Stephenie Meyer owns all TWILIGHT characters. The names "American Ballet Theatre" and "ABT" are registered trademarks of Ballet Theatre Foundation, Inc.

Though I've done as much research as possible regarding the ballet world, please know that I have taken some liberties for the purpose of entertainment.

CHAPTER FOUR
BALANCE

"Dance is a delicate balance between perfection and beauty."
~ Anonymous ~

"Good job today," Angela said from above. Bella looked up, pausing her motions, and smiled at one of her roommates.

"Thanks." She turned back to her practice pointe shoes and wrapped the ribbons around them carefully. Delicate and already beaten up, the shoes needed to last at least another three months before she felt comfortable asking one of her parents for money. Maybe she'd start using her show ones since she wouldn't be performing for a while.

Bella stood and pulled a thin, long-sleeved shirt from her bag to slip over her head. Despite the warm air outside, she didn't want to get sick and the drops of sweat from rehearsal were already disappearing, thanks to the air conditioning blasting throughout the building. Slipping on a pair of flats, Bella rocked back and forth on her feet, her muscles tightening up slightly. She looked down at her outfit and sighed; in the back of her mind, she knew she should have taken off her tights and leotard but it was late, her body was sore, and she wanted to return to the apartment for a long sleep.

Angela waited for her and Bella gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry. You don't have to wait for me."

"It's okay." Angela shook her head. "It's kind of nice to get along with a roommate now."

Hefting her bag over a shoulder, Bella began walking with Angela, waving to a few of the other dancers. "How long have you had a roommate you didn't get along with?" she asked.

Angela let out a loud laugh before ducking her head in embarrassment and clapping a hand over her mouth. When she lowered her arm a few seconds later, a smile lingered on her lips. "Leah and I have been roommates for over a year already. She's not bad but she keeps to herself most of the time. Claire was our third roommate last year but she… Quit." Angela said the last word as though it tasted bad.

"Quit? After how many years?"

"A lot," Angela said with a shake of her head. "But all the companies told her the same thing – she was too short. She couldn't stand it anymore. I wouldn't be able to stand it either."

That time, Bella was the one who let out a laugh. "Yeah, well, I don't think you'll have that problem ever."

Angela smiled but it was sad. She knew it was true – her height of 5'8 would never stop her from joining a company but there were other obstacles in her way. When she realized Bella was looking at her in concern, Angela quickly said, "Yeah, that's true. My height won't be my downfall."

"I doubt you even have a downfall," Bella said with a chuckle. "They kept using you as an example in the last class. I mean, they love you."

"Except Edward," Angela mumbled. It weighed heavily on her that Edward was critiquing her far more than any of the other choreographers and teachers. While the others complimented her frequently on her lines and extensions, Edward dissected every bend in her limbs, every point of her finger. More than once, he had commented – with a sharp tongue – on her demeanor.

"Yeah, well, he's just one of many," she said carefully. She had heard Edward's tongue-lashing earlier and couldn't help but be glad that the words hadn't been directed at her. "His opinion is important while you're here, sure, but for all anyone knows, what he thinks won't really affect your career."

"Is that how you truly feel, Isabella?" The voice was smooth, almost amused, as it cut into the conversation.

Bella's eyes shut tightly. "Oh, fuck."

Behind them, Edward chuckled darkly. "It's a good thing ballets are silent; that mouth of yours could do terrible damage to a performance."

"My mouth never got any complaints before," Bella snapped out. Two seconds too late, she realized what she said and how it could be perceived. "Damn it."

"Touché," Edward said. He let out another laugh, this one a bit happier than the first. "And how was the first day?"

Bella glanced at Angela, who looked down at the floor quickly. Wanting to fill the silence quickly, Bella blurted out, "It was harder than I thought it would be. It's so much more work than I've ever done before."

"Hmm," Edward hummed as he raised an eyebrow. "And Angela?"

"It was good," she replied weakly.

For a moment, Bella felt uncomfortable with the way Edward kept staring at Angela. When he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder in a friendly gesture, she was confused; this was Edward's first time helping with the program so they couldn't have known each other well. Edward's next words washed away the uncertainty.

