Chapter Text
The first time Seiji met Nicholas, she hated her at first sight. How could she not? Nicholas was an awful dancer, her technique sluggish, and her bright smile terribly annoying—especially when directed at Seiji, which was more often than she’d like to admit. The problem, however, was not the hate at first sight ; at sixteen, Seiji considered herself mature enough to simply ignore Nicholas, and go on with her life. No, the problem was that Nicholas kept making everything worse, and worse, until Seiji’s hate became too strong to just ignore.
On the very first day, Nicholas had easily befriended half of the students in the class, her warm and energetic personality winning them over, but not Seiji. She’d glanced meanly toward the brunette, showing her dislike, and hoping that it would suffice to be left in peace. She had combinations to practice, and didn’t want to waste her time chatting up the new girl like Eugenia and Bobby seemed to be doing. Seiji barely looked at Nicholas’ exhausted face by the end of the class—the training at Kings Row Ballet Academy was probably quite intense compared to her previous low-quality school—before heading towards the girls’ changing rooms.
Seiji had time to fully change, and pack her stuff before Nicholas entered, loudly laughing with Eugenia. Those two surely bonded quickly. She almost rolled her eyes out of annoyance, but she should have expected a girl like Nicholas priorising friendship over performance. She was about to leave soon, rummaging in her bag to find the apple she kept there, when she felt a warm presence in her back. She turned around, and lifted her gaze only to find Nicholas’ broader build looming over her.
“Can I help you?” she latched, but her tone was far from the fake politeness of her words. “Sorry I forgot your name,” she added, almost feeling bad for being so mean.
“It’s Nicholas, but you can call me Nick if that’s easier,” the brunette said, with what looked like a genuine smile. “It’s just that my bag is in the locker behind you.”
Of all the lockers she could have chosen, it had to be the one right next to Seiji’s?
“You’re new, so you didn’t know this, but this area is my part of the changing room. You can pick another empty locker over there close to Bobby's.”
Again, she was smiling, but there was no sincerity in it. Nicholas’ expression faltered.
“I’m sorry, but this locker was empty too. I don’t get why I shouldn’t use it.”
She shamelessly came even closer to Seiji than she already was, and opened her locker. The other girls were all watching, and the changing rooms were now filled with a tense silence. Nicholas would have to learn that Seiji was not the kind of person you wanted to get on the bad side. Anyway, she had homework to do tonight, and was not going to stay here only to argue.
“You can pick a different one tomorrow,” Seiji said, trying to remain perfectly composed.
She didn’t wait for an answer, and left.
🩰
Shortly after Seiji entered her dorm that night, she had the worst surprise she couldn’t have possibly expected. After having spent last year alone in her room, she would be assigned a new roommate. And, since fate was apparently very mad at her today, her roommate was going to be none other than that idiot, Nicholas Cox. She felt her blood boil in her veins. There was no way she would sleep in the same room as that stupid, third-rate dancer without murdering her.
Hence the curtain she had to hang in between their beds. (Nicholas didn’t know it yet, but she owed her life to that curtain.)
🩰
Nicholas had never taken another locker to Seiji’s utmost annoyance, and their arms kept brushing together every time they opened their locker at the same time (if it was on purpose or not, Seiji couldn’t say).
Not only that, but Nicholas had also decided to pick the spot right behind Seiji at the barre. When doing the combination to the right side, Seiji could feel a burning gaze digging in her back, and to the left side, she had to witness up close Nicholas’ horrible technique. Not only she wasn’t flexible, but she had poor balance, and even more annoying, she couldn’t remember the combinations properly. Her constant mistakes kept confusing Seiji, and she started missing a step too, once in a while.
“Can’t you concentrate?” she whispered angrily at her, after Nicholas had messed up more than half of a very simple tendu exercise.
