"MOM! I'm going to be late!" I yelled, sprinting towards the laundry room. Picture frames on the wall whizzed by.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Mom tried to explain as she handed me my tights and ballet flats. Taking them without a thank-you, I stuffed them into my bag.

"I know, but I just don't want to come in late, if Madam Duval notices, I'll never get the lead part in the nutcracker this year!"

Mom just smiled and stroked my hair, "You really think so?"

I pouted, "Duh, she did that to Zariah last year during our swan lake recital."

"And how old was Zariah?" Mom questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"25," I muttered.

"Exactly, she was 25, Madam Duval probably had a reason, you'll do fine, you're by far the most talented girl I know,"

"Yep, she's right about one thing Brownie," I heard a yawn behind me. I quickly turned around and saw Luke leaning against the doorway. His own ashy brown hair was a mess as if he just woke up. 

I sighed, "Please don't call me Brownie."

He chuckled, "Whatever you say nutcracker."

"That's even worse." I glared at him.

"How about..."

"Paige. My name is Paige, and that is what you will call me." I told him, feeling annoyed.

"Ouch." Was all he said before he turned around and left towards the kitchen. One thing about brothers is that they're always hungry. 

Mom stifled a laugh, "You kids need to stop. And you," she squeezed my shoulder, "better go, or you'll definitely be late. Take Luke's pickup."

A loud, "Hey!" was sounded out of the kitchen, seconds later, Luke emerged again, "How do you know I don't need it today?"

"Luke, honey, you almost never use it, maybe today, instead of sleeping, you should go out and help your dad."

Luke faked a cough, "I think I'm getting sick."

"Uh-huh, right," Mom rolled her eyes.

"I feel faint." Luke continued, holding his hand up to his forehead.

"I'm sure the doctor will have an extra shot to spare to cure your illness."

Luke instantly straightened up, "Will you look at that! I'm cured!"

Mom smirked, "Cured, huh?" Whoever knows mom, she doesn't joke about getting the doctor. Which I'm sure is why dad married her. I quickly grabbed the keys from the key holder and gave mom a peck on the cheek. "Drive safe." She whispered.

"I will," I answered back. Before I went out the door, Luke called out to me.

"Do I get a goodbye hug as well?"

I Smirked as I turned back around and hugged his torso. He was only about five or six inches taller, but it was more comfortable hugging him like that.

"Take good care of Amanda." He whispered. I quickly pulled away.

"You named your car?" I almost laughed at that, I mean, who names their car? Right?

"And? Don't you?"

I crossed my arms, "I'm afraid my car is still in your imaginary shop."

"Hey, I'll be done with it soon."

"Right, well, you take care of my Toyota while I'm at school." I faked enthusiasm.

"Toyota? You should name him Rex or Toby."

"Who said my car was a guy?"

"Lexy?" He offered.

I  laughed. The things I put up with my brother. Giving him another tight hug, I grabbed my stuff and went out the door. Hopefully, I won't be as late. Starting up the truck, I left towards town.

■■■

"Paige! Wait up!" I heard a feminine voice yell in my direction. Looking up to find the source of the voice, I saw my best friend Emmalee jogging towards me. She was out of breath, strands of hair hung on her face.

"Hey! Ready for ballet?" I asked, smiling at her. Emmalee and I had been friends since our third year of ballet. If it weren't for our mischievous personalities at the time, we probably wouldn't be aware of each other's existence.

Emmalee groaned, "Yes and no. I'm still sore from yesterday, Mrs. Duval really kicked our butts at practice."

"You know how she feels about you calling her Mrs. instead of Madam. And besides, she's just preparing us for the auditions."

Emmalee rolled her eyes, "Everyone knows that you are the second best dancer in class, I'll probably get the part of a dancing tree." She shuddered. Back in elementary, our drama teacher ran out of parts for the play, so she made up a part where Emmalee had to be a doll who just sat in the corner the whole time...it wasn't a pleasant memory.

"Em, don't think of me as the best, because I am not a the, I am a human who loves to dance. It's my passion and it's yours too. Otherwise, you wouldn't have stayed in ballet for this long."

