches the lot when the teacher isn't here.
~~~
The ballet class ended a few minutes ago, everyone is getting back changed into their clothes. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket so I pull it out and see a notification from my brother.
Caden: I swear to god if you don't get home with my girlfriend right now I will murder you.
Caden: Fuck you Noa, get home! You are so dead when I see you.
"What's the problem?" Zara asks and I quickly look up and she's already here.
"My brother is pissed that I'm out with his girlfriend." I chuckle and she sighs, "He's going to kill me, he said it himself."
"You and I both don't want to face him, do you want to come sleep at mine?" She asks and the words took me by surprise. She is inviting me to spend the night at her house.
"If you don't mind," I answer and she smiles and nods.
"Noa, you need to come to the practices as much as you can, we miss having you around." Daisy walks over with the rest of the girls who all agree with her.
"I will see what I can do."