“Sorry…”
Seiji really couldn’t understand why Coach Williams had accepted a girl like her at the academy. She may have naturally pretty feet, not a total lack of artistry, and some skills for turns, but that was it. She could barely lift her legs above 90 degrees, and became a catastrophe when standing on pointes. Her sole presence at the academy was an insult to the actual talented dancers like Seiji or Harvard, and Aiden too, even though she was lazy.
After they were done with the barre and the center, Coach Williams told them to come stretch in the middle of the studio as she had an announcement to make.
“As you all know, today’s the last day of the first week. I kept training easy these past few days to allow you some time to adapt after summer vacations, but next week, we will start practicing variations, and I won’t be as gentle. I want all of you to succeed at the competition, and I will make sure everyone practices hard every day, is that right Aiden?”
“Of course,” the blond girl said, even though she had already missed class once this week.
Nicholas seemed discouraged at the idea of training even harder. Seiji secretly hoped it would become too much for her, and she would quit.
“I have chosen a variation for each of you,” their teacher continuated. “If you’re not happy with my decision, come talk to me after. Harvard, you will do Giselle this year. Aiden, if you put effort into it, I’m sure you can pull off l’Étoile quite well. Seiji, you will perform Grand Pas Classique as we had agreed on last year. Bobby, I’ve been thinking you could perform Queen of the Dryads. Eugenia, you’ve been begging me to perform Nikiya’s Death for a few years now. I’ll let you do it, but you better not complain about back pain. And finally Nicholas, since your turns are not so bad, I thought Swanhilda might suit you. How does that sound? Are you all ready to practice?”
A collective “yes” could be heard, and the dancers got up. Seiji couldn’t help but notice how Nicholas’ skin was turning a little paler. Maybe she didn’t like Swanhilda? Either way, Seiji got the variation she’d been craving to perform for ages, and she was eager to start practicing, though she already knew her right leg would kill her at the end of the class. She was good at relevés, but Grand Pas Classique was hell of a variation—known to be amongst the hardest one of all ballets. Nevertheless, she was proud to perform such a difficult choreography.
Before she could start going through the steps to be sure she remembered them perfectly, Seiji saw Nicholas exchanging words with Coach Williams. She really didn’t like her variation then. What a shame, Swanhilda would have suited her just fine—not that Seiji cared, that is.
🩰
About a month later, Seiji was staying late as per usual to practice more. She still struggled with her relevés—the hardest part of the variation—and leaving home to get rest was a waste of time if she could spend her evening improving instead. Around 7:00 p.m., she started to feel exhausted, and her bottle of water was empty, so she decided to take a break, and went to the bathroom. But on her way down the hallway, she saw something unexpected. In another studio, Nicholas was practicing, having finally decided to stick with the coach choice, and perform Swanhilda.
The door was slightly ajar, and against her better judgment, Seiji stayed to peek at Nicholas’ alone rehearsal. After a single glance, she could already see that the girl was tired. She was breathing heavily, shining with sweat, and after messing up her turn for the third time in a row, she swore out loud.
“FUCK—I’m supposed to be good at turns,” she yelled at herself.
Seiji should have left, but Nicholas seemed to be on the verge of crying. She pushed the door open, and stepped inside the overheated studio.
“Didn’t Coach always tell us never to get mad at reluctant turns?” she teased with the ghost of a smile.
Nicholas almost jumped in surprise, frowning her brows.
“That’s easy to say for someone like you,” she answered dryly, far from her usual cheerful mood. “What are you even doing here? I know you’re so perfect, but no need to come scoffing at me now.”
“I was just trying to help you, idiot.”
“No, you were not,” Nicholas spat, more vindictive than she’d ever been in front of Seiji. “Go back to your relevés, and leave me alone. I know you hate me.”
”I…”
That was true, wasn’t it? They hated each other since the first day, so why pretend she cared now? Seiji lowered her gaze to the floor, about to exit the studio without another word. Why was she feeling guilty of leaving the other girl alone when her problems were none of Seiji’s business?
