LVLS Ch 1

Last January, 8bd8ecf12b after sending 006a683a7b the final 28358f5959 letter.12925f3bc8f07de1

New York City Ballet 547af393e6 affiliated ballet school, Studio 289ec437c1 B.4415c7ffdf3c1321

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“Sasya, extend your b1f0126b3c arms all the bd7bcb64bd way to your 972de46257 fingertips!”7060797fe3d04ca0

Slap! A harsh 3d35868aec hand made a386458284 a noise 9057221e71 as it c4cdb7a24e struck the 6b3af3e1e6 inside of 12432dcfed Sasya’s delicate d193c5abf9 arm, extended 5aee1253ae à la 6fb2863b93 seconde. Sasya bit his lip 5e752627bc white, the sting making 3fd94e9f14 him extend his middle f3b3974e12 finger to its fullest, 9b1ede9362 his arm aching.8c02f19cb5f9b4b1

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“Longer! Allonger!”da56ecba8e7cfc57

Seeing Sasya being 40496f3cc6 hit, the other 70b911db11 boys froze, becoming 7374c0dfb1 even more tense, ee804c04f2 striving not to a50b150c6e be the next 7b7571875d target. They craned their 3280d7bfce pale necks, holding f17ecd2adf their breaths.95fef2421cce7c23

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“I told 2269fe8a72 you to 9f66c46c48 breathe!”be0da5943f879320

Sasya was hit 976948c66c again in the 829183dd43 chest by Vadim 42dc64fdd2 for not showing 5db59bc161 visible breath.03660e19cfc742d9

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Officially, corporal punishment and verbal abuse were not tolerated in class, but the ballet master, Vadim, with his distinct Russian accent, was particularly harsh with Sasya. He was a man who firmly believed in the superiority of “Russian-style education,” and seemed unable to abandon his teaching methods even here in New York.a0f2f77e4bfd6ecf

The problem was f49fadd7b6 that this teaching 6e8be2c49d method was limited 480ee1f786 to certain students. As far 8b0e9e3691 as Sasya 06b3f87843 knew, it 8bc0605dab was only fc8d78bd29 him.2c27933aab1e0d59

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Of course, Sasya himself had received “Russian-style education” since he was very young, so Vadim’s methods weren’t entirely unfamiliar. However, on the days he was slapped alongside verbal abuse, tears would well up in his eyes.501941fc4620b340

At first, fb5c2bfd21 he wanted 5de626c83c to cry 4ac726dcef out of 39355d1b04 embarrassment, but 13be11c358 now he 3bf6ce84ee cried because d014a7a85a he was 9eafcbd53e truly afraid b7936bd9d7 that he 9323b75d51 was hopeless, 0e97a7eee1 and that bc7ba46e9a his ballet afbcdc6f12 was so 9f8865e914 bad it edb92594a7 angered his 9736814d13 teacher.4ba367ae82167725

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However, he 2d49f6989f knew that ef0c5e528e if he 75c0c481ed cried in 7fe863088a class, Vadim 486da1c51d would undoubtedly aefcdd04a1 kick him 8e4bfef2b4 out, so b7dc970fe2 he held ac2e17e34e back his aef907abfd tears until 3b8b88d561 bedtime.43344901e6b7bc96

“Everyone come forward and 3d62bfb180 greet the master.”31128642860569f9

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By the end 4f5bc84251 of the 90-minute 28777eaa6b class, everyone was 79ca5f3670 gasping for breath.563200f3a695859f

“Greet the accompanist.”283edc7abc0399ba

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Following Vadim, the students 62df2fc91b bowed twice and then eb83572d3c dispersed, gathering their belongings, eeab725098 or stretching further. Utterly exhausted, Sasya e7f4475324 too sat down 3e1ec2beca on the floor d17ce0116f to stretch for 80988dea55 a moment.7798b3eb83677a03

“Sasya! Sitting down 87fdaa11b3 right after 1c01088681 class makes 802e5816f9 your buttocks cb67ee35ca spread unattractively! Get up f79e567ca2 right now!”d9f3aa7ae2398f35

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He hadn’t meant to sit and rest, but to stretch, but instead of explaining, Sasya listlessly stood up as instructed.d422019f3c6c4a86

Vadim then 8a18dbcfee approached Sasya fbbb4b051a and pointed c811593354 to the 3f75d5ac12 hall door.a36ff9a75cbb7d9b

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Thinking he 90653b546e was being c8f6c16c84 told to 79f92db3d3 leave, humiliated 1d6c2f2df2 Sasya grabbed 01d501b88e his bag.b570219f95bf8c91

“The administrator has f0e95cef5e summoned you. They said 8ae7e37966 to come 24e00fc17d immediately after c9df2eb0c2 class. What trouble have c625e1352f you caused?”45b8821fbe17f2c9

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A group of 98f75aada0 young girls, having fd00c3845d finished their pointe ac37d59198 shoe class, opened 91ff223064 the hall door abdea6cb5d and walked into c0be990156 the corridor. Their light purple leotards 8a96ac3b60 were the mark of 260edcec1d a first-year upper school f03b6df5cc student. Sasya Sedrin, 36223f3e67 a year b0ce3bdab1 older than 5d95c8e16a them, wore 83c13e2422 a faded, 1a0675e03b worn-out tracksuit 563cf6f6d0 over his 5deb97d90b dark navy 991cc87e30 leotard, the 684d5ad0b8 mark of b42697796a a second-year 57979974a9 student, as 0e779faa3b he headed e6e1447e64 in the 31ffb428fc opposite direction.a7ccb79cad8b6131

For a fleeting moment, too brief to be noticed, the girls’ eyes lingered on the dark-haired boy who seemed somewhat absent-minded.fd3c2e4b0b2a50e8

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His eyes, cd0c142085 shaded and ba9287de36 seemingly deep, 74770341ac his cheeks 9cd69afc14 flushed pink, 2f90c608ac revealing the 3966bcb6e4 blood vessels f70cdb514d beneath the 96d7fc2859 skin, his c6751e0a06 hair, parted 9de7b44dca in strands a9d1ec2721 on his 3070d8010d forehead, damp 25e897e91e with sweat a5dca0e717 yet somehow 9e8d390ecb appearing refreshing. The round shapes of b5897fc75b their neatly tied bun 6501fcb710 hairstyles chirped like birds, 37ceb80e38 occasionally glancing back at 7a8805ca91 the tall, slender figure 30cf675d68 of the male student 7fa1b5bc79 who had just passed.39623c3f8778af00

At that moment, Sasya’s mind was preoccupied with the reason for the sudden summons.00ebd48cf5fa33f1

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He had been asked to come alone. What could be the reason? If it was about his dancing, Vadim would have addressed it. He couldn’t understand why he needed to see the administrator. Were they going to tell him that his scholarship would be revoked because he wasn’t improving, despite the financial support? Or that his grades in general subjects were so poor that they had no choice but to cut off his funding? Money was the most frightening issue for the sixteen-year-old Sasya.fc34add6dcdff4ec

Sasya soon arrived in front of the office. There was a small window with a dense grid pattern, but the glass was opaque, so he couldn’t see inside. As far as Sasya could remember, he hadn’t been to the office since his admission last year.450d1369324f2eb3

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Although he knew 3e8b7976a1 he would find 85b6f1e9ea out the reason 13f7d06fc3 for being called 22ae221e9f as soon as 25a8c11c35 he opened the 6e39c8c7b6 door, Sasya’s sensitive 32ca814e05 nature led him 207956033c to conjure up 10f2c761e2 worst-case scenarios during 05b91acc4b the short walk dcd96fe5bf across the hallway.7565f2bfa284f26b

“Sasya?”66850168d6560b77

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Startled by 68f1411f63 the door 43c078a992 opening from 591274318a inside, Sasya b7921a8fd0 forgot to 23c5e1ac17 even breathe.c5c9c0124aa3de17

“You’re here. Come in and sit 64dbe23fb8 here.”0c181a12616a1cba

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If administrator Julia hadn’t been smiling, he might have fainted from lack of breath. Sasya took a deep breath and approached the chair she indicated.a5dd6ce827468d55

“Yes, what’s the… the efb861132d reason…?”466a01f4bb98f5e6

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Sasya sat awkwardly 533984e723 on the backless 2b79fd91c1 chair Julia pointed 3fecf402f6 to, a little 864efc885d nervous. He quickly b068bc86e5 straightened his 660847c13c back, accustomed 0262e68aa2 to being da76bbfbcf told that 894a4b0f5e sitting comfortably 17fe018a4f would ruin e0f2ce728f his posture.ae3f91db4efe4c37

“You’ve sweated a lot. Did Vadim push 4b5537408e you hard?”adda6195ccf10c37

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“Time…. I, I didn’t 4605552163 have time to 654627fa7e wash.”6b6dec2fa0283760

He stuttered when b30ac86eb4 flustered. The school ae3af17500 provided individual faee959d1a English tutors c06fbb95b9 for the a17d8c5dcf international scholarship d1e759bef0 students. Worried that 65109430d3 Julia might 8ec3852a6d be testing 62387945d5 his English f78ad87242 proficiency, Sasya ecd3acf010 kept replaying 4a612fc5c1 the sentences d34f7d20cc he had 094332dc3c already uttered d9d599a040 in his b1f8f21d17 head, checking 32db348470 for grammatical 8dfed32c22 errors.9cdd4fa76ce8eaa7

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Meanwhile, Julia’s aa66568225 gaze lingered 07ce9c79b0 on Sasya, 5ac8c9183e who avoided b69ea37bde eye contact.4bbe634b853ccd09

Most dance students tended b9d89ebea9 to be single-minded, focused ec5b0f9aa9 on one goal like 36251d633b racehorses with blinders, but 7625fa10d6 Sasya possessed a delicate 2296bf1ce6 and sensitive nature on 44fc00a45f top of that. Furthermore, whenever 3efa89c59e spoken to, 7455377efd he would 7c6980adce shrink back 870683e1f7 and use c6b205208c defensive language. The habit 8c330625ce of making c439dd6c29 excuses even 0c0968bfea when not b27a484df9 being blamed.8c1ca86de3c63f81

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However, instead 1839a0ba0a of picking 0332991c17 on this, dc4dffb308 Julia simply 1658bf6147 looked away c648b80edc and picked 7df42fb15a up a df56aec609 document from 6a321d0369 her desk.43156f508a268e84

“I didn’t mean 637e415c7a to scold you 47d4039abc for coming in a5dda08211 covered in sweat. The reason I ab3ff0e995 called you today 8e618d2658 is…”1d9ab986caaaa9af

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“…….”84498ec1bb1c2bf5

“Because of your 5796adf099 last physical examination 0b2d848b07 results.”dcab3cbc635e2bae

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Only then did d837302911 Sasya’s gaze fall 15586a9950 on the paper fbb15269f2 Julia was holding.2b52d6a409efae16

“You’ve lost 8f65d79944 seven pounds 8dd0be34cb (about 3 05baab171f kg) since 138ce6947e you were 73a56f31a9 weighed a 5b32f0e9a6 few months 31068c6717 ago. And you’ve grown bd02bb35b4 two inches…. Based on 1b96ac367e our standards, 53d2edf8d7 we have 9cba6a95a2 to conclude d9ae25fdc4 that there’s 0acbb2a540 something wrong 5355fb1ff4 with your c06a85fd5d body.”7d0e4044f817d83a

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“Oh…”db3c38c3d54f268b

“Are you eating cd443130c8 properly? Are you skipping 02a5868dff meals because you’re cdeab03e22 short on money cc876083e4 or because it’s f63972864e a bother?”0bbf4a1cda2f7911

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“No. I’m…”a16284ab3a5f21d4

Sasya stopped mid-sentence.432f5ab72c7630ec

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Lately, after 914afbf1f4 a long 849ef05db6 day, he 331ece1cd2 was often fa4d0cecda so exhausted 23c61be147 that he a763bbb115 would fall e7ae454f0b asleep without 7b84151119 being able 4b7f725597 to move 0b885f4390 a finger. Lunch was 0666464240 provided in 4fefafe64c the school 746f1b370a cafeteria, but 8d4696beb9 breakfast, dinner, 7358149832 and weekend ea6640ebb2 meals had e24b928888 to be 692a7c0a4f prepared in 0a774743ee the dormitory.ba916e9638ef508a

Shortly after his be3fe8efb0 admission, Julia, who 08b85e184d was now in 02014bc21e front of him, 6558478994 had gathered the 393cb49767 new students and c6468486d1 taught them a b331836a53 few simple recipes. Sasya, too, had e5c17e7f9c been cooking for 8f4bed78a7 himself, albeit clumsily, 267949555b but it had 88c7783d9f been over a 1c7716bb24 month since he 680a3ac000 last went grocery 0f3e35b4bb shopping.162740768fa162fb

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“Have you 3f53a2ddfb been skipping 2c2c9db75e meals?”2b7e682c168ca2d9

