wrong with you, it was one date. I knew why I was crying. I didn’t have to spend more than a handful of moments thinking about it. It was always her. Every guy I liked she seized in her manicured clutches within moments of them smiling at me.
He fell silent and picked up one of the books off of the island. The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. He held the book out to me and took a long slow breath.
“I am very proud, revengeful, and ambitious . With more offenses at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. What should such fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven? We are arrant knaves, all. Believe none of us.” 1 His voice was softer than a feather. I recognized the verse from Hamlet, but I couldn’t place its context. I took the book from him. “You’ll enjoy it.” He nodded towards the book and started for the door. Half way there he paused and turned to me. He leaned and placed a kiss on my forehead and then left without another word.
I put the book on the counter and walked to my bookcase and pulled out my Oxford Complete Works of Shakespeare. Skimming Hamlet, I found the passage he quoted; it was right after the famous ‘get thee to a nunnery’ speech. He delivers it to Ophelia while they’re being watched by Claudius and Polonius. He was warning me away from the vampires in his Company.
Kendra was right, it did seem to be the natural order of things. Everything went back to how it was before. Kendra, Leslie and I walked to the train together every morning—except those Aleksi kept her overnight or slept over. I read all of Leslie’s books within a week of her giving them to me. It intrigued me and titillated me—the thought of surrendering myself to another. Leslie was right though, every single one had a sad ending.
There were however two changes to my routine, one being Leslie helped me get back into dancing. I spent two hours every other night in one of the rehearsal studios. The other change was that there was a clear wedge between Kendra and Leslie now. They weren’t the besties they used to be. We still all ate dinner together, but we didn’t smile as much anymore—the conversations felt hollow.
The opening night of Cinderella, I was changing in the dressing room. Leslie agreed to share a locker with me, and no one seemed to mind. The Vampires were staying indefinitely apparently. Everyone murmured it around the locker room as they grabbed things out of their lockers to take backstage. The world felt surreal as I moved against the current of a flood of dancers. Once the rush finished, that song from before drifted through the halls. I couldn’t help but to let my mind wander to Aleksi. I paused outside of rehearsal room B. Keep moving, he’s with Kendra now. I kept walking down to room C.
I took off my bright pink hooded sweatshirt and set my phone next to the small audio podium. Room C didn’t even have a piano. It did have a barre against one wall and mirrors on the two opposing walls. The un-mirrored walls were cinderblock painted black. My dance clothes were simple; a pair of black leggings, a red tank top, and a black shrug. I stretched and did a few simple warm-ups before I brought up the song I danced to when I was feeling particularly depressed. It was a choir covering Alanis Morissette's, You Oughta Know.
The song was haunting, beautiful and sad. I was able to completely give myself to the music as I danced. Twirling and gliding across the floor en pointe, sailing through the air—I felt utterly weightless. I felt utterly free of everything. My technique wasn’t the best, but Miss Manners was quieted as I danced.
However, mid-fouette—as I turned my head to spot—I caught a figure in the room. I stilled and walked over to my phone and turned the song off. It was Aleksi, he wore nothing but his leggings and slippers. I watched him cautiously as I pulled on my hoodie. Gather your stuff and leave.
He fell silent and picked up one of the books off of the island. The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. He held the book out to me and took a long slow breath.
“I am very proud, revengeful, and ambitious . With more offenses at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. What should such fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven? We are arrant knaves, all. Believe none of us.” 1 His voice was softer than a feather. I recognized the verse from Hamlet, but I couldn’t place its context. I took the book from him. “You’ll enjoy it.” He nodded towards the book and started for the door. Half way there he paused and turned to me. He leaned and placed a kiss on my forehead and then left without another word.
I put the book on the counter and walked to my bookcase and pulled out my Oxford Complete Works of Shakespeare. Skimming Hamlet, I found the passage he quoted; it was right after the famous ‘get thee to a nunnery’ speech. He delivers it to Ophelia while they’re being watched by Claudius and Polonius. He was warning me away from the vampires in his Company.
Kendra was right, it did seem to be the natural order of things. Everything went back to how it was before. Kendra, Leslie and I walked to the train together every morning—except those Aleksi kept her overnight or slept over. I read all of Leslie’s books within a week of her giving them to me. It intrigued me and titillated me—the thought of surrendering myself to another. Leslie was right though, every single one had a sad ending.
There were however two changes to my routine, one being Leslie helped me get back into dancing. I spent two hours every other night in one of the rehearsal studios. The other change was that there was a clear wedge between Kendra and Leslie now. They weren’t the besties they used to be. We still all ate dinner together, but we didn’t smile as much anymore—the conversations felt hollow.
The opening night of Cinderella, I was changing in the dressing room. Leslie agreed to share a locker with me, and no one seemed to mind. The Vampires were staying indefinitely apparently. Everyone murmured it around the locker room as they grabbed things out of their lockers to take backstage. The world felt surreal as I moved against the current of a flood of dancers. Once the rush finished, that song from before drifted through the halls. I couldn’t help but to let my mind wander to Aleksi. I paused outside of rehearsal room B. Keep moving, he’s with Kendra now. I kept walking down to room C.
I took off my bright pink hooded sweatshirt and set my phone next to the small audio podium. Room C didn’t even have a piano. It did have a barre against one wall and mirrors on the two opposing walls. The un-mirrored walls were cinderblock painted black. My dance clothes were simple; a pair of black leggings, a red tank top, and a black shrug. I stretched and did a few simple warm-ups before I brought up the song I danced to when I was feeling particularly depressed. It was a choir covering Alanis Morissette's, You Oughta Know.
The song was haunting, beautiful and sad. I was able to completely give myself to the music as I danced. Twirling and gliding across the floor en pointe, sailing through the air—I felt utterly weightless. I felt utterly free of everything. My technique wasn’t the best, but Miss Manners was quieted as I danced.
However, mid-fouette—as I turned my head to spot—I caught a figure in the room. I stilled and walked over to my phone and turned the song off. It was Aleksi, he wore nothing but his leggings and slippers. I watched him cautiously as I pulled on my hoodie. Gather your stuff and leave.
Similar Books
