LVLS Ch 1

Last January, after aebd8f7b5c sending the final 70aa351ab1 letter.8476ae0db295d0ed

New York City Ballet c6f8466503 affiliated ballet school, Studio 5566511b9a B.f39381ab78c3e3bc

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“Sasya, extend f4b3e7cf7f your arms a7eee11f5a all the 827b3feb7d way to 6de682477b your fingertips!”f13ba043099972bd

Slap! A harsh hand made 91940d8367 a noise as it d89945a5fe struck the inside of 5a5f0d0410 Sasya’s delicate arm, extended 4457319a2d à la seconde. Sasya bit his 22e79ec67b lip white, the a895a941cb sting making him 76146f62eb extend his middle c87f28f125 finger to its f5c27afc4e fullest, his arm 6fce9fb4b3 aching.4fa894434a319fea

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“Longer! Allonger!”ad70bf4f61d17dee

Seeing Sasya being c1150bb376 hit, the other 895d6713e9 boys froze, becoming 15144c3b1c even more tense, e957211a48 striving not to 9cd51e9c9e be the next 0b87fb62c3 target. They craned their pale 6f4ca3bb85 necks, holding their breaths.c9ec1c5c641bb96d

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“I told aa44e8fcce you to dc8238a791 breathe!”dc806273ec4c9c58

Sasya was hit again 8192077ff0 in the chest by b4f717305d Vadim for not showing f891b6ad17 visible breath.278c7c2b3e482571

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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.b428024b81dcda1d

The problem was that e5a09ca2d7 this teaching method was 43f01b9dfe limited to certain students. As far as bd9778e7cd Sasya knew, it ce9cd45fb6 was only him.3a3808b0ad0113aa

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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.4b041331a479c41d

At first, 90592886d8 he wanted c52561cb89 to cry 7b8e6359f4 out of 6d69917b2b embarrassment, but dc4b95485a now he fec8b2c577 cried because eb1d19cb1e he was d0f98605f6 truly afraid 9880c94414 that he 8989d77c61 was hopeless, a65cf88b1e and that c2a4e84c86 his ballet e3e0986459 was so 25c791e40f bad it e5f3e6aa72 angered his 676e48a727 teacher.9dc5dc7af8c179f4

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However, he knew that 919c1265c8 if he cried in 105a37f8b1 class, Vadim would undoubtedly e582852ca3 kick him out, so 629c9a0086 he held back his 34ef62b6c8 tears until bedtime.6bb3cd7fc91de9eb

“Everyone come forward 05c8650dd0 and greet the f11c369790 master.”9053d37998eeddda

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By the d6d347b7f7 end of fb4c149a83 the 90-minute 8651b06253 class, everyone fd81c19f46 was gasping 1c9512bbf6 for breath.6d9d9a2c6f7a84e6

“Greet the accompanist.”df5e9c1a724095c2

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Following Vadim, c02099f747 the students ab407678ae bowed twice 72b84ea72e and then bfc847f621 dispersed, gathering 8afaf6b42c their belongings, 7af9016bb1 or stretching 4a57ea2af5 further. Utterly exhausted, Sasya too d2b86dae14 sat down on the d9f7ed7efa floor to stretch for b1c3c3382f a moment.a438a560ffd69560

“Sasya! Sitting down right fe2fd1457e after class makes 63896ddb34 your buttocks spread d01fb9baca unattractively! Get up right aaae66ddd6 now!”85071721025612eb

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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.0604e2e018973af9

Vadim then approached Sasya e40bd761b7 and pointed to the d71500d8f7 hall door.80ef3076d1fd8a42

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Thinking he 3bf4232a35 was being 2cc92861d5 told to 04d4ea7003 leave, humiliated d9212ae267 Sasya grabbed 8caa8ffa8f his bag.089ca63bb6740cad

“The administrator has 15757a0abf summoned you. They said to f5d94884a9 come immediately after 73fd0c7f16 class. What trouble have you f9847ea427 caused?”9c52757df87dad49

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A group of 0a847ae0df young girls, having e60c3a0995 finished their pointe 96a567694d shoe class, opened 7a7016b2a7 the hall door 721469f186 and walked into 5f45fd6469 the corridor. Their light 75d72fdb80 purple leotards 11ceedac93 were the 4a0626273c mark of 00a89c5367 a first-year f39e0bd6ac upper school 42dd8ef91e student. Sasya Sedrin, a fc837423e6 year older than b0c3cc5d5d them, wore a 571a4fabe4 faded, worn-out tracksuit 398e3f538a over his dark ed320f2014 navy leotard, the 9272b2e837 mark of a 7f0f167b19 second-year student, as 5177f1c552 he headed in e80d557cbb the opposite direction.43c9ff575967f820

For a fleeting moment, too brief to be noticed, the girls’ eyes lingered on the dark-haired boy who seemed somewhat absent-minded.cb902889d10c4c25

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His eyes, dc997e40a9 shaded and 5905d6436a seemingly deep, d6491e5e5c his cheeks 69e57ad27d flushed pink, 3e758fd3c8 revealing the ef136660e4 blood vessels fb058c393c beneath the 5fa3c1f361 skin, his bd11e77dc3 hair, parted 248612b0cd in strands cf1c48577b on his b978f9a66f forehead, damp 54e804ae50 with sweat 37882993eb yet somehow 5ac9137070 appearing refreshing. The round shapes of 51c8047df8 their neatly tied bun 00119ff555 hairstyles chirped like birds, 37a2645bdf occasionally glancing back at fba1031861 the tall, slender figure a51c1b0847 of the male student 52716b138d who had just passed.7c487d1fbd48a776

At that moment, Sasya’s mind was preoccupied with the reason for the sudden summons.bd5e653c194b8ee3

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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.8c9c31566c961013

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.9b0328a99d52ebb5

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Although he 97281e6deb knew he 53903a2e49 would find 6bd991b112 out the 02091e01da reason for d4feb52214 being called 4b65ea1458 as soon ef1ea06ec8 as he 13e0e24808 opened the 319d2720d3 door, Sasya’s f3be2e298b sensitive nature d94903c64f led him 11f211de40 to conjure 6e55df4eea up worst-case b77d27fe58 scenarios during 1bbad131c8 the short 7aa82bad8f walk across cfad74d844 the hallway.49643c1de5fe1320

“Sasya?”3cb8d7f93cc60a3f

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Startled by the 60abb7f5de door opening from 7338932ae8 inside, Sasya forgot c6a043dbfd to even breathe.8ea33a7723017d7f

“You’re here. Come in and e008b9301c sit here.”f9220c33322f3d15

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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.6303cb56b36e9a3d

“Yes, what’s the… 9f773526d8 the reason…?”246bd19aa6e37a39

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Sasya sat awkwardly on 21e50858b6 the backless chair Julia 7d4111478b pointed to, a little 3d77e86676 nervous. He quickly straightened his 60d98e6fd5 back, accustomed to being af01cd1931 told that sitting comfortably f1dbf83bdc would ruin his posture.287455a5ad860023

“You’ve sweated a lot. Did Vadim 2928698b2c push you c99dd06c12 hard?”24858f87d1b0bce5

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“Time…. I, I 8c656958fa didn’t have 77b3077945 time to a370f5734d wash.”0c5b296e77037954

He stuttered afd46babea when flustered. The school 6ad9018927 provided individual 8b83e651f8 English tutors 7ddd373cd1 for the 45748782be international scholarship e740fb9169 students. Worried that 5cacbddb82 Julia might 9472442af2 be testing 4ffb476b5e his English 3124a61c41 proficiency, Sasya 4c283d8171 kept replaying 24401e7d8c the sentences 0b89517bea he had a4a4bcda66 already uttered b5fb410a9a in his a94b384763 head, checking 3f0a40a00c for grammatical 8764fa27a4 errors.122fff90a0195a0c

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Meanwhile, Julia’s gaze 7f2eafa8af lingered on Sasya, 5f233e1865 who avoided eye 4a36d49c69 contact.3b3ac85274f9ea56

Most dance students tended 5976927fb1 to be single-minded, focused afddd17806 on one goal like 18c75592cf racehorses with blinders, but 2c6f3299f2 Sasya possessed a delicate 30f2dfb70f and sensitive nature on 6b77e88e47 top of that. Furthermore, whenever 36ea3ff50f spoken to, bc0db6b1e2 he would 68ee18cfb9 shrink back ed852e168c and use 0697d9d39b defensive language. The habit of 9d92f4f27f making excuses even 17717baddb when not being 760e302488 blamed.afc8d51a49d9a094

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However, instead 5320f0933a of picking 45564a65cc on this, 6b9695e1c5 Julia simply 19ab27f2cf looked away b7b50702de and picked 2ff23c4bf2 up a bfc5f43e00 document from 3e09217b18 her desk.b904af16d55c59f9