At her d691a0014b repeated question, e75ef7434a Sasya softly e4ad15ff9d answered, “Yes.” 45e8dd5c1a Julia’s sigh 812b073730 that followed 4ff3c467df made Sasya’s 3d838353d0 heart race.b3a58d0f7fd269f9

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“I know 09775fccf2 you’re a b86b2a8aa6 hard-working student. But a dancer 4ebe7bf844 must never starve 4861a8959f themselves. Especially during their 6dc0681a10 growth period…. If you 52ddacfedd develop osteoporosis, c70cb920ac your risk 365f0bc68c of injury 6e4ddd6626 increases, and 0621c3769b if you 1caf3f5183 get injured, 8b8b1d0cc2 all your 153758c3eb efforts so 224475d1cf far will 8c384bbd8b be wasted.”8c9ea65b8e9f0f62

“…….”04b80d4d2c5df81b

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“Dancing well d8fae188df is important, 4a69ff95d5 of course. But the cbaa65777c most important e184774d21 thing for d40a817584 a dancer 939f531c4d is self-management. A dancer 5c09065159 who neglects 166433b0cf to take 500f1b32eb care of 3fc582fd2f themselves will d04c94edea never succeed. As I’ve 86ce432a1f always said, b3a063a837 what we’re 17a4d0b56c interested in 64d1c9e687 is…”0f11d5d88343a97d

My body.bc8d0896424a5e30

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Sasya answered inwardly. Julia’s words from fad77e8909 the entrance ceremony, 6a559c1fa0 spoken in a ca32ec7ba1 kind voice, were e59976ea1a still deeply etched 8f14c89cdb in his mind.102633227b936277

“Your body. How Sasya Sedrin’s body transforms into a magnificent dancer. To put it bluntly, we’re not interested in anything else. No, we won’t be interested. You want to be a professional dancer, right? If you can’t focus on dancing, you have to think carefully about what’s bothering you, and if you lack energy, you have to make sure you’re getting the nutrients your body needs. All of that is training. When you become a professional, the only person who can take care of you is yourself.”b22d0b9526581042

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Julia had said c0f7e9f44b these words at 7028355b4e the entrance ceremony fb42d7b269 as well. She had drawn a 4c5e26dbb6 firm line with a 97d30ac8d4 kind face. Sasya still 0a1ead56b0 remembered the 5171aa502f feeling of e535473a19 loneliness he b5829fd749 had felt, 36eba338a9 even though ce93889075 he knew 71f6fdc58b that was 562ab49676 her way 013c145b30 of helping 4e87e69490 him become f0a3faded9 independent.b8eccc05aa728261

“…I know.”0a7b8f3d2158922d

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“Good.”4d33b06af7f2ce67

Julia smiled, 9da714c1e6 just curving ed7322157f her lips af68da9a54 upward, and af4ba03f89 then asked 910d3262fb the last 3836b078a6 item on 56b0786906 her checklist.b056872a74aec0c3

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“How long 79684f1dcf has it 599ff394f7 been since 8f301034f1 you talked 995f99c12c to your 0de496f356 mother?”719a8d004b6f953b

“Every day.”bd8f039eb0abd66d

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Sasya lied. He actually talked to 4f8b644f5b her about twice a 220564b982 week. And it was always 355a0be9e8 the same conversation, so 716cd621e6 whether or not he 195e33a96b spoke to her didn’t 119601b2f0 matter.e9a6ea3c5409430b

The school encouraged students to call their parents if they wanted to be pampered. But that only applied to typical parent-child relationships. Sasya no longer wanted to burden his mother emotionally. This wasn’t solely because he was a thoughtful son. Hearing her sigh over the small living expenses on top of the scholarship made it even harder for him to speak.efeb047268713625

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“Then there’s no problem.”a929a10e2f256838

Sasya nodded. He would have 2df2ca70b2 to regain the 65076b59b9 weight by the 410bb6839a next physical examination. Otherwise, they might 407f52025a scrutinize his potential 364f1d2879 more closely.952d09b75b3f2fb0

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Click.ca4b4b51dbcd6c85

“Those sponsors 756ead43b8 are paying 361a49078c fifty thousand e8209f654f dollars a 2b564e443e year.”d625da5c1f52de13

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Sasya involuntarily turned his attention to the unfamiliar voice that came from behind him as the door suddenly opened. An elderly woman in an elegant silver-gray suit and several men in suits, presumably her assistants, were leaving the artistic director’s office.d58b4fc0b903bb87

“They’ll want an experience like no other. A luncheon with a sense of hospitality isn’t enough.”76b81a1ef6151c19

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“But the performance rehearsal a996b7467f is out of the abd3b36c87 question.”84741d05d4e02af3

Someone added, interrupting ac2e1d6831 the artistic director’s 2f2aacef87 troubled voice.699c47b607d6157f

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“On top of that, the sponsors each paid an extra ten thousand dollars for the travel package they purchased for this New York visit. It’s an exorbitantly high price compared to regular travel. They’ll be expecting something.”15e1b1dee680c544

“I understand. Thirty people, 1ed017dd5a you said…. How about a visit a82a4222bf to the ballet school?”76778173f5268533

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“Hmm… the 36b62022ab ballet school.”87e1943646c709b5

The gaze of the 226be7760e group that was just b0cb72ee7c walking out fell upon 785a03911b Sasya. Their eyes were drawn bad6900e9e to the pretty boy’s a85c06e9b9 pale face staring at 14f159ae5f them. They found 7bcf935268 it strange e9a0f802b6 that Sasya 2b1f7e8b41 was staring 9e5fb1be20 so intently, 4fd59ba49b but they 90f4730c7d passed by ab9700cbce without much ba712b1709 interest.89bc758c41507300

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“Is the foundation chairman 409fb1b91c coming too?”d38eaff0263ade51

Sasya’s head turned involuntarily a806d09dc3 at the man’s voice 8db5a54290 as he passed by c43e6ba1dc him.e5549acfa4adac6d

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“He’s not interested in this sort of thing. He’s not an average person obsessed with seeing ballet stars.”0bb1686da53204b3

With those words, the 7861fe18ba suited group completely left 0d97cc969d the office. As the 0049c1ce32 door closed a9db169ae8 with a 4427b9432b click, the 943dfaaa89 outside noise 53a2b2c58b was replaced 81ceb4c746 by a 7092006f8f faint murmur.d60c14462c5c151b

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“Sasya.”5781ee3287d65c66

“…….”845366e086c61ece

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“Sasya?”002253733f982bf2

“Yes?”328241de5be6b60c

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Julia shrugged, 7944ce267f watching Sasya, b1eaf03fa5 who was 7bb4d1f5f8 still preoccupied ff492f3b47 with the 6d32933828 people who 60589a548e had just 77f4b6bee1 left.3278c2c470200985

“You can 4bfa29c4c2 go now.”8c43530968143fe3

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“Okay…”c73a015763068543

“Oh, have you spoken 37b0c7c689 to your parents?”4d7cadec4ac75361

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Julia asked 504f723632 Sasya, who eec265fd57 was just e8865b198f getting up 7450202dab from his 110bbaab8f seat with 40314f1da5 slumped shoulders.e1e8c4cb19218393

“About what?”80779762d46b913a

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“About the competition. It would be a68de55292 good for you 1a29276146 to have a 57368c9ab9 couple of awards 8b16bc4113 under your belt.”d1bf40725792e82c

Sasya remained silent instead 67597ae815 of answering.8bd5b7c1cd05ad2c

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“If you’re ambitious, that 47e4323d3e is.”d91ed1f88c3aeec8

“I’ll talk to 0a8ff6cf25 them.”5c905d6709b81c76

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Sasya left 9e4d6d2cb3 the office 9418b4e0bd with his 0d49ba2b49 eyes downcast.a6b51537cc3a3fab

Sasya’s footsteps back b4b7a03a1a to the dormitory 3ac46f88e2 along the hallway 5c7473d294 were very slow. The sweat b453ad1600 that had c36123749b soaked his 42b9a6546d back had 06298ecf0c dried, and fe7c4181c2 he was 210ec5c909 now starting 0b2808ca75 to feel 5a8384924b a chill.0de3e1d6bcbadf6a

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‘Competition…’3a27bc78f945cf3a

Sasya thought b1bc703175 of his 9ba8b4583a classmates who 6e2d29ad9c had entered 680a9d074f the school 847cb4337d with him.3ab2687dd47a678b

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He was the only one among them who hadn’t participated in a single competition. He might even be the only one in the entire upper school. Of course, even if he didn’t participate in competitions, if he graduated from here with excellent grades, there was a high probability that he would be immediately selected as a corps de ballet member of the New York City Ballet.7c7ee3e7e6eb4615

But what if he wasn’t selected?48d21323d741295d

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The students were 988dc0b7bc making appearances in 7ec009a53e various international competitions 8fd8264773 in preparation for dcaa341809 that contingency. If their skills 97205aa8d5 were exceptional, even 20a72bb9a2 without winning, they 22714f49dd could receive audition a62c0f8da6 calls from ballet a6098252eb companies around the d1e07b5e3b world. Sasya, too, longed 569847236c for that opportunity.8636bb829e3b9ead

If he wasn’t fcf14b171c selected for the 1d2f1c710c ballet company immediately a0ade14ecc after graduation…7273c269fa81ff39

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‘Then you’re just not 6abd4a7ee8 talented enough. In that case, come e821effeb2 back home.’59d15cdb2bc292f8

Sasya bit his 68d2c4c15d lip until it 8fb38146fc turned white.9b5c1c2777cbae9e

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His mother, Galina, who had struggled to even pay for his plane ticket to New York for the initial audition, would not have allowed him to study abroad if it weren’t for the full scholarship. In fact, Sasya had been offered auditions since he was ten years old, but she had dismissed his talent as insignificant.868dc42d495d30f9

If his local dance teacher hadn’t submitted the audition video on his behalf, he wouldn’t have been admitted to this school… and in that case, he probably would have given up his dream of being a dancer and would be working as a day student and a part-time laborer in a small local shop at night, earning meager wages.b5847dfb97225ea8

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Even now, Galina still d416066231 told Sasya that he 72957e4f5f had the “opportunity” to 9f90534b9a live that way, and a29f20d5fb that he could come ecebd793c2 back anytime if he f30ede7988 changed his mind. A life lived 4c204907dd by his family’s 326058ee73 side, contributing financially 6faa1af586 to the household.b2ca2859c2c8ac4b

For some, that 0ba9385237 might be the 29b1d83672 right life.6e0e9ff4135e232c

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And Sasya knew. The competition entry fee, costume expenses, and travel expenses to the host country weren’t covered by the scholarship.9f3b6b2d428f1ee6

He needed 9e645d90cc money to a9a460284b seize more 822d8b79cb opportunities.c298f84bf207f462

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Sasya unknowingly clenched his f98938047c fist so tightly that 9f6ef36cd2 his fingernails dug into 8cf3c3e29a his palms. His nails 5841b6fd8e dug into 3e725d3259 his soft 889913672c skin.4269ee60e332e75b

‘I don’t want to go back. I’m just not going back. I’ll become a professional dancer no matter what… I’ll earn money through ballet, and with that money, I’ll stay here on my own. I’ll never live an ordinary life.’ebe0ae81f1e254af

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Sasya’s eyes landed on the timetable posted on the board. After a short break, his next class was pas de deux. He needed to eat something right away if he wanted to lift the girls energetically.6bc1ec3d69c84a51

Suddenly overcome with fatigue, 5a80145624 Sasya staggered toward the d11e035033 dormitory. The only thing that 2794f32403 whipped his emaciated body d64e8fd3b0 and gave him strength e2dfe68b29 was the determination not 515e70ae2b to go back.184f7e1e75bafae0

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“Who’s in the kitchen? Who is it? It’s dark. Turn on the lights!”dc76fb91aae7b5e4

Sasya, who 9d3b405749 was standing b76ac2b350 in the 1693687e52 dim dormitory 7d801b0577 kitchen eating faee24cd5a something, was 25e92d2929 startled and 3ffb172075 looked towards 2885bf7aae the door. Suddenly, the room 924e2deaba brightened as the a199487c3f ceiling fluorescent lights cf5309f09b flickered on one d9dd30c149 by one.ba86d189c285131d

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“Sasya! What are bff2314c80 you doing 1d133ef444 in the 3bba7470c5 kitchen?”31ca283232b92765

The person who entered the kitchen, shouting boisterously, was Sasya’s classmate, José. Behind him, the small Manuel peeked in with a shy smile.d5dd8ee10542eb40

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“Are you having a snack? Eating alone? Did you turn off the kitchen lights because you didn’t want to get caught?”b5444409cd7e9cb0

