I gripped my new duffle bag in my hand as I stood in front of the studio. We had decided on Dovetail Studios, which- according to Dad- was rated 5 stars. We decided to start with the beginner's ballet, then depending on how that class went I'd move onto basic ballet. 

Dad opened the door for me, allowing me to walk in first before he followed behind. I looked around the room, noticing a few kids around my age also looking nervous. I smiled at them, walking with Dad up to the counter.

"Are you here for the beginner's ballet?" The lady asked. 

I nodded, tightening my grip on my bag.

"Alright, go ahead and sign in, then take a seat over there," The woman immediately went back to looking at her computer, typing away. I took the pen and wrote my name, listening to the murmurs of the other students. I caught words like "Patrick Stump" and "Eve Stump".

I smiled a little, looking at Dad, "You want to tell them?"

"We can wait until class starts," Dad said, running his hand through his hair. I nodded, taking my bag and going to sit down. Dad sat next to me, pulling his phone out to scroll through who knows what.

My leotard stretched a little uncomfortably, but I didn't stand out too much. One girl wore a tank top and leggings, a guy wore a tighter shirt and sweat pants. The one farthest from what I was dressed in very loose clothing. They left a few minutes after I sat down, though.

It took about half an hour before our instructor came out. She was a taller woman, with light brown hair. She was dressed in a leotard as well and smiled sweetly at us.

"Hey, guys! I'm assuming you're all here for the beginner's ballet class?" After a few nods, the lady continued, "Well, my name is Miss Sophie Reed, and I'll be your instructor. Come on, I'll bring you all to the locker rooms."

I stood, following behind the small group as we all walked into the locker room. It didn't smell too bad like most books describe it. There was a little device in the corner that I could only assume was a diffuser. 

"Alright, so each lesson will start here. You'll change into your outfits in each dressing area we have, and then make sure you change into your studio shoes or socks. Outside shoes cannot be worn in the studio. So go ahead and do so now," Miss Sophie said. She made eye contact with Dad and walked over.

"You must be Patrick and Eve. It's nice to meet you guys," Miss Sophie said.

I smiled, "You as well." 

"So, since you'll be in the studio with us, we do need you to switch over to your socks as well," Miss Sophie said, smiling. 

Dad nodded, "I figured." I smiled a little, pulling on the socks I had bought. I didn't get the shoes I needed, but that was okay because I felt better in socks.

As soon as everyone's shoes were off we all walked into the actual studio portion of the building. Miss Sophie let us bring our water bottles, so mine hung loosely on my fingers as we walked into the room. 

The studio was a very light looking room. All the windows were open, translucent curtains waving gently in the breeze as the sun shone on the wood floors. It was a lighter color wood, matching perfectly to the white walls of the room. A mirror took up the entirety of one wall, reflecting the barre bars and casting an odd illusion.

"Okay guys, go ahead and go grab a spot on the wall. There are a few more people that are supposed to join us, so just feel free to rest until I bring them in. We'll go over the basics when I get back," Miss Sophie said, waving before leaving the room.

It was silent for a moment. I could practically feel the staring of the other people as I gently took a seat on the floor. Dad sat on the extra bench, and we began signing to each other. Just a simple conversation, I just wanted to know what we were doing for lunch later.

"Are you Eve and Patrick Stump?" One of the other girls asked suddenly.

"Stacey!" One of the guys said, glaring at her.

"What?" Stacey asked, looking back at him. "I just wanna know."

Dad laughed a little, "Yeah, that's us."

Stacey's eyes went wide, "Cool..."

I smiled, adjusting my leggings a little bit. My heart was pounding, and my hands shook a little. 

The door swung open a few minutes later, and Miss Sophie walked back inside the studio with another fifteen kids. A couple of them noticed Dad and whispered, but everyone stopped any talking as Miss Sophie began to speak.

"Alright guys, we're going to start by doing some basic stretches. Everyone stand up..." I stood, following Miss Sophie as we raised our arms above our heads, bent all the way down to the ground, and a few other stretches to get us prepared.

"So, Spring production," Miss Sophie began after we finished our stretches, "We will be performing Sleeping Beauty."

My eyebrows rose up, It's a ballet too? Cool!

"Since you all are beginners, it'll be an easier production. We'll be holding auditions in a few weeks for each part," Miss Sophie continued after the noise had quieted back down. "You'll be auditioning with..." She hesitated, eyes darting between each student, "Three other people- each group will be a guy and three girls. If everyone could stand in a line really quick." Miss Sophie motioned, waving us together.

I moved towards the end of the line. Miss Sophie pulled out the five guys that were in our class, standing them individually in front of the mirror.

"Alright, 1's will go here, 2's here, 3's there, and so on," Miss Sophie said, looking back at the girls. We all nodded, and Miss Sophie began the count down. I was- unsurprisingly, a 5.

I walked over to my small group, waving shyly. The three girls all rolled their eyes, causing me to gulp a little. The guy, however, waved, turning to look at Miss Sophie as she began to explain what the audition dance would consist of.

These next few months were going to be long, weren't they?