“Wait!” Nicholas interjected, as she had already a foot in the hall. “I’m sorry.”
Seiji almost felt a smile slip out of her lips, but she contained it just in time.
“Dancers never say ‘sorry’ to each other, Cox,” she said as she walked back into the studio and sat onto the only chair that usually belonged to the teacher. “I’ll help you.”
“What?”
“Don’t look at me like that, you have no chance to even come close to beating me at the competition. Come on, start again from that part, without music. We’ll go over each movement one by one.”
Bewildered by Seiji’s unnatural attitude, Nicholas seemed to wonder for a moment what was the catch, before noticing a glimpse of impatience in her eyes. So she positioned herself, and started her first move, a développé. As she went to the next one, a preparation for pirouette, Seiji abruptly stopped her. She got up from her chair, and walked towards Nicholas, standing closer than she normally allowed herself to.
“Not like that! You look like Aiden when she doesn’t wanna put any effort.”
She showed the correct movement, making it look somewhat more elaborated than it really was, more graceful and elegant.
“But I am putting effort,” Nick scowled.
“Remember what Coach told you last month, the angle of your chin should always match your wrist. And don’t forget to breathe, you look stiff. Do it again.”
Seiji tried to focus on Nicholas’s arms and chin, and not on their proximity, but it became impossible when her roommate made another mistake, and Seiji, without really thinking about it, hooked her finger under her chin to tilt it up a little more. It was the first time that Seiji initiated a contact between them, Nicholas having always been the one to bump their elbows together when they were in the locker room, probably doing it for the sole reason of annoying Seiji. They never had any form of physical contact before that.
She froze, quickly dropping her hand, but Nicholas watched her wide eyed, like she had just been burned. Should she apologize for touching her? You literally told her that dancers don’t apologize, moron.
“You're still not breathing. This is Swanhilda, not Fairy Doll,” she scolded, in order to avoid the awkwardness that was settling down. “Play with your audience a little, show them how much you’re having fun. Use your chin, your shoulders, your smile. This is more than just dancing, it’s acting.”
“But I look ridiculous waving toward the wall.”
“I’m not just talking about this move. Do it again from the développé.”
They continued practicing, Seiji being unsurprisingly a very strict teacher. She had a different way to help than Miss Williams, but Nicholas was trying to impress her so badly, it was almost ridiculous. Did she think if she didn’t do well enough, Seiji was going to make fun of her? When Nick tried her turns again, and failed, she looked like she expected Seiji to taunt her or something. Obviously, it never happened ; Seiji had been genuine when she’d offer to give pointers. After all, if Nicholas was going to stay at King Rows, Seiji didn’t want her poor technique to ruin the school reputation.
“You fail your pirouettes because your shoulders are too tense. And because you’re so scared of failing that you rush into them without a proper preparation. You should bend your knees a little more too.”
Seiji’s corrections helped a lot, but Nicholas ended up too tired to keep up. They agreed to call it a day, especially since curfew was in less than two hours, and they needed to eat. Seiji was still shocked that she’d–on purpose–spent that much time with her roommate in the studio. She’d thought the girl was a nightmare just a few weeks ago, and had been desperately wanting her to quit, but now…
A bit shyly, Nicholas bowed her head and said, “Hum, thanks for your help today…”
Seiji felt embarrassed, but curious too.
“Do you hate your variation?” she asked, without acknowledging the thanks. “Is that why you went to see Coach after she announced what we would perform? She can be difficult to convince when she has her mind set onto something.”
“Actually, it’s not that at all. I do like Swanhilda, it’s just that I’m a left turner, so I asked Coach if I could reverse the variation to the left.”
“Oh, I see… That’s usually not a problem, a lot of dancers do that.”
The conversation died out as they reached the empty changing rooms, and it felt awkward all of a sudden.
“I’ll go shower, thanks again,” Nicholas said, her words the only thing that broke the silence.
“Yeah, see you in the dorm.”