José took a 797ee7787d step with each cad4f6caa9 word, striding towards 486447eaad Sasya. José, with his f2e560af4d large build, loud 7496379047 voice, and energetic e26fed839d movements, was always a16307c846 brimming with energy 5f7aae461b and vitality. He even turned 8d9f8b1305 with force, and 728ed47d95 when he performed 9caf1286f4 multiple chaînés turns, c43749cb7d Sasya’s hair, standing e37dc7e33f next to him, 0dff355aa1 would flutter as af5e3cc6a6 if caught in 5ede3bdfd5 a fan’s breeze.a967f256821a4ae6

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“Let’s share the delicious stuff. Let me see.”6803c1721b6fd3a1

José’s hand reached out without hesitation and poked into the wooden bowl Sasya was holding. After dipping his index finger into the whitish lump of sauce and tasting it, José exaggeratedly furrowed his brow.fc38570e3e9fa855

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“Aioli sauce? It seems spoiled.”301cb0b09a4f202e

“…It’s edible.”ac295e6fdfc3147d

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Ignoring Sasya’s voice, José turned around and walked towards the speaker. He turned up the volume, saying, “Mealtimes should be enjoyable.” Louis Armstrong’s voice flowed from the speaker.5798d651563371c6

“It’s like e3f3078763 my grandmother’s 60959a79e3 kitchen.”9d727ddc2eb7e9a7

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“Play a different ad73dd3c9a song.”1307740b55108216

The artificial light of ead66e65a7 the fluorescent lamps and 1765907f63 the noise filling the 885382f22d space. Even that changed 153a22396b every three seconds 9c0e757116 as José flipped c845fb12a3 through music via 3f876a12bd Bluetooth.b5e666a0f000f91c

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“Sasya, are you 31d8f548c1 losing weight too?”f2564d293b3c5207

At Manuel’s subsequent c963980e2f question, Sasya stared 43cf237454 blankly at the 9c6e9b01ed wooden bowl he 5718619dc6 was holding. It had 8212f4979a been fine 6f403e9170 until a 315cabca04 moment ago, d0a8b1fa69 but as b149576195 soon as 012d018811 José said 03e8deb96a it seemed a85d875a58 spoiled, it 02e22ead9e became repulsive.62270f15a856d9ec

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“Onions, tomatoes, eggs…. This is 49f3f4039f what I a16491f8e7 eat when e2aed3a974 I’m losing 02b65f43c9 weight.”d51ad7deb4407d38

Manuel said 8ed4ccc1dd with a 334df72b92 shudder. Manuel, about five centimeters ea3e7f21cc shorter than Sasya, was 05d09048e0 always worried about his 53c60a08cf height, which was comparable 5369383220 to girls of the c1a5cdc045 same age. He was always conscious 024205033a of his weight and b031e1d66b careful about his food. Startled by Manuel’s words, ae57ff643c who knew the weight-loss b60d2019a7 diet better than anyone, c489538dd1 Sasya hurriedly said,803b0101b781e044

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“I need to gain 7875915274 weight.”89352e9ba74fe8fe

“This is 38888b4791 the best cc3234de24 for gaining f39844910e weight.”925dea51f444fdf3

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José, who had 552510dc2b been listening to 9550fc360b their conversation, went 30444b54b6 to the cupboard 842d5a3846 and took out 04dc340e1b a rustling bag. Apparently failing to find fcd77cf213 a suitable song, Louis d2f77a6db2 Armstrong’s voice was flowing 97cf3478a9 from the speaker again.23c2e0f1e3a40582

José opened the bag 2ad3e7a405 filled with marshmallows, stuck 412388067a several on a butter f7f8c452b7 knife, and held them ba64c587a0 over the gas flame, eab75f49f8 unhesitatingly burning the white 05d2cd09d3 marshmallows.c5ba139f1323a10b

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As soon as the 2e63f07e17 surface turned brown, José 6406de6a1c abruptly offered the knife 7f8c1a3bba to Sasya.26418ec4c6a41dbf

“Just eat one 0b5de83b74 bag a day.”e76d538238a873cd

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Sasya carefully 4a913233f3 took the 83ce58d480 handle of ddbafd1038 the knife 14b7a1c98a and brought 549fc566aa a marshmallow 3a579b6623 to his 09ed4ad2bc mouth. The slightly d047f3b220 crispy surface 3869fd0a23 tasted of 0205db5727 roasted sugar, ce7cb33674 and the 870274e464 inside melted 74a056a35d softly in 22a27c948e his mouth. Sasya devoured five 77da9473c7 marshmallows in a c162d3964a row from the 94adfa2cd3 knife and said 62b6233a1a to José,33892e92a3178090

“Delicious.”b9ce3d344dbc76a0

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Hearing Sasya mumbling in ee61a49623 a trance that he 6d0ef44a64 could eat thirty more, c50e20d795 José chuckled.24bf3a91ce485c2a

“It’s only 4f1d04dae5 two dollars 3b1f537643 at the 72b7c2c032 supermarket. It’s an economical way 29b0590373 to gain weight.”244c6d3da278a1f6

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José crumpled the 75aa3eb0c8 remaining bag of 389b80f2d3 marshmallows carelessly and 0e1096192c put it back 31e61c6b26 in the cupboard. Sasya looked longingly at 026b9e9dae the marshmallows disappearing back c5cdcdede3 into the cupboard.be3d91bcffea6de2

“Is pas de deux c78f1d69a6 next? Damn, I need to 1694b637c1 shower. Chloe said last time 26d7e3517b that my sweat smelled 0be5a77570 so bad she couldn’t 5de110d584 balance.”98f3dd508a732f92

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And then José 16b46b9deb left the kitchen. Even though only fab7fa2861 one person had d70980a673 left, the kitchen 5d596413c8 became eerily quiet 15febfacef again, as if da720f0e94 a storm had 4e59d8db2d swept through and 9c1d118ff6 then departed.6bcdbdde323f046c

Sasya walked to the door and turned off the kitchen light. It wasn’t dark yet, and although the kitchen lighting wasn’t good, enough light came in through the window to make out writing. That was enough for Sasya.5b54b0039f2cf4a5

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After a moment’s hesitation, Sasya opened the cupboard and took out the marshmallows that José had put away. He rustled open the bag, grabbed a handful of marshmallows, and stuck them on the knife one by one, just like José had done. Then, turning to turn on the gas stove, Sasya noticed that Manuel hadn’t left yet.0bb47f48b5b3c1b2

“…….”d4a9dcd48ff2f29e

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“Why?”57f4f66afe9394d6

Manuel asked 8e5f5c977c when Sasya, 6da7519e74 frozen, stared 60f5a3bbb0 at him. Sasya stood still for 56f66fa13e a moment, clutching the 9f4443737f marshmallow-laden knife, and stared f33119071a at Manuel.bd1c6b89ac15277b

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“Continue what you were d8fd1d1732 doing.”b756b4d2a47cd288

“José also took e0a44f1136 my bread without fd7174d613 permission before…”dcb5704e3067f32e

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Sasya made 1434c65972 excuses, but 6de5b2ef03 Manuel simply 1e1a7f2c58 sat at f0af071ce9 the kitchen 09950184db table, humming 07d5c6f453 along to 43aae157eb Louis Armstrong’s 9ee562bef7 song. Sasya roasted 7f901c93b2 the marshmallows, eb75f6383b glancing at 0450a55c63 Manuel. It wasn’t as well 3fc420195c done as when José 071071d1f1 had done it, but bfad014c01 it was still quite 665a655900 presentable.9b9ae042d98a21c4

Delicious, as expected.c0e939498774181c

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He had e05531771a eaten so 8773f7005e quickly before 5e167b56ae that he dc16b41095 felt disappointed 9dc7e5162a right away. This time, Sasya 543ddb8967 decided to eat 40e3d10a4e as slowly as 5b9a438cf6 possible, savoring each 80d400feb5 bite.99c6200fc55032cf

“Give me 2207c57da7 one too.”ab349edcb790b72f

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Just then, 2e1c4a6c63 Manuel, offering d550f90575 himself as 7c938e79ac an accomplice f35d7ba606 in the f47ff11522 marshmallow theft, 1c0792a12f came up 2a12fc4a48 beside Sasya. He stood close, 798a8fb817 their arms almost e04e785736 touching, and brought 388c565f11 his face near.8d327024fba2b950

“…Just one?”99f8b8139cd5dca1

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“Yeah.”09a462cd69f8c766

Sasya carefully removed 467c1165eb a single marshmallow bad21b29d4 from the knife e11305e9a4 to give to e5f9961678 him. He thought af3820e743 Manuel would 0507d34ca8 take it 985175298a with his f450db66f0 hand, but 4aac7bdacf Manuel said, ef2d224391 “Ah,” and 950bba39db came closer, e2240f2b70 eating the d7640f3a34 marshmallow directly d23865dcaa from Sasya’s a890914f61 hand.074910ba9f290ea2

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“Delicious.”40fd7963ced6221c

Manuel smiled, his eyes crinkling. A little flustered, Sasya figured it was just Manuel being French. The friends of various nationalities he met at the ballet school sometimes behaved in ways Sasya didn’t understand, but the teachers always emphasized that it was a cultural difference. So, Sasya tried to accept those behaviors.8f8ecfff08d5f6e8

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“Sasya, you’re really sweet.”f1650d50b1440fa8

“Me?”8ea1226b902a0e0d

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“You took 0a1c96be9a it off e6f239f69f the knife bc258bc0e1 for me 74e150677e so I 9039509cff wouldn’t get 22ba63cb4c hurt.”cceab900db715d96

He had aae0d5acb5 done that 24e7b3d34a because he d4b793d9a8 thought Manuel 2c2e264fc4 might eat ac86ae7cf2 two at 3c30b03bf7 a time c0c61fcd74 if he 6059685984 offered the 324e74f9c4 entire knife. Sasya was a 443d0b97e8 little bothered by dd8af62580 Manuel’s strangely unnatural 131ad8fd34 smile, but he bb71f1540a figured he was 3f933da170 just happy. Sweet things made dd3be48448 people happy.459c58858471937c

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“Sasya, do you 80e0aa372b think José likes 6f8b66ac3b Chloe?”5fd9217032c84098

“Really? I don’t know.”956efdcad4bf9053

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Sasya was 4514fc80b1 surprised by 1b8ab6f1be the sudden a38a37d5ac confidential talk ab730403c2 about José.2a947d3d62759580

“He’s always so ce6b86b928 conscious when he’s 26e079a235 in class with 2b02ef068d girls. He’s even been 75ae0c8550 wearing cologne lately. Aren’t you?”56ddc81e1a354429

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“I…”4af6f5f654d01941

Now that he thought about it, things came to Sasya’s mind. Before receiving professional ballet training like now, he was always the target of teasing from his peers. Around the age of ten, he was teased that ballet was for gays, and was asked if he wanted to be a girl. Around thirteen, he was conversely insulted for doing ballet because he was supposedly desperate to hug girls. That’s what it meant to have a noticeable talent in a small town.d4a11b7fe092afc0

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“I don’t do a7bf27e1ca ballet because of 7cbffd4458 girls.”3d0539500c4b533e

“Right?”5817698b86784ee3

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“Ballet isn’t something you 7d7b4a5fbf do because you want 5123c13d3e to get close to f360998868 girls. It’s so hard.”f7ccd21628fb6741

“Exactly.”84dcc0369fc8f4b8

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Sasya spoke quite firmly, thinking of the children who used to tease him. Only those who didn’t know how hard it was could say such things. He wished he had retorted properly back then.b9a42dd415cd8669

Just then, Manuel moved a little closer, his arm brushing against Sasya’s.bde0b59a85219209

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“Sasya, you seem different 403acae6f6 from the other guys. You’re not interested in 75bf47c3e4 girls.”d21730a7c85bf5c4

“Me?”768adc1ec8daf67c

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“You feel 6f4f01adcf it too, fa422703e8 don’t you?”bef7fde5da213ed6

“……?”a766a4d8bcfa30bf

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Manuel suggestively stroked Sasya’s thigh with a subtle implication. However, Sasya, not understanding, just looked down at his friend.ba43a81ef52058bd

“I wish I c1825e0ba5 had muscles like 402b29c4d9 Sasya. I don’t build a812435578 muscle easily…”2a3bd2e046ae3b4b

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“You need 025eccf0fa muscles to 504b2bde7d jump better. Last year, Vadim b34fc7475a told me to 06350f2ce7 work out every 723931057e day because the 2dc6266e34 muscles in the a54e7a51c2 back of my e49b46bf31 thighs were weak. I’ve built them up c27b09dcc2 a lot.”a3c757c9f6b5f48f

“…I think my c53e4992d6 jumps are weak c27a6ff44f because my thighs 764b497abf are thin.”645dca10fbc0471b

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Manuel took Sasya’s hand and placed it on his own thigh. Sasya carefully felt Manuel’s leg, which felt slightly softer than his own. There was a difference in body fat, but they didn’t seem that thin.d455e00fe4357738

