Music played, classical and intense. Cherry's movements are flawless. Jenna mirrors it beside her, less fluid, but improving.
"Feel your core. Not your arms — your center! That's where grace lives." Cherry called her
Tiffany sat on the window ledge, watching silently. Then she finally got up.
"Okay, time to stop moving like a wind-up doll." Tiffany said
She joined Jenna, physically guiding her arms through a port de bras.
"There. Now you don't look like you're under attack." She said and jenna giggled
By evening, the studio was dim and quiet. One spotlight. Cherry played the music and Jenna performed the full routine, solo.
She stumbled once but catches herself and continued. Tiffany watched her with pride. Victoria crosses her arms, nodding just slightly and Cherry smiled.
"She might just pull this off." Cherry said to Victoria
"Don't say I didn't warn you I make miracles happen." Victoria grumbled
Jenna lands her final pirouette, breathless but standing tall.
They all laid down on the floor tired, looking at ceiling.
"Why did you all say yes to helping me?" Jenna asked quietly
" Why do I feel you've asked this before" Victoria said quietly
"Because we knew you'd surprise yourself." Tiffany grinned replying Jenna
"And because not all champions start strong. Some are made during breakdowns." Cherry said gently
"Also, I needed community service hours, so." Victoria said and everyone laughed
The next morning which was the morning of the competition. Jenna was in the studio getting ready doing some stretches
"I can't mess this up. I can't. Not after all they've done for me." She muttered to herself
She tries the sequence again, first a pirouette, then an arabesque and a jeté but she stumbled landing on her knee with a frustrated sigh. She stayed there, panting, the pressure threatening to crush her. Just as she blinked back tears, the studio door creaks open.
"Ballet's brutal… but you're still graceful, even when you crash." Vinny said, his voice gentle and amused
Jenna jerked her head up, startled and there he was, Vinny, leaning against the doorframe in his grey hoodie, a small iced drink in hand, and that boyish smile on his face.
"Vinny? What are you—how did you even know?" she asked shocked
"Cherry. And a little bit of stalking." Vinny smirked, then he walked in
"She said you were losing it, and honestly... I couldn't let you go into this alone." he added
She stood, brushing her skirt down, embarrassed but oddly comforted.
"I thought you didn't care about ballet." she said softly
"I don't. But I care about you." he said teasing
And that shut her up. The words lingered, warm and unsettling in the best way.
"I've never felt this unready. Tiffany, Victoria and Cherry have been helping me. But I still feel like I'm just pretending. Like I'm not... enough." Jenna said quietly
"You are. You've always been enough. They didn't teach you how to dance they just reminded you that you could." Vinny said walking closer
He pulled out his phone and pressed play, a soft classical instrumental floods the room.
"Now let's prove it. One more time." he said as he held his hand out
"You're going to dance?" she laughed nervously
"I'm not promising pirouettes... just vibes. Besides I've seen my sister and Cherry dance" Vinny grinned and she took his hand.
Together, they began. Her guiding him through the motions. He was clumsy, stepping on her toes once or twice, but he never lets go of her gaze. And slowly, Jenna relaxed. She moved lighter, she spined with more confidence. At the end of the piece, he twirled her gently. Then pulled her in , their bodies close, their breath mingling. There was silence.
"You've got this, Jenna." Vinny said softly
"Thank you... for coming." Jenna said
"I wouldn't miss it. I'll be in the front row by the time the competition starts, cheering for my favorite ballerina." he said
They stared at each other for a beat too long. Her hand lingers on his chest, and his thumb brushes her cheekbone. A whisper of a kiss feels almost inevitable — but instead, he rests his forehead against hers, letting the moment stretch in its sweetness before he turned to leave
The backstage buzzed with nervous energy — girls stretching, applying last-minute makeup, rechecking their costumes. Jenna stood in front of the tall mirror, dressed in a soft peach leotard with a flowing skirt, her hair in a tight bun. Her chest was tight, palms sweaty and she stared at her reflection
"You've trained. You're ready." She whispered to herself
Tiffany appeared behind her, adjusting her posture with a sharp, dancer's touch.
"You remember what we said: precision and grace. And trust your body." Tiffany said
"And let your heart dance with you. You don't need to be perfect. Just… be Jenna." Cherry smiled and Jenna nodded.
She turned to them and gave a shaky smile.
"Thank you. Both of you." she said
" Where is Victoria?" Jenna asked
" She was called by the coach" cherry said
" But she sends her wishes" she added
The lights dimmed and a hush fell over the audience. Then the soft instrumental music began, a violin-led piece that built slowly, blooming like dawn.
Jenna stepped onto the stage alone.
She began slow, controlled. Her arms flowed like water, her turns smoother than ever. With each leap, each pirouette, the audience faded from her mind. The anxiety melted. It wasn't just choreography. It was like she was telling her story, the self-doubt, the hidden strength, the fight to rise.
In the front row, Vinny sat, eyes locked on her. He wasn't filming. Wasn't blinking. Just watching her like she was the only thing that existed in the world.
Backstage, Tiffany and Cherry stood frozen, mouths slightly open in awe. Just then Victoria came in and Jenna smiled as she saw her rush in to meet the performance
" She doesn't dislike me like she claims after all" Jenna thought
As the music reached its crescendo, Jenna leapt into her final grand jeté, arms stretched, body in the air like a painting. She landed gracefully, spinning into a final arabesque pose as the lights faded.