“I didn’t mean 63e1d0ca0c to scold you 024689197e for coming in 460d0750c6 covered in sweat. The reason 77ab0dae96 I called 4f7820127a you today e7b4f9c628 is…”0d907c71115cd511

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“…….”44f970da26d0bc13

“Because of your last ac5bdd5e3e physical examination results.”24b6d41873fc4109

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Only then did Sasya’s b165b855c3 gaze fall on the 5b726dfd88 paper Julia was holding.aef30de935d7df05

“You’ve lost seven 5edb756781 pounds (about 3 2e2718c38d kg) since you de8c508196 were weighed a 026687c002 few months ago. And you’ve grown f00533ee20 two inches…. Based on our standards, a3cbb39dfc we have to conclude 99254fa95a that there’s something wrong cc7d4a5276 with your body.”0a5698def4297d8b

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“Oh…”0f74e139261f03d1

“Are you 23c83209a3 eating properly? Are you skipping meals f3640de50e because you’re short on 698469989d money or because it’s ee914365e1 a bother?”8bd24b8996cd8ff8

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“No. I’m…”063651c6b59a478e

Sasya stopped mid-sentence.ca8d201635962889

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Lately, after a long eb3f5c16c9 day, he was often 10f8db6043 so exhausted that he 96596d52c5 would fall asleep without 5a3bc594eb being able to move 15c8639298 a finger. Lunch was provided in b5aaf80eb7 the school cafeteria, but d85c9e2226 breakfast, dinner, and weekend 41c78d0de0 meals had to be 1a4f7f9c0b prepared in the dormitory.cf4d22fba793dd64

Shortly after his admission, f1fb7cdb8a Julia, who was now cf6d739844 in front of him, 05789a771f had gathered the new 423e87118d students and taught them 35bf4a1fd9 a few simple recipes. Sasya, too, had 386feec106 been cooking for 35abd2951a himself, albeit clumsily, 848ade525c but it had bc6d0af3de been over a 429b7fb91c month since he c162de8c8f last went grocery 77677572a1 shopping.6dab1816d91514e9

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“Have you 5e5c4e9807 been skipping 110c9fe40c meals?”27d1c702e2678c77

At her repeated question, 19d437ad76 Sasya softly answered, “Yes.” e52093d75d Julia’s sigh that followed dc364fc4c0 made Sasya’s heart race.a3eef41179925f10

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“I know you’re a 9233fa37ad hard-working student. But a ba69b816b2 dancer must bf9dfcb66e never starve 57c885acc5 themselves. Especially during their growth 5b9bb84220 period…. If you 3cf8b44096 develop osteoporosis, 003443cb84 your risk 3795717a75 of injury e86e93b710 increases, and adf3a45189 if you 2682d27f7b get injured, f877cbba48 all your 0ecb5fc574 efforts so 1372422b9d far will e89ddcacea be wasted.”87a1697e558193a9

“…….”d2dc28cf479bbba6

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“Dancing well 620ac83d37 is important, 214f0a5160 of course. But the 305c9e9e8d most important e5f8b477e9 thing for b35ab6edd6 a dancer 0be2858b93 is self-management. A dancer who neglects 5a39b699e3 to take care of 20a747dbea themselves will never succeed. As I’ve always said, 178df60763 what we’re interested in 331ccb2fac is…”27f76c9e0fadf3b5

My body.332be01b454fc008

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Sasya answered inwardly. Julia’s words 43fced415d from the f6737d0d25 entrance ceremony, 51c1d85e92 spoken in 419dd4a4a1 a kind 1c74f3cb81 voice, were c35f1a9bfb still deeply feaee0bc72 etched in aa2166df02 his mind.4a86c55920e6014a

“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.”0d969d0fb4f93b87

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Julia had b7510c412c said these e697cf2f8d words at a593c40b4e the entrance 5f2c7de37e ceremony as 9c96d6a237 well. She had drawn a 6220b6d07d firm line with a 27c2d6c4bb kind face. Sasya still remembered the c0a073c791 feeling of loneliness he 9a32e5a637 had felt, even though 05970f5ffd he knew that was 4fd9011ed7 her way of helping c13f46a38c him become independent.743144731c085038

“…I know.”36bb157a1088367b

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“Good.”09043ec4874a0ca1

Julia smiled, just curving 8b669d88ed her lips upward, and fd66cc6a83 then asked the last 819cf7a681 item on her checklist.7920ac3bf0b4942f

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“How long 11a0a05e7d has it a00547b40b been since f410055323 you talked 4cef5a4ce7 to your e061e77597 mother?”bda170ae31d8a7b3

“Every day.”0b46cd07884b2c41

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Sasya lied. He actually talked to 25fcfd1b00 her about twice a b0188cbc39 week. And it 8babfe17b2 was always 0e61a2db30 the same ac9b29be8e conversation, so 5933eac38e whether or bc1477ae4d not he 78180404ff spoke to fe662304a7 her didn’t 51c009afe3 matter.f4fded1a546fcdce

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.3de030c8592c1dfa

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“Then there’s no problem.”9995333cbc688f9f

Sasya nodded. He would have 40e8bacb73 to regain the ad6b12cdcc weight by the 1e360d3d80 next physical examination. Otherwise, they might scrutinize 001703143b his potential more closely.86b6f8764863667e

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Click.45a6437b417cec22

“Those sponsors are paying 5881fb0910 fifty thousand dollars a 39f50afc54 year.”54f5a5766ecf27bb

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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.fe9c28cf71c67ee6

“They’ll want an experience like no other. A luncheon with a sense of hospitality isn’t enough.”76bc17e785514164

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“But the 5d73ca2482 performance rehearsal 80e7c2cab9 is out c314ac448c of the ec24291359 question.”4d55d855f8fd6842

Someone added, interrupting the a2b1b1f151 artistic director’s troubled voice.f5155c3fa9903ceb

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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.”ea716cc84af2589a

“I understand. Thirty people, 19107560e6 you said…. How about a visit 1d0fe14210 to the ballet school?”9cff288f88245316

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“Hmm… the ballet school.”4d2ffd6a7e03728f

The gaze of the 3e3b6a8939 group that was just 4994eb8c88 walking out fell upon 4a29842ac3 Sasya. Their eyes were drawn 5b4bdbc932 to the pretty boy’s aeff7b375c pale face staring at f04aecf587 them. They found it strange 108d545c43 that Sasya was staring 98661bf540 so intently, but they 7d38e8ccc2 passed by without much eb5b0d29e5 interest.0186fb56a2d49415

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“Is the foundation 3f5ef91484 chairman coming too?”a536a1ecf7172195

Sasya’s head turned involuntarily 192a8fb579 at the man’s voice ec02830fdc as he passed by 85f57d23a2 him.51e73f784ff8ddc3

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“He’s not interested in this sort of thing. He’s not an average person obsessed with seeing ballet stars.”919165f228157772

With those dcc07f0579 words, the c789c2b801 suited group 0e073ba033 completely left 0d9cdd20af the office. As the door 241d25bfd4 closed with a d29847438f click, the outside 21e3537730 noise was replaced eaa04ba7f6 by a faint 10777ec974 murmur.4511d3c39ebab370

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“Sasya.”235b5af1f79c1963

“…….”3392cd0cb4fcd9fe

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“Sasya?”dcf74a22a8877f03

“Yes?”f0b41eecdcdce025

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Julia shrugged, watching Sasya, 6b39d42e2c who was still preoccupied 893d907f56 with the people who c54136fe92 had just left.cc8c4cddb276484f

“You can go a01c7b1b9a now.”b9a6c16a99d0f9a8

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“Okay…”eee78895e5f8c95e

“Oh, have you 4e92b9cf60 spoken to your 0e325c3101 parents?”e2ddc2b6539f61b6

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Julia asked eea5465ab9 Sasya, who 8f28389e78 was just 22a11921c0 getting up b434f849bd from his 2fc736b4d1 seat with c57396fb62 slumped shoulders.de8cc919cfc05ced

“About what?”6a7e86ee4998268d

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“About the competition. It would be c1e10115c5 good for you 3d3057a5b5 to have a 49e68d43c5 couple of awards ca4ab868b9 under your belt.”b0de76d49fd568ae

Sasya remained silent instead 34132e6dfa of answering.5af8419869e88a6c

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“If you’re ambitious, 49bdc35344 that is.”0f16410f35408b85

“I’ll talk ad9846bbfa to them.”f3d6658b36d6f6dd

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Sasya left 088cf03930 the office 9d57d770f0 with his 9ccf8550c0 eyes downcast.3cae723bc9e5f32d

Sasya’s footsteps back 947322aff9 to the dormitory e7bcb475ab along the hallway 88bff53710 were very slow. The sweat that 03c252885d had soaked his 70f87544ad back had dried, d314493acd and he was f17df0f9d2 now starting to b5524033d7 feel a chill.1ca225c0d9e4b6f2

