Toe to Toe (On Pointe Book 1) by Penelope Freed (read with me TXT) 📕

as I keep pinning my hair up. I don’t know what else to say, meeting new people is not my thing. I concentrate on doing my hair, pulling a hair net out of my bag and wrapping it around my bun so no stray hairs escape.

“I’m Mae Ngyuen,” the pixie continues as she sprays her bun with hair spray. “Want some?” she says, offering me the can.

“Oh, uh, thanks.” I reach for the can and give my hair a spray. “I’m Hannah O’Brian,” I add. We grab our dance bags and head out the door. She seems to know where she’s going so I follow her to the studio where the class will be held. We silently pull a barre into the center of the room and start stretching.

“You’re the only person I’ve seen who looks older than twelve since I got here. You are older than twelve, right?” Mae asks from her spot on the floor. I glance around awkwardly, not wanting to be rude, but these barres only have space for four people on them. Katy, Lisa and I promised that whoever got there first would save spots for the others. I was including Olivia in my count, but with Mae at the barre there wouldn’t be any space for one of us.

“Yeah, I’m sixteen. Is anyone else from your studio coming?” I hope the answer is yes, maybe she’ll go join them once they get here.

“Nope, just me.” Shoot.

“Hi Hannah,” Ms. Parker says, coming inside the room, claiming one of the chairs along one wall.

“Is that your teacher?” Mae’s voice is barely a whisper. I glance down, her mouth is hanging open, her eyes are wide like she’s just seen a celebrity. “Your teacher is Leslie PARKER? Like, LESLIE Parker from CBC? THE Leslie Parker?”

I grin. These days I’m so used to Ms. Parker, I don’t think about how famous she is. “Are you doing a solo?” I ask, anxious to change the subject.

“Yeah, one of the Paquita ones, the one from the pas de trois with the entreche quatres in the beginning.” Oh, I love that one.

“That’s a good one. I worked on that one a few summers ago, but that cabriole section was killer for me.” I say over my shoulder as I stretch my calves in a down dog pose.

“Yeah, I know. Those cabrioles are the bane of my existence! I’ve got a contemporary as well. What about you?”

“I’m doing Aurora’s wedding, Kitri’s Act One, the one with all the pirouettes, and I have a contemporary too.”

“Oh man, that Kitri variation is the best! Are you using castanets?” Mae exclaims. “I always wanted to do that one, but my teacher says I’m not old enough.” Mae looks me up and down, trying to decide if I’m old enough for that variation.

“How old are you?” I ask. I mean, honestly, she could be twelve, but I have to assume she’s older after what she said in the locker room.

“I’m fourteen. I know, I look like I’m ten,” Mae grins, “but I’m in high school, I swear.” I just nod my head in response, breathing deep as I hold a deep lunge, stretching out my hip flexors.

Since I’m sixteen, I’m in the senior division, for fifteen to nineteen-year olds. The twelve to fourteen-year olds compete in the Junior division and there’s a Pre-Competitive division for nine to eleven year olds.

I have to admit, I’m relieved I’m not competing against her, she is so flexible and her balance is ridiculously good. I watched her hold a perfect arabesque for almost a minute while I was warming up my feet. Yup, really glad we’re in different divisions..

“You feeling okay now, Hannah? I need to go get the other girls ready.” Ms. Parker gathers up her things and waves to me before she heads out the door. She passes Katy and Lisa on her way out who wave and beeline for the empty spots on our barre.

“So, how early did you get here?” Katy asks before she sees Mae laying on the ground across from me. “Can I take this spot?” Katy asks before dropping her water bottle at the foot of the barre.

“Yeah, sure.” Mae nods her head vaguely towards the empty spot. Her hands are currently occupied in pulling her left leg behind her shoulder. “I’m Mae,” she adds.

Katy looks her up and down, appreciation for Mae’s flexibility in her eyes. “Katy. What studio are you from?”

“South Coast Ballet Academy, are you from Hannah’s studio?”

“I’m Lisa, yeah, we are. How do you know Hannah?” Lisa interrupts, sounding a little suspicious.

“Oh!” Mae laughs, “I forced myself on Hannah when she got here, since I’m here all by myself. You guys are so lucky to have Leslie freaking Parker as your teacher. Oh my gosh, if I was you, I would watch videos of her dancing like every weekend. Oops!” Mae’s rambling is interrupted by her own leg swinging back down to earth and knocking over her water bottle. “Anyway, tell me how amazing it is to have Leslie Parker for your teacher.”

Katy and Lisa are looking at me with eyebrows raised almost up to their hairlines. I cough uncomfortably, “Well, I mean. She’s an amazing teacher. But we don’t really obsess over her too much. She’s just, I don’t know. Ms. Parker to us.” I shrug.

“There was definitely about a year though where I watched videos of her every weekend,” I add, laughing. I can’t deny the truth. I was starstruck when I realized who she was, but that was years ago. I was about eight when I realized how famous Ms. Parker had been back when she was a principal dancer at The Classical Ballet Company in New York. There are videos of her performing with them in different TV specials, and even a short documentary that was made about her before she took over the studio in Camarillo.

Leslie Parker had been a prodigy—accepted to CBC as an apprentice when she was fifteen, joined the corps de