She shrugged, "I guess not."

We walked into the school and prepared for another boring day of history this and geometry that. After classes finally ended with loads of homework, Emmalee ran up to me and exclaimed, "Do you think you have some time after ballet today?"

"Why?" I questioned, I really didn't have much time to spare, my family might need me back at the ranch.

"Amy is having a party tonight, do you want to come?"

I crossed my arms, "I don't know, you know how it is back at the ranch. Some new fillies were born the other day and I want to help dad with the fence."

Emmalee groaned,  "Come on Paige, can you at least ask for a day off? I'm sure Luke will do that anyway, if that is, he's not sleeping like he always is." 

I gave a dry laugh, "That is probably what he is doing right now." We walked into the locker room to change into our ballet attire.

"Think about it, I'll ask you again after class. I just really want you to come with me! Amy will be thrilled to see you there!"

"Emma, Amy doesn't talk to me, you know that."

"Yeah she does, like that one time she said your name in class last year."

"That was once, all she needed was a pencil. Emma, come on, let's get our dance on, Madam won't be waiting very long before she marks us absent."

Emmalee was about to say something, then closed her mouth, "You've got a point there."

We parted into the changing room to quickly change and made our way to our class. The class only consisted of only 18 young girls, ages 16 to 19. even with such a small class, that gave Madam Duval plenty of time to make sure everyone knew the dance correctly. Noticing that the teacher wasn't yet in the classroom, I decided to take that time and practice a couple poses. Standing tall, I got on my toes and guided my hands up, doing a few plies and developpes. I relaxed my muscles and let the soft music in the background guide every step of mine. I was so lost in the dance that I didn't hear Madam Duval come into the classroom until she practically yelled my name. Making me loose balance and fall straight onto my buttocks. Like really? 

Madam Duval was a petite elderly woman. Her gray hair strands showed years of experience in the art of dance. She can be really sweet and treated us like her grandchildren but once class starts, say goodbye to favors and hello painful exercises. I don't know if it's just me, but I actually enjoyed those exercises.

I shook away my daydream and quickly stood up, "I'm sorry! It won't happen again."

Madam Duval just smiled and nodded, "Apology excepted, I'm really happy to see you using your time wisely, but please cut low on the daydreaming."

The whole class looked at me, making me feel a little uncomfortable. Sometimes I think almost everybody hates that all I ever do is work harder than I should on my dancing. Which results in a lot of praising from Madam. I should probably tell her to stop, or else, someone in here just might decide to gang up on me. Let us all agree that girls can do twice the damage as guys can, right?

I timidly walked towards the railing to my usual spot along with everyone else. Madam Duval explained the routine once and started the slow steady music. We all worked in unison. Though our shoulders and leg muscles ached from such a task, it was worth seeing the result as everyone did multiple open ouvertes and croises with a single mistake. I guess the practice really did pay off last week.

Our class is usually two hours, but today, Madam Duval ended twenty minutes earlier. 

"Alright class, I am truly impressed by today's performance, raise your hand if you practiced at home." Multiple hands shot up, Madam nodded, pretty satisfied, "That's is awesome girls! Those who haven't, please do so tonight, the auditions is in four days! So we will practice harder until then. Kelly, you need to keep your head up a little," the girl with the strawberry blonde hair nodded, "Hannah, feel the music with your feet, not your head," a very optimistic girl giggled and nodded as well, "Emmalee, your hands are there to balance your dance, don't be afraid to move them every so often,"  Emmalee shyly nodded, I gave her an assuring smile, "And Paige," I looked up as she called my name, "I need you to work on your pose at the end, you have too much enthusiasm and not enough grace." I slowly nodded, that's the only thing I always have trouble on. To begin with, I'm not pretty graceful, I'm by far the most clumsiest girl you'll ever meet, especially on the ranch, you'll be amazed at how quickly I can make a mess in the tack room all because I tripped or saw a spider. Yeah. Spiders. The thought makes me shudder. Madam Duval looked around the room, then said, "Right after auditions, we will be practicing for the nutcracker this year," A few girl jumped up and squealed with excitement. Madam Duval calmed them down, "I love your enthusiasm, but let's keep it down to a minimum. I already have your part printed on the billboard," before anyone could get any more excited, she quickly finished, "that is not permanent, though! So don't get too comfortable with it! Have a nice evening ladies, class is dismissed."