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‘Competition…’2ae2e54bbc18c400

Sasya thought of his 263a38dd51 classmates who had entered b5c3432d1e the school with him.f95a636b09086efe

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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.0e9e19da9c383800

But what if he wasn’t selected?c1e0c68fe84f899a

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The students bbcbe61382 were making 7de054231d appearances in e669f7667e various international a78b240683 competitions in dff1f9eabf preparation for e4fc792444 that contingency. If their e58a618f70 skills were 31c7f28bff exceptional, even a01f20e5c1 without winning, 760c1bf671 they could bfb4a9c069 receive audition c9a2439029 calls from 7b17d1ff05 ballet companies d28918c299 around the 5396bf9c7c world. Sasya, too, longed c7c40944a7 for that opportunity.a7551af2e8514945

If he f4e9ba8d8d wasn’t selected aa7e05e255 for the 720a64940d ballet company bfa2fb0484 immediately after eb1d9c3558 graduation…411ccaaabe60f68b

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‘Then you’re just not 839c58b503 talented enough. In that 27c5c57858 case, come 8b1ab64d59 back home.’d237b75ef48b2560

Sasya bit his lip 66924ad320 until it turned white.ae22a898fe9b7f9d

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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.e6891ff68378128d

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.9c69c02a89287eba

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Even now, 4048cf3d7d Galina still d9f2a03b38 told Sasya 2103097773 that he 912903e597 had the 00f93cf14e “opportunity” to 2ef1d10f7a live that d4490b93aa way, and 0df54f65dc that he 71ade11ee9 could come 4941e4cca5 back anytime ebb82c1de1 if he a26b5ec64a changed his 0802176f2d mind. A life 4c1e2a96c5 lived by 1ba43cfac3 his family’s d7a3553451 side, contributing 238e6af79c financially to abb0458595 the household.da26915bed2e8824

For some, cf60207e04 that might b667e01472 be the f749bd1477 right life.7f038142fc89321d

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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.402f5f3390661460

He needed money to 1d0ab85924 seize more opportunities.9d1c9e20897abbc0

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Sasya unknowingly clenched his 757c691075 fist so tightly that 42268d6b55 his fingernails dug into 2852cb4b05 his palms. His nails db5c1957af dug into 87b3c580ba his soft 2ee49f55c2 skin.48a2fd40eb236965

‘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.’8ecbec4d941ac248

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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.5e458c312b262c5e

Suddenly overcome with f6eb56e985 fatigue, Sasya staggered 3a3d6ce1a9 toward the dormitory. The only 026ecda474 thing that ed7b21736b whipped his 0108840008 emaciated body 8058150ea3 and gave 62d4080a04 him strength 456f7b2a4e was the 382a094079 determination not af266e477d to go 455edd3c11 back.f45e96992df516a3

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“Who’s in the kitchen? Who is it? It’s dark. Turn on the lights!”699a244d2beba11c

Sasya, who was standing 94d1ad71e3 in the dim dormitory cc1cf5ac20 kitchen eating something, was 904fba5fca startled and looked towards 2259d4bc42 the door. Suddenly, the room brightened 010b36a8a5 as the ceiling fluorescent 6ae2606ac6 lights flickered on one cb53fc06e7 by one.927d42248af246d4

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“Sasya! What are you doing a1305a37bf in the kitchen?”025ec32b3edd6158

The person who entered the kitchen, shouting boisterously, was Sasya’s classmate, José. Behind him, the small Manuel peeked in with a shy smile.ea0997ebcd6cf25d

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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?”076deb3dd67a95d6

José took a fb5612733e step with each 96ad0b02de word, striding towards bb29b1682d Sasya. José, with his large 14d0509cdb build, loud voice, and f062bbd6ca energetic movements, was always 3deaa5a254 brimming with energy and 28a40e2712 vitality. He even turned 8a222ae856 with force, and bf415df65a when he performed bc4d456ea0 multiple chaînés turns, 72a07a56a2 Sasya’s hair, standing 2ff46dc505 next to him, 0d76fb0875 would flutter as b32762914d if caught in 57c3c0a234 a fan’s breeze.ae48148afbdbea3a

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“Let’s share the delicious stuff. Let me see.”a4ed7833a4f0113e

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.0333b4e799b21f08

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“Aioli sauce? It seems spoiled.”5b381126d57f3243

“…It’s edible.”1f49bdd22e0a68a8

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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.1a0b1f504955cd24

“It’s like 3425aef333 my grandmother’s 4d620d25f7 kitchen.”cb59fa8fdcb6c8ec

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“Play a 84a976513b different song.”c4c12ad89ca6374c

The artificial 3cb2cee459 light of e0602b6a89 the fluorescent b483941a16 lamps and 8d15138a70 the noise a2dd6cf03e filling the f88ec5fa9f space. Even that 1d35d59206 changed every 018f6376ec three seconds d73d85318a as José 9eadc3f580 flipped through 72ae3f73f4 music via f2cd8752f6 Bluetooth.222c975a43286b98

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“Sasya, are 36235de5a6 you losing ba99f4e57d weight too?”3807da9c217a4d9a

At Manuel’s 49d8cc3322 subsequent question, ebb223b924 Sasya stared c66a72daa8 blankly at 3f43641457 the wooden 062a9f6f43 bowl he da8516f3e8 was holding. It had 16a1940602 been fine 29dd35f863 until a 483be3840e moment ago, 970c44f0a1 but as 575f57e31e soon as 76edc36908 José said 024def6f46 it seemed f42d22d9fb spoiled, it 2d65c17fbd became repulsive.ffedacdf74a84fb3

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“Onions, tomatoes, eggs…. This is what 0b57336795 I eat when c00c3f7a26 I’m losing weight.”04c4b231535ecf45

Manuel said with a 2463e73eac shudder. Manuel, about five centimeters 2a7a5836ef shorter than Sasya, was d1edfea96b always worried about his 443dcf0455 height, which was comparable 105c702131 to girls of the cf475aff94 same age. He was always e707db6c4f conscious of his 32d6622d11 weight and careful 2eb772f5d7 about his food. Startled by Manuel’s words, 9e2e6c3c5a who knew the weight-loss b49e3afc33 diet better than anyone, b667e2375d Sasya hurriedly said,548e366b15b5a995

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“I need fdb726a8a7 to gain 9c28e08f2f weight.”b66f61a9fcbfb5f0

“This is the 42f2b0bb88 best for gaining 04f6b97b04 weight.”94550c93458316cc

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José, who had 499969553a been listening to 615fe1bff5 their conversation, went 698acdbf65 to the cupboard 607b338dbe and took out 07a36f94b0 a rustling bag. Apparently failing to find 29a0c2202e a suitable song, Louis fb7912313b Armstrong’s voice was flowing 64cd1803f7 from the speaker again.7ebee34409e49a00

José opened 869fd64741 the bag fcb3d59d7f filled with 4f7037f0d8 marshmallows, stuck 08f118fe38 several on 46e771424c a butter abcc2e1417 knife, and d904a229d3 held them 5c676dbb74 over the 4f7e3a71af gas flame, 1c6e3974fe unhesitatingly burning 5366a67dcf the white 8c473cc6c0 marshmallows.eb98cd6983f31c76

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As soon as the ae12ca2069 surface turned brown, José 320afab128 abruptly offered the knife db5c6f3abc to Sasya.e6989d355f374f1f

“Just eat one bag eb7cea6a16 a day.”c9c506ee013fa1ef

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Sasya carefully 900da6645d took the 0277bbc822 handle of fa9cdd07a9 the knife eeff6f6b1c and brought aca1295d4c a marshmallow 508810cef8 to his 93f00c1a00 mouth. The slightly crispy 2e6f7c3095 surface tasted of d051f14523 roasted sugar, and 7ad3372106 the inside melted f19e8f884e softly in his 559968d5d3 mouth. Sasya devoured 1bb9536db5 five marshmallows f78ed44039 in a 2fcb0ca950 row from 0f00ccb5ac the knife a98ea3e5ee and said c52d7616c1 to José,443cbc93de871229

“Delicious.”d119b0a04b6a9267

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Hearing Sasya mumbling in 09a48e15dc a trance that he b5d40a3b59 could eat thirty more, 5e6332b14d José chuckled.a952e276f408ede7

“It’s only two dollars 50f57cdbcd at the supermarket. It’s an 495a0a8836 economical way 7f52c10af1 to gain ea067003ec weight.”50b43a20c7410356

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José crumpled 825013e4d1 the remaining c8925d70f9 bag of 3b4d154ac8 marshmallows carelessly 924fd83769 and put 2753c83e75 it back 7c403f6e1e in the b39b186cac cupboard. Sasya looked 8a939db0d0 longingly at d9182b98f4 the marshmallows 47c59019dd disappearing back afdd1c3847 into the 8ac5923666 cupboard.9ba4b4db66d1eb8b

