Post by Raya Hope on Oct 22, 2024 3:51:14 GMT -6
“I’ve got distraction running through my veins
All I ever do is run away,
This chain reactions all I’ve ever known,
I let someone in and then they let me go”
- - - - - - - - - - -
Several Months Ago
There was a blinking of the feed in the moments before the camera came on, Appearing live with glowing green eyes and honey blonde hair, was the smiling petite young girl, wrapped in her most fashionable sweats, comfy yet chic. Her smile broadened as she waved to the lens.
Raya: “Morning Mom.”
The words of her mother speaking were of genuine concern, though they weren’t exactly audible to the conversation.
Raya: “Yea. . . I mean Yes, I made it okay. I got a little lost from the airport, but I’m excited to see the Grainger Academy for the Joffrey Ballet. I’ve already been promised a spot in their studio program.”
Though the words remained inaudible from her mother’s side of the screen, Raya only smiled in response.
Raya: “I promise, daily check ins. I know you weren’t excited about me leaving New York, but this opportunity is important to me. Residents from the studio program have gone on to dance at many other companies and this is a great introduction to those that I want to meet in the field.”
She let out a sigh.
Raya: “Yes I know that you and father spent a great deal to get me here. I’m going to make the most of it I swear.”
Suddenly as she was speaking the bus that she was riding came to a screeching halt. As was typical between stops, but Raya couldn’t help but shuffle in her seat.
Raya: “Look Mommy its incredibly busy and I am going to miss my stop if you don’t let me go. I promise I will face time weekly, okay?! Yeah yeah, I love you too. Bye.”
With the hanging of her facetime call, Raya sat straight up and stared at the sign for the next stop. She was in turmoil about leaving behind this illustrious scholarship and opportunity she’d been promised to dance with the Joffrey Ballet. The school of dance was illustrious truly and many greats in ballet had come from there, but truly. . . hear heart was in it. Her heart wasn’t really in anything since she’d found out about some of the secrets her mother had been hiding.
Don’t mistake the words she’d uttered, Raya knew that she’d lived a very privileged life, her working lawyer of a father and doubly ambitious mother who somehow managed to maintain a career and a strong-hand over all of Raya’s personal life. She’d had to beg and plead just to be allowed to go to New York City, and quite frankly the trip to Chicago had been even more difficult. She was well over Eighteen, quite legally and adult, but she had no income of her own. No form of stability and Dance didn’t exactly pay unless you were one of the main performers.
For years, she’d been told she was too short or that she needed to lose weight, because apparently being 123 pounds was an outrage for the ballet. There was that subconscious voice that told her all the time about the things she needed to change in order to be success in her career and for a long time she’d endured the painful statements made by her instructors. Because that was how dance was. It was never a participation trophy type of sport and even you weren’t cut out to be the best, well you were simply cut.
It was something she’d dedicated the last ten years of her life to once Gymnastics became a secondary hobby and quite frankly she wasn’t so sure this was what she wanted from her life. To be ridiculed and chastised and berated for a career that might’ve lasted the next five years seemed . . . well stupid truly.
But what else could she be? A lawyer was out of the question she didn’t have her father’s wit nor did she maintain his smarts for legality, and up until the last year or so she’d thought her mother was the strongest, most independent woman she’d ever met. It was why she’d spent so many years of her life trying to reach that same level of domineering presence, but she should’ve known that a woman so ruthless and hardened in her demeanor had secrets to hide.
She just didn’t quite have the answers for all of them yet. . .
A few months ago she’d found some papers, ones that she didn’t really understand, but there was a mystery she wanted to solve and she knew the woman who raised her would never reveal them to her, so she searched to follow them for herself.
As the bust arrived at the academy she pulled her bag up onto her shoulders, only it wasn’t the Grainger Academy for the Joffrey Ballet.
It was Millennium Wrestling Enterprises Academy, and she was going to apply right away.
- - - - - - - - - - -
“You’ve got your hands all tangled up in mine
I believe in fate, I believe in signs.
I take my chances even though I know.
I let someone in, then they let me go”
- - - - - - - - - - -
Present Day
She felt herself panting, as she raced her way down the street, bumping and slamming into someone as she uttered a half-meant apology. It was a dash like no other as she came upon the Joffrey Ballet school before she paused. It was exactly 7:45am. She’d almost overslept the night before, but as the phone rang she took a few moments to catch her breath before answering.
Raya: “Morning Mom.”
She said and though she tried to mask it she was still out of breath. The woman’s view on the other side of the phone looked suspicious and she laughed, because deep down Raya knew she’d never been one for jogging. If anything the exercise that she enjoyed doing involved more stretching or dance based like Pilates or dare she say it. . .Jazzercise.
Raya: “I know, I know. I look like I’m having a stroke, I just ran three miles, trying to increase my stamina with cardio. I was about to head back to get a shower before class today.”
She heard her mom utter something and she rolled her eyes.
Raya: “Yeah I know they haven’t updated the registry for this year's class yet. I am sure they will have my photo up there soon.”
She was trying to keep the conversation short and sweet.
Raya: “Look mom I love you, but I have to go okay? I have some people waiting on me.”
