My whole life I’ve been an outcast
floating through the school halls, alone, a pariah
rejected by all, loved by none.
I was that weird kid the jocks picked on because I was always listening to classical music,
or going to ballet class—
“weird” was the kindest name they called me.
But they never saw me dance.
Never saw my grand jete, legs in a full split high off the ground.
Never saw my fouettes, as fast and agile as any move they ever made on the football field.
Never saw me lift a girl high into the air in a pas de deux.
I was just as strong as them.
Stronger.
Their taunts haunted me all through high school and college. I hear them again as I stand waiting for the curtain to rise.
I have made it
and they have not.
Their college careers are over.
I am in a prestigious ballet company, one of the best in the world.
Tonight is the night I make my debut.
Tonight is the night I silence the critics forever.
Tonight is the night I prove myself. If not to them, at least to me.
The curtain rises, and I dance.