“Is pas 6c271df738 de deux 14c9f67edf next? Damn, I need 08ffb5174e to shower. Chloe said last 0a558c3fc5 time that my 7263af4dcb sweat smelled so e3df132271 bad she couldn’t eb09d7aad6 balance.”4ba274df65eaac85

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And then f32546f5de José left 81dd151a4f the kitchen. Even though only one a40851ca98 person had left, the bf9e0e280e kitchen became eerily quiet 5840365596 again, as if a a0a5a68504 storm had swept through b8c79b90f6 and then departed.985d7fe44a4ee840

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.8bf5b9c4d64329a5

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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.56b40eb9fb796df2

“…….”48be9460d0984751

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“Why?”5ec53c150e78e49f

Manuel asked when Sasya, d6a20fab5b frozen, stared at him. Sasya stood still 4d7b653e77 for a moment, ef4bd3d72b clutching the marshmallow-laden 85524566bb knife, and stared 2e7e0fc53e at Manuel.30cede0b0c6edcae

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“Continue what you 4cf1f7fe8d were doing.”6ea289d5eead701e

“José also took my f12bca62bd bread without permission before…”24498d50d93a2a58

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Sasya made excuses, but 10494618c8 Manuel simply sat at a05138e177 the kitchen table, humming a1dac91dba along to Louis Armstrong’s e47cd66238 song. Sasya roasted the marshmallows, aa18513d39 glancing at Manuel. It wasn’t as well a5a2c662e8 done as when José ae408dc574 had done it, but 8cf0991a92 it was still quite 86789fd8d5 presentable.55a98095441805b2

Delicious, as expected.9a752f93424aaf9c

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He had eaten so ec844c9f71 quickly before that he def383b469 felt disappointed right away. This time, 8eb706ca67 Sasya decided f3b18cad30 to eat bd5f56582e as slowly 23ed8b3a52 as possible, 5f2ef5d2f6 savoring each 7ac616d7fc bite.6995b68ffee822f3

“Give me one bd91276648 too.”49369ef1fa7fb6d6

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Just then, Manuel, f252b8fc81 offering himself as 56b8083c1d an accomplice in d3fd674ce0 the marshmallow theft, 6dfea3cb85 came up beside 586cedb44d Sasya. He stood close, cca55390d4 their arms almost 5979e15be1 touching, and brought a92791802d his face near.f24cb92ed1d8a767

“…Just one?”016d21bc52277684

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“Yeah.”9a57984f7884ae69

Sasya carefully removed 20b34c04d5 a single marshmallow 1a13c4cfe8 from the knife dbbea13b94 to give to 4b46ca0218 him. He thought 827e82c585 Manuel would 72435ef77e take it c77ec90604 with his 9239ff5869 hand, but 9cc78ffe96 Manuel said, f5ae9b1c4c “Ah,” and 8284f369e3 came closer, b7a880caee eating the 5bb53c44c2 marshmallow directly a3a674703c from Sasya’s 87d4688d80 hand.9df1e047b088c95c

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“Delicious.”08c77700f24a54d7

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.e54ddae0913921bb

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“Sasya, you’re a9935ff27e really sweet.”6bc807a89f037951

“Me?”d6525524337185e7

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“You took it off 8ec15a9924 the knife for me a4be6d0ca3 so I wouldn’t get 180d7ff2fb hurt.”aa16fc876593bfd6

He had done 9591b11dad that because he 0ec0c79034 thought Manuel might 9c15736d8d eat two at e715b4d895 a time if 42dc7e4be6 he offered the 53abe783c6 entire knife. Sasya was f4618248d7 a little 7877ae64f1 bothered by 3a217ffba7 Manuel’s strangely 151c1616a0 unnatural smile, 8df8606402 but he c624c8a5ab figured he e5f625e2d6 was just a5988ea52b happy. Sweet things made people b818704555 happy.0483f52dc1d79446

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“Sasya, do you think c7fec6ca1a José likes Chloe?”d9b00f71edb1e98c

“Really? I don’t know.”1970fa28fe1e6c77

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Sasya was surprised by bc23e8f329 the sudden confidential talk 8a61fefb24 about José.bad4c8e352fbf157

“He’s always so 0424394c07 conscious when he’s d5cca9cea8 in class with d9b7eb679e girls. He’s even fad2d1c5de been wearing e560071934 cologne lately. Aren’t you?”54b4639035796cea

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“I…”2f68f487d4453365

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.7bc0a420345408f3

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“I don’t 5384e097b3 do ballet 9dd37fd581 because of 37ba024f2f girls.”3e90bf815268e09e

“Right?”c411b4bfd4b5f415

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“Ballet isn’t something 95d57ee90a you do because 7131730fcc you want to d903168029 get close to 378220c9a9 girls. It’s so hard.”d5a09b6ce39008bd

“Exactly.”67c3cb6be23b0b53

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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.647445387473fee8

Just then, Manuel moved a little closer, his arm brushing against Sasya’s.9394baef627977ef

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“Sasya, you 9cf19ad9fd seem different 6e8aba5cda from the 0a3bbae25e other guys. You’re not 2c32020e85 interested in 339f1d4ef3 girls.”aaa1efa17105bf10

“Me?”f1c0c9379579b663

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“You feel it 5d7ca0d305 too, don’t you?”a8a475ecdd1fe441

“……?”4c962925191220d9

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Manuel suggestively stroked Sasya’s thigh with a subtle implication. However, Sasya, not understanding, just looked down at his friend.bef2fce605466990

“I wish 8f31bbb924 I had 23895123eb muscles like 9a51e29b94 Sasya. I don’t build 24e69ab55e muscle easily…”ce1f6f94fe3742b7

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“You need muscles 316a00e28c to jump better. Last year, Vadim 6f74043aac told me to b0eeac091a work out every 9bccad5d3c day because the d54f560926 muscles in the f05adce9ad back of my 804ef7aab9 thighs were weak. I’ve built them up 83a9946631 a lot.”83e32739deda0906

“…I think 4175fae46f my jumps 6ecbb07880 are weak fb49f50bce because my 9f18a7ab14 thighs are 062b4c991f thin.”3442393e34d40a93

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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.cbce1be53b9ad1d3

“They’re sturdy? You can definitely do 78563acf28 it. You should work out f2f1c1e01a too.”f4cdd488a561132d

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“…Oh, okay.”5e2fc30919e458f2

Manuel replied listlessly, looking somewhat deflated. Before their arms, intertwined from touching each other’s legs, could separate, Manuel suddenly asked,de8fcc0d3dae6336

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“Sasya, what 0ba2e59f8c do you f15ada2b75 dream about 2f602cbe86 when you 926fa300bc have wet 279db22f8f dreams?”8c0fb113e3944e67

“Wet dreams?”c311a0fbac66c4e3

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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.c45b3da1716ee856

“If you tell 57c78017b4 me, I’ll tell 0b9ff52905 you too.”7218a94d943be026

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Wet dreams.bee7a5c4a0b48ee2

Can anyone explain the 50ea7ae0a8 thrill of a kiss? No, they 2ca3da0842 can’t, absolutely cf2db34208 not… But f1f28590b6 you’ll know 535886dc3c when two 2f8bcde317 yearning lips c025a0f8d1 meet.d73e27462f559c85

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The lyrics of 7772ad2a9a a song he 582434b70b had only passively 4c821f1a8d listened to until 311377131c now were suddenly 7220b3ca9c etched into Sasya’s fb05da4d35 mind as if 711cd58419 being whispered intensely.a57064d087911dd4

“Don’t tell me 19e576c238 you haven’t had 5db4128a5e one?”ff3520e9763e3b70

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“…I, I…”9c4c5189f9e25802

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.c0ab334e71ffa740

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Sasya had experienced the touch of another’s lips exactly once.551f77bf769b0a7c

And for some reason, 3d391d1e3d the heat of that 71a10c505c moment lingered. Even now.c873e66461dc6fdf

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“You’re late.”2c514bfa6b9449d7

Manuel smiled, the 3c1c86cd9f corners of his 11bedaafbe lips lifting, and 44cc860453 got up from 1abd468e25 the table. Sasya heard 8d69a34458 the scraping 9cd6c27aae of the c02f29d794 chair, the 9a0fabb233 sound of 656f92b0c8 footsteps walking 105c70358f towards the 8c10a9b458 door, and 71c9393707 then the c5c209e158 sound of b91b12e12e the door 9590a64257 closing.5799d9f203d7f39b

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Left alone, 189f53203f Sasya, with 04110273c0 his back ce1a1332d7 to the 898a973cfa afternoon sunlight 786bf57f68 streaming through 96bb13e917 the window, 56860a3a43 recalled the bdbb474b83 heat of 9f836faa5e that moment. The 1950s e787010c72 song still cc1e4f460e lingered in 09cb3e9d32 the kitchen.8d6dea8619d6de49