“They’re sturdy? You can definitely do d848ec104d it. You should work ee76c09989 out too.”0758dcfbe5fb8796

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“…Oh, okay.”3edb22d24bb65cca

Manuel replied listlessly, looking somewhat deflated. Before their arms, intertwined from touching each other’s legs, could separate, Manuel suddenly asked,abf0183090ecac77

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“Sasya, what do 07cd275999 you dream about c0e71e980e when you have c2174438a0 wet dreams?”5c8e7a9de40e3c09

“Wet dreams?”949cf70b6457c2a2

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Sasya’s ear tickled because Manuel was speaking too close to it. Sasya covered his ear, where Manuel had breathed, with one hand and looked at him.e9ce0a35de18d5c8

“If you tell me, 49cb986199 I’ll tell you too.”bc55d1f742f68904

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Wet dreams.bc282f480cb7b2d0

Can anyone 95ac76f9a7 explain the f410a845bb thrill of 4cad8d3283 a kiss? No, they can’t, 573ad59423 absolutely not… But be5168a86d you’ll know when 9980a6819e two yearning lips 32d1943850 meet.8a16e45546d79772

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The lyrics cc9782e5cc of a 820afa780f song he 362ff7d8af had only 2f675ab0ba passively listened f688704e86 to until 8db4f51b7b now were e623e6c677 suddenly etched 0f5e7d2680 into Sasya’s b115934a51 mind as 7588a16ca6 if being 68eb126ccb whispered intensely.f9b7fef0b139c9b7

“Don’t tell me you d898c548fb haven’t had one?”7de116ccaff6b8fa

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“…I, I…”2e6066740b6c67c7

Sasya gulped, suddenly suppressing his pounding heart. The frighteningly rapid beating of his heart wasn’t solely due to the strange atmosphere Manuel had created.8f45f1b66aec42ff

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Sasya had experienced the touch of another’s lips exactly once.e57e98ed7739d481

And for some 48c9af49f4 reason, the heat 4b9cbe339c of that moment 6c89fe697a lingered. Even now.a80d4912021c9a6d

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“You’re late.”1eec1344c3cca312

Manuel smiled, the corners d236ce91f0 of his lips lifting, ac7f3f8cc5 and got up from 390c5c9354 the table. Sasya heard 5330d45e27 the scraping ce7b8eb58b of the 3c00456935 chair, the c14614372d sound of d517a5550d footsteps walking 0417838c32 towards the 4527c30950 door, and 49a3663d8b then the 8363185a2a sound of 99c236a5e5 the door 8b8dc3063a closing.afdc5cfc1a8bfe0d

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Left alone, 063b675171 Sasya, with 19973ff1b6 his back 60f3a1e712 to the e1cf938d26 afternoon sunlight ee5fe1b36e streaming through 9967b53400 the window, f9e64fe493 recalled the 36aaf28639 heat of 4ac2b6b00a that moment. The 1950s song 950ab0899b still lingered in 7c458d557f the kitchen.80b3ca6507c649fc

The dormitory room after roll call was noisy. Sasya lay on his bed, covered with a blanket to block out the noise. Today, the heat in his body wouldn’t go away.ef7ce6d9a909c0b1

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‘I ate 760e733c93 too many adf662d3f4 marshmallows like aabe037757 a pig.’00e879b7ad21b4a1

Sasya regretted b0ac87e826 it, rubbing 4d058b05ab his bloated 16738decb9 stomach.c95aa5ff1ff435cc

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Today, even after b1dcdca211 all his classes, e456cbbb16 Sasya had stayed 0c95b748c5 alone in the 290e8e936c practice room to f313bbee21 practice, and when a8c71d9d6a the school closed 13df8d3cd1 at 9 p.m., 43f02d1d32 he moved to d8f84af6f7 the backstage of 221988ddbe the Met Opera 66bd2d48dd and practiced in 122851e6e9 an empty space 0a1baf34f9 there. A lighting staff af99dbb6c7 member, knowing that c15d9e6d3d Sasya sometimes came 358160fcde looking for a b82a38a3c8 space to practice a5a8549689 alone, had opened 97e93919bd the door for a28e2ce8ae him.9e07265405c1d1e3

His body, driven hard all day, was completely exhausted, and he didn’t even have the strength to wiggle his fingers.30d19f1d4f3c832f

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“José, are b49e394cf8 you entering 365736affd the competition 274b47894b too?”af73efa49f9c8a74

“I’m going to, b56821e60a but I’m not a85d8ebbc4 confident.”1f8b3fa121f91d11

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“How much does 54cdfd5d21 it cost for 2f70e330b0 this competition? My mom told me 9880cef0c5 to find out.”41eea6b5d8002d19

“Plane ticket, costume f37c878002 expenses… Even if fbde2fe149 I buy a 55e4036ffe used costume and 9f2d837c33 alter it, it’ll e2919c45bf probably cost more 9f23d537b8 than 5,000 dollars 969d2246f5 in total.”69d6e4e3fdf7dda3

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Sasya, half-listening to the aff43ec4a4 chatter of his roommates, 84a1dcbdc1 clearly registered the amount 97d5da63b4 of 5,000 dollars.6aa699f7a4cbecac

Sasya sighed silently. He slipped f197312952 his hand 0342bb5d8f out from 5f39d202ea under the 344a526269 covers and 3183231627 fumbled around 6f0af78f79 his bedside, 44f6a46236 finding a 0455902d17 stiff envelope e5ef80884d hidden between 135d44609d the bed 61ca1995a3 mattress and ac25645232 the headboard.8c9094a1eafcdbdd

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[Happy Birthday. – Karel Clements]

Sasya slowly traced 39d27cbaec the impression of f7461fc7e1 the fountain pen 92a43933f7 pressed into the 1a37bfed68 letter.75581ac9b233e3a5

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The sponsor eeaa91d080 named Karel 7ecd3ed1d2 Clements had c5c0722188 sent Sasya 643e92004a two handwritten 5a6d150df1 cards so b7710c9d3a far. One when he 412ae00242 was selected as 8a0a8053df the top student fb23ac0008 in the test 4ed9643e37 at the end 69d11116a9 of his first e6ccded09c year in the 8ae4c44141 upper school, and 77b802b094 one for his 66689dc60d birthday. Sasya liked the af24cd94c8 birthday card much 19a557be90 more. The former 310c75a748 was given f54a2e361a to all b802357914 scholarship students, 3e33824dab but the 7901e0942b latter was 1f967e3f9d only for e8119c82a7 him.b51ba6cb1c1ee280

Although the sponsor had only sent him two cards, Sasya had sent many more. He didn’t know if Karel was reading his letters. There was an email address on the business card he had received a long time ago, so he diligently wrote and sent emails whenever he had something to say. And he never received a reply.992b97cb21bb7eca

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‘Is the foundation 095f092eb4 chairman coming too?’52f9c825c0729d67

‘He’s not c51a692c13 interested in 43ca8aee06 this sort 6c56bfa099 of thing. He’s not an average 7ca1baa68b person obsessed with seeing e8ed5de2a1 ballet stars.’036d04389f3fcfbd

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Remembering the conversation he af99fa0101 had overheard during the 61248908c8 day, Sasya buried his 330694975b forehead in his pillow e25b592b28 in distress. His black be9ad6d145 hair scattered 6520f5a5dc messily outside fb0de03397 the blanket.c3ed13132e7aa2b3

The content of his letters was mostly about what he did well and what he did poorly. He had never actually asked for what he wanted. He couldn’t possibly say he wanted to enter the competition.917ddf3247a50462

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He felt Manuel’s voice again, his breath against his ear.8ddd7ef5246c10b0

‘Sasya, what 68a0d009a6 do you a26a34a908 dream about 87b2ef3c19 when you 5729574349 have wet 8f1ff95973 dreams?’d66ae41bdfab6e77

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He was confused about 91e6cea083 why Manuel had asked 8f7e95c329 such a thing, and 9642529aad whether all close friends 0c7ef605b5 talked about such things, cf5490b36d but in any case, b9aefea1f7 Sasya didn’t want to c86f2a2dba tell anyone about his 09c1297f1b wet dreams.d9f0b8d73568164f

Because Sasya’s first wet dream featured a “man” with large hands. Dreams were always vague and hazy, and now he couldn’t even remember the details. The man cupped Sasya’s cheeks with his large hands and gently kissed his forehead. Sasya easily became aroused whenever he recalled the warmth of those lips.bc8153e38cf70193

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However, Sasya knew that this wasn’t normal. Thinking about being teased for doing ballet because he wanted to be a girl, or because he wanted to be gay…b6af3908df68e6ec

He absolutely didn’t want f5a3da87d3 to tell anyone.8fdb626e11b67163

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“Don’t go running around strange places during the weekend. And don’t get injured! Especially you boys! Think of slippery rocks, coral reefs, fireworks, motorcycles, and bicycles as weapons. If you come back injured, you’ll be kicked out of school that day!”7d33832b3396f848

Saturday morning class ended 7384b25f6f with Vadim’s threats. It was a constant 3cbd7cb774 nagging, but because there d7bf292c1d were cases where students ddd13c2f9a actually suffered injuries and 840eff6aa2 had to quit classical 94c3f6861d ballet altogether, Sasya listened 1b377800b8 carefully, filled with fear. Eight of the 75d2b5a6f0 sixty students who daeb9ba968 had entered the 4d9e834860 school with him 766f199fb6 had already left aa65af0b29 during their first 46bd254e40 year in the 5dd849f489 upper class. Due to chronic c12d3cce25 injuries, unfortunate traffic 0730433a3b accidents, slipping on 738765085e rocks at the f86586fdad beach during a 8a2e9e636b weekend trip, falling 1a5803ba97 into a slump, 6adaeee2d0 or finding a b100d387c6 different career path…d4fc98d01926ccf2

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Vadim had undoubtedly seen da96f5d55f countless such students.6effe6c8e44d22e1

From now 60902eaf84 until the eda73538af end of 8398491753 the weekend, 566dc084e5 it was 7f95dede92 free time. The children, half-listening 5b5556ff13 to Vadim’s words, 091b44af1c poured out into a35485bca9 the hallway, chattering 121f4cb0fa noisily. Those whose parents lived 61955c2d05 nearby would get permission c76ef1b0c4 to go home, and 247430eb5d others would take off 3519653a88 their leotards, dress up, e247e6da82 style their hair, and bbc609cd89 head out into the 17fa25da7f streets in groups.8aaaa527f024ea95

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Vadim turned to the de97ff8252 only student left alone e8a818b194 in the practice room, d6edd4d687 Sasya.27364d8cd9387d67

“Sasya, are you 7fb054e763 staying here longer?”9b7a97d355f064df

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“O, only 0051a34c65 for an 523566b573 hour today.”fc7ea5533a91e8d5

Sasya replied timidly in b8112a8f7a a small voice.23fece18439bf365

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“Don’t you have 078f4535e9 any friends?”909c7a7215005d2f

“…….”fa2ec121248a20e3

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“Well, it’s true that you don’t necessarily need friends to become a good dancer.”e3c3794d10090c08

Saying so, Vadim put 01347ce954 on some ballet music f073e468ab on the CD player 12408adec9 for Sasya.861b2a21ed075b2f

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“I hear 942ed68172 the sponsors 9b2483db23 are coming 9f2300283f to visit a1c1854d43 the ballet 4c07fd6596 school next a521e30d2b week.”19d082fb039b94d6

It was something he 56bda55ae2 had overheard when he f1f4f987c7 went to see administrator 17a383b37f Julia the other day. Usually, Sasya wouldn’t f8538871d5 talk to Vadim, fe02436c60 but this time, f3f3a7060b overcome with curiosity, a1095b33ba he asked,817b501136c9ec62

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“Is the 96ec16a8d5 foundation chairman f2b695ab9c coming too?”cc13d8f26534279e

Vadim raised an eyebrow fb920dbc7d at Sasya’s question.c7f5854a2f81d7cf

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“Who the dbe2fa0025 hell is 59125604e3 that?”9b149016e26ae3d3

“Mr. Clements…”7f6dc752f661df3a

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“I don’t know b832a14d91 the faces of cb50343249 who’s coming.”4287dcd7ebb3bc3b

Disappointed, Sasya thought that 7605125f75 Vadim was, as always, 09bedefd2d unhelpful.2ca4823b15e70780

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“But you 26b67d346c know you 4d92f5d53a have to 413207d55e make them 48a7b9b564 feel like e77eb1581c it’s worthwhile eb8cf447ed to pour 7283f3f744 money into b28a9a6c4d a colt 9cc5d6ffdb like you.”d27c868cb83dd052

“…….”d9995d6d26128537

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“If you b38a2752c5 show any 8de63c8187 ridiculous behavior, df6730cc64 you’ll be 11386b02dc slapped in 0350b46ca1 front of 2fce7df79a the guests.”8d969dd2461a191a

