enthusiastic ballet girls long after they’ve gone home, but I’m interrupted by Sammy bursting into my room. He announces that someone else is interested in him and we have to go public.
‘What?’ I ask. ‘Like holding hands and swapping chewing gum under the monkey bars?’
‘That’s not–’
‘Or matching public tattoos,’ I go on. ‘Sammy and Abi 4 eva. Even better – in Chinese characters, so it’s more cultural.’
‘Maybe I should just go out with Petra,’ he says.
I look at him, my amusement trickling away. First Miss Raine and now Sammy. Does
everyone
like her better than me?
‘At least I know where I stand with her,’ he says.
‘So what are you waiting for?’ I ask.
‘Why won’t you admit that you like me?’ Sammy demands. ‘Am I that embarrassing?’
I’m too angry to think about anything other than hurting him back.
‘You are at the moment.’
As soon as he’s gone I feel bad. But he’s being deliberately awkward. He
knows
I like him. He also knows I just can’t let my attention be taken away from ballet. So why is he acting like this?
I hardly sleep a wink. Maybe I’m being unfair. Maybe he really doesn’t understand. I guess I need to talk to him about it, but first I have to help Miss Raine with today’s junior auditions.
We’re setting up when Petra and Tara arrive.
‘And where were the two of you yesterday afternoon?’ asks Miss Raine at once.
‘But we’re on today,’ says Tara.
‘Then how do you explain this roster?’ Miss Raine asks, handing it to them. ‘I’m especially disappointed in you, Petra. I can see it’s better that you remain a student; you’re clearly not ready for adult responsibility.’
‘But we–’
‘Yesterday could’ve been a disaster,’ Miss Raine snaps. ‘I’m just pleased that Abigail was able to cover for you.’
Finally, Miss Raine is able to see what I can – that Petra is not the perfect dancer. We’ve all had to take Miss Raine’s stinging comments before – well now it’s Petra’s turn. Unfortunately Petra guesses what I did. She pulls me out into the corridor, glaring at me.
‘I know you did it,’ she says. ‘I’m just not sure why?’
‘What’s the problem?’ I ask her. ‘Can’t handle not being the favourite?’
‘I’m not here to be the favourite,’ she says.
‘The way I hear it, you’re here to get Sammy to be your boyfriend,’ I say.
Petra looks shocked, but not angry.
‘Do you know why I’m a better dancer than you, Abigail?’ she asks.
‘You’re not a better dancer than me,’ I say quickly.
But she is, and she knows it.
‘I dance because I love it and because I can, not to be the best,’ she says.
‘So you’d rather stay here for love than dance professionally?’ I ask. ‘I heard you turned down the Company in Berlin.’
Petra is completely unruffled.
‘You know,’ she says, ‘the really sad thing is if you put the same amount of effort into ballet that you put into being mean, you’d be a much better dancer.’
She walks away, leaving me speechless. Why does everyone always think I’m so mean? I just want to succeed in a profession I love – is that so bad? Yes, it means that I have to be competitive and focused and driven, but that is who I am. Just because they’re not like me, or they don’t understand me, why do they all want to turn me into someone else?
CHAPTER 11
Petra has gone back to Berlin to take up the offer from the Company. Her departure has been pretty much forgotten in the drama of the AIS footy squad. They have come to the Academy for a week to work on agility, flexibility and balance. All that seems to have been achieved so far is a massive surge of testosterone as all the ballet boys square up to the footballers.
They even agree on a challenge – the footballers have to perform the gypsy dance all the way through with no mistakes, and the dancers have to play touch football and score once to win.
For their sake we’ve gone back
‘What?’ I ask. ‘Like holding hands and swapping chewing gum under the monkey bars?’
‘That’s not–’
‘Or matching public tattoos,’ I go on. ‘Sammy and Abi 4 eva. Even better – in Chinese characters, so it’s more cultural.’
‘Maybe I should just go out with Petra,’ he says.
I look at him, my amusement trickling away. First Miss Raine and now Sammy. Does
everyone
like her better than me?
‘At least I know where I stand with her,’ he says.
‘So what are you waiting for?’ I ask.
‘Why won’t you admit that you like me?’ Sammy demands. ‘Am I that embarrassing?’
I’m too angry to think about anything other than hurting him back.
‘You are at the moment.’
As soon as he’s gone I feel bad. But he’s being deliberately awkward. He
knows
I like him. He also knows I just can’t let my attention be taken away from ballet. So why is he acting like this?
I hardly sleep a wink. Maybe I’m being unfair. Maybe he really doesn’t understand. I guess I need to talk to him about it, but first I have to help Miss Raine with today’s junior auditions.
We’re setting up when Petra and Tara arrive.
‘And where were the two of you yesterday afternoon?’ asks Miss Raine at once.
‘But we’re on today,’ says Tara.
‘Then how do you explain this roster?’ Miss Raine asks, handing it to them. ‘I’m especially disappointed in you, Petra. I can see it’s better that you remain a student; you’re clearly not ready for adult responsibility.’
‘But we–’
‘Yesterday could’ve been a disaster,’ Miss Raine snaps. ‘I’m just pleased that Abigail was able to cover for you.’
Finally, Miss Raine is able to see what I can – that Petra is not the perfect dancer. We’ve all had to take Miss Raine’s stinging comments before – well now it’s Petra’s turn. Unfortunately Petra guesses what I did. She pulls me out into the corridor, glaring at me.
‘I know you did it,’ she says. ‘I’m just not sure why?’
‘What’s the problem?’ I ask her. ‘Can’t handle not being the favourite?’
‘I’m not here to be the favourite,’ she says.
‘The way I hear it, you’re here to get Sammy to be your boyfriend,’ I say.
Petra looks shocked, but not angry.
‘Do you know why I’m a better dancer than you, Abigail?’ she asks.
‘You’re not a better dancer than me,’ I say quickly.
But she is, and she knows it.
‘I dance because I love it and because I can, not to be the best,’ she says.
‘So you’d rather stay here for love than dance professionally?’ I ask. ‘I heard you turned down the Company in Berlin.’
Petra is completely unruffled.
‘You know,’ she says, ‘the really sad thing is if you put the same amount of effort into ballet that you put into being mean, you’d be a much better dancer.’
She walks away, leaving me speechless. Why does everyone always think I’m so mean? I just want to succeed in a profession I love – is that so bad? Yes, it means that I have to be competitive and focused and driven, but that is who I am. Just because they’re not like me, or they don’t understand me, why do they all want to turn me into someone else?
CHAPTER 11
Petra has gone back to Berlin to take up the offer from the Company. Her departure has been pretty much forgotten in the drama of the AIS footy squad. They have come to the Academy for a week to work on agility, flexibility and balance. All that seems to have been achieved so far is a massive surge of testosterone as all the ballet boys square up to the footballers.
They even agree on a challenge – the footballers have to perform the gypsy dance all the way through with no mistakes, and the dancers have to play touch football and score once to win.
For their sake we’ve gone back
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