“Mr. Moretti is going be furious.” She grinned in anticipation.
“Where are Jonathon and Leon?” Alexandra asked.
“They’re downstairs with Tristan and Kageki,” Julian said. They heard yells coming from downstairs.
“I wonder who they locked out this time,” Grace sighed.
“Sounds like Jonathon,” Julian said, listening intently. “And I think he’s naked.”
“Eww, gross! Jonathon naked?” Alexandra grimaced. “So not wanting that picture in my mind.”
“Would you rather Dmitri?” Anna asked, laughing.
“No!” Alexandra said, disgusted. “They are both completely repulsive. I wish they would either improve a hundred percent and get a job away from here, or just look in the mirror and give up.”
“Harsh, but true,” Grace said. “Just wait, in a few minutes you’ll get to do pas, with Jonathon and Leon!”
“Omigod, I can’t wait,” Alexandra said sarcastically.
The door opened, and Mr. Moretti said, “Come in, babies. Where are the other gentlemen?” he asked Julian, frowning.
“Uh …” Julian started, but at that moment there was a thundering up the stairs and the boys ran in giggling.
“Uh, sorry, sir,” Tristan said, holding his hands behind his back, rocking on his heels. “We didn’t know you were starting early.” He looked up at the clock, trying to keep from smirking. The clock read 6:28.
“Very humorous, Tristan,” Mr. Moretti said, his mouth slowly stretching into a Cheshire cat smile, which then disappeared. “Come in, everyone. I think we will perhaps start with the Rose,” he said meditatively. “Anna first.…Where is Kaitlyn?” he asked, frowning as he noticed she was missing.
“We don’t know.” Anna was clearly enjoying herself.
“Well, does she know that this is a rehearsal for her?”
“Yes,” Anna said.
“I will not have people missing my rehearsals,” Mr. Moretti said with cold fury. “If Kaitlyn thinks that she can just miss rehearsals, she is very mistaken. If she manages to show up tomorrow, please inform her that she is no longer being considered for this role. Anna, you will do the full role.”
Nobody dared mention that Anna was also half Arabian, but, scanning the students, Mr. Moretti realized this by himself. “Yes …” he said thoughtfully. “Anna, you will prepare to do both casts of Rose, as well as Arabian. We will finalize later. No one is guaranteed a role just because they have been cast. It will change if things do not work, if you do not work. Anna, we will still start rehearsing with you. The rest of you, go warm yourselves on the side, and girls learn Anna’s part. Everyone should be able to do every part. Believe me, I will check. Aiko, if you still remember from last year, you may teach Grace.”
He started to walk over to the CD player, but abruptly turned around, seeing Alexandra yawn in the mirror. “Alexandra. Are we boring you…?”
“Uh, n-no,” Alexandra stuttered, quickly dropping her hand from her mouth, hiding it behind her back.
“Do let us know if we are boring you, Alexandra. Or if you are perhaps tired, feel free to go home, baby. Don’t let us keep you.”
Alexandra ducked her head and wiggled her feet around uncomfortably, muttering, “Sorry.”
“Do you see Anna sleeping?” Mr. Moretti continued. “You are the kind of student I hate to teach, the ones that make me want to quit. One student that just doesn’t bother, is too lazy to make an effort, these students bring down the entire class. You watch the class, and it would be good, clean work, except one student is always wrong, and that student is you. You never improve, you never listen. You think that you always know better than me, don’t you? You know what, if you don’t want to be here, just get out. I said, get out!”
Alexandra stood in place, not moving, keeping her face blank.
“Did you hear me?” Mr. Moretti screamed, coming to stand right in front of Alexandra, almost touching her. She stood perfectly still, staring straight ahead. For some reason the Winnie the Pooh theme song popped into her head, and she focused her brain on remembering all the words to it. “Fine, stay,” Mr. Moretti said, his voice soft and oh-so-quiet. “You always do what you want to anyway, why should this time be any different? You have no respect for anyone but yourself.”
Giving a little laugh, he walked back to Anna.
“Now Anna, sweetie, I want you to really focus on your port de bras for this solo,” Mr. Moretti said, the Cheshire cat smile on his face once again. Alexandra stood still for a second, quickly blocking what just happened. Just concentrate on your work, don’t think about it right now, and pretend it didn’t happen, she told herself, making her body relax. Breathe, don’t cry, she told herself as she walked over to the side and began learning the Rose solo.
“Wow,” Julian whispered. “She was right. He really doesn’t like her.”
“Nope, he doesn’t,” Tristan whispered back. “That wasn’t actually so bad. Last year, he told her that she made him sick and if she didn’t get out of his sight he’d throw up.”
As Mr. Moretti worked with Anna, Aiko and Grace worked together. Alexandra tried to look interested in Mr. Moretti’s corrections for Anna and learn the Rose solo. Leon, Jonathon, and Kageki sat just outside of the studio playing on their Nintendo DSs. Julian and Tristan were bored. After they had stretched for as long as they thought they could, they went and sat on the piano bench, slouching so the piano hid them and they could talk.
“Do you think this would be safe to drink?” Julian asked, picking up a half empty lychee juice box from on top of the piano’s key cover.
“Gross, no! That’s been there for three days. George just keeps moving it onto the floor in the morning and putting it back when he goes home.”
“Why?”
“Um, I think to see if some idiot like you would drink it!” Tristan raised his eyebrows.
“Right, makes sense.” Julian gingerly placed the juice box back.
“Do you think he’s actually going to rehearse anyone but Anna tonight?” Tristan sighed. “Or is he just going to make us sit here for fun, like he usually does, or because the Demidovskis said he had to rehearse us?”
“Well, I’d read the clock and see if he has any time to rehearse us, but I am way too lazy to read an analog clock right now.”
“Don’t worry! Tristan to the rescue.” said Tristan sleepily, digging his cell out of his warm-ups. “It’s 7:58, so we have two minutes to rehearse. And it is completely pathetic that we are so tired right now!”
“Poor Alexandra and Anna,” Julian said, smothering a yawn.
“Better them than us, Jules. Wait ’til you’ve been introduced to the Russian choreography.”
“Okay, finished,”