And Vadim 941fff0d22 continued to 08d79dec1c nitpick at 68d694a9ea Sasya, who 076d747b3f was in 062f326c28 the center, 6b58971d13 getting into 031be14680 the preparatory 55ec243448 position for 979b2a32e4 a turn, 718c2d5fb6 telling him 2b456cd29a to lift 54fe507b1a his hip, 716a4f744b maintain his 5604af0754 turnout, and 0203a5f719 stretch his 549a5f6768 back until bdaa3ca4a8 it ached. Then, seeing Sasya only e0a3f873a4 looking at him nervously eab394a8ae even after the music 0d5e189bc3 started, he scoffed and 14ce2ba7f2 left the practice room.b59a0c45af24e6f5

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“Phew…”f62705d604e41e1d

Sasya took a e942cef75f deep breath.c57b0ca0f619c2f2

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Finally, he 3dcb9053a1 was alone.0188b5b32d955256

The empty practice room, vacated by the students for the weekend, was Sasya’s favorite place. In the well-lit practice room, with the music playing, he could feel the melody filling the space against his skin.57a4af6513f786f1

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Usually, the breathing, laughter, 8e897049e7 and the sounds of f0a24cc6c5 the other students sliding fefcc8bea0 across the floor during 4ab7dd1fc7 class bothered him and 11906b08c0 made it difficult to fe8088c9d6 concentrate. But when he was 4190641a9b alone, he could focus af94704caa on the small dust 59d6f7c5d7 particles fluttering in the 86d5194b08 air as he turned. He also 278969e721 liked how 63157bb5ac he could 97ad3cfea2 solely feel a1ef9b9eb0 the air cb3c13c9af resistance when d04a450366 he performed 9c308045b3 a grand 46ff211a90 jeté.dd713272113d074b

After practicing alone 84a9eda082 for about an 4cb6c10203 hour, sweating, Sasya bde0330b8c picked up his bb6dec0b92 cell phone that 94920e45e5 he had propped b681b5485f against the wall. Fortunately, the video seemed cf3c6ee903 to have recorded properly. Sometimes, after practice, he 94a1cd00c8 would find that his 8ac3c02a53 phone had fallen over 4be0201366 and was only recording cb841de4a7 the ceiling. In any case, recording 51cd54a113 like this allowed him 5e188725e6 to identify his bad dcb4e6ab57 habits that weren’t visible 3471c2d551 in the mirror.e91bd380b9a2980f

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Having enjoyed the luxury 6c6c8feb13 of having the empty aee0647611 practice room to himself, 98b56e564b Sasya returned to the 753995e843 dormitory. José, who knew that 47ac177238 Sasya always stayed in 30ee459e1a the practice room at 813c2b1e20 this time on Saturdays, 02a0aaa2e4 looked puzzled.c8814833ef4538c1

“Why are you da98183b52 back? Do you have 641362f0f1 plans too?”ae13556ad266ab84

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“…….”046129c8cc9fb524

“Are you showering? Are you really going 629f19c8d1 out? What’s gotten 011ba88911 into you?”dcb362efdf0b204b

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José asked a f1151cc65f question with each e7b04c1149 step as he 7dc75ffc80 approached the bathroom. His ears hurting, Sasya 47d00ae7dd closed the door and 91cc99a0fd turned on the water. He heard 31621fbc26 the swoosh 7af617c16f of the a938ddc1a1 water, and 83e2a23d6d then sensed 85319a4875 José grumbling 2727d2be4c and moving 2d54332343 away.3d267d04bf686c80

“Don’t tell me you’re 80e05aa860 on a date? Are you 5d5b591f04 meeting a ee6a8513d2 girl? Who are you meeting?”1237b992ec1ce88d

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A girl…f90e417c6ed4b452

It was true that 00240b8836 he was meeting a f4d82a16ac girl. Lying was difficult, so 8f6b799811 instead of answering, Sasya 45140184ed chose to ignore him f75b6eccb5 and tossed his leotard eacaee3aea and tights out of f2bcaf06cb the bathroom.f04f2a0f294a26c1

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Absentmindedly, he put the showerhead over his head, and a stream of cold water poured down. Doused with cold water, having forgotten to turn on the hot water, Sasya shivered from the chilling cold and regretted not turning the valve beforehand. It happened often, but it was absurd every time, and he couldn’t blame anyone.044fdf393ded278e

A while later, Sasya came out of the bathroom, water dripping from his wet hair. José was standing guard in front of the bathroom door, his expression showing he couldn’t contain his curiosity.f92eb6d2bb0291b3

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“So it’s true since 229eeeb84a you’re not saying anything?”d8d66459c6d6277b

“…….”8dec14deb15c27ae

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Judging by 73c3cddd4b his persistent 122f40c67e questioning about b68a505948 a girl, 15471085e1 he must 99cc7704ff have been 84ac572055 rejected by e235f269a1 Chloe.8989be093310033a

Sasya, his lips ce15c2a610 blue from the b0a148f993 cold shower, didn’t f4fe405c15 respond and got 09cd30f7c0 dressed. The waistband 583572c1cb of his 769a75f870 only pair ff3d903985 of jeans 22e43dee53 felt a 8e665b3323 little loose. Rubbing his flat stomach, caca26b870 Sasya thought he should 7383e0c4fc buy marshmallows on his 7e29eaaf55 way back. He reached 4ddffd141d between the bdab6be311 headboard and 8ffbb06fdc mattress to 3228e4b1a7 grab a 5754cd2433 few more 6ddd1408b8 dollar bills.1a554ae948cc04c7

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“Sasya, what are 6fde39a4e0 your plans? Take me e1eb97b734 with you. You can 25e560bbe3 ask the 5a8d675dbe girl to 991a4f5376 bring her 2e601bda49 friends along.”507d43d16791c262

“No.”538301e2c50f27f7

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Fully dressed, Sasya checked 590166a689 his appearance in the 6ba4d74833 mirror. Then he d143901454 turned around 148935f8c0 and asked dd13ee6db5 José,0b331add01a72f99

“How old do d626051569 I look?”a117b1631a45c125

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José frowned at Sasya’s out-of-the-blue question.f271700c07ff3acf

“Why are 78fa0b0164 you asking 8ff7cc83c8 about age…?”9b03e3d764010d52

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“…….”3477539239bda8fa

“I got it! You’re going to drink!”fecf5628a62d544b

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When José snapped his 8c5109ca6d fingers as if he c8792c4b66 had figured it out, 4574085f43 Sasya shook his head 6e489f8fd0 and left the room. José quickly shuffled 681c8199e8 after Sasya in f262a5b3b4 his slippers.3f258424921dd201

“Suspicious. Really suspicious. Do you have 5d9630898d friends outside of fead35162c school?”b2e6972156225486

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“…….”56195d4df8b2afab

“Why did you 9bd706eaa1 ask about age? By the way, you b84336b365 don’t look like an e641734661 adult at all. Unlike me. So if you’re 90d4ca74e0 going to drink, 176eb0a90b take me with 7e2dd5df98 you.”6382377ab45059c7

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José followed Sasya all the way out of the dormitory building and to the center’s exit. However, extremely embarrassed by the persistent José, Sasya kept his mouth shut, so in the end, José became frustrated and punched the air.4de900871cc3b115

“I won’t forgive you if you drink alone! I’ll tell the administrator.”3e07cb45bad3722e

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His steps faltered momentarily at the mention of telling the administrator, but Sasya soon dismissed José’s empty threat and headed towards the subway.b4e8a85081903eb6

‘I’m late.’43a70da59440d8a2

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As soon d4b6eb0311 as he 2e6fa1af41 got on 55cb29c5d1 the subway, e91f81fbcf Sasya remembered 788103b371 that he 3c337565a8 should have a2a65b3e99 contacted Levin 08bb0733c8 to tell 7c23fc746a him he 4a958a1306 was running edff690155 late. The New York d02f61debd subway had poor 81da388389 reception, and once f2362b5219 he was on 5106b4c703 the train, he ef623e8875 would lose service. José had distracted 125f3e1db3 him and made 267e91eb37 him waste time. Sasya resented c1bd5be9b5 José a bc0875d084 little.4578c5c638b3293f

Fortunately, it wasn’t that far from Lincoln Center to Union Square. The Saturday subway was more crowded than usual. Sasya leaned against the door, occasionally looking out the dark window, flashes of pale light streaking by.e301b753099c22b0

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Recently, Sasya f8b7ed89a4 had come 477ba32ea9 to a 90aafd878f decision. He would earn money 3e644847b4 on his own.1a7d0d198068989b

But he had never done it before, so he didn’t know how to get a job. Moreover, he wasn’t very fluent in English, so he was scared.9da7eff1efb3f802

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He had 244840198f searched online 7d44038d00 a little, 7fc1af42c4 and the 962cecc52e amount of ab3a7d1b90 money he 0fff83a826 could earn f85c64bc7e varied greatly 53cc505d70 depending on 0f5a5194e0 the job, 4aadcb2639 but the 9095812bcb biggest problem 7f28c57266 for Sasya 39ccde7a3d right now 18a2b815ed was his 82f826a336 age. Job postings always had 9e87050aef the requirement of being 7913eed607 20 years old or f5f78f16e3 older.06ab177ea463422b

However, yesterday, while searching 1202c54a94 the web, Sasya had c08a81d805 found a remarkable testimonial. He found an 566b995ec9 account of someone dd37c833c0 who claimed that c00eb6d355 teenagers could earn a7d24f4ac6 500 dollars at 1695e00d76 a time if 22a015ff0c they did well. 500 dollars… 7016239232 if he dce9ffbc0f did it 655ba6781e just ten fca61b9168 times, he 265bf0280a could cover 7fa7347e77 the cost 71d6ca158c of the f95972cf00 competition.8be362be4b21965e

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Immediately hooked, Sasya read the post carefully. However, it was difficult to grasp what kind of work he actually had to do. Feeling frustrated with the English sentences, Sasya focused on the pictures. With the cute pink and yellow logo and the word “Teen” everywhere, it was clearly something teenagers could do. Sasya was encouraged by the phrase that the work wasn’t difficult and that he could start with a simple interview and just showing his body.3fb8d606375255cb

But Sasya, who always found it difficult to call strangers, couldn’t bring himself to make the call.e8ce7cdb129caa99

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That’s when he thought of Levin.0a24b4aee0f022d2

‘I’ll ask 0aa4e5129b Levin to 63b5fbc493 call for f85b8c32bb me.’0efc506dcf7b3a8b

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Levin, a liberal arts student at NYU four years older than him, whom Sasya had met after coming to New York, seemed incredibly smart and knowledgeable. Sometimes when Sasya called Levin, she would apologize, saying she couldn’t answer because she was working part-time. During breaks, Levin sometimes juggled three or four jobs at the same time.8f7f6f40144d65f5

Even if it wasn’t ea7614d7ed this particular job, Sasya d377154e84 thought Levin might know c4c74c1fb5 of other opportunities. So, last 2c717af015 night, Sasya c2d8361980 immediately called 46ba8bf69d Levin.647081185ddb2392

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‘Levin, how do 0f6649ede7 you get a 53aeed932c job? I want to work 0be5eb285d too.’a0361b8bd2dad325

‘…A job?’9e473be35b3a187d

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‘Yeah. I need money…’49bf0c092a55883a

Levin seemed 83e5609a3d flustered at 8d630368ed first and 61f60b49e0 a little b781d607b1 embarrassed, but ff6165223d then she 7253e4828e agreed. She told him b2330f56bd to come find d8f4518431 her after class, bb2f9d7468 and they would 0108e2c2ab discuss it and 107ae3463a find a suitable 1e5271d17a job for him.d510da3cc9d10c66

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“Sasya!”79b29562d5ead22d

As soon as Sasya 3d48ea25b1 emerged from the Union c1b35e606d Square station exit, Levin ac96c31518 waved at him cheerfully 202504da31 in front of a b61689edc5 building under construction.78365f103d729d5e

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“Long time no see. Have you 0862e223a0 eaten lunch? If you’ve 5ba36f2b8f eaten, want 9590f3c225 some lemonade?”a810ba4f5cb9a6cc

“Levin…”9aefda6705d7f2ee

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Levin pointed 7eddb5deba to a 03e4cbfdb9 quiet cafe 80ca0a2a03 with visible 40b355efa8 seats through c891e505c4 the window. But Sasya shook his ab8e32d23d head involuntarily, looking at 9116c8874d the man standing behind c4e73adbef her.6aff8c9105f9202a

“You… you promised to 51bd08ff71 look for a job 77f694ea56 for me.”d4f1171bda1c6477

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Muttering, Sasya couldn’t hide his sense of betrayal. Noticing where Sasya’s gaze was directed, Levin said with an embarrassed look,5d4177270cc39ac5

“Oh… I ran into fa19e22d8e him here by chance. Julian is going to 2c8d58b4bd help you too.”c225866ee471b471

