This is the final part of the story. The sequel, "Dancers Within." will be posted in a couple of days. Thanks to Patricia Allen again for proofing. I've been trying to attach a photo to go with the story, but seem to be technology challenged,

Chapter 15

"I can't believe they wrote that on his locker," Claire said as they were waiting for their class to begin.

"What was written, where?” asked Ava Perez, who was another student in the class, but went to a different school.

"Someone wrote Ballerina Boy on Kyle's locker at school," Beth replied.

"In hot pink marker or paint and Kyle couldn't get it off," chimed in Emilee. "His face turned red, you know he was really embarassed."

"Do they know who did it?" Ava asked.

"A couple of guys named Paul and Chuck," Olivia said. "They were giving him a hard time after our class at school the other day."

"But they didn't get in trouble," Beth said. "No one saw them do it."

"How is Kyle taking it?" Ava asked.

"He probably would have been doing better if he had some support from some of his guy friends," Emilee said. "Even Justin and Alex told him that's what he gets for taking ballet..."

Things got silent when Kyle emerged from the dressing room.

"What's up?" he asked, noticing the girls were all staring at him.

They all couldn't figure out what to say when when Ava blurted out..."We were just saying how cute you looked in your tights."

Olivia elbowed Ava and the rest of the girls gave her a strange look.

"Well he does!" she said with a laugh and sort of embarassed at not coming up with something better to say.

"Okay ladies and gentleman, it's your turn," Madame Kathryn said as she opened the classroom door and let out a group of younger girls that included Kyle's, Beth's, Olivia's and Claire's sisters.

They were a little surprised to find a reporter and photographer coming into the class after them.

"This is Susan Ames, she is a reporter from the Gazette," Madame Kathryn said. "This is Linda Chavez, her photographer. They'll be observing the class and taking some pictures. Kyle and Olivia, I need you two to stay a little bit after class."

Olivia gave Kyle a puzzled look as they lined up at the barre. Kyle shrugged his shoulders. Neither had any clue what was going on.

"Ok we'll start with plies in first position," Madame Kathryn said as she demonstrated the exercise. "I want two demis and a grande with a reverse port de bras, then we'll port de bras forward and back."

The class started as it usually did. Exercises with tendues, degages, frappes, ron de jambres, petite battements, developpes and grande battements followed.

Madame Kathryn did her usual, watching each one of her pupils as Madame Marie called it, a proud mama hen making sure each of her little chicks did the excercise correctly.

"Kyle, point your foot," she said, correcting him when he was doing a tendu.

"Emilee, your knee needs to be a little on top," she said during the developpes.

Her students tried not to be distracted with the flash going off every time the photographer took a picture.

"It's good training for each of you," she said assuringly. "You have an audience tonight."

It made some of the dancers a little nervous. For some strange reason, it seemed to get the adreneline flowing for Kyle. It inspired him to work harder.

After stretching at the barre, they went to the centre to do an adagio. While some of the students were wobbly and had a hard time keeping their balance, Kyle actually seemed to perform it with what seemed like ease and drew praise from Madame Kathryn.

The same thing happened during jumps. Being the only guy in class, it was a time when he could impress them with his power and he got elevation, much to everyone's amazement.

"Are you sure you've only been doing this for a few weeks?" Olivia asked him.

He nodded. It made him feel good to receive that kind of complement from her. She was by far the best dancer in the class.

They finished from the corner with chaine turns, pique turns and worked some on waltz turns. His turns weren't quite as clean as Olivia's or Claire's, but he felt they were coming along.

He wasn't the only one in the class making progress. Beth and Emilee were also progressing pretty well.

They were all a little surprised by the applause they received when they finished the class with their curtsies and bow. It was from the reporter.

"That was very nice, all of you," Madame Kathryn said when it was over.

"Fritz, Clara, I need you over here," she then said to Kyle and Olivia and pointed to the little stage off to the side of the room.

Chapter 16

His secret was no longer a secret.

He awoke on the morning the newspaper article came out to see his mother clipping it out and putting it in his scrapbook.

He overheard his mother talking to his dad on the phone. His father went ballistic, totally embarrassed to see his son in a large picture, dressed in tights in a partnering pose with a ballerina.

He hoped his son would be a football, basketball or baseball star. He was afraid of the kidding he would get from his friends and co-workers since the word was out his son was a dancer.

"But he has a chance to be a star on the stage," Judith Thornton said, trying to calm her ex-husband down.