Her mother seemed reluctant but thankfully Raya was saved by a sudden call from one of her mother’s clients. Ever the early riser that woman was, Raya let out a breath, one that had been caught in her chest trying not to breathe heavily. This had been going on for a few weeks now, she would leave her room at the Academy bright and early, pretend like she was making her way to the Joffrey Ballet and then right back to where she felt she needed to be. She hadn’t told her mom when she’d left the ballet, but her getting into MWE’s Academy had never been a guarantee. Yet when she got the call she’d almost leapt at the opportunity.
She knew it seemed silly, why not tell her mom the truth, but earnestly she hadn’t figured it all the way out yet and the fact that she was being so controlling about the situation only led to Raya’s need to solve more.
Since being accepted to the Academy she knew that there was something more that she wanted to do. A chance to succeed and learn the skill of wrestling, she wasn’t even sure why she was drawn to it. She’d taken some classes on Luta Livre and Koshen Judo and she’d been pretty good at it and someone suggested she should learn the art of wrestling here, though she had to admit she had her ulterior motives as well. That is if she was as right about things as she felt she was.
Still though she had to admit that she was exhausted with keeping up with the lies. She’d been burning fuel at both ends and rushing halfway across town just to pretend she’s going to some building so her controlling mother could see it was becoming extremely inconvenient. She looked at the rest of the people in her class who got to brag about their acceptance, who showed great pride in possibly being the gold star, and yet here she was pretending to be a professional ballerina, while also attempting to learn something that she may not even be good at. A possible guaranteed career, for a chance at a maybe half-decent chance of becoming someone who received a contract once they graduation ceremony ended.
It was a struggle to say the least and while she herself didn’t exactly consider herself a contender for the most prestigious prize the Academy had to offer, she still felt as if she had as good a chance as anyone else at a lengthy career.
Besides there was something more tying her here . . . again if only she could prove she was right.
She attempted to truly, she’d gone to one of their last shows, stood in the crowd, watched the energy as the supposed Rising out of the Flames took place, all of it had been so electric and in that moment she could feel the insane energy of it.
It was infectious, it was illustrious, it was exactly what she wanted to do. . .
As she took the long way back to the academy she answered a few tweets from her new friends and her new. . . well more than friends, not exactly sure how to classify them at that time, other messages.
It seemed as the morning grew later, traveling back to the Academy took much more time, and a blackberry chai latte stop, probably increased the amount of time it would take before she slumbered back into her room and changed.
She was more than likely late for training, and well if she knew her coaches well enough, she’d have to pay for that slight. So she was quick to strip down her sweats for something a little lighter, tying her hair back and entering the gym to find that she was the only one there for the time being. She wondered if maybe the others were running drills or perhaps practicing in the ring, and she let out a sigh, because she’d been looking forward to doing that all week.
Yet the lack of sleep was formed around her eyes and she breathed a heavy sigh, putting her head into her hands and letting the exhaustion creep through her body for a moment.
She was startled not a moment later when a large hand met her shoulder without warning. Instinct kicked in and she blasted her elbow back, right into the ribs of one Nathan Maddox…the aforementioned “more than friend.”
Maddox: “Damn, ouch.”
He said ouch but didn't recoil, perhaps fronting to pretend it didn't hurt.
Maddox: “Friendly fire there. Unless I did something to piss you off?”
The taller man shook his head, giving her a kiss on her cheek as he momentarily held her from behind. It was a risk, other students had to still be around.
Maddox: “Missed you in the class earlier, did you sleep in?”
She turned to him, absolutely apologetic for the fierce elbow to the rib though she had to admit that hurt quite a bit as well with the solid mass of muscle that was him. She also did her best not to show that it actually stung a bit, but instead she kind of leaned into him. Giving in a bit to the quiet moment.
Raya: “I uhhh. . . Yeah I did.”
She was as bad a liar as she was at faking the lack of elbow sting.
Raya: “I mean, well not really.”
She didn’t like lying to him specifically which is probably what made it all the more difficult especially since they were beginning to get to know one another more and she actually liked who she was getting to know more than she thought she would.
Raya: “Its been a complicated day.”
She measured with a nervous laugh and tried swiftly to change the subject.
Raya: “What all did I miss?”
She asked with tired eyes, trying to shake their drowsiness. A front that even her makeup couldn’t hide.
For a moment he just looked at her, then took a step away when other students began to pile in.
Maddox: “Ah nothing important, don't fret. Just the usual stuff, shite about discipline and all that.”
He laughed.
Maddox: “Come on though, gorgeous. Next session is starting and you're here now.”
He stepped aside for her to walk by. If anyone else was looking their way, be certainly didn't care, or notice.”
She was grateful that he didn’t ask although she was sure he noticed. He seemed to notice a lot and she wasn’t quite sure why. She’d had to admit that they were definitely getting to know one another, but he wasn’t quite so readable, or maybe she was just aloof. So much so that she didn’t catch the fact that he’d missed her in class or called her gorgeous even with other people filing into the room. Now that she had caught both of those things though her eyes glimmered just a bit.
Raya: “Lets hope you don’t get too distracted.”
She playfully teased.
Raya: “I’m trying to be merciful after all”
It was a running inside joke between the two of them and she knew he’d get it even if no one else did.
With the oncoming trainees entering in she would let her focus go towards her coaches. She would be correct about missing her first class as well and they certainly made her pay for it.
Nevertheless, she was living her dream, and ignoring all of the warning signs.
[ To Be Continued ]