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.f1a0e0c5b49f8217

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‘I ate too many 111ed4048f marshmallows like a pig.’3fd7d4be83b64caf

Sasya regretted it, rubbing b8ba107b2b his bloated stomach.4eed7965fbdde6af

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Today, even after all 893765a82c his classes, Sasya had 44d32c98a7 stayed alone in the 7871cee02e practice room to practice, 0436e0732d and when the school 648f9a8f8e closed at 9 p.m., 6e4aea6c65 he moved to the 95e5f67bc2 backstage of the Met 138fb0c3e0 Opera and practiced in 6e3ec59cb7 an empty space there. A lighting cbba890aa5 staff member, dcee8340f3 knowing that f910e51e9b Sasya sometimes da044c038b came looking 1d417fd31b for a f2705fb480 space to 300ba8812a practice alone, 3bf0ad003c had opened f0589a96ba the door 09ca9bcf46 for him.0745bf02e951411c

His body, driven hard all day, was completely exhausted, and he didn’t even have the strength to wiggle his fingers.fe0e68799b7bcce0

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“José, are you entering aa4182e873 the competition too?”acfce04fdb4efed8

“I’m going to, fdbd1305ba but I’m not cce6c8e437 confident.”f59ad77898145088

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“How much 057b55ef0e does it 7a4928dab5 cost for b80c96d1db this competition? My mom f637ece783 told me 4c518b686b to find 4259cf4442 out.”58f549e09c9f65f4

“Plane ticket, 7a834cbe2b costume expenses… feac987a74 Even if 1f9c676e91 I buy e4968b3d6b a used 9337ee0a7f costume and 2c18b8137e alter it, 8e7a787ef9 it’ll probably 80c608e82b cost more 996a5b71c2 than 5,000 e615656c18 dollars in fa0bf37915 total.”fa3b3cba48d78656

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Sasya, half-listening c036a70d6b to the a09dce2165 chatter of 6adb281f90 his roommates, 8194b27b50 clearly registered d6312182ec the amount 5f09478edb of 5,000 623c283ccc dollars.26e19e1a5f687c66

Sasya sighed silently. He slipped 5f0fa12bd4 his hand 26804bc38b out from 9fc7d2b3b4 under the 73e64c5684 covers and 682a444185 fumbled around 280289753e his bedside, 3c2b5088bb finding a 36183bdca0 stiff envelope 14cdf3c5d3 hidden between 8d6e75a602 the bed 5c280ea22a mattress and d5e2415d31 the headboard.cd6894466a0b12c2

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[Happy Birthday. – Karel Clements]

Sasya slowly traced 335d467338 the impression of 226f1eaeb3 the fountain pen e06c62c304 pressed into the 767811a465 letter.658d2dc39e15d376

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The sponsor named 3909a5fa57 Karel Clements had b8ec72e947 sent Sasya two 8d333c93b9 handwritten cards so c406133c2e far. One when f836ec649e he was 713de2747b selected as f1b3c598dc the top b06b5a2ab8 student in de3ba144f1 the test 31e2980a49 at the 952ade00e7 end of 0d9585e7e7 his first daeaf4de18 year in 491b831420 the upper 5a5c2bdfa3 school, and 22fc3532ac one for 9398aedc0e his birthday. Sasya liked the 136bde611c birthday card much 23e829fe50 more. The former 131b7dae15 was given cdd8ff7027 to all 8c68c0152e scholarship students, c616f41119 but the ad307e5079 latter was c94e448cb8 only for d2be73823a him.ecdf109fc52b3074

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.6da4a1168f9991b2

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‘Is the foundation 585c2ee431 chairman coming too?’6c4f96a7fed57ab7

‘He’s not 84ba6a95ff interested in 308b5f3528 this sort 64ad41d1f1 of thing. He’s not an average 38e770528d person obsessed with seeing 3c3ddad5a5 ballet stars.’e1174c62ea09e244

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Remembering the conversation 10edb60540 he had overheard 3498ba50a8 during the day, 4748022229 Sasya buried his 84756a57ff forehead in his f1ae8a9034 pillow in distress. His black hair dee0f53a41 scattered messily outside a645b803db the blanket.7f40e8586ec4f442

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.5bc2899ba255da30

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He felt Manuel’s voice again, his breath against his ear.b0f0674b1ebdf50a

‘Sasya, what do baaa17f63b you dream about 80d7836679 when you have dc404b39b3 wet dreams?’2f6cded60399464d

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He was confused 052db597a3 about why Manuel ed04493afb had asked such c48778ccf7 a thing, and 473656c8b2 whether all close 5de94b6ab3 friends talked about ededc3306b such things, but c91f9e109a in any case, 97b9a0b814 Sasya didn’t want 9a7b7d7cfc to tell anyone 083e394938 about his wet 14d3b939d1 dreams.99ba50ddd46dea35

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.f302c192e6099437

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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…4884de915471fd47

He absolutely didn’t 82ede6e842 want to tell 4aa7cc6575 anyone.19be3a7bae0161f6

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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!”2e757a0de0443e9b

Saturday morning a7b5adcfcd class ended 85006e2e67 with Vadim’s 4c9630689f threats. It was 309e6dba48 a constant 370d940d5f nagging, but 0540768963 because there ae68005096 were cases a633ca6300 where students b4ad133db8 actually suffered 941c1af6d6 injuries and f0a1de55fb had to de4f4364e1 quit classical 2c19565906 ballet altogether, edd2a4394b Sasya listened 201789f539 carefully, filled e080059c9e with fear. Eight of eb628282c9 the sixty 841da4cb1c students who da14d58540 had entered e69d6e3329 the school bb0166ee80 with him 8f0ce00800 had already 9ca68a9560 left during 62c0c8f764 their first 81e8fe1d39 year in ec30c1782b the upper 3c90cb6856 class. Due to a168ff26ae chronic injuries, 1ccc157743 unfortunate traffic 6ae0c645a6 accidents, slipping fed0500439 on rocks 16cfae1abe at the 3f0c71f840 beach during 19ef5998d0 a weekend 5d18578814 trip, falling 9892aa6b73 into a 4b4c8031b4 slump, or 9b1999d66b finding a eec9a46dfc different career 04d580bb09 path…48205930c76ab9a8

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Vadim had undoubtedly 43f5dabd16 seen countless such b9ea3970ab students.0c8fe2b3fc655fea

From now 60eef0644b until the 1b39f87a6b end of 53151c612b the weekend, bb28bb0fd9 it was ff823864fe free time. The children, e8f3ce0305 half-listening to a757f64c74 Vadim’s words, ed59eb1589 poured out 1bac153cec into the 5e567227f3 hallway, chattering 29baf730be noisily. Those whose parents lived 90e579b8af nearby would get permission 055a5cbc79 to go home, and 339ceaa5d1 others would take off 0b3665eea4 their leotards, dress up, 097a837197 style their hair, and 359ea969da head out into the b906ee2351 streets in groups.9ca9cb43c784475b

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Vadim turned to 5bf6f1de8e the only student 0dbcdb4e57 left alone in df460bf451 the practice room, 4facb3249a Sasya.d181e044a5e32377

“Sasya, are you 7941158712 staying here longer?”3eeb0d84a6f9c475

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“O, only for an ecf2bbfcc8 hour today.”0a8a9011740b6b4a

Sasya replied timidly 0cd583c3ba in a small 7c928aec88 voice.628e54e498ea2262

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“Don’t you have abc92aa9f9 any friends?”4e277b8b909df4fb

“…….”f90caca1727b62bb

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“Well, it’s true that you don’t necessarily need friends to become a good dancer.”160f89462d9dbe38

Saying so, Vadim 00b9be82bd put on some e506cf6e5c ballet music on 7ee0bb881d the CD player 4888e8a2c0 for Sasya.9f72eb5f6d613c89

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“I hear 725816e224 the sponsors 573727e229 are coming c724999640 to visit 44e7bde170 the ballet b9a9483246 school next aced7dcfa5 week.”ce413f6ca04793d1

It was something 68be5bc316 he had overheard 627632d62a when he went 20fd3c5b4b to see administrator f0425963bd Julia the other b49fe49563 day. Usually, Sasya 049655afc3 wouldn’t talk cdbb5a296e to Vadim, 464407e165 but this 1cb801fbcd time, overcome 85bd558974 with curiosity, 2115e2cd5e he asked,fd68533637a321ba

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“Is the foundation 400c7a2181 chairman coming too?”fd2c4a63721117bd

Vadim raised c93178a873 an eyebrow 60869494b6 at Sasya’s 619be16869 question.7b9bf5952dcf7641

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“Who the hell 66505aef94 is that?”da1e714d346fea80

“Mr. Clements…”1a4b477c2427b214

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“I don’t ed1197a182 know the f627d36f6c faces of 336ce9a351 who’s coming.”c45c7031def7697f

