Free You're So Sweet by Charis Marsh Page A

you, Alexandra? She asked herself between grand battements . I need to get better. I need to lose weight. I need to be skinnier than Taylor, and stronger than Kaitlyn, and they are both younger than me. With every goal she set she grand battemented a little higher and more violently, and on the last one she got stuck up in the air, nearly throwing out her back and coming down a count late.
    â€œEasy, careful!” said Theresa, appearing behind her and patting her on the shoulder with a bony hand. She jabbed her finger in Alexandra’s stomach. “You have to work on this being stronger, your back is very loose and it needs to be supported.”
    Alexandra nodded and wiped away the sweat that was dripping down her forehead.
    Alexandra didn’t bother changing out of her wet dance clothes, instead slipping a dress overtop of her tights and bodysuit and slipping on her leather boots. She could feel the sweat from her bodysuit seeping through to the fabric of her dress. Grooosss …
    â€œYou’re in a hurry,” Grace commented, leisurely brushing out her thick light brown hair in front of the change-room mirror.
    Alexandra looked up from tying her boots. “Yeah. Tristan and I have a private with Mr. Demidovski.”
    â€œOh. Yeah, you’re doing all those competitions, right?” Grace looked condescending. “I guess that makes sense, for you.”
    Alexandra stopped in the middle of picking up her bag. “What do you mean, ‘for me’?”
    â€œWell, it’s like going to be hard for you to get a job, right? You’re going to need like a reeaaallly good resume, with lots of medals and stuff.”
    â€œUh, everyone does. That’s kinda how you get a visa.”
    â€œWell, not everyone,” said Grace delicately. She smiled at Alexandra through the mirror as she rummaged through her makeup bag. “I mean, I don’t do competitions, and the Demidovskis never told me that I should do them.”
    Alexandra stared at her, disbelieving. “They never told you to do them because you suck at competitions!”
    Anna came out of a stall, her eyes wide. “Wow. Defensive much?”
    Grace’s eyes began to tear up. “I can’t believe you said that to me,” she sniffled. Anna passed her a wad of toilet paper.
    â€œGod, Alexandra, you are such a bitch!”
    Alexandra stared at the tableau in front of her. No words came to her rescue. “You know what — just — I don’t even know. I have to get to my private. Because I work at dance? Instead of just resting on being a favourite?” she finished angrily, walking out of the bathroom and swinging her bag onto her back. The door was the heavy kind that takes a while to close and closes with a slow wheeze when it does, so Alexandra didn’t even get the satisfaction of slamming it. Instead, she ran down the stairs instead of taking the elevator in order to stomp down the cement steps. It made her feel slightly better, and as she walked out the front doors she said, “Bye!” to the receptionist.
    She pushed open the big glass doors and took a deep breath in. Fresh air was so much better after leaving a sweaty studio. The sunshine was misleading, as it was still cold outside, and the wind was swirling everything upwards. A newspaper was drifting lazily across the street, and Alexandra turned sharply around to walk to the bus stop. “Agh! Omigod, sorry!” Alexandra had accidentally run straight into Theresa. She stepped backwards, her eyes wide with the horror of it. “I’m so sorry!”
    Theresa laughed. She looked more amused than angry. “That’s fine.”
    â€œUm, see you tomorrow in class. Thank you. Geez. Sorry.” Alexandra continued on her way, her face red and her steps stiff as she tried to regain her dignity. To make matters worse, it appeared that Theresa was also going that way.
    â€œAre you walking to the bus stop?”