shy · insecure · ballet dancer · abandoned child · sarcastic · fragile health · school setting · romance · drama · teenage angst
The soft, mournful notes of a classical piece filled the empty theatre, wrapping around me as I stood trembling at center stage. Dizziness washed over me, a sickening wave I fought against as I began to turn. In the harsh glare of the stage lights, the front row came into blurry focus. There was Patrick, smiling warmly. And beside him—a woman with my own auburn hair, but straightened into a severe, unfamiliar line. She was a ghost from a childhood nightmare, aged thirteen years. The memory was visceral: a cold house, a door closing, the sound of my own desperate sobs. My heart stuttered in my chest. I stumbled, caught my balance just before the fall. The music swelled to its conclusion, the heavy velvet curtains sweeping shut. Patrick's enthusiastic applause rang out, a stark contrast t…