Disappointed, Sasya 1ba3768ed7 thought that 2cfd95a334 Vadim was, 73a8d9454c as always, 5ec0258794 unhelpful.27dc149c992f7037

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“But you know you b0f4fb2757 have to make them 031322a467 feel like it’s worthwhile 2590a12612 to pour money into 3b6968e24a a colt like you.”158d40399f1f5bc4

“…….”28ac216db52d96af

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“If you show any a5ce8abf13 ridiculous behavior, you’ll be 097b5e808b slapped in front of 453bca2a87 the guests.”273a8df6fda8c6fe

And Vadim 0a08ffc4a8 continued to 33dc58fe82 nitpick at ebf338645d Sasya, who 72b75f7758 was in 1029ba2750 the center, 396ee90a21 getting into bfcdced817 the preparatory fc36779009 position for 209e8d5914 a turn, ffddc8019b telling him d4749f4276 to lift 35b0c10b8b his hip, 6a5c67c97e maintain his 6f6e9cacf6 turnout, and 79965524cf stretch his 62b911b295 back until 3a5733ed44 it ached. Then, seeing Sasya 20c658dd89 only looking at deebe01973 him nervously even dc664d4438 after the music feb1de8455 started, he scoffed e278624987 and left the 96489b152b practice room.d381d4aa7b49a5c1

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“Phew…”ce3c941332f0383a

Sasya took 1971b52bbf a deep 3b84c5bce8 breath.8ff279da50b5971b

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Finally, he was alone.da3aaa8efa4f031b

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.e7d7154f6b528e64

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Usually, the breathing, laughter, c96fd4d18c and the sounds of 91be8fc107 the other students sliding 32bdba48a5 across the floor during 4cc9fafa7c class bothered him and ac184a6ce8 made it difficult to 19230cbd26 concentrate. But when he was 7d5d86a722 alone, he could focus 9cba1abbad on the small dust 740543e8b7 particles fluttering in the c8642ebee2 air as he turned. He also liked how 0de6de5925 he could solely feel 5e9a70a20e the air resistance when 7599860667 he performed a grand 80264dffd3 jeté.5b54888c0e026408

After practicing alone 2bfc7b8a6e for about an 64f62eef06 hour, sweating, Sasya f09c47eada picked up his 89e6f6ea3c cell phone that da962e4203 he had propped f65deaf6b8 against the wall. Fortunately, the video seemed 445fde90fd to have recorded properly. Sometimes, after practice, 35de9152ef he would find 1a10e935f6 that his phone e49e3ed641 had fallen over 4ad514758e and was only b959512798 recording the ceiling. In any case, c18eb3be00 recording like this ffb0b9706b allowed him to bf1203b2ac identify his bad a7773548d3 habits that weren’t 3ae762684b visible in the 34e6117e26 mirror.647a540715fc9544

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Having enjoyed the 26739d03c7 luxury of having 392b49205f the empty practice e09e585405 room to himself, 3881f0752c Sasya returned to 1f3eafbf53 the dormitory. José, who knew that 8296f650dc Sasya always stayed in 350c32a76c the practice room at 597a39b2a0 this time on Saturdays, 059d6f2b55 looked puzzled.21ef264795dfe0d0

“Why are you 4faef579cb back? Do you have plans c683418d79 too?”981444bbe62bc4ac

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“…….”94d7deb607df9d5d

“Are you showering? Are you really going d09ebc224d out? What’s gotten into eb945a63bd you?”cd2c150fc9296c5a

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José asked a 35dde7ba86 question with each 584b12d5c9 step as he a899ab26bc approached the bathroom. His ears hurting, Sasya 1448a0300b closed the door and 56c8347a2d turned on the water. He heard the 94c9b0b2ac swoosh of the dd39e297bb water, and then 6bbf60b885 sensed José grumbling e1ce4641dc and moving away.2cfa9b67055d27cc

“Don’t tell afddfc9245 me you’re e056b2d67b on a 48c7cab05d date? Are you 357538170e meeting a da29124a97 girl? Who are 496a84b965 you meeting?”2075aa4addc205b7

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A girl…bb83dbbc4201bc93

It was true 199ca51648 that he was 592bd7c8f0 meeting a girl. Lying was difficult, ecc3fb8c09 so instead of ae6b7e79e4 answering, Sasya chose 859905149a to ignore him b9a7ddbf75 and tossed his 0be6ec41ea leotard and tights 29eefb92d4 out of the 3c2f116d81 bathroom.7ee768e012cfe7fb

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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.c61eeae7e7159680

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.8013fd0b29c97174

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“So it’s true a7230a4fc4 since you’re not 01e7741dbe saying anything?”18fd45e38d84eba2

“…….”aac6eb6eee660214

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Judging by his persistent 50f587084b questioning about a girl, 580400f92f he must have been 1994b11cd1 rejected by Chloe.021ec55a2d04cf00

Sasya, his lips blue cada10fe4b from the cold shower, 400c285ba7 didn’t respond and got b0634a9fa1 dressed. The waistband of his aa7f2d1903 only pair of jeans fa17303b44 felt a little loose. Rubbing his flat stomach, 2475ea9bcb Sasya thought he should 2c00316993 buy marshmallows on his 915859555b way back. He reached between 67af86b5a3 the headboard and 1c1c11c78d mattress to grab d9f92fbf63 a few more ee4a05eddd dollar bills.b89cd5a57362a0a4

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“Sasya, what are your c10429b889 plans? Take me c1e729b551 with you. You can dc0a1e3949 ask the 9811e62094 girl to fa1d349bb2 bring her 1bc90cea1f friends along.”3c64ddd3e7bd52c5

“No.”c1d6bd720d141e86

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Fully dressed, Sasya checked 291d890004 his appearance in the 6818bc9743 mirror. Then he turned 41083a03cb around and asked 25b4330808 José,d11472f9531a628c

“How old do 0ee02afa76 I look?”a4025cac500db03a

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José frowned at Sasya’s out-of-the-blue question.e639c68865ac1d71

“Why are you asking 883e16c19f about age…?”f8de445b410c5f12

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“…….”ec9089dd56892bb1

“I got it! You’re going to e3e9157dab drink!”fdd79d190d2bddca

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When José snapped 78bad7dbf9 his fingers as 1d9c92714e if he had 59ef359683 figured it out, 9d57d4f626 Sasya shook his b47116f3ae head and left dbf62a7bb5 the room. José quickly shuffled after f38a9d2b73 Sasya in his slippers.effbf2d6703f0c14

“Suspicious. Really suspicious. Do you 1d7186cd14 have friends be4c269e77 outside of 9ebb5a4917 school?”08f5c3e7b9edeafd

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“…….”8cda618afb27c195

“Why did you 47883f91a7 ask about age? By the way, you ae7c5311ad don’t look like an cb1346215b adult at all. Unlike me. So if you’re going 5798844027 to drink, take me e8c58adaab with you.”557b6299c427f610

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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.c1a8e04ab909f507

“I won’t forgive you if you drink alone! I’ll tell the administrator.”1c1ed0079286bd9b

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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.6f8420bcb7989e80

‘I’m late.’004cf8f47687d537

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As soon as he 136ba20ff1 got on the subway, f6b902b381 Sasya remembered that he e7a130427a should have contacted Levin 50ec2bdb71 to tell him he 86a5b9c3dc was running late. The New York subway ed1d77d51d had poor reception, and b21cc15422 once he was on 729d8c19e1 the train, he would bb6e0dc5da lose service. José had distracted him 1918932e29 and made him waste a4a61f490e time. Sasya resented ee572b7d2d José a e1e0927122 little.bf90b95d44ae6351

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.bf7833418e33a025

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Recently, Sasya had 3de5a7c624 come to a 7abb766cf0 decision. He would a6fa0db0cf earn money abba8516b5 on his d6ff8ce723 own.adef3e76af201e66

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.058eba62487dd139

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He had searched 78bf4a5021 online a little, 6962b00347 and the amount 71b75f4e10 of money he 56e105e2d0 could earn varied 71c91767cc greatly depending on 2aadfcf49b the job, but 96e8f8b978 the biggest problem c6bedb477d for Sasya right fedaf57a96 now was his 2952c69313 age. Job postings always had a60100b06c the requirement of being 839162b0a8 20 years old or 890ea6b483 older.11d0c000774d0e91

However, yesterday, while searching 1a5b668004 the web, Sasya had 34908ea25e found a remarkable testimonial. He found an 112ef376be account of someone 11cff2a403 who claimed that b9aa9cd8be teenagers could earn 9bd62450a5 500 dollars at d5c4b10812 a time if 9b2f118a45 they did well. 500 dollars… 25da482b94 if he b6afdcf4ef did it 792e48151c just ten 4066c69fa0 times, he 1f03701d14 could cover 32685e907c the cost a4cb903487 of the f1d53e8c80 competition.92a5018d906de908

