A/N: Once again, another chapter :) I'm not sure how long it took, but I'm sorry if it was too long.

Don't we all miss the days when I was able to update on regular bases?

Anyway, I don't actually have much to say. I'm impressed by the amount of response I'm getting for this story. When I first started typing I didn't think that many people would be captured by this story. SO thank you all for the reviews.

One of these days, I'll get to around to answering some of them :)

Now, you can go and read the chapter.

Enjoy!

The following week was more of a drag than I would have expected.

Not being able to jump around in tights with the rest of the crowd didn't particularly upset me but it was annoying me to no end that this time I wasn't sitting at the side because I wanted to.

On the bright side though, Leah really did lend me her crutches so that I could at least move around although, after the first day they were quite unnecessary. It wasn't like I had a broken leg or anything.

Also, it was quite pleasant to have Leah around.

Just like me, she had to sit at the side for the lessons for another week or so before she got an all-clear to be twirling around again.

Sadly, she wasn't in any of my dancing classes so I couldn't even pass the time by talking to her.

I did, however, sit with her during all the meals and got to know a few her senior classmates.

No matter where Leah was headed, someone would always come up to her to say something completely uninteresting.

Leah didn't look like she cared much about the attention, then again she did like the reactions to her hair.

To say that everyone was surprised would be a huge understatement.

Apparently, she even got thrown out of one of her classes and had to report to Madam Esme's office because of it.

Leah didn't tell me what Madam Esme had said, but it seemed like it was alright for her to leave her hair purple as long as it was tied up during classes.

Leah was even a tiny bit disappointed that there wasn't more 'fighting' involved.

I could only shake my head at her when she had complained.

Other than Leah making my free time more entertaining, nothing worth mentioning really happened during the week.

One of the seniors volunteered to substitute as Edward's partner for Pas-de-Deux and he even seemed to be quite happy about it.

At the end of the week his ranking had gone up and he looked like he was quite content. As for my rank, it was still somewhere down below- but better than it was in the beginning.

I didn't really care much about the ranking anyway, but part of me wanted to burn that stupid list. I knew fully well that I could be just as high up as Edward. Finding the inner motivation for that was hard though. So after I survived my week as a disabled person, I went back to dancing classes.

Alice was, of course, ecstatic and rambled on and on about the 'special chemistry' between Edward and I. Truth was there was no chemistry whatsoever. Since Edward's rank was up in the sky again it seemed like his ego was aiming for that as well.

He was pretty damn determined to have the same kind of dancing experience with me as he did with the substitute. I was having none of that though.

"Isabella, just once you could let me lead in the right direction," he hissed into my ear.

It was Tuesday morning and I was already in a bad mood. Dancing with Edward had already been a catastrophe the day before and it didn't help that yesterday's gymnastic hour had been horrendous and painful once again.

For a brief moment I had been happy- mainly because Leah was in our gymnastics course- but Madam Esme took good care that all the positive feelings within me were destroyed. So it was really no surprise that I was not in the mood for Edward's rough handling the day after.

Okay, maybe he wasn't exactly rough, but that boy did not know how to compromise.

After having danced with that ridiculous senior girl, he seemed to think that I was just as easily influenced as she was.

"Mademoiselle, grand battement and then four steps to the left. Not five and not three...Four! And what did I say about the arms? Another battement and then again four steps forward. A pirouette afterward, battement à droit et a gauche, pirouette, another grand battement- not petit, I said grand- staying in position and then the working leg can slowly move downwards.

And monsieurs, you are supposed to catch the foot with a bow. You don't even have to catch, she will be moving it slowly into your hand. So stop grabbing legs out of mid-air. Also, I am not happy with those sloppy fouettés. Fouetté, big steps and pull your partner along, then comes the jeté and..." Madam Cope interrupted her rant with a sigh and rubbed her temples. "Really, all you have to do is lead her directions. Subtle touches and not drag her across the dance floor. It is only an illusion of you being the guide. You have to pretend to be steering her in the right direction and at the same time leave some room for her movements. You can do little corrections if needed, but if I see Mr. Cullen yanking on his partner one more time..." she trailed off and another sigh escaped her.

I couldn't help but grin smugly. Even Madam Cope noticed Edward's incompetence.

"Okay, let's try this again."

Everyone in the room let out mutters, but no clear complaints were to be heard. We all got back into position and waited for Madam Cope to count us in.

