"Why do you always look like you've just rolled out of bed JC?" Izzy, also known as Miss Isabella chuckled as she saw one of her most loyal students walk through the front door of her dance studio. Isabella Jones owned and ran the Boston City Dance Academy where Jane Rizzoli had spent much of her childhood. The now seventeen year old had been taking classes since she was in Kindergarten and was now teaching her own classes. Giving up the tutus and ballet shoes for sweats and sneakers, Jane found her calling with hip hop dance.
"It takes a lot of effort to look this tired Iz" Jane joked as she adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. Leaning on the studio's front desk which Izzy was sitting behind, the teenager rested her chin on her folded hands "Well, not really"
"Busy day? School can't be that exhausting, the school year has just started"
"It is when my dork of a little brother becomes Joey Grant and his baseball boneheads' new punching bag" she sighed softly. Jane's younger brother Frankie had been a bright eyed little freshman at St Ignatius' until Joey Grant remembered he was Roly Poly Rizzoli's kid brother. A nickname that was given to the now slim and fit teenager, it was given to Jane so kindly by Joey Grant on their first day of middle school. Jane was a little chubby as a child and despite any weight loss and constant fighting with Joey, she was still called by that terrible nickname. It had become the mission of Joey and his friends to annoy Jane beyond belief with the taunting of her brother just the next step.
Izzy sighed softly knowing the trouble Joey Grant had caused for the last seventeen years of the young brunette's life. Growing up when the teasing got too much, Jane let her emotions out through her dancing. It became an escape for her and a way just to relax and recharge "Is my son doing anything about it?"
Jane smiled "Yes, Casey was the hero today catching them before they threw Frankie into the dumpster. He's definitely a keeper"
Jane's best friend and Izzy's son Casey was the big brother Frankie never got. He was always there protecting any of the three Rizzoli children especially Jane. He and Jane had been friends as long as Joey had been teasing her and Casey was always around caring for his family.
"That's my boy"
"Don't tell him I might actually appreciate his knight in shining armour ways, it'll just go to his head"
Izzy just laughed at Jane's comment about her son knowing how true it could be. Casey loved to be the hero and took every compliment as it came. As cocky as he got sometimes, he maintained a good heart. Checking the time out of the corner of her eye, Izzy realised that her Advanced Classical Ballet class was due to start soon much like Jane's Junior Hip Hop class.
"Chin up beautiful girl, one more year and you can escape to college far, far away from Joey and his idiot friends"
"Let's hope it's him moving far away, the Police Academy is here in Boston"
Izzy sighed softly as she reached over and took Jane's hand gently "I thought it was stressful enough having to talk Casey out of enlisting in the Army and now I have to talk you out of the Police Academy? Are you both trying to give me a heart attack?"
"Y'know your guilt trip is almost as good as Ma's" Jane laughed as she kissed Izzy's hand before letting it go to adjust her bag on her shoulder "You can bunk with her in hospital although she said my career choice will kill her"
"Like I told my boy, if it's what you love I'll learn to like it too"
Jane smiled at Izzy before disappearing into her dance studio. The teenager had so much love and respect for Isabella. She was like a second mother to Jane and she couldn't think of life without her or Casey. Making her way into the studio, Jane was welcomed with the bright smiles of her Junior Hip Hop class.
"Hey Mighty Mites, you guys ready to dance?"
"Yes!" they all called out with a giggle.
The excited young kids of Jane's Junior Hip Hop class spread out across the room as she plugged in her iPod and found a fun song to warm up to. What the teenager loved most about her Juniors was how engaged they were from the time they stepped into the room to the time they skipped out. They loved every second of the class and Jane fed off that infectious energy.
Putting her eight, nine and ten year olds through a series of jumping jacks, push ups and stretches, Jane got them ready to rock out some new moves. As the school year had only started, the young teacher could try out a bunch of fun new steps on her kids. It was her favourite time of the year especially when her Juniors couldn't wait to show Miss Isabella what they'd learnt at the end of each class. As Jane was showing her Juniors how to booty pop, she noticed a girl about her age rush into the studio only to stop dead at the sight of the eight, nine and ten year olds.
"Keep going guys, remember to bend your knees" Jane chuckled as she left her kids to practice and made her way over to the girl who seemed to grow more and more impatient with every second "You look a little lost"
"One cannot be lost if they have arrived at their desired location" the girl with the golden hair pulled into a tight bun spoke very matter of factly. She didn't seem at all amused with Jane's first statement "This isn't Miss Isabella's Advanced Classical Ballet class scheduled to be held in Studio One. This is Studio One".
