Chapter 6
Elle
I stood in a long white corridor staring at a noticeboard. In front of me were a series of timetables, but I only had my eye on one of them.
I traced my eyes over it, looking for my preferences.
Contemporary, Jazz, Latin, Street, Ballet. The list of different styles went on, each one with several classes for beginners through to experienced dancers throughout the week.
I was stood in a local dance school near college. It wasn't connected at all, but I'd been told by someone in my literature class that they catered to just about every sort of dance style you could imagine.
I felt invigorated standing there, all of this possibility in front of me. Last time round I'd taken an age to start dancing again, held back by Brad and his dead weight.
I wasn't going to make the same mistake again.
I heard a door open over to my right and saw a bunch of girls come flowing out into the corridor. They wore tights and T-shirts, most of them lean and slim, their hair tied back and glistening with sweat.
I quickly ran my eyes over the timetable - contemporary, that's what they'd been doing. It was a style I enjoyed.
I looked back up to see one of them approach. She was petite, with short blonde hair and big bright blue eyes. She probably looked similar to me to a passer by.
“Hey,” she said, her voice as light and bright as she appeared, “I haven't seen you here before. You thinking of joining?”
“Yeah, I am. Was that contemporary you were just doing?”
She nodded and smiled.
“Is the tuition good?” I asked.
“Ah its amazing yeah. Costs a bit though. Are you looking to be a full time dancer or just a bit of part time stuff?”
“Oh, I'm at college, so it would just be evenings. How much is it per class?”
She squiggled her nose up as she thought about it. “I'm not sure on a, like, per class basis. But you can pay monthly for a certain number or maybe buy a batch?”
“So what do you do? Are you full time?”
“I'm here most days yeah. I work evenings mainly so I have a monthly subscription here where I can go to any class. Private tuition is extra though.”
“Of course. Who should I talk to about joining?”
“Err, Madame West runs the whole school, so I guess if you're serious about things she's the person to see.”
“Thanks a lot...” I left it open for her to finish the sentence with her name.
She didn't quite pick up on it at first, before realizing what I was doing and laughing in a sweet way.
“Lexi, my names Lexi.”
“Nice to meet you Lexi, I'm Elle. So, Madame West - is she this way?” I nodded my head down the corridor.
“Err, yeah her office is that way, but she's not around right now. She has Thursdays off I think.”
“Ah, OK, well thanks for your help. Maybe I'll see you around here sometime?”
She smiled again and nodded before prancing off down the corridor, not a care in the world. I swear there must be something in the water round here. Half the people seemed to be high all the time.
....
Half an hour later I was lying on my bed back in my dorm, Alice working away diligently at her desk. It was about a week since I'd moved now, and her mood had picked up since the morning she trundled in, half dead with exhaustion and concern.
I hadn't asked her about it, or at least she didn't tell me much if ever I did. I guess I wasn't quite into her inner circle of trust yet. That said, Alice seemed like the sort of girl who had a very small inner circle.
Like, super small.
Like, only herself.
I wasn't even sure that Tess was privy to everything.
Not that she wasn't popular. No, people seemed to like her, especially the guys. Any time I stepped out with her there were eyes literally locked on her every step. She was like this magnet for drooling men, not that she even seemed to notice.
I guess she liked to keep her own council, sort through problems herself. She told me she didn't have any siblings, that her mom was dead and she didn't really have a relationship with her dad. It kinda made sense, then, thatshe'd learned to keep her emotions close to her chest.
The experience of starting at this college, though, could hardly have been more different from my last, failed, effort. Then I'd fallen for Brad straight up, too shy and scared to branch out and develop my own social circle until way into the first year.
Here, I'd gone at it with no fear. I mean, part of that had been forced, you know, by having a room-mate and all that. But the rest was all me. I'd already met a few people in my Literature class who I'd been to coffee with, and now there was the promise of joining dance class outside of college hours.
A smile spread from ear to ear at the thought as I lay on the bed staring up at the ceiling.