"Un, deux, trois, danse," she instructed.

I threw my right leg up, just like we were supposed to. Although, I was quite certain that something went wrong there. I felt a push against my leg, did a half-twirl and fell.

"Stop," Madam Cope, all but yelled.

I turned around to stare at Edward.

Obviously, his stupid fouette had interfered with my beautiful leg throwing.

"What the fuck?" I hissed as I got back on my feet.

He had knocked me down pretty good and I just knew that this was going to leave a bruise on my calf.

"Can't you even do a battement?" Edward hissed right back.

"That's what I did, dimwit. You should learn to keep your distance when people kick their legs around."

"That was everything but a grand battement. It looked like you were trying to swat a fly with your foot."

"Then you can wear the tutu and do it better."

"No problem, anyone can do it better than you."

"You know-"

"Enough!" Madam Cope yelled, making us both flinch.

I stepped away from Edward after realizing that I had stepped closer to him during this little spit fight.

"Ms. Swan, he is right. You need to straighten out your leg a lot more and it needs to go all the way up. You and I both know you can do it in your sleep, you're just not concentrating enough. Ballet is not about throwing limbs around."

I frowned at Madam Cope's scolding and frowned even more at Edward's triumphant expression.

"And Mr. Cullen," his grin fell, at Madam Cope's sharp tone, "You will have to stop hovering around her and staying to close. She is capable of dancing and it's not your job to control her movements. You're her support not her puppet master. Both of you need to sort out your problems. While one of you has to relax a bit, the other one is too relaxed."

Madam Cope shook her head.

"Class dismissed," she declared just when the bell rang.

I gathered my stuff quickly and stomped out of the studio right away. Of course, Alice and Rose were quick to follow me.

"I think we all really annoyed Madam Cope today," Rose observed in a bored voice.

"You know, she's right about you and-"

"Shut up, Alice," I cut the pixie off, just when she started speaking. "I don't wanna hear that boy's name for as long as possible."

I don't even know why I was fuming. Maybe because, he treated me like a toy or it was the fact that he was an arrogant asshole. Didn't matter which one, I was positively pissed after that class.

"If the whole class keeps messing up the beginning of the dance, we're not gonna be able to dance the routine in time," Rose mused.

"In time for what?" I asked.

"In time for the Four Season Ball in Chicago," Rose said calmly.

"Excuse me, what?" I shrieked. I abruptly stopped walking and looked at the back of Rose's head in disbelief.

Alice put a hand on my shoulder.

"Rose, you can't just drop information on her like that," she said almost accusingly.

Rose turned around with a roll of her eyes.

"The Four Season Ball is an event hosted by the four biggest Ballet schools in the country. It's every year and each year another of the four hosts it. This year Dance de Volterra hosts it and they are in Chicago. We have a little performing thing, a formal party and a few days of joining forces. Nothing special if you ask me, but half the school goes crazy over it," Rose explained with a shrug.

The warning bell sounded then and we had to hurry to our next class.

At Lunch, I simply decided to ask Leah about this Ball thingy.

Leah already sat at the table, looking at a magazine in front of her while eating.

"What's up with the Four Season thingy?" I asked her as I sat down.

Rose and Alice were behind me, as per usual. It was almost a rue by now that the four of us sat together. Although, Alice joined the boys every now and then. Rose couldn't be bothered most of the time.

Leah looked up with a grimace on her face. "It's a snobbish event we all have to endure during our time here. Nothing to get all excited over."

I stared at her with a blank expression. She sighed and explained further.

"The juniors and seniors are shipped out in the middle of November to whatever school is hosting the Ball. It's called Four Seasons because someone must have had a major crush on Antonio Vivaldi. It's kind of the theme. Our school got the Fall for this year, so we prepare routines for it, fly over to Chicago, perform and let the spoiled kids from the other schools talk shit about us. Then we watch their routines, laugh at them before we go back to the hotel and enjoy the minibar. We'll be there for about a week or so. Depends on what they are planning to do this year. We usually make it through a bunch of dancing classes as combined schools, although the teachers try to fancy it up and call those dancing 'workshops'. At the end of this entirely unnecessary experience the hosting school throws a party- excuse me, a ball- for us and we pretend to be sipping on juice while we really sneaked in some champagne. After that, you grab a random person in the crowd, find a secluded spot and make out until it's time to get back to the hotel. Next morning you get up early, hung over and exhausted, and everyone flies back here. Simple as that."