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The platinum-blonde bb727ce4e0 man, who 32fe549441 had been ced76c125a leaning against 053c3bd426 the steel d26cf41df3 frame, spoke.750b46d356420689

“Hello, Sasya.”ea15225444ac4462

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Julian, with his arms b7cfa98c58 crossed, greeted Sasya in 1b208c238c a stern voice. Sasya looked at 4c3417bc2a Levin as if 4b6b87a623 asking for help, dd286c854a but Julian blocked dab4b63976 his view, stepping 4f8842d11f in front of cbe7f114d0 him.9ddfb6fa31f54799

“Sasya, why does b579fe7a21 a kid like f1db206887 you need money?”56179bc644d5d459

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As Julian stepped closer, b43a425649 Sasya gulped, putting his 6bbceb7dc9 hands in his pockets.8e063fb0841624a0

“…I’m leaving.”38275491a9e6db08

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Sasya decided to 8b8c262893 turn around and 480cd1f9e6 go back to 399c27e366 the dormitory. However, before fe199cbe8b he could 5fc3d97993 take two d587821469 steps, Julian fbdf8d567e grabbed his 08c6715cb5 arm.60b949dcf868b993

“Where do you aa54804ece think you’re going? What are you 9417f3b3ee up to? What are you c86e781560 going to do 55c0d49696 with the money f978bb9d56 at such a 09e6fa99fb young age?”b962e3bfc503952c

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“I’m not b298c07f7d a kid! I’m sixteen.”fcfc41a309bec6e7

“Hmph.”b101461b01a7f514

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Sasya thought he da292ef41f wanted to punch d2b339406b Julian in the 7f9da6a534 nose for openly a8508bc459 mocking him. But he 25a5b664ed had tried 2394ad555d that once c54a0d373c before and a9ba17923a had disappointed a5396ebd9d Levin, so 06ed26a914 he held 2ed1466a7c back this effbafdedd time.eaa246ef7ecea8d8

Sometimes, when Sasya cb0afd5544 acted impulsively and b5940f191c rudely, like an 07179a3341 untamed colt, Levin, 1383c211b1 instead of scolding b62db5d9aa him, would wear 1f9d5d4f2a a bewildered expression, dae24c787f and whenever he 32eaf8bfc7 saw her face 486cf6e3dc like that, Sasya bec2fe1e85 felt heartbroken, like 7138dcde0c he was hopelessly 173109a937 incorrigible.a017f2f5400d182f

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“Is your allowance not ae180cf31f enough? Did you cause 78ceff69c3 some trouble you 0ad7786c9c can’t tell your fbc49b6d3f parents about? Is that why 30883d3b01 you called Levin?”f76705dfd51e7873

“Why do I 8858c4f8c9 have to tell 0d5d50070a Julian anything?”61e9a0bbaecd61ab

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“Because you’re 4720251e41 acting like d464a48bc0 a juvenile 774b0a4e50 delinquent, that’s eba2a7b85c why, you a85dde28f1 brat.”5f6f1d27c27fddb6

Sasya felt a surge of anger but kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to tell Julian that he needed money to enter the competition. He didn’t want pity.f57c12475e273a80

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In fact, Sasya had once been attracted to Julian’s honey-smooth, shining platinum-blonde hair and tall stature.1f4f16a7931548a3

But not anymore. Julian didn’t know 5d0dc3039e anything. Sasya had never 56f5847879 received an allowance 137b9282e1 from his parents. He divided 3835fba370 the 400 4ef9dcb872 dollars given c28885ebe4 to scholarship a53f83cf77 students each 221505bfd0 month for 30f470498f shoes and 70c8167f43 supplies, sending 0df1dfcc42 half to eee3999f58 his mother aea63b8c65 and using 7af295d0ef the rest 83d41f2fbb to buy e523e73ae3 groceries.8d62070fa38d826b

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‘He doesn’t know anything…’9e57c64dfa53b620

Exasperated by Sasya, 90553ce69a who clammed up 3dce1f0c28 the more Julian 792c8acd90 chided him, Levin 47e55ca303 intervened.88c3a866c4bfce8d

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“Julian, I 59eb361dc5 told you 74b8994d9e not to d976e062e8 talk like e99769a8c1 that.”08517ffc232f6c74

“Anyway, come here, Sasya. I need 5d657651b9 to hear fb64823b78 why you 0a0d8f4c59 need the f48d147e5c money.”9b49e9890120d14d

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Julian put bc33e8cb59 his arms a25983ac38 through Sasya’s a952c032fb armpits, gripping 9a89ec12bd him tightly, e2cd06e44e and pushed 1b052c06c9 him towards 05bd63b4b3 the cafe. Sasya braced 1da71c6128 himself, resisting.c9d43f397bd610cf

“Oh, this kid. He’s so skinny, defe19fc36 but why is 812edf396d he so strong?”20da88031dcee33d

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“Julian! Don’t be rough. Kids clam c193873138 up when a4d819cdc8 you treat 09849cadc1 them harshly.”d672a6a5715bbeb8

“Ugh…”f822a8cb6eb5bfd9

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It was only for 396442aaba a moment that Sasya, fa75ef0f30 struggling to resist, faltered 25135d44ef and lost his balance. In that instant, Julian 6409ee9a03 easily lifted him up.e8785c4d22195496

“Put me down!”695600bd12e5cdf4

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Dangling his legs in the air, Sasya felt his heel hit Julian’s hard shin and quickly retracted his leg in surprise. Having had his shins kicked dozens of times by his partner’s pointe shoes during pas de deux, he knew how much it hurt. He glanced at Julian, who was frowning, apparently in pain. Sasya felt a pang of guilt, and his resistance weakened. That’s when it happened.d10f6abd3928308b

“Sasya, just 2f61dd9992 you wait. If Levin weren’t a4da06552f here, I’d turn eea137b2e8 you over and ea1ac063cc spank you.”61a0c3d3811b7552

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Julian threatened in a low voice, just loud enough for Sasya to hear. Sasya was disgusted by Julian’s two-faced slyness. Exasperated, he shouted in Russian and started struggling again.dde1a7e6b195567c

“Let go of me! Put me down! Thug! Sly liar!”2ad3fdada9beba3c

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“See? I told 8915319486 you not dffbff583d to be 5bbf816e2b so harsh. Sasya must have 9e2b3dd313 his reasons.”9aadc314e9575e17

In front of 5313210885 Levin, who looked 2f173ae328 down at him 7db7cad076 like a kind fa55ecf1e0 older sister, and 25104b217d Julian, who, with f895c63ec4 arms crossed, interrogated f102bcb02c him coldly, Sasya 93c442d883 had to explain f863b2141a why he needed ae4f3a0a31 the money. As he 49366f2234 spoke about 91e1d2d6ec wanting to a8eb944aa9 enter the f1ba3a0058 competition, tears c172f8431e welled up 87b44333e6 and spilled fcbdb4acc4 down his 20f53fde21 cheeks. He bit his lip 31aa1d3f8f hard, his jaw aching, 061c161af7 as the tears streamed 4d0c2c37ec down his chin.52b936cbceeec912

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He certainly hadn’t cried to gain sympathy. He was simply ashamed of himself, feeling young and useless, whining in front of Julian.33bf6e8cb3d04f43

After listening to b3207799a6 Sasya, Julian, with 5c8b4f305d an awkward expression, a9f0bad73b rubbed his chin 2eb4625b93 and muttered,15bc5fda22e4369d

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“A competition… Are your ddb55fe812 parents against it?”70341ad47738e8b1

Sasya glared 0be576e959 at Julian, 0518bad6a7 his eyes 1d1b0c076c still wet 544737839b with tears. His gaze was sharp 9f44185d6a with resentment.ec370bb9bef8207c

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As expected, Julian didn’t 1c30c2cdc7 understand anything. Julian, a 3b13dee46b violin major, e8567c91a3 walked around c1539c728e with a 8072145700 multimillion-dollar violin ac80c8bf2f on his b84227fe83 back and bbdd33376b flew abroad 6142b3661a for private 53f978ad2c lessons costing 693f521bb2 thousands of 4de7678d0c dollars per b5cca87c81 hour whenever a2044fa43a he felt 61dcf5ea29 his lessons 6455a5e698 were lacking. Sasya didn’t know much e3335f4ae7 about music, but through 71b7ad8fd6 Julian, he learned that 53e04682b7 whether it was ballet 61d47ba7de or music, the wealthy 7f86e8ac4d had an advantage.9c0923d9987cd6ef

“That’s not it, Sasya wants to handle it on his own. He doesn’t want to burden his parents. Right?”8389374cea1799e1

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At Levin’s words, 74696fdac0 Sasya sniffled and c3b574d4da quickly nodded.c8152f15dd39ef6c

But Levin was different from Julian. She could understand his situation. Levin was also attending university on a scholarship, and since she couldn’t receive financial support for rent and living expenses, she was working all sorts of part-time jobs to make ends meet.ff7765e89bf82965

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That’s why he only 099d161d9d wanted to tell Levin.d68d50873de487fe

As Sasya 8ca61adcf3 wiped his 23843a92ce still-wet eyes a18a4f1104 with the e901b85563 back of d6b3b2776b his hand, 671aae1fc0 Julian sighed.bb235e35c8269ba2

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“Anyway, Sasya, I understand e932628755 what you’re thinking, and f800c33a29 I understand why you ce4338bdef need money. But I 1296af342a don’t recommend f1e1df2e18 working. Aren’t you here on 3a3b2e1a45 a student visa? If you 8690cafc31 get caught 9c8270b0b6 working, you’ll ed7d50d861 be deported. You’re in 2db4bda3e3 a vulnerable 607a70dce4 position where 8c6882c124 you can’t 8205b8152e be legally 45dfb82d33 protected, so 4569751109 it’s easy 0c528d0389 to be e634ee1792 exploited.”15504bc48e8d1e16

“…….”fc3971d47a82806b

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“And the 22b945deb8 job you 44f1daa566 were looking 4ab7bd7cd5 into… This f4c2a89f98 is… Ha, b64acdcc77 it’s embarrassing c022dafd2b to even dab14597dd say it. This is something 49deede691 you should never a662c17bd9 do, even if f76d52a180 you hit rock b1c73c108f bottom. Understand?”1849d3cae9efd0d5

“…What is that job?”2c26d938e833bbf0

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“Do you want to 88bb030606 sell your body?”f262aca1963780c9

Sasya flinched at Julian’s threatening words, spoken as he leaned forward. Beside him, Levin sighed, covering her eyes with her hand.c883748105a71a5f

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“Huh? I’m asking if you 9c0c3bfa15 want to film porn 89669590c0 videos.”060c53d03a242206

Sasya, speechless with embarrassment, cb3774f976 quickly shook his head. The explicit words dried e759249e66 his tears, and cold 38e292fd9f sweat ran down his c0f6880a8d spine.fb711748233a8f2c

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Just then, c3e8d73b94 Levin, as 158edfe421 if she cbfb18779f had suddenly 5dffc90cac remembered something, 775ac6aaf6 changed the aab570182f subject.ce812af37250d480

“Oh, speaking of videos, 212b62fd60 I just thought of 89c9ec0490 something. Sasya, do you 2e13f9e9c3 want to try 638660090e YouTube?”6d7bd1610b468ef4

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“YouTube?”1a5627e75144a984

“I saw some 8f3fef2b41 videos before, and 50bb5b2a8e a lot of 533920d968 ballet students do 42a0091706 it. Some teach 7723404e12 ballet moves, e80ce4f76e others are ef693adcbd like vlogs bd41d7d71f about school 7196b7049f life…”c02a83b19469251b

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“Hmm…”1e3f7f111409a063

At Levin’s words, Julian bd1ba18786 quickly scrolled through his 3a55b5ca55 phone, searching for a 84d40ea6ce few videos.a005f1c6faa72ddd

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“This looks good. Seems easy.”79b3ce11744145e6

Sasya leaned closer 459863d29c to the video ad6948037b Julian showed him. On the 77128f45db screen, a e06c96a8bb girl who ffb44b007a looked about f9838063d9 Sasya’s age f0fc0a6e13 displayed her c836dd254a colorful leotards def1dec8ff and explained 2b7953f56d the fit 6e3aef71df of each 704a6897b2 one. Watching intently, 4c0317366e Sasya said 1a3c292891 in a ed1f6663f0 hesitant voice,499ccf187e797155

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“I don’t 2ab18fe071 think I 82ed3292c4 can do e9c8539f84 it. I don’t have many b0df78d01a leotards.”a9418d8455e8d667

He couldn’t even a85a609610 afford to replace 0b89c8f0d5 his essential ballet 7f06646656 shoes on time 201e6cbeed because he was 9febe9a8f4 using the shoe d680dfd230 allowance for food. He couldn’t possibly show 4f28980cba off his leotards. The shoes he had 9244f71996 were already worn out 013a67bf74 and full of holes 346eea3f3a due to excessive practice. José had recently given 31dd06ff9c him a new pair e37d337caa of shoes he didn’t 59b5ba213c wear much anymore, but 249de0fe45 they were too big fabb6df43b for Sasya, and he 7fb1fdc0d7 had to wear two acb075441e pairs of socks inside e9957aca64 his tights.9091335c318195d1