"Angela, you are a good dancer. In fact, you're a wonderful dancer and that is why I push you. I've seen you dance for years now and you've only gotten better with the years and experience. But you're missing one thing and I tell you this every time I see you. There is no life in your eyes when you dance. It's as though you dance because you have to, because it's expected of you." He gave her a pointed look. "Dance for yourself and no one else, Angela. If you don't, the audience knows that."

Angela's lips parted as though to say something but she didn't speak. Instead, she looked away from Edward's probing gaze until a fourth voice joined the conversation from down the hall.

"Edward!" Jasper came down the hallway, walking at a brisk speed. "Thank goodness I caught you before you left. A word?"

"Rehearsal in 40, Jasper," Edward reminded him exasperatedly. "I'm still clocking the performance hours here."

"You can spare me ten minutes," Jasper said with a roll of his eyes. He turned and walked back down the hall.

"The boss calls," Edward said. He squeezed Angela's shoulder. "Think about what I said." He nodded toward Bella. "Ladies," he said as a farewell before following Jasper.

When they were alone again, Angela pressed the button to call the elevator. She felt Bella's eyes on her. "What?" she asked self-consciously.

"So you and Edward know each other?"

"Yeah." She looked over her shoulder and saw Bella's raised eyebrow. Immediately, Angela made a face. "Ugh, not like that. I mean, he's hot, sure, but he's like my brother." As they stepped into the elevator, Angela continued. "My mom? She used to be a dancer. Well, she wanted to dance professionally but it wasn't meant to be."

"Is that why you dance?" Bella cut in, remembering Edward's words.

"Partly," she admitted. "Anyway, she works at SAB – you know, where Edward trained for a while. They feed into NYC Ballet and Edward started there. My mom took him under his wing even though he didn't really need that. I think part of her wanted him to take an interest in me, or me to him."

"Not for either of you?" Bella asked as they walked down the hallway and into the warm air. They walked at a brisk pace toward the apartment building that was used by the school.

"No. Edward's a good guy – a little too intense for his own good but he's not for me. He…" She trailed off a bit.

"What?" They waited at a corner until the lights changed. "He what?"

"Edward doesn't date dancers. At least, that's what I've heard. He's pretty clear-cut about dating girls who are in the same company as him but I've heard that he won't date any girl who's a professional dancer."

Bella frowned. "Well, that's strange, isn't it? I mean, this is his whole world. Where else would he meet someone?"

"Anywhere!" Angela laughed. "The girls fawn over him everywhere he goes. When we go see Giselle, you'll see – the girls in the audience are practically drooling by intermission… And the stage door and gala afterwards?" She shook her head and looked up when they approached their building. "He wouldn't have a problem getting a girl anywhere and well, I can't blame him about the no-dancer rule, you know?"

"How come?" Bella couldn't help but ask. She felt like a little gossip.

Angela shifted and leaned against the railing that lined the steps to the front door of the building. "If I asked you what you loved most of all in this world, what would you say?"

"Dancing," Bella replied automatically. "My family… Friends…"

Angela gave her a small nod. "You answered dancing first."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, if you had a boyfriend – do you have a boyfriend?" she interrupted herself. Bella shook her head. "Well, if you had a boyfriend, don't you think it would suck if you answered dancing before him?"

Bella shook her head again, adamantly this time. "Okay, but wouldn't that be a reason to date a dancer? Then he – or she, I guess – would understand that it's a different type of passion." She paused and bit her lip. "Hey, Angela?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you love?" When Angela didn't answer, Bella started to apologize but Angela stopped her.

"I love Ben," she said quietly. "We've been dating since I was 15. I love my mom even though she's pushy as hell and I love my father and my two brothers." She stayed quiet and after a few moments, cleared her throat. "But you… You really love it, don't you? You love everything about it. I can see it in your eyes when you talk and in the way you dance in class."

The smile that formed on Bella's lips was wide and genuine. Her eyes sparkled. "Yeah, I love it. I want to dance forever."

Thank you to oOza for her beta work, and fanglang & artisticwonder for pre-reading.