"I thought it was a very good story," she told Kyle. "You and Olivia did such a good job. I'm so very proud of you."

"Thanks mom," Kyle said, appreciating the reassurance.

He wasn't just concerned about his dad. What will the kids at school think? Maybe they didn't read the story, he thought.

Any chance that students at school would miss the story went out the window. Kyle saw the bulletin board at school titled "Our Stars,” which highlighted stories on students.

The story, the picture, the whole works were on the bulletin board. It was also on the bulletin board in some of the classes he had.

And someone, he had no idea who, taped the photo of he and Olivia right under the words Ballerina Boy on his locker that he tried get off the other day.

"Look at the bright side," his friend Justin said. "There's a picture of you holding the best looking girl in school."

Kyle actually appreciated the words, especially after the words Justin and Alex said the other day.

"Well, you dancing does take some of the heat off us," Justin said with a laugh. "We're geeks. We're used to being picked on. Since word got out you were taking ballet, they've sort of left us alone."

"Thanks a lot," Kyle said with a laugh. "That really makes me feel better."

"Well you know what I mean," Justin said. "Besides, we sort of miss you hanging around. You've hardly got time for us since you're dancing all the time."

"Sorry about that," Kyle said.

"Does it really mean that much to you?" Justin said.

"You know it really does," Kyle said.

The final words of the story actually kept Kyle going through his dad's disappointment and through the kidding at school."

"Kyle is really progressing for a student in his first year," Madame Kathryn was quoted as saying in the story. "He and Olivia both have the potential to be among the best students I've ever taught."

Just then, four of his "ballet buddies" as Justin called them came walking up to his locker. It was Beth, Emilee, Claire and Olivia.

"You know, it really does kind of grow on you," Emilee said of the decoration on his locker. "Instead of trying to get rid of the words and the picture, why don't you make it your own?"

"Yeah, I mean you're proud of being a dancer, aren't you?" Claire said.

"Yeah, I am," Kyle said.

"Well then, we'll help you really decorate it," Olivia said. "And we'll decorate our own lockers just like it."

"What if someone comes back to try to mess it up?" Kyle asked.

"We'll just beat them up ourselves," Claire said, pretending to flex her muscles, which brought laughter from everybody.

"Kyle, I do have to admit, your dancer friends are pretty cool," Justin said.

Chapter 17

Olivia called the Nutcracker "a huge deal."

After going through a few of the rehearsals, Kyle was beginning to see what she meant.

There were costume fittings. There was the task of pulling dancers from four different studios together for a performance, not to mention pulling different acts together.

Dancing was only a part of what was going on. His part also required a good amount of acting. What direction he was supposed to go was important, as when he was supposed to be on the stage.

He also saw, in Madame Kathryn's words, "the method to the madness." He began to notice the steps they practiced in class being used in the dances that were being performed.

Kyle was also amazed by the skill of the dancers, especially the ones helping out from a company.

"He's really good, don't you think?” Claire asked him as they watched the man playing the role of the Sugar Plum Cavalier.

"Uh, huh," he said.

"One of these days, you'll dance that role," Olivia said, draping her arm around her friend.

"And one of these days, you'll be the Sugar Plum Fairy," Claire said to Olivia about the role one of their teachers was performing.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Kyle said.

"I think she's incredible, too," he said watching Madame Marie practice her role.

"You can tell she's a good dancer when she's teaching us in class," Olivia said. "But we don't get to see how good until now."

There was a lot of waiting and watching on Saturday. The Nutcracker was a family affair for Kyle and both of his friends. All three of their mothers were guests in the party scene, and Kyle had to admit his mother was a pretty good dancer.

Their little sisters were all playing small, cute roles.

"Are we ready to go?" His mother said when all were done.

"Kyle, you did a good job today," Madame Kathryn said when they were leaving.

"She asked me if you were interested in a little private work after class a couple of days a week," his mother told him. "She believes you're really talented."

Chapter 18

They were just glad to get out of school as they loaded the van.

They were going on a field trip. The note they carried home the night before instructed them to bring "their dance clothes" if they had them.

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Kyle whispered to Olivia.

Olivia and Claire shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads.

"We have no clue," they said.

The van ride took about a half-an-hour, with Miss Arceneaux telling the van driver which way to turn.

They finally pulled up to a building called the Wilson Community Center.

"Everybody get out," Miss Arceneaux said. "I'll find out where we can change."

A gray-haired lady held the door for them as they walked in and pointed to the locker rooms where they could dress.