"Wow," I breathed out, after that long explanation. "Rose's version was much shorter."

"That's because Rosie has never had to go. Neither did Alice."

I looked at Alice and Rose in question.

Rose didn't seem to be paying much attention.

"Only juniors and seniors go and not even all of them. They pick the best courses to go. Anyway, it's our first year," Alice explained.

"Don't be too excited, those other schools are full of bitches," Leah complained. "Not to forget that the girls suck too."

"Any stories to share?" I asked her with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, something about sneaking champagne and making out?" Alice pressed, her eyes glowing.

If you asked me, that girl was slowly but surely turning into an alcoholic.

Leah only waved her off though. "Nothing special. I wasn't even involved in all of it. I was too busy letting out my bad mood on everyone in close distance, so I didn't get involved in much of the secret society stuff." She shrugged.

"Well then, make sure to be in a good mood this year," Alice instructed.

Leah saluted lamely and turned her attention back to her magazine.

We all continued eating. Well, all except Rose. I hadn't said anything to her yet, mainly because I didn't know how to approach this subject. I did however notice that she was not in the best of moods these days.

Not that I was ever at the receiving end of her bitchiness.

After lunch, we made it through the rest of our classes. It was a drag. While I was getting used to the routine at the Academy, I was also wondering if it was possible to die of boredom. It had to be possible, because I was feeling pretty close to death. The again, I should just be thankful for not having to endure some weird drama- although Edward did make life complicated enough.

The day passed without anything interesting happening and soon I was in my bed, sleeping only to be woken up again.

Another day in twinkle town, I sighed.

I was so not looking forward to dancing with Edward. Before that was going to happen though, there was still breakfast.

"Morning princess," Leah greeted, joining me just before I stepped into the cafeteria.

"Morning, witch," I grumbled back at her.

"I see that the sun is shining out of your ass once again," Leah sang as she filled her tray with different fruit salads.

I copied her and responded with a shrug.

"I'm just not looking forward with having to deal with that snob partner of mine," I muttered.

Leah giggled at that as we made our way towards the table.

Alice was already sitting there, doing her homework like she usually did at last minute. I really wondered what kept her busy all afternoon and evening not to be doing it then.

Actually, I knew what she did and it was really nothing.

"Morning, Alice," Leah and I chorused.

"Where's the Queen Bee?" Leah added.

Alice looked up. She looked a little worried.

"Rose had to go the nurse this morning. She's been having stomach pains all night and wants to get some painkillers."

"How did that happen?"

"Well, she ate my complete chocolate stash last night and has been puking ever since."

"She ate?" I gasped in surprise.

Both Alice and Leah turned to look at me in confusion.

"Oh, come on. Don't give me that look. Didn't you guys notice that she wasn't eating these past few weeks?"

"Who isn't eating?" Emmett's voice boomed.

I jumped at the sound and watched with wide eyes as he sat down at the table.

Since when was he capable of sneaking up on people?

"Your girlfriend," Leah replied darkly.

"So where is Rose?" Emmett pressed.

All of us three girls exchanged a look. Good to know that he knew we were talking about Rose. But we had more important things to concentrate on.

"Up at the nurse's," Alice told him then.

"Is she okay?" Emmett promptly asked.

Alice shrugged. "We'll see."

We all sat in silence for a moment.

"Maybe you guys should have an intervention for the kid," Leah suggested after a while.

"What if it's not necessary? She might have just been feeling a bit under the weather the past few weeks and didn't tell us," Alice suggested.

I threw her a sceptical look.

Alice sighed. "At least let me talk to her first, before you all accuse her of something."

Leah and I shrugged at the same time.

"Fine," we chorused.

"So, let's talk about something more cheerful," Emmett said.

"Can't think of anything," I commented.

"There is nothing cheerful going on in Forks," Leah added.

Emmett made an almost scandalized face. "Of course there are. Just take Pas de Deux class, for instance. Edward and Bella manage to brighten the day each time with their bickering."

I could only groan at that.

"I'd love to see that," Leah sighed dreamily. Then she perked up and looked around the room as if she was searching for someone.

I watched her with curiosity, while trying to figure out what she was up to.