They never talked about this strange evening they had spent together again. Seiji was still acting like an annoying little bitch that looked down on others, and Nicholas was still a third-rate dancer, barely less awful than she’d been at the beginning of the year. Seiji had to admit, she was becoming a little more flexible, and she remembered exercises better. But that was it.
That night, she laid in her bed, eyes closed, wondering what had changed.
🩰
October 31st. The competition was in a little less than two months. Seiji had mastered her relevés and turns, and was now focusing more on her facial expressions, and ports de bras during practice. Exceptionally, Coach had let them off half an hour earlier than usual, and Seiji was planning to go home and rest so as not to overwhelm her body too much. Even she had to admit that days off were important for recuperation, and she had bought a chocolate bar for the occasion. She couldn’t wait to eat it while watching a horror movie.
When she stepped into the lockers’ room, she stopped abruptly at what she saw. Nicholas–of course the troublemaker had to be her–was drinking alcohol with Aiden. Bobby and Eugenia were close to getting convinced too, while Harvard seemed to be the only one not interested.
“Hey Seiji,” Nicholas called, way too joyfully for a girl who was sitting on the floor of a changing room. “Wanna have a special Halloween drink I made? Don’t worry, it’s not too strong.”
“Not at all, I wouldn’t wanna get poisonned.” She couldn’t help the disgusted look that appeared on her face at the last word.
Nicholas rolled her eyes. “God, always the drama queen.”
Seiji wasn’t a drama queen. Nicholas was the one corrupting the students of the academy with her stupid ideas—and her stupid smile—that hid only viciousness and malevolence. Her sole purpose was probably just to piss her off.
“Alcohol is bad for the body, and also for sleep. Don’t you all let yourself be corrupted by Nicholas’ terrible influence.”
“You know what’s bad for my body?” Aiden prompted, and from her, Seiji expected the worst frivolities. “Boredom. But apparently, you think fun’s gonna kill you.”
Arguing was pointless ; she shrugged her shoulders, and went to get changed.
🩰
The time on Seiji’s phone indicated 2 a.m. when her sleep got disturbed by someone loudly entering the room. The details of her dream gradually flew from her mind as she started to slowly wake up.
“Shhh,” she slurred, still half-asleep. “Tryna sleep.”
“Oh, sorry,” Nicholas said, making even more a nuisance of herself as she tripped over her shoes and fell in a fracas of limbs hitting the floor and groans of pain. “Shit, I’m really sorry. It’s so dark here, I don’t see a thing.”
“You’re the worst.”
Seiji couldn't sleep anymore, not able to stop wondering why Nicholas was still awake, and where she had been during all this time. After a while, she heard the water flowing from the shower, before Nicholas came back wearing her pajamas. Seiji was in a bad mood from having been woken up in the middle of the night. On top of that, it was Halloween night, and the room was very dark, so she quietly got up and walked until she was just behind Nicholas. The girl was taking out her phone to charge it and set an alarm for the next morning, when someone suddenly jumped on her back yelling “Boo!”
The cry that left Nick’s mouth was the most scared Seiji had ever heard, and she burst out laughing until her arm got twisted in a painful angle, and she was shoved against her roommate’s bed.
“What the fuck, that was just a joke,” she squealed, trying to yank her arm away, in vain. “Let me go!”
“You scared the shit out of me,” Nicholas exhaled heavily, her tone serious, but finally releasing her grip. “I thought someone else had entered the room while I was in the shower.”
Seiji massaged her arm, and hissed in pain, feeling it coursing through her numb limb.
“You could’ve broken my arm,” she accused the other girl.
“And you could’ve given me a heart attack,” Nicholas retorted.
Seiji rolled her eyes, and hurried to get off of Nick’s bed, now that she was free.
“Huh, forget about this. Let’s go to sleep.”
“Yeah, good night Seiji.”
“Good night Nicholas.”
Something had definitely changed, but she just didn’t know exactly what yet.