"We're really glad you could bring your class, Marie," she said. "The children are really looking forward to this."

After they dressed, the followed their teacher into a very rustic gym with portable barres. Waiting on them were several elementary-age children.

"We had 58 sign-up for the clinic," the woman told Miss Arceneaux, who explained to her students that they would be helping with a dance clinic for low-income children.

Before they started, Miss Arceneaux went over the basics of a ballet class with the children and the dress code, which explained the reason why her students were asked to bring their dance clothes.

She then went over a few routines at the barre, using her students as examples. Miss Arceneaux then asked each of her students to help the children as they went through basic steps at the barre and in the center.

"See, I told you ballet isn't for girls," the gray-haired lady told one of the few boys who attended the clinic as she pointed to Kyle.

"This is fun, isn't it?” Beth whispered to Kyle before showed the children one of their combinations.

"You know, it is," he said.

Kyle was then surprised when Miss Arceneaux told the children they would show then some simple examples of a pas de deux.

She then called Kyle and Olivia to come to the middle of the gym.

"This is Kyle's first year in ballet, so this is new to him, too" Miss Arceneaux told the children. "But Olivia is an old pro with working with a partner."

She walked her two students through a couple of basic moves, much to the delight of the children.

"You know, I think you're a natural," Olivia whispered with a little bit of laugh. She could swear she could see her inexperienced partner blush.

The clinic ended with the gray-haired lady telling the children they would be going to a performance of the Nutcracker for free in about a month.

"And some of these students will be dancing in it," she said.

They were there for most of the afternoon, but it only seemed like a few minutes to Kyle.

Madame Marie told her students she was very proud of them for working with the children.

As they headed down the road, Miss Arceneaux's cell phone rang.

Kyle didn't know it, but life for him was about to change.

"That's too bad," he heard his teacher.

"What is it?" a curious Claire asked.

"Michael's mom was in a car accident," she said. "Michael broke his leg."

She then looked at Kyle.

"You just went from Fritz to being the Nutcracker prince."

Chapter 19

It wasn't like Kyle to miss class or a rehearsal, not with the Nutcracker so close.

Olivia tried to reach him by his cell and found that it wasn't on. She tried calling his house, but the line stayed busy.

She insisted that her mother drive her over to his house. She was sure something was wrong.

"I'm sure there is some explanation," her mother said. "I'm sure you're overreacting."

Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Mom, Kyle is a dedicated dancer and he has such an important part," she said. "He would never miss unless something was really, really wrong."

They both were stunned as drove down the street and saw the police cars with their lights flashing parked at the Thornton’s house.

"I told you something was wrong," Olivia said as her mother parked the car.

They saw Kyle's mother standing at the door talking to a police officer. She had a black eye.

"I'm sorry Judith, should we leave?” Olivia's mom said.

"No, it's ok, Abby, you can come in," she said. "We were just finishing up."

"We'll let you know when we find him, ma'am," the officer said. "We'd advise that you and your children stay somewhere else until we do."

"Thank you," she said. "We'll find some place to go. You have my cell number."

Olivia and her mother found out that Kyle's family had another secret, which had nothing to do with him taking ballet.

Kyle's father could be abusive when he drank. It was one of the things that led to his parents' divorce.

"He had gotten better," Kyle's mother told Olivia's. "But this was the worst it has ever been."

He had come over to the house drunk and got into fight with Kyle's mother. Kyle took his sisters over to Beth's house. He went back over to the house after Beth's mother called police.

He saw his father strike his mother and he lunged at his father to protect her. His father then hit him and fled the house when he heard the police was coming.

Olivia didn't know what to say when she saw her friend sitting on the couch with a black eye and a fat lip.

He looked up and had a faint smile when he saw Olivia.

"How was rehearsal?" he whispered,

"Well, it wasn't the same without you," she said. "Madame Kathryn seemed really upset you weren't there, but you shouldn't worry about that."

"Olivia, help Kyle get his things," Olivia's mother said. "They're going to be staying with us tonight."

"I'll go get the girls things if you can go get the girls over at the Cokers' next door," Kyle's mother told Olivia's mother.

Olivia went to Kyle's room and helped him pack his clothes. He seemed really quiet.

"Where's your dance bag? We’ve got class tomorrow" she said.

"It's over there, everything is in it," he said, pointing to his closet.

They crammed into Olivia's mother's minivan. The police felt it best if Kyle's mom left her car at the house, just in case his father tried to look for them.

Kyle was amazed as they pulled into the driveway at Olivia's house.

