a.m. – that’s going to take some getting used to!’
‘But at least we get all of that stuff over with by midday,’ I point out. ‘Then it’s lunch break, and then, just imagine – a whole afternoon of dance! Every day of the week and optional Saturdays too … it’s a total dream come true! Bliss!’
‘I’m a bit worried I won’t be able to keep up,’ Naomi confesses. ‘I’ve only been doing three classes a week up until now …’
‘Just two for me,’ Annabel chips in. ‘I’m scared you lot will outclass me by miles …’
I realize that these girls really are just as scared and nervous as I am, no matter how poised and perfect they may appear.
Even Grace is nodding her head. ‘I think we all have a few doubts and worries,’ she says. ‘It’s only natural. We’re used to being the best dancers in our old ballet schools back home, aren’t we? Here it could be a different story.’
I bite my lip. The trouble is, I
wasn’t
the best dancer in my ballet school back home – that was Summer. Doubts flood through me all over again, but I push them away, firmly.
‘The thing to remember is that we’re all in this together,’ I point out, and I see my new classmates tilting their heads to listen, as though I’m saying something important, something worthwhile. ‘Every one of us dreamt of a chance like this, and we’ve been given it, just thirty of us in our year group – how cool is that? I’m not saying it’s going to be easy because I know it won’t be; I think it will be really tough, and there might be times we wish we’d never auditioned at all, but … well, let’s be glad we’re here. We don’t have to be competitive and we don’t have to judge ourselves against others. Let’s face it, ballet is pressured enough already without all that. Let’s be friends, and support each other, and maybe that way we can help each other through.’
‘Well said, Jodie,’ Priya says. ‘If we stick together, we can do just about anything, right? Boarding school might be a challenge for me. I’m going to miss my family SO much. I for one am hundreds of miles from home, so it’s not like I can just nip back for the weekend!’
‘It’s not just family I’ll miss,’ Naomi admits. ‘I’ve got a boyfriend back home. We’ve only been together six weeks, but still, I’ll miss him. And it’s going to be very strange adjusting to life with no boys around at all …’
‘I know, right?’ Niamh agrees. ‘No flirting, no rivalry, no annoying boys winding you up …’
‘No distractions!’ Annabel says.
‘No crushes,’ Priya adds, sadly.
‘And we’ll be the oldest in the school,’ Olivia reminds us. ‘Nobody to look up to, nobody to ask for advice, just twenty brand-new Year Sevens, twenty Year Eights, and thirty of us Year Nines. That’s a whole bunch of us, all missing home and friends and boys. It’ll take some getting used to …’
We descend into silence, contemplating a loveless, boy-free life of eight a.m. starts and relentless, gruelling practice, shared with a mob of hormonal teenage girls all striving for perfection. It’s not a pretty picture. Naomi sniffs and blinks a few times, her eyes too bright, and I know that unless someone does something fast, this whole getting-to-know-you thing will end in tears.
I jump up, pulling Priya and Tasha to their feet alongside me. ‘So,’ I say. ‘We should go and explore! Find out who else is here! It’s a bit of an adventure, right? Like Harry Potter at Hogwarts, only with pointe shoes and leotards!’
Grace frowns, studying the welcome pack folder in her hand. ‘The welcome dinner is at six o’clock,’ she reads. ‘In between arrival and dinner, students are advised to unpack and get to know their room-mates. Alternatively, they may meet up with their fellow students informally in the first-floor common room …’
‘Let’s do it,’ I say, taking charge. I round them up and usher them out of the door.
‘But at least we get all of that stuff over with by midday,’ I point out. ‘Then it’s lunch break, and then, just imagine – a whole afternoon of dance! Every day of the week and optional Saturdays too … it’s a total dream come true! Bliss!’
‘I’m a bit worried I won’t be able to keep up,’ Naomi confesses. ‘I’ve only been doing three classes a week up until now …’
‘Just two for me,’ Annabel chips in. ‘I’m scared you lot will outclass me by miles …’
I realize that these girls really are just as scared and nervous as I am, no matter how poised and perfect they may appear.
Even Grace is nodding her head. ‘I think we all have a few doubts and worries,’ she says. ‘It’s only natural. We’re used to being the best dancers in our old ballet schools back home, aren’t we? Here it could be a different story.’
I bite my lip. The trouble is, I
wasn’t
the best dancer in my ballet school back home – that was Summer. Doubts flood through me all over again, but I push them away, firmly.
‘The thing to remember is that we’re all in this together,’ I point out, and I see my new classmates tilting their heads to listen, as though I’m saying something important, something worthwhile. ‘Every one of us dreamt of a chance like this, and we’ve been given it, just thirty of us in our year group – how cool is that? I’m not saying it’s going to be easy because I know it won’t be; I think it will be really tough, and there might be times we wish we’d never auditioned at all, but … well, let’s be glad we’re here. We don’t have to be competitive and we don’t have to judge ourselves against others. Let’s face it, ballet is pressured enough already without all that. Let’s be friends, and support each other, and maybe that way we can help each other through.’
‘Well said, Jodie,’ Priya says. ‘If we stick together, we can do just about anything, right? Boarding school might be a challenge for me. I’m going to miss my family SO much. I for one am hundreds of miles from home, so it’s not like I can just nip back for the weekend!’
‘It’s not just family I’ll miss,’ Naomi admits. ‘I’ve got a boyfriend back home. We’ve only been together six weeks, but still, I’ll miss him. And it’s going to be very strange adjusting to life with no boys around at all …’
‘I know, right?’ Niamh agrees. ‘No flirting, no rivalry, no annoying boys winding you up …’
‘No distractions!’ Annabel says.
‘No crushes,’ Priya adds, sadly.
‘And we’ll be the oldest in the school,’ Olivia reminds us. ‘Nobody to look up to, nobody to ask for advice, just twenty brand-new Year Sevens, twenty Year Eights, and thirty of us Year Nines. That’s a whole bunch of us, all missing home and friends and boys. It’ll take some getting used to …’
We descend into silence, contemplating a loveless, boy-free life of eight a.m. starts and relentless, gruelling practice, shared with a mob of hormonal teenage girls all striving for perfection. It’s not a pretty picture. Naomi sniffs and blinks a few times, her eyes too bright, and I know that unless someone does something fast, this whole getting-to-know-you thing will end in tears.
I jump up, pulling Priya and Tasha to their feet alongside me. ‘So,’ I say. ‘We should go and explore! Find out who else is here! It’s a bit of an adventure, right? Like Harry Potter at Hogwarts, only with pointe shoes and leotards!’
Grace frowns, studying the welcome pack folder in her hand. ‘The welcome dinner is at six o’clock,’ she reads. ‘In between arrival and dinner, students are advised to unpack and get to know their room-mates. Alternatively, they may meet up with their fellow students informally in the first-floor common room …’
‘Let’s do it,’ I say, taking charge. I round them up and usher them out of the door.
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