"Uh that would be my fault" the brunette chuckled "Izzy and I swapped studios when more kids joined my class than I first expected. I forgot to change it on the timetable. The ballet class is up in Studio Three"
The blonde didn't move.
"Right, uhm, if you go back out past the reception desk and down the hall, the stairs are on your right. Studio Three is at the top of the stairs"
Without any acknowledgement, the blonde spun on the heel of her pointe shoes and disappeared from the room. Following her to the door, Jane watched the honey blonde with the mesmerising green eyes race up the stairs until she was out of sight.
"Why are the beautiful ones the biggest snobs" Jane sighed softly before returning to the class.
To those close to Jane, it was no secret that she was attracted to women rather than men. She often felt like she'd known her whole life but a spark-less encounter with baseball jock Gabriel Dean in the tenth grade and a heated moment at a party with fellow dancer Riley only confirmed it. Despite her admiration of the beauty of some of the Advanced girls at BCDA, Jane never acted upon any feelings until she was 100% sure the feelings were reciprocated. The last thing she needed was to get slapped around again for making a move on what turned out to be a very homophobic girl. She had enough on her plate to worry about.
"Looking good Mighty Mites, take a drink break and then we'll get started on a little routine you can show Miss Isabella at the end of class"
Jane found an upbeat remix of Beyonce's 'Love On Top' on her iPod and got the kids to do plenty of booty popping in their little mini dance. Loving how the kids really got into the routine, Jane too was excited to show Izzy what they'd been up to. Isabella loved to see what every class were up to, it gave her ideas of what to do for their mid-year and end of year showcase performances.
Once her Juniors had shown Izzy their mini dance, Jane watched them all leave before packing her own bag and heading out of the studio. She got to disappear upstairs for the rest of the afternoon to sweat it out in her own Advanced Jazz and Hip Hop classes.
"Oh hey JC wait!" Isabella called from the hall as she saw Jane start to ascend the stairs "Are you joining my Advanced Classical Ballet class tomorrow afternoon?"
"Oh I don't know Iz…"
"You promised" the older woman insisted. Sighing softly, Jane knew Isabella was right. Jane had promised to get more involved in ballet once again and take class more often than once every few months like she had been doing. The discipline and extra training could only help the teenager prepare for her possible future in a disciplinary and highly physical career.
"Alright fine, I'll be there"
"With a leotard and tights"
"Don't push it" Jane laughed as she turned on her heel and made her way up the stairs. Pressing herself against the railing as the girls from Isabella's Advanced Classical Ballet class that afternoon were coming down the opposite direction. Jane caught the eye of the beautiful honey blonde from earlier and smiled politely. At least acknowledging the brunette's presence, she nodded once before following the others out to the parking lot. Like before, Jane watched the girl until she was out of sight still mesmerised by those enchanting green eyes.
XXXXX
Maura looked back into the studio as she reached her car only to see the beautiful brunette had disappeared. Disappointed, she slipped into the backseat with a soft sigh. She wished her whole interaction with the girl before her class had happened very differently. No doubt she'd made a terrible impression with the brunette probably thinking the worst. Maura was already socially awkward without adding a new city, a new dance studio and a new found acceptance of her homosexuality. She had a lot going on her in life and she couldn't help but feel like it was all boiling toward the top ready to explode.
"Good afternoon, Miss Isles. How was your class?" Ivan, Maura's driver asked with a kind smile. As much as Maura would have rathered driving herself to and from school or dance, her mother had other ideas. The teenager knew she'd have to do a lot more convincing before she could have the kind of freedom she craved. With her parents rarely home even now they had all moved back to Boston, Maura had a great deal of freedom already. She just wished that she had the restrictions and freedoms of normal teenagers not the opposite like she seemed to have.
"Please Ivan, call me Maura" she sighed softly "And it was good. Mother chose a great ballet school"
"Sorry Miss Maura" he chuckled as the teenager glared at him playfully for still calling her 'Miss'. Not being so formal with her would take some time after being trained to always be respectful and professional. The rest of the ride back to her home that was way too big for Maura's small family went by silently as Maura's thoughts returned to the brunette from the studio. There was just something about that girl, her unruly black curls and oversized sweatpants that she just couldn't get out of her mind. Maura couldn't help but think how useless it was to dwell over that girl when they didn't even know each other.