slippers and sickness
11 years ago...
Walking through the long halls of the private school his shoes clicked on the hard, dark, oak floors. Chance was only 6 years old at the time but oh what an impressional age that was. He dragged his pointer finger along the crinkly old wallpaper, almost completely torn apart from all the years it’s hung. As the young boy walked he heard a faint noise coming from the generally empty choir and band room. The arc ways were a beautiful spruce wood cascading down the hall and lining the edges of door frames.
Arriving at the room Chance tapped his fingers on the doorway before quietly sneaking into the room. There was elegant classical music playing through the walls and long spotless mirrors lining them. Poles were attached horizontally to the mirrors and to his shock there was an angelic woman who towered above him. She was wearing ballet slippers laced along her legs and a stiff tutu that edged out at least a yard in diameter. Chance ran and took cover behind a cascading curtain before the lady caught him in the room. Staying, Chance watched her dazzling dance to Frédéric Chopin’s, Nocturne in B-flat minor, Op. 9, No. 1. His eyes were full 0f wonder and inspiration by this sight, and now it was forever engrained in his memory.
Present day...
Chance is a junior in high school, and the year is almost over but ever since the day it began he has been praying for the end. He has always been bullied for numerous reasons and his passion for dance was one of the main three. Ever since that day 11 years ago he has been so in love with ballet that he never really made more than one or two friends. Chance isn’t completely alone because he has his best friend Shu.
Shu moved to America from Korea as a young girl growing up in poverty. Her family really is the go-getter type because her father made a company that blew up in America allowing them to come and earns their citizenship and they no longer lived in poverty. Shu was always there to support Chance as they met through a pride parade just downtown about 3 years ago. A second reason Chance is made fun of... he is gay. Yeah, his dad isn't happy with it but he pulled through for Chance when his mother died. Chance's mother was the only one who supported his lifestyle until now.
Chance has short, silky, deep blue locks of hair that wraps around his head like a living, growing hat. He always wore huge clothing to cover up something missing and not many people knew what that was but the ones who did were either supportive or they made fun of him.
It was now lunch and Chance caught up with Shu as he did every day since freshman year. "Hey, stranger!" Chance said running up behind Shu.
A big smile grew on her face and they did the Twenty One Pilots handshake before continuing to walk the crowded halls. "What's up Rocketman?" (that was her funny poke at his sexuality and whacky ways just like Elton.)
"Oh you would not believe what movie I saw yesterday, it was amazing. Bohemian Rhapsody is just... legendary, you must see it darling." Chance, dancing down the hall, was basically mocking the weird dances Freddie Mercury did back in the day but he was having fun and expressing passion so there was nothing more delightful.
"You didn't! You saw it without me, no fair!" Shu was shocked, not hurt much, but a little.
"Well maybe if you weren't on that date you could have come or you could have brought her with you. What was her name? Malia?"Chance laughed while skipping ahead of Shu and sitting at a lunch table. Shu always packed a lunch in her brown paper sack but Chance... he didn't eat.
A couple of jocks always made fun of him for not eating but it would be so much worse if they knew the truth. Chance's stomach screamed at him "FEED ME! FEED ME!" but Chance couldn't bear it.
His stomach was always twisty and in pain. The grumbling was louder and louder each day until it went away. One day he actually did eat lunch because he didn't want to be made fun of but not even an hour later he was in the bathroom hacking it right back up into the toilet. His dad just called it his sickness but deep down he knew what it was and it wasn't good so he used dance as an escape. He put his point shoes on and just spun the stress away till he was carefree.