Alice must have picked up on it as her voice broke me from my daydream.
“What are you grinning so widely about,” she asked, half speaking, half laughing. “You look like the f*cking joker.”
I laughed spontaneously.
“I dunno, I guess I'm just happy to be here. You have no idea how much better this start has been to my last effort at college in California. Like, black and white, I'm not kidding.”
She laughed at my drollness.
“So what's so different this time?” she asked, her tone so light and breezy. She sounded genuinely interested, not a hint of scepticism in her voice.
“It's just different. I'm not burdened by a nightmare boyfriend for one thing. Literally, the guy was the Freddie Krueger of boyfriends, haunting my dreams.”
We both laughed together. God it was nice to laugh about it.
“It's just nice to be free of him, you know. Have you ever just had a boyfriend who would not let go when you broke up?”
She shook her head, still giggling.
“Well, this guy latched on like a bear trap. I had to move here to get away from him, God's honest truth.”
Her laughter suddenly dried up.
“Are you serious? It was that bad?”
“Worse. You have no idea.”
“Jesus babe. I wondered why anyone would move to a new college mid-year. Now I know.”
“Yeah, I'm well shot. I'm so glad you're my room-mate though Alice. It could have been totally different if I'd moved in with some weirdo or something. I had a friend at my last college whose room-mate constantly brought guys back and slept with them in front of her.”
“EW!”
“I know, right! I was so worried the same would happen to me. So glad its you hun.”
She smiled genuinely. “Well, I'm happy to have you. Just quit it with the snoring and we'll be fine.” She giggled again at my hurt and shocked expression. “Just teasing, you don't snore. You do talk in your sleep though.”
“I do not!”
“You do! You were mumbling something about a savior the other day. You kept saying 'my savior, my savior' in this lusty voice. It kinda freaked me out actually, it was only the second night you were here! I literally thought you were mad!”
“Really? My savior? Weird.”
But it wasn't weird. I knew who, and what, I would have been talking about.
“Have I said anything else?” I said casually.
“Nah, not that I've noticed. Thank God.” She laughed again.
Good. I don't wanna be spilling my darkest secrets in my sleep now do I. Not that I really have any dark secrets. Not yet anyway.
“Well, tell me if I say anything else. It was probably the nerves of just arriving or something, you know.”
“Yeah sure. I've got a nutter as a new room-mate! Although can't be as bad as the last.” She hushed herself, as if she'd said too much.
“Ooooo, gossip. What was she like?” I said, sitting up, my eyes opening wide.
“No, I'm just messing. She was pretty normal actually.” I got the impression that she was closing the door on something. None of my business really though. More confirmation that Alice really did keep her cards close to her chest.
“So are you making friends in class,” she asked, changing the subject. “You're doing Literature, right? Have you met a girl called Lilly?”
“Err, no, why?”
“No reason. She's just the only girl I know doing that subject.”
“Ah. Yeah, I've met some people, they're really nice. Everyone seems to be nice round here. I went to that dance school, West's School of Dance, after lectures today to look into classes, and this random girl just started chatting to me. She was really nice and helpful."
“Oh yeah, what was her name?”
“Um, Lexi I think.”
“Lexi?” She seemed to recognize the name. “At West's?”
“Yeah. You know her?”
“Yeah, she's the sweetest girl. So friendly, so bubbly. Gorgeous. Small, right? Like tiny, and blonde? Kinda looks like you actually!”
“That's the one. And thanks, if I look anything like her that's a major compliment! So, do you dance? Is that how you know her?”
“Oh, sort of. I used to work with her.” Her voice lost some of its vibrancy, suddenly going a bit closeted again.
Seriously, this girl and her secrets.
“Ah, right. Like what, bar work or something?”
“Something like that.” She had this half grin on her face, a look of remembrance, of forgotten pleasure, her eyes glancing off to the side.
I knew not to probe. If she wanted to let me in on the truth, that was her deal.
Right now, I was just happy to be there. For the first time in a while I actually lay there looking forward to the next day.
I think they call that optimism.