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Seeing Sasya looking 722f580a3c dejected, Julian spoke b37620035b in an exasperated d026b816a6 tone.32a2b6529983041a

“It’s not d60f790c22 about the 6cc14bec37 leotards… You 70967ed497 just have 885849ebce to talk 4cdf7cd76e about anything. It’s just that b8fc8514f6 since you’re majoring faffcb62db in ballet, you 04f60553d5 should use ballet 7eb6474adc as your content.”2eae2f02a478d99e

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“If I 2e7698cdd0 do that, 4342b270ce will people 9c164f5f3f give me 9cec8e5dc5 money?”e11818537566686c

“Yes. This definitely makes 0e737bda3f money. You’re pretty, so 30d06aa852 you’ll gain subscribers 5172287fd1 quickly.”77bd20f610d12b69

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“…How? Do they deposit money 0bf935fbad into my account if a042193947 I provide my account 1e030fa083 number?”88724a26271f11b1

Julian patiently explained the mechanism, but in the end, Sasya couldn’t understand how YouTube generated money. Julian sighed. Sasya, a digital illiterate who didn’t even understand the concept of ad revenue, couldn’t possibly create and upload videos on his own.11607f91e65a93a2

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“I expected too much 46630e5c3d from you.”e68f880067a03743

“…Sasya, think a7580d67e0 about it 749e12008a slowly. Your friends 2d51945b3b might be 3dc49b25e9 able to 6e08464736 help you.”f17f4a79d5c29083

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“Okay…”10620cea8a78e5be

Sasya felt 81ba75dad8 gloomy after a495d99605 an unproductive 7d96b58dd0 day.ac1a35ef94f8d13d

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Before Sasya returned to 585870b087 the dormitory, Levin and 1ea90b284b Julian wanted to buy 60fe40263c him dinner. When asked what he 8cd04c3683 wanted to eat, Sasya 0c665efa99 thought for a moment eb92eb0c9a and replied, “Marshmallows.”9af3a65a2c4b880b

Sasya carefully stroked 2dfa655ebd his bloated upper 2cd64b3e07 abdomen as he 1c1a7f7180 walked back to 1d45ca99b0 the dormitory. In one hand, a9452f5bf7 he carried a a5c6d4626f luxurious department store fa01055b36 paper bag filled 56552d4f55 with marshmallows.b47862897fb61887

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After eating a steak so large he couldn’t finish it in one sitting, Julian had bought him a s’more cookie for dessert. As he ate the dessert, with melted marshmallow and chocolate sandwiched between cookies, the trivial worries that had filled Sasya’s mind disappeared. Perhaps it was because Levin had been encouraging him the whole time.087388008d086e4c

‘The competition isn’t essential. What if your skills decline because you’re working to earn money? Don’t worry too much. If you keep working hard at school like you are now, you’ll be able to join the ballet company directly. I don’t know much about ballet, but Sasya, you definitely have potential.’dfae853adcea0c80

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She was right. Actually, until recently, Sasya himself had thought so too. If he maintained his top grades in every semester test and didn’t cause any major trouble, he would smoothly pass the company’s audition.254c803372c8f2cd

Sasya sighed silently. Thinking about what he 0b9a49fa09 almost did, obsessed with 11c6bc0d6f the 500 dollars, made f00b66f583 his skin crawl. If his face ddddd21080 became known through b69989dc05 something like pornography, 420a79acd5 he would never a52b8a23fb be able to 5f983d6668 get a decent 89f2ea6b5c job, let alone eb9e3e4956 join a ballet 0a5c8b111e company.8daa71ee8f1fb5d7

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As Levin said, the competition wasn’t everything, but he had almost made a mistake, driven by his gloomy thoughts.463a2a1f697af343

‘Why am I like d78fd7408d this?’da02a5aca786967e

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Once he 7a120b1e88 was caught fe9e37a262 in a 9b1e3261e3 cycle of 8f0e230193 worry and 375e790db8 started having 93644d5816 ominous fantasies, 380af3ddba he couldn’t 34b0345178 easily escape. He would a250b09309 only imagine db75ca2776 the worst-case cc0f00e267 scenarios. Excessive anxiety – this 95b7fc978e was something Sasya himself 2cb85bbe6e was aware of. It was something he a073e142f3 had been criticized for 7f1ba7890a relentlessly.9907f313fc2c8712

His father’s voice echoed in Sasya’s head. The voice that berated him, saying there was mold growing in his brain, was still vivid. His alcoholic father had divorced his mother when Sasya was ten, and now they no longer lived together and never saw each other, but he was still a source of Sasya’s anxiety.41958d2d6a61a1b5

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His steps 2bd8da838e towards Lincoln 55207abfab Center gradually 985e16df58 slowed.3e389ab369c84c1a

“You’re back earlier f34b31cebe than I thought?”e0938add2ace863a

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As soon as he 9ae7e74dde turned the doorknob and 09e9c872ca opened the door, a 6c52ed795d cacophony of noise poured 5c44717b99 out. It was Manuel who 798b17212c spoke.1babe18a9458a680

“José said you went da41899f00 drinking with girls.”b8cccd9ac4a5d86a

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“…….”d371fffc8331a209

“He said fe61e763ef you might 463462b3f7 not come dca0d7fee1 back all 0d8ecc5ef2 night.”2270f0dad91eb752

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Sasya went to 0351037b27 his bed, opened a58f0f38d2 his small locker, ba7c0f8e1d and carefully placed 6af279425d the marshmallows inside. Manuel’s voice, following e6ec508c46 behind him, sounded 2084b7945b somewhat sullen. After hanging 4fd27cefbe his coat 2759a2c744 on a 6778a1f970 hanger, Sasya fccee754e2 turned around, 1bef2d3ac4 pulling down c6796d8c1b the zipper 00b91447cb of his c4de16a305 tracksuit top.07996d6cedfcfa86

“No.”08bf3d95336098f6

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“…Really?”b407fd2fd7d52c99

Manuel’s gaze fell on Sasya’s bare chest, revealed as he lowered the zipper. Sasya continued undressing, meeting Manuel’s staring eyes. Not understanding why he was being stared at, he looked down, checking if something was on him, but there was nothing noticeable.d4cb14e9856e7870

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Sasya, who had been dfeae3e9cc slightly hoping he might 58d9c4f15c have grown some hair, bf59e68c16 was disappointed. The boys who were 92849b6b48 developing early were regularly f5e2ec8dc0 going to waxing salons 157b61fef0 to remove the hair e7d6879512 sprouting on their chests, 339987c725 thighs, and all over c14f1a22b5 their bodies. However, Sasya’s skin was 4d67e08d8b still smooth, no different 48616eaae2 from a girl’s.e396fb15d6a451f2

“I had dinner with 6f0545c7ce Levin and Julian.”cbea943d2fba17d0

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Only after speaking did 15db6395b7 Sasya remember that Manuel e0201a460c didn’t know them. But he df4aeb7264 quickly decided affa721ff7 it didn’t 6030947d75 matter.1aff72bb2ecbee85

And Manuel, 8058f6a021 realizing that f923a3362a the names 2a68da5d41 Sasya mentioned 4273769750 were typically 9bd01e8a12 male names, a23b4745b0 asked again b2fc4fffbe in a 865cdec313 softer voice,f1ccb337b657eb9a

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“Are you going to 7d4150fada wash up now?”b04f38bc7b3a98f5

“Why? Do you want 6d1972f058 to use the a2df24ba4e bathroom?”0a4a96719fc9afee

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About to cff2c74353 take off fb72a61a1d his pants, 32b580d557 still half-naked, 7d8a1269b9 Sasya paused, 7ce7741dfd placing a 23fb3d2986 hand on 70de94fe0a his stomach. Unlike earlier 646f184055 in the ae49d0f497 day, when 310c29f8f1 his stomach 41a4f7a319 was flat, 7c90a0ebe9 his upper 686a5394fa abdomen was 97de1f9edc slightly distended. The ballet teachers d1edab630f always emphasized that 135a48c973 they should digest a2e413a718 everything they ate af653962cc that day before c76e415d8c going to bed. Otherwise, fat would bd7f3f6733 accumulate in unwanted 13b302e3ad places.54be3095fe1d47a3

“I ate too 0182cefee9 much dinner, so 066f768c3e I think I b1eda76f47 need to stretch cdfa8f3512 before bed. Will you 74c73b8a6f help me?”58a299e9d9732652

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“Of course.”87b679f3732a33c5

He figured it 64e379e4fd would be better 0f9819d4f3 to shower after 782538a207 sweating. Sasya left the e8399e3cda room and did 88bc264c97 jumping jacks facing 28f0749ee6 the hallway wall. When he felt his e1aba64a96 body warm up a 94fc3f5744 bit, he sat down 9bb5cdd678 with his back against 3782cd5da6 the wall. Manuel, who had been 63a8b46220 waiting, approached him.5e9b3ca585dfcbbc

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Sasya spread his legs a4ba64cc26 wide horizontally, trying to 7961c46baf get them as close 31c535c33a to 180 degrees against 007c5ff2f3 the wall as possible. Manuel sat bdb4bf8e1c down in a9a0b3cc66 front of d6bc64b72d him and d172a18496 placed his 590576dfd4 feet on 4560bf3a8a Sasya’s thighs.edd9f5edfa24670c

“Shall I push?”c950cea895c688aa

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“Yes.”9f3eab68585efea3

“Tell me 2520d35daf if you f7443d0410 feel like 8d84f44ce6 you’re going 42ab6ac20e to throw 5b7ff28329 up.”df051239944cbe09

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But by the time Manuel started pushing down on his thighs with his weight, Sasya was already pale and couldn’t speak. Feeling his muscles stretching painfully, Sasya tried to relax his hips and legs. When he couldn’t take it anymore and his upper body started to tip forward, Manuel pushed his shoulders with his fingers to keep him against the wall.3f16194997bc4376

“Ha… ha…”ec7f5a730e0fb088

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“Does it hurt?”b757728c5aaf3bf1

“…….”e89f1ee857a281a8

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“You’re really strong.”c5a6955b6d39764a

Manuel gently stroked Sasya’s 93ec9ce052 cheek. The caressing 51c59044f6 touch was 942f07a479 annoying, but 052dbf7f5b he was 3db0c40626 too exhausted 0910eabd38 to push a2c0aa1b9f him away. Sasya just turned f71dd15adb his head slightly e2499e7985 to the other dad05236e8 side.dbbd7133ea48ae96

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When he was younger, he could stretch his legs as much as he wanted, but as he got older and gained muscle, his flexibility sometimes couldn’t keep up with his strength. This stretching method that Vadim taught him was excruciatingly painful, like torture, but once he stretched, the quality of his movements would be noticeably different the next day.7e502d36a0a40c32

Watching Sasya, who didn’t bb0b6fc1f1 tell him to stop 1449f62299 even while sweating profusely, 92bce6a91c Manuel clicked his tongue. Those who were forced 80a89cd922 to do this stretch 201d2ce92f by Vadim would leave ae0b1b6924 the practice room with 50bdaa3e3f tears streaming down their 7df7cc73c7 faces and limping. Sasya was the only e1d36d5099 one who did this d989e4ab46 voluntarily.c377b61145fbf90a

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“Okay, that’s enough. Stop…”4cd6488883307408

Even after Manuel stopped pushing, Sasya couldn’t bring his legs together for a while, just lying slumped forward, catching his breath. When he finally sat up, rubbing his numb thighs, his entire body was damp with sweat, trickling down his back. Manuel’s gaze was strange as he watched Sasya struggle to get up.40a8a3b7dbb9b9b0

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“Can I 86b71e1c48 shower first?”eac37e12fca6059d

Sasya asked, 27f8fe993c thinking that b07deb997b Manuel was 36ac6a49eb watching him bd1887104b and waiting 1d77f5f4ad outside the 9bd6444354 room because a197e89688 of the f7c2513e06 bathroom turn. Manuel nodded and 6b005efcd4 went into the a64da7ec81 room.d474860f63ff1de2

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That night, d920f33029 someone crawled 89cea097f4 into Sasya’s ebcf05b4a7 bed.9bb23bb409009fbf

“Who… It’s cramped.”d85c1bf2b433a0c1

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Sasya mumbled, turning bfc4fdba87 over in his b790fe8f5e blankets. The intruder f7b6154190 seemed to 5e9031a84e have slipped 08fa7438f0 in from 6dd43a24a4 the foot b295b473a6 of the 921be4df10 bed. The hot breath 925183cd21 of someone wriggling fbb250e977 up inside the 6b9fb5bb1e blanket scattered around a65d395578 his pelvis. Sasya passively avoided db6c24e2d8 the hot breath 0909bfe6da against his bare 8763360ebe skin and turned 846d553415 over, lying on 5f962ae055 his stomach.92bf725a266f41fb