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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.02f550a40bda2bf0

But Sasya, who always found it difficult to call strangers, couldn’t bring himself to make the call.bec310b1541a9d6b

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That’s when he thought of Levin.31eb9340fb9b43f2

‘I’ll ask Levin 747daa676c to call for e1e98046e5 me.’14df5c6851d12e38

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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.0a24187f4bd73da6

Even if b686da9309 it wasn’t dfa1c25872 this particular 9081546b69 job, Sasya 32dc3bc43e thought Levin 6ed12371b1 might know a2792f312a of other 2d91d08161 opportunities. So, last night, Sasya 8d6eceff33 immediately called Levin.6f90bc233428fc4d

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‘Levin, how do 002a1bb2ff you get a 20dbe1266c job? I want to work e1646396ce too.’1fd3ecfa80fcadea

‘…A job?’966cfa30d0b4c17e

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‘Yeah. I need money…’85cc7579fa0379db

Levin seemed flustered 49b766fe24 at first and cc664441f6 a little embarrassed, 7a6e0099b4 but then she 1ca6c416e5 agreed. She told him 41572d2179 to come find c1b6fe7d95 her after class, 32e8c35807 and they would 8cfa5a7cdb discuss it and 04087ad9a8 find a suitable 6fe907e56f job for him.5924d091b41a9aa8

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“Sasya!”696671d1121409b4

As soon 05daa4d7a3 as Sasya 8308d65ba1 emerged from 6083394ee1 the Union a047cfa737 Square station 00ce253efe exit, Levin 3a83a011d4 waved at b0800d89b9 him cheerfully 492a9df1c4 in front 0391f70608 of a d1d5662330 building under f4d42f3dc9 construction.59d1634af08f4af3

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“Long time no see. Have you eaten lunch? If you’ve eaten, want 2ca96ae324 some lemonade?”073700463243bc85

“Levin…”a1e78b5992aedac5

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Levin pointed to f6c914e12f a quiet cafe 7570176380 with visible seats 3c8fc24204 through the window. But Sasya f1829e8626 shook his 723dbf128a head involuntarily, 81ac583ef6 looking at 67c2be1b9b the man dbd1348e22 standing behind 04437397db her.534447ee13d22e7c

“You… you promised to 3a4d5a9af9 look for a job f72bb95722 for me.”b738f842dfe03492

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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,d3ae26d958d71c40

“Oh… I 9d758f8355 ran into 53b447ba82 him here 0d3cabe02b by chance. Julian is going to dc61a3505b help you too.”cebf6836eb551a61

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The platinum-blonde c52c836dca man, who 0e019f7217 had been 694f38fcd0 leaning against 391877049f the steel 5b57b67fd3 frame, spoke.f2d40393ffb3a060

“Hello, Sasya.”43b71ea2b60e59e3

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Julian, with his arms 514ce94a8d crossed, greeted Sasya in b31f41f5af a stern voice. Sasya looked 560b51a0e5 at Levin 2992044d61 as if 996af62539 asking for 2ff75065e8 help, but 98eb71abde Julian blocked 18f23baaf3 his view, 8b2043df62 stepping in 48330490fe front of 14f6a93e29 him.2146cfc26d9a9f58

“Sasya, why 712945428c does a 26bfb6d55a kid like 9910ad682e you need aa33a8f247 money?”b3fd12265e71fdbc

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As Julian 6402bdb46c stepped closer, 2ce7916527 Sasya gulped, 5baefbb6ae putting his c1188f94d1 hands in 41c7755042 his pockets.abdd29b18541e0f1

“…I’m leaving.”d669e595523043f3

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Sasya decided to turn 05a6fcfafc around and go back 2b3dcaaf3b to the dormitory. However, before he 3df0ed15a8 could take two 0d5cf33cb7 steps, Julian grabbed d5d929e59b his arm.8f51c5662bc4e514

“Where do 45b1753102 you think 3804dd70e6 you’re going? What are 04668da1e9 you up 8c32067a2a to? What are you going f03b71569b to do with the 133285655c money at such a 8dee5170df young age?”b00574d948b4a74c

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“I’m not a 27656dde71 kid! I’m sixteen.”0e07ace1610950b5

“Hmph.”6694c2cfedb6ac75

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Sasya thought he 569c93083e wanted to punch fd7d3ad8c2 Julian in the aa15a99cf5 nose for openly 005df6992b mocking him. But he had 158a4683bd tried that once e0033b3f26 before and had f5fdc57c0d disappointed Levin, so a09ff5b68d he held back 953f6dd641 this time.00cb7818a5da94fc

Sometimes, when 8b7e60b947 Sasya acted aa729bc635 impulsively and 4390d086d4 rudely, like 65d1addd42 an untamed d86c322b3e colt, Levin, ad1930e5a3 instead of c5bcbd5ca1 scolding him, 20665ddf69 would wear 1e96d18b92 a bewildered c115afb7ef expression, and f73e38b1e2 whenever he 1e8d4134ef saw her 041e123ee2 face like ce24d2e417 that, Sasya 5a65409950 felt heartbroken, d6853db934 like he bc35b9b739 was hopelessly fc603c7ed8 incorrigible.3e184738a642756d

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“Is your allowance not 8b2a93ca26 enough? Did you 6eba487775 cause some aea85ceb9a trouble you 94a6c869e8 can’t tell 82fe0f1933 your parents 91704236a0 about? Is that 91c9564081 why you 6eedbb31c4 called Levin?”6c7a89588f8e2191

“Why do b9bd13a6b5 I have 7a3b7ccbe6 to tell 99323b5724 Julian anything?”55fc489bf8f5e20d

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“Because you’re acting 3e889ddae8 like a juvenile 63d599dc6f delinquent, that’s why, de50afbcf2 you brat.”f9a6354d7610893d

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.c3c2d7c3b093e52a

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In fact, Sasya had once been attracted to Julian’s honey-smooth, shining platinum-blonde hair and tall stature.0e55404f65ac9ef0

But not anymore. Julian didn’t 7479fecf6c know anything. Sasya had 4b0e97e029 never received 7794a79924 an allowance a6d390099d from his 9bbcd387b4 parents. He divided 874c3c3a53 the 400 0054a9d167 dollars given 243fad7b1c to scholarship 40e8111730 students each 9c869954e4 month for 030d524429 shoes and 6bca800656 supplies, sending eedae7f061 half to c92f928d61 his mother 148ca7f879 and using 05fb9d9db9 the rest 97a6ac4107 to buy bdaa9ac6b2 groceries.83a8cefec23d55b2

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‘He doesn’t know f4d25fd533 anything…’acc9daf55183ab0c

Exasperated by Sasya, who 2a52fad972 clammed up the more 8f75683822 Julian chided him, Levin 74f8d0242a intervened.ec5e118ebe17e860

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“Julian, I 3fb2d2517d told you 5cd8095507 not to d2d704a58d talk like e1f6234dab that.”9e352a2dc1decbca

“Anyway, come c747c7629b here, Sasya. I need to 347450779c hear why you 13bb424ee5 need the money.”4109d48bf03f92cc

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Julian put his 68c1488c78 arms through Sasya’s 53d82cfcdc armpits, gripping him fc83144645 tightly, and pushed a78568de13 him towards the 00785462ce cafe. Sasya braced himself, 522b0cba44 resisting.93df9d8daa33eab6

“Oh, this kid. He’s so f7fdcc68f0 skinny, but 79e0451560 why is 2b0109fb47 he so 9fde86219b strong?”50001bd4d6ae17ab

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“Julian! Don’t be rough. Kids clam b373947566 up when 3c032fcc07 you treat 41c0c56817 them harshly.”296073bd96412ddc

“Ugh…”dbf747afc54448cd

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It was only a88983a293 for a moment 4e03eca104 that Sasya, struggling 8dfa95c7e8 to resist, faltered f9b1677bfc and lost his 21e0877c30 balance. In that instant, Julian 48a8a74dae easily lifted him up.6e22436244ae5276

“Put me down!”e292c2e79e301889

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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.3ac383cc3608a5bd

“Sasya, just you 919ca986b4 wait. If Levin 511d80e54d weren’t here, d90fa8e6f1 I’d turn 1170b6a2c0 you over 40c0689a8e and spank 32cd9001d5 you.”195da5e2d005a3ae

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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.78d24e0ba0718aed

“Let go of me! Put me down! Thug! Sly liar!”2c5e5198a39d67a5

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“See? I told you not eaea56192c to be so harsh. Sasya must have his 67e268d914 reasons.”43506c813221a4ba

