I Can Feel The Pressure*

[Chase†]

((Continued from: Another Day in Homeroom...))

" Five, Six, Seven, Eight! Lift those legs, ladies, work on those pirouettes. Jacque! What are you doing, practicing football, where is your grace! When I asked for masculine I assumed you knew I meant to keep your technique! Barbara, if you didn't have such a fat ass he would be able to lift you!"

James was a dance instructor, and the harshest to boot. British origin, but with the not-so-secret desire to have been Russian, like his favorite composer, he took out his frustrations whole-heartedly on his students. As a joke, his students made a nickname for him- Tchaitler. And today was one of his Auschwitz Ballet rehearsals.

Mai walked in full well knowing that she would be yelled at for missing forty five minutes of practice. What she didn't realize was that James had something in mind for her punishment.

"Mai, how nice of you to join us today."

"I'm sorry, James, but there-"

"Nevermind, get into your gear and make it to your position, hop to it."

Her eyes widened for a moment in surprise, and she hurried into the dressing room to prepare herself in leotard, tights, and her ratted ballet shoes. All the while her mind was racing, thinking that his attitude was not at all the patented "Tchaitler" persona. With the stress added on with the lockdown, Mai was hardly in the mood to be toyed with at her practice as well. Hoping for the better as she rushed onto the stage, to her spot in the ballet chorus, she froze still at the sound of James.

"Ah ah ah ah! Mai, your position is stage left, do not make me wait for you!"

You're joking, right? Asshole? Are you testing me or something?

"James, the chorus is stage right, coming to stage left in this dance, isn't it?"

His folded arms and devious expression told Mai that this was the surprise punishment that he was going to instill to her. If the man ever smiled, he would have right then at Mai's dumbfounded expression.

"You're not in the chorus."

She immediately thought the worst, "Am I out of the production, sir?" Her voice wavered at the word 'sir' in the sheer nervous tension that the two held between each other.

If I hadn't killed someone already, I would certainly have considered letting you visit your precious Tchaikovsky.

"Don't be stupid, you're considerably lighter than Barbara at this point, you'll be performing the first production as the Sugar Plum Fairy."

Barbara stood in shock, the tears already flowing down her cheeks, and she ran from the stage as she let out a sob.

"That's right, go jog off those pounds of cellulite! If you're lucky your fat ass won't run into the rest of the chorus line," he waved at her retreating form, "That'll teach you to get too comfy in your spot!"

A moment of silence left the rest of the dancers staring at Mai, watching to see what move she would make. Slowly, she crept up to stage left, and into the arms of Jacque. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably, resting upon her torso as she lifted a leg in extension as James counted off. Jacque lifted her with ease, but his balance was shaky and his legs were becoming too stiff. He tripped over his own toes and Mai came tumbling down onto her side.

"Oof!" She bit her lip in pain, but quickly leapt to her feet. Her eyes met the smug face of her instructor.

"Again! I will not leave to the next dance until this lift is perfect! Five, Six, Seven, Eight!"

Jacque grasped Mai's waist immediately and swept her up into the air. Startled at the sudden count-off, she extended her foot right into Jacque's chin.

"Shit!" His hands went to his mouth, and Mai went to the ground. Again.

"Pull it together, or we'll be here til sundown, folks! Retry!"

God get me through this.

[Strawberry Prince†]

((Continued from: Another Day in Homeroom...))

"I'm here I'm here I'm here!!!!!" cried the klutzy Gigi Sinclaire as she stumbled through the glass double doors and quickly running toward the dressing room to prepare for todays rehearsal. Now the checkerboard chick may be in love with the sixties but she also had a passion for dancing. Who didn't like to dance in the sixties?!  Whenever a good song came on she would groove with the tone and even sing, she was a fairly good singer but a better dancer. In other words she was normal, she wasn't terrible to be thrown out of a production but she wasn't good neough to be the star of any production.

Any kind of dancing was fit for Gigi, ballet, hip hop, ballroom, anything. She enjoyed all types, but her personal style of course originates back to the sixties. The girl maybe a klutz but when it comes to dancing she is elegant and graceful, of courses theirs always the occasional screw up; However Gigi tries to pull and efoort and do better. The worrisome dancer rushed to pull off her checkerboard mini dress, magenta bug eye glasses and into her leotard, black shorts and whit tanktop. After pulling her into a ponytail Gigi put on her ballet slippers and then quickly dashed back to the main audotorium.

"I'm here James!" she said a little scared of what he's going to say. She always hated the wrath of Tchaitler, especially when he sends his dancing Gestapos helping him to belittle her for not doing a piquette correctly.

[Chase†]

James was halfway through the counts when he heard another late one screaming, making a scene at his rehearsal. He had just about enough of it, and his red face ballooning out as his eyebrows furrowed made Mai almost burst out laughing.

That was until, well, Jacque dropped her on the lift again. Her head whipped around to stare at the guy as she rubbed her hip, and James started fuming at the girl who had just entered later than Mai.

"You, you insolent little brat! This is the last time I involve high school children in my company! You're still caught in the mindset that the world revolves around you, you, you!"

He leapt off the stage, and Mai lifted herself from the wooden floor to eye the scene that played out. James had effectively thrown his hat at the girl, "Guess what, little miss comes-in-late-and-isn't-ready-for-practice?! The world, in fact, revolves around ME! And you will be on time! That means, no pussy-footing here, no having a quickie with your latest little boyfriend, and NO PRESENTING YOUR ATTENDANCE IN A LOUD FASHION WHILE I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF PERFECTING A DANCE!"

James was seething, Mai was standing with a frightened look on her face, and all the members of the company only hoped that they weren't going to have to stay for an extra three hours because of the girl. He finally stopped hissing between breaths, and closed his eyes.

"Rehersal is over today,  I want to see all of you on time for the next one, 4 AM on Saturday. We will run through this so practice at whatever studio you can until then."

Mai, like any other student would, took that as a godsend for what it was. She hurried off the stage, running to pick up her duffle bag from the dressing room, and was out the door. She wanted to get an icepack on that hip of hers before she had to go eat dinner and run another 3 miles at least.

[Strawberry Prince†]

Gigi wanted to start bawling in pure frustration and failure. She quickly ran to the changing rooms where Mai was preparing an ice pack for her leg. Gigi just slumped to the floor not to far away from her and started to cry. She knew it was a very childish thing to do, but what else could she do?

A raging fire of James's insults can hurt someone when hit in the right spot. if Jame's mouth was a gun then she'd be Swiss Cheese. Gigi will only have to work and try harder to get on Jame's good side again. Like THAT will ever happen.

Gigi will have to end up changing again and going home to start her homework. What a terrible day! One of these rehearsals can put anyone in a bad mood. After a bit of crying she got up with a sigh and started assembling all her things to go home.