AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Shut the fuck up, Manon. Don’t you have a broomstick somewhere to polish up before the next full moon?” she says, making shooing motions with her hands. Her Southern accent is thick as molasses and twice as syrupy-sweet.
Manon’s lips twist. “Go back to whatever hillbilly town you’re from. Leave the rest of the world alone.”
“First of all, I’m from Marietta, which is a suburb of Atlanta. And second, you’d better watch your mouth before I clean it out with a fucking bar of soap.” Ella says.
“Ugh, bitch.” Manon storms off, disappearing through the studio door. I look at Ella, beyond grateful.
“Thanks,” I say, shaking my head. “You always have the best retorts. I wish I was more like that.”
Ella squeezes my upper arm. “Everybody does, boo.”
She slides her gaze to Eric, her gaze tightening just a little. She doesn’t completely approve of Eric for some reason and makes that pretty clear.
“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” she asks.
Eric gives her an odd look. “It’s late Saturday afternoon. We’re done with practice for the day. Where is it exactly that you think I should go?”
Ella puts her hand on her hip and rolls her eyes. She turns her attention back to me. “I’m going to see a play tonight. Any interest in attending?”
I wrinkle my nose and pull off my point shoes. “I can’t. I have to work. Raincheck?”
“Sure,” she says with a shrug.
Ella pulls a pair of dark sweatpants out of her duffel bag, quickly swapping her white skirt for the pants. I unwrap my laces and pull off my shoes. Eric is pulling on a pair of pants and a tight ivory sweater.
For a minute, the studio is quiet, the sound of everyone changing and moving out of the room dominating the space.
Ella pulls her pink fleece jacket on over her white leotard and then pulls her duffel bag strap onto her shoulder. I zip my jeans, shove my feet into my pink Converse, and pull a dark oversized fleece jacket on my body.
As soon as I shoulder my bag, Ella starts gently ushering me towards the door. “Hey, speaking of the auditions for the New York Ballet. Did you guys get a casting call in the mail?”
Eric nods, following us. “Yeah. The audition dates for people from our academy are the first through the fourth of next month.”
My hands tighten on the strap of my duffel bag. I look down the long hallway lined with rehearsal rooms and instructor’s offices, toward the white metal door at the very end. “I can’t believe that we are less than a month away from auditions,” I confess.
Eric snorts. “I auditioned for San Francisco last week. We are firmly within audition season, I think.”
“I did Atlanta two weeks ago,” Ella adds. “It was nice to get to see my folks. I didn’t want them to realize that I will choose Atlanta as a last resort, though. I’ve got my eyes on someplace here in New York.”
“Yeah, I really want to stay here,” I say, nodding. “I’m actually only applying to a few places.”
Eric shakes his head and hikes his duffel bag up on his arm. “I applied to ten companies. I want options.”
I reach the doorway at the end of the hall first. Shouldering it open, I shiver against the cool New York City fall. As I hold the door for Ella and Eric, I glance at the soon to be setting sun where it peeks out from a gap between two towering skyscrapers.
The three of us walk toward the busy sidewalk. At this hour, the streets of Manhattan are packed with people of every description. Every color, every gender, every sexual orientation. It makes me breathe a little easier.
In New York City, I have a lot more anonymity and autonomy than I could ever have found if I’d just stayed in buttoned up, privileged Hartford. That’s where my family is from and probably one of my least favorite places on the planet.
I heave a sigh as we all begin to head our separate ways.
“I’ll catch you guys later,” I say, shooting Eric and Ella both a little smile.
“Have fun working at the laundromat,” Eric says, lifting a hand in a wave.
My cheeks stain red again. I definitely don’t work at a laundromat. That’s just the first thing that came to mind when Eric first asked me about my job. “Thanks,” I manage.
“Bye,” Ella says, already moving away.