Everyone quickly went to the changing rooms to get changed and ran towards the billboard. I also hurriedly changed, grabbed my bag and jogged where everyone else was. Emmalee was already there, skimming down the line of names. When she emerged from the crowd, I looked at her expectantly. 

"I'm a dumb mouse," She grumbled. "That's worse than the doll."

"It can't be that bad! You can be a very pretty mouse with sass! Plus their dance is pretty upbeat, you'll enjoy it." I tried to make her feel better.

She shrugged, "Looks like you'll be playing Claire this year."

My eyes grew wide, "Really?" I quickly made my way toward the paper and found my name. Just like Emmalee said, it read:

Paige Conner-Claire

Emmalee seemed a little bit bothered by all this. I smiled and walked up to her, "You know, if it will make you feel better, I can tell Madam Duval to give me the part of a fairy instead of having a solo part."

Emmalee looked up quite surprised, then smiled back, "You truly are a friend, but I know how much this means to you, so please don't. You've been practicing for a solo part for as long as I can remember!"

I rolled my eyes, "Please, I'd rather see you happy than to dance with a handsome prince." Note the sarcasm. 

"Nah, you'll make a fine Claire, I think I'll be one sassy mouse for that matter." We both laughed and headed towards the door, yelling a goodbye to Madam Duval who was stretching her legs, also preparing to leave. Once we were outside, Emmalee turned around to face me, a grin plastered on her face. "So?"

"So...?" I repeated, getting annoyed by her grin, I definitely know what that means.

"Will you come to the party? Please?" She held out the syllables in please to make it sound longer."

I sighed, "Em..." 

Emmalee made puppy face, "Please?"

I looked at her long and hard, debating if I should go, I guess I could afford one day off, Luke needs to learn how to work his pretty little hands instead of playing video games and sleeping all day. Letting go of my breath, I slowly nodded, "Okay fine, let me first call my mom."

Emmalee squealed and waited patiently while I dialed mom's number.

"Paige sweety?" Mom's soft voice sounded through the phone.

"Hey, mom! I was wondering if I can go to a party with Emmalee."

"What kind of party is it?" she asked.

Emmalee seemed to have leaned in so she could hear every word because she whispered "Birthday!" Pretty loudly.

"Birthday...?" I answered.

"Honey, I don't know those girls, how do I know  it's a Christian home?"

Mothers. Glad I have a mother who cares about my whereabouts. "Mom, I think it'll be fine," I tried to make her agree.

There was short silence on the other end. Finally, I heard a loud sigh, "Okay, just this once, if there's any drinking involved or secular music, come straight home. Do you understand?"

I smiled, "Yes ma'me, I do. Thank you, mom, love you."

We both hung up, Emmalee excitedly jumped up, "Yay! So who's car are we taking?"

I thought for a second, "Since you know the way, why don't you drive."

We walked to her small camri that was parked on the other side of the parking lot. Once inside, Emmalee started her car and drove out onto the highway. The cool breeze outside felt great after ballet.

The drive itself also wasn't too long. Before I knew it, Emmalee was pulling up her street and stopped beside a mailbox, since the place already had cars parked on all sides. Hopefully, the neighbors won't be too angry. Making our way to the door, a few people who we barely knew from school, were outside smoking. That wasn't a very good sight. Maybe I should leave now. But then I remembered that we were on Emmalee's car and she'll probably want to stay for a little bit. When we got inside, it was an even terrible sight than outside. A few people who I don't even think go to high school anymore were sitting on the couch drinking something from glass bottles. There was even a couple making out on the stairs. Classic high school party.

"Um, Emmalee? Maybe we should leave...?" I asked her, nudging her in the ribs.

"Can we stay for a few minutes?" She pleaded.

I groaned, "Okay, just twenty minutes. No more, no less."