The crowd erupted, Thunderous applause and cheers even several whistles too.
At the backstage, Cherry hugged Tiffany tightly.
"She did it." Cherry said
Jenna ran out the side door, still in costume, into the courtyard behind the auditorium. Her heart pounding, sweat cooling on her skin. She pressed her back against the wall, overwhelmed.
Then she heard it, Vinny's voice
"Yo, Prima Ballerina." he said and she looked up. He stood there, a single flower in hand, crooked smile on his lips.
"You were really there." she said breathlessly
"Front row. Almost cried." he said
"Okay, maybe I did." he added and she laughed, half in disbelief. He walked closer and handed her the flower.
"You were magical." he said and there was silence.
Then Jenna stepped forward, flung her arms around him, and hugged him tight.
"I wouldn't have done it without you." she said
"Yes, you would've. But I'm glad I was here to see it." he said as she still hugged him tightly
She pulled back, looked into his eyes searching
" I should get going now" he said leaving after giving her the flower.
Elena who was watching them from afar felt a sting in her heart, she was angry that Jenna is not just only progressing without her but having a good life and making friends like she wasn't the evil one to begin with. She came there to watch how she would perform in ballet without her, knowing quite well she used to wear a mask and act as Jenna in the past but now that they were separated and she knew Jenna couldn't dance well she wanted to laugh at her while she fell but to her surprise she was even better than her. Not only that, she even has full support from Victoria, Cherry and Tiffany and now Vinny as well. Seeing Jenna smile as she walked up to Victoria, Cherry and Tiffany smiling angered her more. She needed to do something or else Jenna would win over her like always.
The bell rang and class was finally over, Mika was already tired for the day. She sighted Jeremy and Alex talking from afar and walked up to them
" I'm so tired guys" she said sitting in between them as usual
" And how many classes did you attend that you're this tired?" Alex asked
" Three classes, fucking three classes" she said
" Out of?" Jeremy asked
" Seven" she said
" And out of the three, how many did you sleep all through?" Alex asked
" Three" she said
" You'll be fine" Jeremy said placing his hand on her shoulder
" It's almost four, we should get going" Alex said getting up and Jeremy did as well
" Where to?" Mika asked
" Um, we are going to the Bakers" Jeremy said
" Oh, why didn't you tell me earlier I would have brought extra make up but never mind I will still look pretty to Tara" she said getting up as well
" Actually we aren't going to see Tara" Jeremy said
" Then why are we going, for a snack?" She asked
" It's a date" Alex said
" A date?, ... Ummm.. so you guys found yourself partners and didn't tell me about it." She said
" Um...actually I and Alex are dating" jeremy said
" Oh, wow. That's shocking but it's still good news. We should celebrate don't you think" she said
" We already did that, two nights ago" Alex said "We even went on a double date with Tara and Connor " Jeremy said
" It wasn't planned actually, we just met them there" Alex said
" We went to the park, you should have seen Alex face when we were on the ride" Jeremy said laughing
" At least I didn't get popcorn stuck in my throat" Alex said
" Yeah yeah, you wouldn't be talking much when I win you at the arcade tommorow" he said
" Arcade?" Mika asked
" Yeah, we are going to the arcade tommorow" Alex said
" Oh" she said
" And then Tara invited us for picnic" Jeremy said
" Don't forget we are going to the beach as well" Alex said
" And the movies" he said
" The movies?" She asked
" Yes, I got us tickets already" Jeremy said bringing out to ticket from his pocket
" Oh that's good" she said
" We would be late, let's get going" Jeremy said to Alex
" See ya" Alex said leaving with Jeremy and Mika stood there trying to understand the whole issue
" Since when did they become so close to Tara and Jeremy, even going on double dates" she thought as she watched them leave
Cyma, Kiara, Dani and Kelvin sat in the music already worn out. Dani who was lying flat on the ground facing the ceiling suddenly stood up.
" Why can't we get the right tune and right song" he said frustrated
" I guess we aren't putting enough feelings into it" Kelvin said as he dropped his drum sticks
" The only thing I'm feeling now is pure frustration" cyma said
" Hunger" Kiara said
" How about we take a break or go out for fresh air maybe we would get some inspirations" Dani said
" I'm famished, I'm going to eat" Kiara said getting up
" We actually need to focus, battle if the bands is in less than two days and we don't even have a song yet" Kelvin said
" We were busy training for our tournaments that we forgot about this" cyma said
" I go with Dani's advise, let's go out and find inspiration. This room itself is killing vibes" Kiara said
" You're only saying that cause you want to eat" Dani said
" We will meet back here by 5" cyma said getting up as well
" And where to?" Dani asked cyma
" I have an important meeting with someone" she said
" She wants to go watch Tyler's game" Kiara said
" Supportive girlfriend, I see you" Kelvin said and cyma smiled as she left
" I'm off too" Kiara said leaving and Kelvin looked at Dani as he stood up as well
" Don't give me that look, I have someone waiting for me as well" Dani said leaving
Kelvin sighed as he rested his back of the chair looking outside the window. Just then he saw Kiara walking past with cyma. The sun was shining directly making her glow underneath it and he couldn't help but smile just then Peter showed up. He held Kiara by the waist and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek and Kelvin smiled disappeared. He picked up his drum sticks and started humming something as he drum.