She whipped out her phone from her school bag and quickly swiped her fingers across the screen. Then she looked up again- this time I noticed that she was looking at someone.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, when her phone beeped, announcing a text message.

Leah made a dismissive hand gesture and shook her head.

"Nothing, nothing," she muttered.

I looked at Emmett and Alice, in hopes of getting an answer but both of them just made the same confused faces.

"Hey Em, what are you doing here anyway?" Alice asked the big bear casually.

Emmett grinned at her.

"Just felt the need to hang with the cool chicks for a change. I mean, Jasper and Edward are fine but I prefer less hairy girls."

Alice just rolled her eyes at him.

Having Emmett sitting with us was actually quite refreshing. He was a goof, but at least a funny one. He continued to joke around throughout breakfast, lightening the mood a bit.

Eventually, the bell rang and we all got up and shuffled over to our classes.

Leah parted ways with us and wished me luck.

I was fairly certain that she meant the exact opposite, so that she would have something to laugh about when the others told her about it.

When we stepped into the dancing studio, we were instantly greeted by an impatient Rose.

"Enduring Irina early in the morning is pure hell," she hissed as she stomped up to us.

Sure enough, only she and Irina had been in the studio until now.

"Why didn't you just join us in the cafeteria?" Alice asked her.

"I figured that it would be too late and you would already be on your way here," she shrugged.

"So what did the nurse say?"

At that Rose's scowl only deepened.

"She didn't say anything. She was on the phone and just handed me some painkillers. I don't know what the hell she is getting paid for."

Alice looked at me as if she was trying to figure out what to say. I couldn't really help her with that. Rose certainly didn't seem like there was anything wrong with her. In fact, she and Emmett found something to hiss at each other once again.

I didn't even know what it was- I had been too occupied inspecting Rose.

"Obviously, the day God let brains down the sky you opened an umbrella," she snapped at Emmett.

"That's rich, coming from a blonde," he laughed.

Until this day, I wasn't sure what the deal was between those two. So instead of staying in the dark forever, I pulled Alice aside.

"What is it with these two?"

"Huh?" was Alice's intelligent response.

I waved my hand at the bickering couple. "Rose and Emmett. Why are they always jumping down each other's throats?"

Alice's eyes widened in understanding and then she let out a high-pitched laugh. She even doubled over with laughter, letting me stand there and stare dumbly.

When it seemed that she had gotten it all out of her system, she wiped tears out of her eyes and finally answered, "They like each other but they are too proud to admit it."

She giggled.

I could only arch an eyebrow at that.

"You're not trying to tell me that this is some kind of foreplay for them, is it?"

Alice straightened herself up again and shook her head.

"Not exactly. Well, to an extent maybe. You see, about a year ago Emmett had this major crush on Rose and asked her out. She said no, she had been kind of hot for someone else at the time. But Emmett, who is never easily discouraged, kept insisting and she kept rejecting him. It went on like that for months.

Then the Four Season Ball came up and our school was hosting it. So obviously, we saw some of the students from the other schools and we all went to the big bash at the end. Anyway, one of these girls captured Emmett's attention and she asked him to go to the Ball with her. Emmett said yes, most likely figuring that Rose wouldn't go with him anyway.

Rose on the other hand was waiting to be asked by someone, but no one did. So she thought Emmett could be her Plan B and sadly she told him as much. He got pissed and told her that he's not her toy and that he already had a date. Then Rose got pissed at Emmett for having a date and ever since that day they have been pissing at each other."

Whoa- I didn't expect a romantic comedy. Okay, maybe the comedy was missing. Probably more of a romance novel for teens.

Without the happy ending.

"So basically, they both can't get over themselves and just make the first step. They bruised each other's egos and with egos that size, it's never a good thing. Maybe one of these days they'll get their act together."

Alice sighed dreamily.

"You know, instead of standing here and gossiping you could have worked on your dancing skills," I heard someone mutter.

Edward just passed by, shaking his head at us.

Alice and I both rolled our eyes at him, but followed him to get ready for class.

It was Friday morning and I was sick and tired of classes. Even more than usual. Our entire Pas de deux course just downright sucked. No one got anything right.

Surely, it didn't help that Edward was still a control freak and insisted on controlling my movements but we weren't the only ones who kept getting shrieked at by Madam Cope.