"That's plenty of time!"

We walked up to the counter where we saw Amy pouring some dude a drink. "Hey, Amy!" Emma called.

Amy looked up and smiled when she saw us, "Hello girls! So glad you could make it to the big bash!"

"Us too! How's it going over here?"

Amy rolled her eyes, "Tiring, these guys better lay off on the alcohol..." she looked over our shoulders and apparently saw someone doing something stupid, because she yelled, "THOMAS! THAT IS NOT A PUNCHING BAG! GET OFF OF THE RECLINER!" She groaned, "Geez, they act like little kids." Turning her attention back to us, she smiled once again, her blonde straight hair was pulled up into a messy bun. Her pink tank top read Love me like you Do. "Can I get you two something? I have sprite, cola, wine, beer?"

"I'll try a little bit of the beer," Emmalee said. She was always the first one to try something she has never had before. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but let's hope she won't get drunk before we leave. I quickly shook my head when Amy looked over at me.

Amy smirked, "Come on, you know you want something." A voice in my head told me to flee, but how could I? If I had my own car, I would have grabbed Emma's hand and left by now, Emmalee can't stay mad at me forever. 

"No thank you, I'll pass."

"Suit yourself," Amy went to pour Emma her beer.

"I think we should leave," I whispered in her ear while Amy was out of earshot.

"Relax, just a few more minutes, okay?" I sighed but agreed. Amy came back with Emmalee's drink and we went to the tables. A few guys were already sitting there, so we joined them. They made a very deep conversation with Emmalee, since I wasn't in the mood to talk, they didn't pay much attention to me. 

The music blared through the speakers. A few high schoolers were dancing around in the living room. I rolled my eyes at the sight. I got up, feeling the need to go to the bathroom. I remembered seeing it on the way to the kitchen. So I headed that way. Before I got there, an older guy stopped me.

"Hey, babe, do you wanna go upstairs? I'll show you something..." This guy was obviously drunk. His last couple words were slurred together. He grabbed my arm. In fear, I kicked him in the shin and ran back to Emmalee, forgetting the need to go to the bathroom. When I got to the table, I was out of breath.

Ignoring that the guys were still there, staring at me, I looked into Emmalee's eyes and sternly said, "We have to leave now," she was about to say something, but I interuppted her, "you can stay, but then give me the keys, I'm leaving." Emmalee sighed and apologetically looked over at the guys. We headed out the door and towards her car. I sensed like somthing wasn't right. Her movement's were a little shaky and wobbily. Piecing the puzzles together, I realized she must be drunk. "Let me drive, you can't drive like that." Without a word, she handed me the keys and went over to the passenger seat. I sent mom a quick text that I'm heading home. Turning on the ignition, we made it out onto the highway. One thing about drunk people is that they don't know what they are doing before it's too late.

Emmalee started tapping on the doors, and even laughing at nothing in particular. I tried to ignore her. I hadn't expected to see a lot of cars on the highway this late in the evening. All of a sudden Emmalee grabbed my hand, making me jump, the car swerved into the next lane. I tried to gain the control of the car again, but with no luck we hit the car next to us. I jerked the wheel to the right, but that was a bad idea, because our small car lost all control and swerved off the road, hitting a couple poles and heading down into a deep ditch. I couldn't hear anything as our car flipped several times. I felt aganizing pain in my left leg, as well as my right one. I didn't know what was happening. Everything seemed so distant, so far. My body was in pain all over ane my head was pounding like a drum. I could smell smoke, but didn't know where the smell was coming from. I was too weak to turn my head to see.

Hearing voices in the distance, I tried to call out for help, but my mouth was glued shut. The last thing I remembered was hearing my name amongst a deafining crack.

Sorry for such a long chapter!! I'll try to make the upcoming chapters shorter, I just had to put the accident in the beginning so it will flow a lot smoother. I'm not a ballet dancer, if you are, I don't care if you laugh at my attempt at trying to put you through the eyes of a ballet dancer. Comments are always welcome! I apologize if you found the beginning of this chapter a bit choppy. I really hope I can get around to edit and revise it, but no promises.