Hello everyone! This is my first fan-fiction, so let's see how it goes! Standard disclaimers apply- I don't own Billy Elliot. Enjoy! :)


Billy smiled at the letter. Only two more days. Then he would finally go home. It wasn't that Billy didn't want to be at the Royal Ballet School. He recognized that he was lucky to have gotten in, and that it wasn't cheap to be there, either. Every day was magical, and he was certainly living his dream, but he missed his small mining town. London was a great, big, beautiful city, which could be overwhelming sometimes. He needed a break from the constant noise. And home meant seeing Dad and Grandma and Tony again. And Mrs. Wilkinson, he couldn't wait to show her what he'd learned. And Debby and the other girls in his old ballet class. And Michael. He'd finally get to see Michael.

Michael had written the letter Billy was holding, which he had already read at least ten times. Billy's eyes lingered on the last line. I can't wait to see you, dancing boy. "I can't wait to see you either, Michael." Billy whispered. The door creaked open just then, and Billy set down the letter.

"Oi, Billy! We're going out for coffee, wanna come?" Billy's friend and roommate, Nathan, invited him.

"Aye!" Billy put Michael's letter in his bag, and left with his friends. The walk to the coffee shop was short, and accompanied by loads of laughter and conversation. Nathan, Zara, and Emily had become some of Billy's closest friends during the time they had been dancing together. Their shared love of ballet immediately gave them something that they had in common. After getting to know each other, they realized that their personalities clicked. Nathan was loud and outgoing, almost like Michael, but not nearly as cute. Zara had a great sense of humor, and would make fun of herself and her friends constantly. Somehow, she managed to do so without ever hurting anyone. Emily was quiet and cared about her studies. They would joke that she was the mom of the group, always making sure that everyone followed the rules and did what was best. She was American, and it was funny to see her accent mix with those around her. Billy's geordie accent, and the London accent that weaved its way through Nathan and Zara's voices were all a stark contrast.

Once the group of four arrived at the coffee shop, Zara ordered their drinks while the others found a place to sit. They decided on a small table in the corner.

"So, are you lot ready for break?" Nathan asked. Billy had only been at the school for a short time, but Spring break was already approaching.

"Definitely," Emily replied. "I love dancing and all, but I'm ready for a few days off. And I have written enough essays to last me a lifetime. This is a much needed vacation."

"No kidding about the essays, they're a load of shite," Billy added. "I'm excited to go home, too. I want to visit my old ballet teacher. And I'm thrilled to be able to see Michael again."

Just then, Zara came back to the table and started passing out drinks. "Ooh, did I hear someone say 'Michael'?" She gave Billy a playful punch on the shoulder. "Dude, you have got to learn to control that crush. Does he even know you like him?"

"I don't know. We haven't actually talked about it since I left. I mean, it's not really something that's easy to talk about through writing. We'll probably talk over break."

Nathan felt the need to add his input. "You better. Doesn't he still think you're straight?"

Billy sighed. "I don't know that, either. I mean, when he kissed me-"

"He kissed you?"

"Just on the cheek, but yeah. That was kind of how he told me he was gay. I told him that liking ballet didn't make me a poof, and that was really the end of the conversation. But then I kissed him before I left, so hopefully he got the message."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck, my friend." Nathan said. Emily gave a sympathetic smile. The conversation shifted after that. They talked about school, homework, plans for break, and every other thing they could think of. Throughout the conversation, Billy tried to forget about Michael. After all, his new friends were there to support and listen to him. It was only fair to give them the same respect.


After about an hour, the group decided to go to the library to study for their exams the next day. There was more studying and homework at the Royal Ballet School than Billy had ever experienced before. When the people at the audition said they expected excellence, they certainly weren't kidding.

"What did you guys get for 13?" Emily asked, after the students had been working for several minutes.

Billy gave her a look of shock. "You're already on 13? You must be a fucking genius to have gotten that far."

"Thank you for noticing." Emily smiled. I did some last night, though. I'm not that fast."

The group continued to work until Billy declared that he'd had enough. "Do you guys want to work on pirouettes or something? I mean, we are here to dance, aren't we?" Nathan agreed, but the girls wanted to stay, Emily insisting that she only had a few more pages she needed to read for her history class.

"You go on ahead. We'll join you in a few minutes."

Nathan and Billy walked to the dance studio, leaving the others behind. "So, any plans for break?" Billy asked, trying to start a conversation. When he was with Michael, it always seemed to flow naturally. Even though Billy had great new friends, he couldn't say the same about them.

"I don't think I'm really doing anything exciting," Nathan sighed. "I hated my old bloody dance teacher, so I won't be visiting her. She didn't like me either, said male dancers were weird."

"My dad thought the same thing," Billy said, remembering when he first discovered his love of dance.

"Yeah, my parents don't really care. I told them I wanted to be a dancer when I was really little. My older sister was doing tap, and I was fascinated when I saw their recital. They were fine with it. My sister quit the next year."

"Why?"

"She just got into other stuff. Can't stay focused on anything. I think she does tennis now."

"Oh." Billy didn't know what else to say. He liked Nathan, but wished he was talking to Michael. He was more comfortable with Michael. They'd known each other longer. They understood each other.


After a few awkwardly silent minutes, the boy's walked into a slightly crowded dance studio. Classical music was playing quietly. The large room had a mirror on one wall, and several barres on one side of the wide open space. The other was left clear, with plenty of room to dance. It was one of the many practice rooms, but Nathan's favorite. Billy had tried to ask why several times (the rooms all seemed basically the same to him), but Nathan had always said that the preference was something he couldn't really explain.