"It's pretty nice," he said of the two-story house that seemed like a mansion compared to where he lived.

"Kyle can bunk in the den," Olivia's mother said. "Olivia will show him where the air mattress is."

He helped her put the air in it after she got it out of the closet.

He then looked around the den and saw a picture of Olivia wearing a tutu sitting in her father's lap.

"That's a special picture," she told him. "It was after my last recital before he died of cancer."

It made Kyle realize he wasn't the only one who has had a tough life.

Chapter 20

"How is he holding up?" Claire asked Olivia as they stretched before class.

"Good considering," Olivia said. "They arrested his dad last night. He set fire to their house. They've lost everything. They're going to be staying with us until they get back on their feet.

"Sort of makes what my family's going through seem really small," Claire said.

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked.

"Dad's being deployed to Iraq for the third time," she said. "He's leaving after Christmas."

"At least he'll get to see you in the Nutcracker before he goes," Olivia said.

"Hard to believe it is only two weeks away," Claire said.

Just then Kyle entered the classroom. He sat down next to Claire.
She put her arm around him and gave him a hug.

"I think it’s so cool you stuck up for your mom," Claire said. "You stood up to your dad, that's very brave."

"Yes it was," a familiar voice said. It was Madame Kathryn. "Welcome back."

One by one, the other students entered class.

"Ladies and gentleman, we have much work to do," she said. "The Nutcracker is only two weeks away."

It was an intense class. Madame Kathryn incorporated some of each of them were supposed to in the Nutcracker in the class. She scrutinized their every move.

Even though he kept quiet most of the class, Kyle enjoyed being back. It made him feel free. Dance got him away from his troubles.

"Very nice, Kyle, you worked very hard tonight," Madame Kathryn said. "All of you did tonight."

"Olivia, Kyle, hurry up and get changed," Olivia's mother said the students filed into the lobby. "Your mom is taking your sisters shopping for clothes. Olivia and I are taking you to get some clothes."

Kyle hurried and got dressed, putting on his jeans and shirt and putting his tights and shoes in his dance bag.

He and Mrs. White waited until Olivia and Claire emerged from the girls' dressing room.

"Mom, can Claire come with us?" she asked. "I think she needs some cheering up."

"Sure, what's going on?" her mother asked.

"My dad's going back to Iraq after Christmas," Claire said.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mrs. White said.

"Um, before we go, Kyle, put your hands over your eyes," Olivia said.

Kyle was puzzled, but did as his friend said. He was curious as he felt Olivia put a necklace around his neck.

"You can open them now," Claire said.

He looked down to see a golden necklace with a cross. It was identical to the ones both Olivia and Claire were wearing.

"Thanks," Kyle said. "But you didn't have to do this."

"Yes, I did," Olivia said. "Claire and I got ours after dance camp last year. To us, it symbolizes God is protecting us."

"He's also protecting you," Claire said as they climbed into Olivia's mother's van.

Chapter 21

"Pretty intimidating isn't it," Olivia said as Kyle walked on the stage at the theater.

He didn't realize the place was so big during dress rehearsals. The seats, his friend exclaimed, were going to be filled on opening night.

"Yeah it is," he replied, not entirely knowing what to expect.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," she said.

"Easy for you to say, you've done this several times," Kyle said, knowing that Olivia had danced roles in the Nutcracker since she was very small.

"I still get nervous," she admitted. "But there is something magical once you get on the stage."

"Time to get ready, you two," a voice said from the wings. It was Miss Areceneaux, wearing a robe and a towel on her head.

She put her arms around both her students and gave them words of encouragement.

"You'll both be great, I'm so very proud of you," she told them.

"Madame Marie, we're so looking forward to seeing you dance," Olivia said.

"Why thank you! Now go get ready," Miss Arceneaux said. "Kyle, can I walk you to your dressing room?"

"Yes ma'am," Kyle said.

"So how do you feel about this?" she asked. "You've been through a whole lot with your dad, with your friends at school."

"I am a little nervous, and kind of excited, too," he said as they walked down the hall. "I'm really glad I'm doing this.

"You'll be fine," she said, trying her best reassure him. "You've come a long way from the day you walked into my exploratory class."

"Can I tell you something Madame Marie?” he asked. "Promise you won't laugh?"

"Sure, I won't laugh," she said.

"Claire said you're like my muse…" he said. "That day when you described the class, it really made it sound magical. I'm glad those other classes were filled."

She hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"That's really sweet for you to say," she said. "I'm glad to be the muse who awoke the dancer in you. After what your dad did to you and your mom and all the bullying you took at school, I was afraid that dancer was going to go back inside."

"Well he didn't," Kyle said. "Ballet has sort of been my refuge."

"Well, promise me you'll see how far that dancer can go," she said. "You've got a lot of talent. I'd love to see you dance in New York as a principal of a major company."

Kyle blushed as he opened the door to his dressing room, one that he shared with the real male stars, the guys who were dancing the real star roles of the sugar plumb and snow cavaliers.

Sitting on the dressing table was a vase of flowers with a note attached.

"Break a leg Kyle, love Beth and Emilee," it read.

It was kind of ironic. Maybe his friends weren't thinking about what happened to Michael, he thought.

But he also wished they were there to share the experience with him.

Chapter 22

Kyle's heart leaped when the orchestra began to play. It was almost time to go on.

His butterflies felt more like eagles when the party scene began. He immediately calmed down when he saw Olivia and Claire going at it on stage as Clara and Fritz.

They were very good. Of course, they've played the roles before.

He couldn't help but smile at his mom in her role as a party mom in the scene. His sudden interest in ballet also seemed to awaken the dancer in her, one that was buried long ago.

She seemed to be having so much fun on stage, as did Olivia's mom, who played Mrs. Stahlbaum, and Claire's mom, who was also playing a party mom.

He felt a couple of arms wrap around him as the scene played out.

"It's almost your time," a voice whispered. It was Madame Kathryn.

The scene played out just as he remembered when he saw it as a child. Fritz broke the nutcracker. Her Drosselmeir fixes the nutcracker. The party scene comes to a close.

He looked down to see his little sisters, dressed up as mice for his big scene.

Then it was time to go on.

He didn't focus on the crowd, like he was afraid he was going to. He seemed to relax as he got into his sword fight with the Mouse King, also known as Lucas, the only other boy left in the production after Michael's accident.

Lucas seemed to relish the role and almost got a little zealous. Then with a little help from Clara…aka…Olivia, he was able to defeat the oversized rodent.

He and Olivia performed their dance. It was simple, but to him amazing. She was to him an incredible dancer.

The rest of the performance went by pretty quick. It was also, in Olivia's words, and his long ago, magical.

"Wow, how can they do that?” he whispered as the two watched the Snow pas de deux, careful not to make it obvious he was talking to her while they were on stage.

The Arabian and Russian dances, they were fun to watch. They were so cool and so athletic.

He was impressed with Claire during her dance in the Waltz of the Flowers and tried to keep from laughing during his, Olivia's and Claire's sisters next big scene, popping out from Mother Ginger's skirt. It was made even more funny that Mother Ginger was played by Coach Rickard, the head coach of the high school football team.

There was no whispering, no attempts to laugh during the Sugar Plum pas de deaux. Olivia elbowed Kyle when Madame Marie reentered the stage.

Stunning, mesmerizing, incredible.

Kyle couldn't think of enough words to describe the dance of his teacher and her partner, who was equally an amazing dancer.

He understood the thundering applause and the shouts of "Bravo" from the audience. He imagined a time when they would be for him and Olivia, dancing in those same roles as their friend Claire predicted.

He also couldn't believe the applause for him and Olivia when they were brought back on stage for their bows.

It was one of the greatest feelings in the world.

It was a feeling he didn't want to end.

He was mobbed by Olivia and Claire once the curtain closed.

"You guys did so good!" Claire said.

"Us? You were pretty good yourself," Olivia said.

"Especially during the Waltz of the Flowers," Kyle said.

"I thought you all did great," said Madame Marie, who carried a bouquet of roses from her performance.

"Oh, we paled in comparison to you," Olivia said.

"Did we tell you we're honored to be your students?" Kyle said.

"You're just saying that to get an A in English," she said with a laugh.

"Oh no, he's not," Claire said.

"Kyle, we have something for you," Madame Kathryn said walking up to her performers. "All of the other teachers and I chipped in to get you this."

She handed him a plaque.

It read:

To the most courageous dancer in the Parksburg Nutcracker. The Parksburg Ballet Society.

He suddenly found himself surrounded not only by his friends and his teachers, but his mom and sisters.

"Did we tell you that we are so very proud of you?” his mother said.

He really didn't know what to say. It all seemed surreal.

"Just don't let it go to your head," Madame Kathryn said in a stern voice. She smiled and winked.

"We've still got a lot of work to do," she said.

The End