DYLAN\u00a0<\/p>\n
194\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a deep breath before I entered Diane\u2019s studio. A few people greeted me as I entered the premises, but I can also notice those few people who are glancing at me from head to toe as if they were judging me for even being there. As soon as they recognized me, I could see how they started whispering while looking at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tried to ignore that uncomfortable stare and went straight to the reception to log in. The receptionist handed me the logbook.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou may now proceed to room eight,\u201d she instructed me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I went ahead to the room she mentioned, I tried to ask her about Diane. \u201cIs Diane here?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Miss Diane is here,\u201d she replied, emphasizing the word \u201cmiss\u201d as if she was telling me that I can\u2019t be on a first\u2013name basis with the owner of this place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed the invisible lump in my throat and tried to brush off her obvious judgement. \u201cCan you please tell me where she is? I need to talk to her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She forced a smile that didn\u2019t quite reach her eyes before responding, \u201cI\u2019ll let her know if I see her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened my mouth to press the issue, wanting to emphasize the urgency, but she swiftly cut me off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour class is waiting for you, Dylan. Parents don\u2019t appreciate their money going to waste, and being late means losing money.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I clenched my jaw as frustration started bubbling inside me. I wanted to insist on it, but it was clear she wasn\u2019t going to budge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With a heavy sigh, I ran a hand through my hair and took a step back. \u201cIf you see her, can you please tell her I need to talk to her? It\u2019s important.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She gave a slight nod before turning away, already dismissing me. I hesitated for a second, debating whether to push further, but I knew it wouldn\u2019t get me anywhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some mothers in the lobby who witnessed our interaction were looking at me with judgement in their eyes. I took a deep breath as I deliberately forced myself to ignore them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I proceed to go to my class with a heavy feeling. I need to come up with the money tonight or I might find myself on the streets. I tried to call my parents before I left the apartment, but they weren\u2019t answering my calls. I texted them as well to inform them about the situation, but I haven\u2019t heard anything from them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a deep breath, pushing aside my frustration as I stepped into the dance studio. The room was filled with tiny giggles and excited chatter; a dozen little kids in pink leotards and ballet slippers scattered across the floor. Some were spinning in circles; others were sitting, completely uninterested in warming up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart pounded. This was it\u2013my first time teaching ballet to kids this young.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright, everyone, let\u2019s gather in a circle!\u201d I clanned my hands trying to get their attention. A few of them\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:24 Thu, Dec 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
A04\u00a0<\/p>\n
immediately toddled toward me, eyes bright with excitement. But the rest? They carried on as if I hadn\u2019t spoken at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sighed, forcing a smile. Patience, Dylan. You need patience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I crouched beside a little girl who was busy adjusting her ballet shoes. \u201cHey there, sweetheart. Want to join us in the circle?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked up at me with wide, serious eyes. \u201cMy mommy says I\u2019m a princess, so I don\u2019t have to listen to anybody.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I blinked. Oh, boy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could think of how to respond, a little boy came barreling toward me, arms flailing. \u201cMiss, miss! Look, I can do a twirl!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I barely had time to step back before he spun around wildly\u2013only to get dizzy and plop right onto his bottom. He blinked up at me in surprise before breaking into a fit of giggles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite myself, I laughed. This was going to be a challenge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, okay,\u201d I clapped again. \u201cLet\u2019s start with something fun! First, let me introduce myself. My name is Dylan.\u201d However, it seems like they weren\u2019t interested in knowing my name. \u201cSecond, who wants to pretend to be a butterfly?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That did the trick. A few kids immediately flapped their arms, making tiny \u2018whooshing\u2018 sounds. Others giggled and hopped in place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took another deep breath, clapping my hands again to gather their attention. \u201cAlright, little butterflies, let\u2019s start with something simple.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few of them stopped flapping their arms long enough to listen, while others kept twirling in their own little worlds. I smiled, reminding myself that patience was key.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s all stand in first position,\u201d I said, demonstrating by placing my heels together and turning my toes outward. \u201cCan everyone do this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few of the kids tried, some nailing it perfectly while others fumbled, their little feet pointing in every direction but the right one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I crouched beside one of the younger girls, gently adjusting her stance. \u201cThere you go, sweetheart. Just like\u00a0<\/p>\n
that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She beamed up at me. \u201cI did it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did it,\u201d I confirmed with a smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked around and saw a little boy attempting to balance on one foot instead. \u201cMiss Dylan, look! I\u2019m flying!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I chuckled. \u201cThat\u2019s amazing, but let\u2019s keep both feet on the floor for now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:24 Thu, Dec 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once they had their feet somewhat in position, I moved on. \u201cNow, let\u2019s try a pli\u00e9! That means we bend our knees gently, like we\u2019re dipping into a bowl of warm soup.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSoup?\u201d One of the kids giggled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes! We don\u2019t want to spill the soup, so we have to be very gentle,\u201d I explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
94\u00a0<\/p>\n
They all bent their knees, some wobbling, others giggling as they tried to balance. One little boy squatted so low he plopped onto the floor with a thud. He blinked up at me, then burst into laughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a little too deep, buddy,\u201d I said, helping him up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We spent the <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Alchemist of Broken Dreams by Sienna Rose Blackwell 10 DYLAN\u00a0 194\u00a0 I took a deep breath before I entered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-alphas-golden-cage-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24361\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}