They started by warming up with some partner stretches. Nathan was more flexible than Billy, a result of his years of experience. Still, though, there's only so much a small child can be taught. Both boys were at the school to improve and learn from the instructors and each other. Next they did a few demi-plies and releves, before extending to full plies. They practiced first through fifth positions and some arm movements before finally deciding they were ready to start.

Just as the boys were getting in to position to practice a routine they had been working on, Emily and Zara walked in. While they warmed up, the two girls watched Billy and Nathan. "Straight legs Billy!" Zara shouted.

"Well if he isn't, how do you expect his legs to be?" Nathan joked. Billy rolled his eyes.

"Only kidding, friend. On a serious note though, you shouldn't be bending your knees. It looks incredibly sloppy."

"I know, I know." Billy knew it looked sloppy. That was one of the first things he'd been taught. He heard Mrs. Wilkinson's voice in his head. You have to concentrate. You're not even trying. He pictured himself doing the routine flawlessly. You can do this. Do it for Michael. This is the reason you left him. It better be good.

"You know Billy, I bet you're distracted because you're so busy thinking about Michael." Zara teased. Billy denied it at first, but Zara gave him a disapproving look. Billy admitted that maybe he wasn't completely focused.

They tried the routine again, with the girls joining them. Billy really tried that time, and they managed to go through all they had learned without stopping. The friends agreed that it was one of their best run-throughs. Nevertheless, they did it a second time. At the end of the second time, they found themselves in a competition to see who could do the most pirouettes in a row, which Billy won, although Emily was not far behind.

Afterwards, the group decided to practice one of their older routines that they all already knew by heart. Billy felt the electricity pounding through him as he danced. His favorite part was the pirouettes. Near the end, he had a solo, and did as many as he could. In that moment, he felt as though he were truly flying. He felt a smile spread across his face involuntarily while danced with his friends. He lifted Emily after she did a leap. When they had first started learning, he was afraid he would drop her, or miss catching her completely. Eventually, those fears had faded. Catching flying girls became the most natural thing in the world.

They continued dancing until dinner. Then they stopped for a quick meal in the dining hall and went back to the rehearsal studio directly afterward. After another half hour, the four friends were the only students left practicing. Zara proclaimed herself too tired to continue, and lied down in the middle of the open area.

"I'm done. Goodnight."

Emily laughed. "That reminds me of when I learned how to do grand jetes. My instructor would lay down like that and have us all leap over her."

"Really? Me too." Nathan said. Billy felt his face heat up. His friends all obviously had so much more experience. He'd only been dancing for a few months.

"I don't care about how you blokes learned to do grand jetes! It's too late at night to be discussing such things. I am trying to sleep."

"Zara, it's 7:30." Billy said.

"Then 7:30 is my bedtime."

"We have been working for a while. I think I'm ready to call it a night. You guys?" Emily looked to Billy and Nathan.

"Aye," Billy said. "I should study more for exams tomorrow." Billy had never been very studious until he started classes at the Royal Ballet.

"There's really no point in staying if you all want to go." Nathan led the way to the door.

Billy noticed Zara still on the floor. "Are you alright?"

"No, too... much... dancing."

"Here." Billy helped Zara on to his back to carry her to the dorms.

"You know Billy?"

"M-hm?"

"You'd be a great boyfriend if you weren't such a poof."

Billy shook his head. "Shut up."


Billy shared a room with Nathan, so they walked in together. Each of them studied on their own. Once his head became more filled with thoughts of Michael than arithmetic, Billy decided to pull out Michael's letter.

Dear Billy,

It sounds like you're having a lot of fun at dancing school. Your friends seem like a lot of fun. Especially Zara. I'm okay, but I really do miss you. Sometimes I wish you never left, but I know that you're doing what's best for you. I don't have too many friends, but sometimes I hang out with Debby. She fancies you and never stops talking about it. Sometimes it's a little annoying. I haven't told her that you're coming back to visit. I guess you can just surprise her. Anyway, I'm excited for you to come back. Maybe you can teach me some ballet again. We could even wear tutus! I know everyone says they're just for lasses, but, hey- What the hell's wrong with expressing yourself? Me mam caught me wearing one of me sister's dresses yesterday. I don't think she was pleased, but I don't care. She's a bloody idiot anyway. I hope you're really having a good time at ballet school. I can't wait to see you, dancing boy.

Your best friend,

Michael Caffrey

The choppy collection of sentences never failed to make Billy smile. Not because the letter was a happy one, but because it was written by Michael.

"Is that from Michael?" Billy jumped a little when he heard Nathan's voice behind him.

"Aye."

"You really like him, don't you?"

"Aye. He's been my best mate for years. I can't wait to see him."

"You fancy him?"

Billy looked up at Nathan. "Of course. He's adorable. Not just in looks, but personality, too."

"Well," Nathan said. "Only one more day."

"Yeah," Billy repeated. "One more day."


Thank you so much for reading this. Please, please, please review. I'm a little worried that this moved too quickly, but this chapter is just setting the stage for the rest of the story. On a different note, you will definitely see Michael in future chapters. I just noticed that there wasn't much fan-fiction exploring Billy's time at school, so I wanted to start with that. Thanks again!

-Ferocious Fangirl