Leah had been enjoying this news the entire week and as she just so proudly announced at breakfast, she will be joining us for today's class to 'get the live version'. She somehow managed to pull some strings that landed her in our class for the day, helping Madam Cope with the teaching.

Right now, the two of them were busily discussing something, while all of us stood there and waited for them.

Eventually, they turned back to us.

"Alright, we are going to try this again. Ms. Clearwater will go around and give each of you some pointers."

The music started up again and we all did the now all-too-familiar steps. Leah walked from one pair to the next adjusting posture, commenting or just shaking her head.

I could tell that she was enjoying this. Not because she loved to share her knowledge with other people, but because she got off on being superior on others. She hadn't exactly told me that, but that smug smile on her face was just too prominent.

To think I was actually friends with this girl.

My thoughts were interrupted by Edward pulling me to the right. He wasn't harsh or anything like that when he did it, but being on platforms, it's not exactly the nicest thing to be pulled into another direction without knowing.

I stumbled backward, but Edward easily caught me. Standing straight, I whipped my head around to glare at him. I wasn't even surprised that I found him doing the same.

"What the hell are you doing?"

We both yelled at the other.

"Me? I was doing fine until..."

We both trailed off. It was just too weird to be talking (well, more like yelling) in unison.

"You were going into a completely wrong direction," Edward burst out before I could get my point across.

"So it's okay for you to just pull me into the opposite direction? I'm not a fucking doll," I hissed back at him.

"I wouldn't have to pull you anywhere if you were doing it right," he snapped back.

"You know—"

"Mr. Cullen and Ms. Swan, how many times do I have to tell you that I do not appreciate this kind of behaviour in my class?" Madam Cope butted in.

I rolled my eyes at that. She had been telling us that at least three times a day.

"If you cannot behave, I will have you both removed from Pas de Deux with absolutely no chances to ever see the inside of this studio again," she continued her rant.

While I found it only mildly frustrating, since this wasn't my fault, Edward looked like the world was about to end. Madam Cope turned to Leah, who was nearly shoving her fist down her throat to prevent herself from laughing.

I just shot her a dirty look.

"Ms. Clearwater, maybe you have a decent idea."

Madam Cope must have been close to some kind of mental break down if she was already asking a student for advice. Leah forced herself to stop laughing and straightened her face.

"As a matter of fact, I do," she replied and then shot a dirty look at me. "Just let those two perform a solo section in the song. In the first of part of Fall there is some slowing in the music."

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

"How will that solve any of my problems?" Madam Cope asked her in disbelief, probably thinking the same as I was.

Leah was crazy.

"In the entire class, Edward and Bella are the most uncompromising pair. It throws the others off. With those two fighting all the time no one really concentrates as much as they should-" queue agreeing nods- "If you make them the lead of the dance, they will have to put in extra training sessions and it might help for those two to be taught without a classroom full of people. They might even work out their differences."

Madam Cope made a thoughtful face, while I made a horrified one.

Me? Lead dancer? With Edward? Fuck this, I'm going to jail.

"What about the rest of this bunch?" Madam Cope made a disdaining hand gesture at the class.

Leah just shrugged. "Great leaders have a great army... or something like that."

Madam Cope nodded thoughtfully and her gaze zeroed in on me and Edward.

I really wanted to stomp out of this room and declare my defeat. This was it. I was not going to continue with this nonsense. I never signed up for being in the spotlight and most certainly not with Edward. It was already enough to get back on stage. What the fuck happened to 'One step at a time'?

"I like-"

"Excuse me, we're looking for Leah Clearwater," a deep voice barged in.

The door had just opened and two people stepped in. My chin hit the ground. My heart stopped beating.

Two sets of eyes surveyed the crowd and then got stuck on me.

Two wide grins.

"Heya, princess," Jacob and Seth chorused.

A/N: Love? Like? Hate? Tell me in a review.

I know that some of you expect there to be a lot more dancing, but I tend to try to avoid it... I just don't know anything about dancing. Don't even ask me why I started writing a dancing fic then :P

So yeah, I know I can't avoid it forever but let me have some fun before I have to start endless research again- hich will probably be the case in the next chapter.

I was always wondering if I have any readers that are dancers. If there are, tell me in a review :)

So that's it from me for now, I have more stories to type for.

Until next time

*Star*

P.s: Special thanks to justareaderfan, who is always a very busy bee. I love her for being able to take some time for my work :D