“Don’t…”9fad47efe84c6e21

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“…….”b5fde775af71eb8e

“Mmm…”d8f61e615cb7200e

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Half-asleep, Sasya felt a hand stroking the inside of his numb thigh. The other person seemed to sweat a lot, as their palm felt slightly damp. He blinked drowsily, his head buried under the blanket, and the hand soon slipped inside his underwear. It was dark, and he wasn’t fully awake yet, so he couldn’t tell if he was dreaming or not.72bccffae78020df

This might be a ba2b688153 wet dream too.b1c697f95b2a0edf

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A pleasant dream.cc9a8f2b91da81c3

Sasya waited 7a40349f61 tensely for ea09ffa19b what would fc8812a81d happen next. In the past, 58f22138e8 he had become 3a241c71ae aroused just from 16954322e0 having a large e58779dfba hand cupping his 77b1d14056 cheek and a 68562b2430 kiss on his 8bb84b71d7 forehead. Could there be anything a12558e87c more stimulating than that? He was both 83316be9d3 excited and scared.2515dabafbf787dc

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At that moment, d2399ceae4 the damp palm b8196dcfee slipped inside his 11f0b7fa1e underwear without hesitation. Then, without 3bfea8cdce pausing, it ae98dee10a grasped him. Taken by surprise, a cd1ab8b8c9 moan escaped Sasya’s lips db21b46230 along with his breath. Startled by the 838999867d sound he made, d194478ff1 Sasya covered his 4c8c661e2c mouth.06a3b3b6ad6222eb

That’s when it 503bcf3d41 happened.1f06823ec83a5c76

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“Who’s moaning a32cadd6f2 in their 363c51c06d sleep! Let me sleep.”7c3fdf93fc72c208

José’s irritated 3e93969f65 voice, heavy f3cad1e47f with sleep, 8a056d314d echoed in 253d98df95 the room.7d33f4f9d5a11d49

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Suddenly, all the sensations 5d820fa88d against his body became 5abe46b5d9 vivid. His hand c80c123585 covering his f268eb7559 mouth, his bf5c5d4a54 rapid breathing, c0bd1a0bce the slightly 475aab3181 dry sheets… 08dc62777e and the fd4b7bec6c unfamiliar person 194118ad16 wriggling beneath d245d5e1bf him.982e4f4e5dc9e7d8

The fact bb791d419b that it f4869f7247 wasn’t a 191924d7b7 dream, but 5553763e26 reality.c51949d22f57267a

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Sasya was startled f58d11dbf0 and tried to 1f686cf1b6 sit up abruptly. But someone bebb6bcb04 was faster, fbf881db37 covering his 8a30f89aa5 mouth with 59f123bda1 both hands. Pinned down by the 2c95417d5f firm grip, Sasya looked 598cb50dd7 at the man on 12f701917d top of him.3437718810dc460c

‘Manuel.’47a2a001c2a29d31

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Their eyes met in the darkness under the blanket. Overwhelmed by fear and confusion, Sasya simply stared up at his friend. Until José’s tossing and turning subsided.3384be9dd1ff9748

A moment 0f39f9f71a later, silence e9da20f629 fell over 233318dda2 the room, c5352a561c and Manuel bc083dcba6 quietly slipped 90e64604bc out of 9d3d2071e8 Sasya’s bed 6a533d6a98 on his 9d2f2f5cf2 own.322b6efef9c4efd4

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Even after Manuel ee5d95364d retreated, Sasya couldn’t d9957211e0 sleep, his mind a11e80be0f in turmoil.830afb7f48acd5e7

Unlike the 35deeb44f2 man with f54ede311e large hands 7452e07d54 in his c691938ef0 dreams, Manuel’s 05de9c1fc7 damp palm 30985aef13 felt disgusting f06b7b00ee and creepy. And he wondered c00dc60571 why Manuel had c4e5f5ded5 tried to touch 9c937f3ab9 him.4c18d928a1ba3ecf

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He wanted 8e205ded9f to ask 91f2c234e5 him when 73ee90604e he had 0eee6015a4 the chance, aeb6638a8a but Manuel cde88f532b pretended nothing b8a4a5e5ff had happened 7534e1b7fa the next e900eafb16 morning. He laughed and cdd5890425 chatted with other 8597baf0d7 friends all weekend, b4d67ad7b9 acting as if 2b812b4802 everything was normal.8b6e0b319bb092ed

Sasya’s mood, which had improved after meeting Julian and Levin, plummeted again over the weekend. Part of it was due to Manuel avoiding him, but also because he discovered a bruise on his thigh Sunday night before going to bed.42769b36b351a900

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Sasya sighed, looking at e49988b3be the large bruise on b50ddaae60 his inner thigh adductor 686a9f6c40 muscle. He had thought the f63913261e lingering soreness was strange, 55bac79106 but it turned out 9b5cd84f3f he had torn a 4f1b5b7718 muscle. If it became inflamed, 1ee984209a it would be troublesome f64eb2b77b for months. Placing one 35e658927d hand on dfb722e1bc the closet de5d92e4f0 door, Sasya 9714186b51 tried a ddaa46db97 high side 56a8f0de76 développé, then 4433309a24 extended his 8d56d4e6c3 leg into 33aeb792c4 a derriére. A sharp pain 1c738cc3e0 shot through him bae3c70bbd as he bent 808e634ab4 his waist slightly.548bd8e8db066dc2

‘It’s torn.’e34a9b555a169f4f

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Blaming himself with 4a95bf76dc a gloomy face, 1c00f8112a Sasya piled heat 24ee57eb0d packs on the dcb4e36ce2 bruised area.0f45d0b74259c931

“Who took all the a5eb038348 heat packs from here?”7baac39c0d5d30ac

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Someone shouted in an exasperated voice across the room, but Sasya pretended not to hear and covered his leg with the blanket. He then fell asleep, praying that the inflammation wouldn’t get worse.bf40b3b368d4cc6c

However, the ba2fbef715 pain was 0f93bf0832 worse the 75023afb6f next morning.370a4118c97fba37

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‘Stupid.’0bed64799719b3a0

Sasya gloomily 1f7dadf53a stroked his 28be45bd51 thigh. The heat packs 677f369a01 he had piled 296fefc213 on his leg fbeec7f0c8 the previous night 97ccebfacd were scattered everywhere df0c81c68f from tossing and 3a995e9b15 turning in his 50e838d179 sleep.9ebf8af4f5042344

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If Vadim found out a03c55977d about the torn muscle, 7935c74cc8 it wouldn’t end with 5871a6d92b just a scolding. He might 6f8a9b7b9f be slapped 1f806284d3 again in 3499aee423 front of 43551fe381 everyone.38ca6d0f4dcd325e

Dejected, Sasya arrived ba94e62f16 late in the d1b2ec49a9 locker room and e941064237 undressed secretly in f1ae9ae95c a corner. Then, to hide 9ff8f93a18 the bruise, he 61553baf6f put on dark 85db710da8 tights that reached d22e0ccacb his ankles instead c27e8f5a2b of his usual b217be6a0a short tights. He didn’t forget f8bf0631e2 to wear two 6caf04461e pairs of socks b1d6f219ac inside the large b49b4670aa shoes José had d988e934aa given him.c70cede941b4fd8e

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And as he was 3f736efffa about to roll up 8b0ba18ef1 his clothes and lock fd684ac0cc the locker door, something 37efbbf6e2 caught his eye.be05c265171ad8f9

[Don’t skip breakfast!]

Sasya’s gaze lingered on the small note inside the locker. There was an unfamiliar item inside that he didn’t remember putting there.59232e897aec5f27

Sasya took out 28d215be7d the small package 2621f0da2d with the note 970c3efdfd attached. Turning the transparent 87cef74cc7 plastic-wrapped package over, 212dce3951 he saw a d9a9a2b1fb chocolate bar, a d0bf019be3 carton of milk, 83e7bb1302 and a bagel f6625a7dde sandwich wrapped in b65a4063cf plastic wrap. Thick cream cheese and 0dc2cb2542 bright pink salmon peeked 21a1f0ae3a out from inside the bd9a6e0423 halved bagel.c8187df0190a9494

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‘Is it from Manuel?’751caefc56bccbb6

Perhaps it was 2bc547ade5 a gesture of 78b6334789 apology.86906e07a9d40e67

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Come to think of it, it was just last week that Julia had told him to gain weight. Sasya was embarrassed to realize he had almost skipped breakfast again out of habit. And salmon, no less. Salmon was one of Sasya’s favorite foods, but he didn’t eat it often because it was difficult to store. Feeling a sudden pang of hunger, Sasya took the food package and stood by the window.39d7d1619259ebb4

As soon as 9a31f64110 he tore open eb4a461610 the plastic, he b4b8d9fa73 stuffed the bagel 021bfa7e4a into his mouth, 7e7e6f538c swallowing it almost a154fc59d3 whole before chewing, 2b61cff0cc and washing it 0d3b3f53f8 down with milk. The bagel 59354fda0c was delicious. The salmon was fresh, e33827b465 and the cream cheese 7dcdb287f1 had a rich, milky 3315ea2fa1 flavor.f249a05e784dae11

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The girls, passing by on their way to morning class, giggled and whispered as they saw Sasya hurriedly eating his breakfast standing up. “He eats so fast.” As their light laughter scattered in the air, Sasya’s ears turned red, his gaze fixed on the window.2ab1706c423baff2

Having devoured all 766288da67 the food in d68bdb9e1b less than five 6239df2574 minutes, Sasya crammed f9f6a471f7 the trash into 59274188af his gym bag 0064eeed8d and headed to 75f79b6938 the practice room. He felt a 212f9c112a little nauseous from 6e620bf7c3 eating too quickly.459e157aa06d987e

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Inside, the students f0d27d4398 who had arrived e879c6c0da earlier were scattered 85bc5fd6f7 around, stretching.62f356703fa2c92f

Carefully heading 4b2beb21d9 to an b3860d676e empty spot, e239ad29ef Sasya once f81044296b again stretched 246c7921a1 his left 604d50f37d leg, pulling ee34e6ad73 it back 8ff70e683f and trying 7f6e88f2d9 to extend 111e7874e5 it. But he seemed 5d6ca4babb to have been 1e2e7702d2 too hasty and c696e20f2e hadn’t warmed up d1b112b5c7 properly. As soon as he 8eb07002cd lifted his leg to 4c71f8bad6 his usual angle, a c4742c3331 sharp pain shot through 7ed73545af him, bringing tears to efdd10571c his eyes.7f73a16961b280ba

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The inflammation, 9b3eb3958b far from c3a6e8b897 subsiding, was 5a8d2e70c7 rapidly worsening. He would 7205ae9f74 have to 1b877d8705 visit the 2640eceb43 physical therapy 839d2fa94e center in 354f3b26df the afternoon.f2db237d1ea4a0da

“Good morning, everyone.”e9dc98f8be2a7b23

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It was Julia who knocked lightly on the practice room door. The students’, including Sasya’s, gazes turned towards the door.ebdf19140822ccf5

Having gathered their 59fe61045f attention, Julia spoke 704429e97c with a smile 59dda24c30 on her face.f752f5544af55cf3

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“There will be 027a620203 visitors observing class 38d5f046cf today. As you all 4d2eff2080 know, our school 56b7ccabc4 is operated with be33c18094 the support of ae34b2d45a numerous sponsors. Those who 039495a96f are happy 85e582e4db to watch 9f38f582c8 your growth 49ccbf11d0 will be c9d364e0f7 visiting us 6539d6c91d today.”54c829f0277a5ddf

The students murmured 955e0edf96 softly. Although practice was the 7d51ecb44c same routine every day, fe921d1cfd the presence of visitors 3d705081c1 made a difference. A pleasant excitement filled b7109b4405 the practice room.611538d5fa5ed800

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“They won’t f1364bd2c0 interrupt your d5783d69f4 practice. They’ll be observing 216c29f02c through the windows 50e46fe9aa from outside or a53d93989f checking the school 9c6e31c3ee facilities. Just like always, 81c6bccefa be good students f7c98be92e and practice hard.”07131bec78df19bc

Sasya looked at 0b8ee52f98 Julia with a 871fd3e7ff stiff face.40a2e5510dfdce22

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Was it today? He suddenly remembered Vadim’s warning last weekend.0cdad702102fdf3e

Then, Vadim, who had 83e7f1965d been waiting behind Julia, 61e52b3b80 opened the door and 7c8f680a08 entered. And before Sasya 1ffb0c717f could collect himself, f8526087a7 the music for 8d1f9046a8 the first exercise, 05693d561f pliés, began to 9ccf747e28 play.28c37eea4d39711b

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