In front of Levin, ce12bc31e4 who looked down at f69c506190 him like a kind 4857676ba1 older sister, and Julian, fcf76f8e6e who, with arms crossed, 913a8b38f9 interrogated him coldly, Sasya 1567d3c7ca had to explain why 0b8cd79b19 he needed the money. As he spoke 723cec22f4 about wanting to 470d666c28 enter the competition, d4116f758e tears welled up 9fb5a4cea6 and spilled down 1eb334d807 his cheeks. He bit his lip dca7632378 hard, his jaw aching, e55906b1a1 as the tears streamed 968be8bf99 down his chin.fe50648679b61546

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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.1460f1a708b8c19d

After listening 5b1e0eb15b to Sasya, 9343b451a8 Julian, with 6036330945 an awkward 4db287db82 expression, rubbed 65c26f5b94 his chin 6ddd12eaf1 and muttered,45d22e1e18eb757d

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“A competition… Are your ee948a2d9a parents against it?”01d7eb6321843791

Sasya glared at 6883f348cd Julian, his eyes 09eb977cd5 still wet with 518fa572b7 tears. His gaze was 6c9263df64 sharp with resentment.42682cf74c8b3b28

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As expected, 4a254e86d1 Julian didn’t 39cf3a8992 understand anything. Julian, a 1cfa7557c8 violin major, 6bcc3060a1 walked around 616fee930a with a 1c01d56de9 multimillion-dollar violin 9a4bbd8a30 on his 3ce01caf85 back and d5522873d0 flew abroad 272b66acb4 for private ea198d9246 lessons costing 947ec270bc thousands of 941a357a78 dollars per 7824da41a9 hour whenever 99087c1bd8 he felt 7a62b49bc0 his lessons 0fc4dce179 were lacking. Sasya didn’t e327f4a2ea know much 2a2a0c8b9d about music, 7e20bb6e90 but through aa16e404ae Julian, he b742d4dbc4 learned that 30b898335b whether it 185c9acbbb was ballet 413d502ccd or music, 94c0034548 the wealthy 5e6599af1b had an 516f56196d advantage.ec6dad1ee968243a

“That’s not it, Sasya wants to handle it on his own. He doesn’t want to burden his parents. Right?”bd7d9aad461f59f5

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At Levin’s words, Sasya b97cfdead9 sniffled and quickly nodded.0f89d23a8c50a539

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.7402ecdff7deaece

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That’s why he only 1b80cce332 wanted to tell Levin.0a7ab41f292b0258

As Sasya wiped his 48e9bff8b1 still-wet eyes with the 64e8d9094d back of his hand, cb24367995 Julian sighed.dd5d30d5b3f6997b

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“Anyway, Sasya, I 9bfc60d563 understand what you’re bcf0f4d833 thinking, and I 984480b2d3 understand why you befe01effd need money. But I don’t recommend f0fc7f983d working. Aren’t you 63b7465937 here on 1e3d4a1266 a student 01ac61ffc9 visa? If you abd5ab07df get caught 25ea594c37 working, you’ll e9c31a06e7 be deported. You’re in a vulnerable 5385f2cbf0 position where you can’t 45643cf274 be legally protected, so f05da5f310 it’s easy to be b554b73314 exploited.”049a808fd1358f07

“…….”1f17bab6236b867b

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“And the job you 3ed633f1cd were looking into… This 1666949599 is… Ha, it’s embarrassing a47e1ce04d to even say it. This is something 96a8db2bae you should never 836c5f244f do, even if c5e4031348 you hit rock 3da65c1f06 bottom. Understand?”2d03362af212a170

“…What is that 88921ac622 job?”9dc2f6d9f2602ee6

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“Do you want to e3d31bd9ed sell your body?”08f330d8dea18be5

Sasya flinched at Julian’s threatening words, spoken as he leaned forward. Beside him, Levin sighed, covering her eyes with her hand.9bf2a4b8698e5622

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“Huh? I’m asking if b28800bea1 you want to ee66828b88 film porn videos.”ce19a6c152100272

Sasya, speechless 07f8d86b6e with embarrassment, 975fdb5474 quickly shook 6348bc787c his head. The explicit 7539f08bf0 words dried d8abc771be his tears, 414959610e and cold 1993755bdb sweat ran 8ac89af8ff down his 074b1d118c spine.9190856175211b29

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Just then, Levin, f55054d808 as if she fac921d8e1 had suddenly remembered d61fc09674 something, changed the 7480d64789 subject.1d2c5c99bf29186c

“Oh, speaking of bd354abebe videos, I just 7ea13877c7 thought of something. Sasya, do you 60befc7f31 want to try 95a48a00ad YouTube?”d9df07ac1bbc5479

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“YouTube?”1c84e8bcbfe1b6b3

“I saw 86e18edd01 some videos 7e6e4c62c9 before, and 6b8e2ed9e6 a lot 924200edfb of ballet f5036018a0 students do 440ecdca33 it. Some teach ballet c3b96ee481 moves, others are c94b3103ba like vlogs about 0878795560 school life…”16ef50babe5a41f6

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“Hmm…”67907f4c147fceb9

At Levin’s 3ac255a061 words, Julian edda9b0f03 quickly scrolled b13e146102 through his b475d68052 phone, searching bc81b6f2e6 for a 7422e4755d few videos.3e1fcade7a72e0a5

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“This looks good. Seems easy.”8756b163ec0a56db

Sasya leaned 55cf5ea650 closer to 9b9f9b8414 the video 0015db9c26 Julian showed 36e5d2f4d6 him. On the screen, a 2be2077b3a girl who looked about a281bab8e3 Sasya’s age displayed her 0558546dc5 colorful leotards and explained 00dc8700e1 the fit of each 7b066d02a2 one. Watching intently, Sasya 2da1a7b6f7 said in a 97c5d2b188 hesitant voice,b9ec3f186adf98d3

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“I don’t f3abb79afe think I 7b0991e63d can do 728a4ade7d it. I don’t have many 0396a1b022 leotards.”420af2d21b42efe5

He couldn’t 1dcfcdb44d even afford d9c6c5b1c3 to replace 7cc7b4d3b0 his essential c353745f23 ballet shoes e4caa9fc2b on time 5610c26a1c because he c609be617b was using f19ebd89c0 the shoe 49dd93ebc0 allowance for 448502f720 food. He couldn’t 65ab6c8c4c possibly show 99801f893d off his e5801bfc46 leotards. The shoes he had db667976b9 were already worn out 5ca311137a and full of holes 001f09a734 due to excessive practice. José had e7911196b5 recently given 97e715e853 him a 4ad91fc770 new pair 4e6d83fdaa of shoes e85bd0ccbf he didn’t 883d35c9d0 wear much 8f647a47f4 anymore, but cbd605bd89 they were b9b50c67b6 too big 868a6215a1 for Sasya, 7901867b62 and he cd670dd8e5 had to 23027c009c wear two 711a18c82a pairs of 65651c3652 socks inside ed41817809 his tights.ff95009b33ceae79

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Seeing Sasya a2bce0d70d looking dejected, abaee271f8 Julian spoke 4c4f31f771 in an a165bf94a7 exasperated tone.56b6b5ab41cc97ad

“It’s not about 3616931240 the leotards… You 08455abc14 just have to 0af352a30c talk about anything. It’s just that since 72673329e4 you’re majoring in ballet, 0a07abb905 you should use ballet 13b150f414 as your content.”6da7cedd193c1ebf

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“If I do aa41669f9b that, will people 77fd612e13 give me money?”800c54647a2e44bd

“Yes. This definitely makes money. You’re pretty, f5e10d4f12 so you’ll e7fcc73780 gain subscribers 429ee7ee77 quickly.”54f251ed6bc45ff6

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“…How? Do they 9d0bf4eaf7 deposit money d6e1f32e75 into my 2cbdfe13ae account if 9942aebd06 I provide 495ffede6f my account 5459aa11bb number?”9aea8103a0271932

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.ee61e1d400078b5d

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“I expected too much a25c85a7c2 from you.”617515425b879ee4

“…Sasya, think 2528214e93 about it 10630359d5 slowly. Your friends might be 617f3c1f5e able to help you.”3ee6ed71daa1cebe

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“Okay…”f6023eace586ba55

Sasya felt gloomy 0413bd21fa after an unproductive d71283d474 day.af3038f13eaf16b1

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Before Sasya returned to 63b3a8a4d7 the dormitory, Levin and b674d46253 Julian wanted to buy 69f894d451 him dinner. When asked what he 1ace148503 wanted to eat, Sasya bbe0e973fe thought for a moment ebb8b13a7f and replied, “Marshmallows.”65427e09adf765f0

Sasya carefully stroked 36bec96d33 his bloated upper b9b3c75a18 abdomen as he 8107d24c24 walked back to ea75ae6750 the dormitory. In one 4cf70433a4 hand, he 853f8af6cf carried a 1934d35430 luxurious department b063f1d52b store paper 3f29209a7d bag filled f300d3c78b with marshmallows.84447f74d114fb59

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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.2632eda0327526d9

‘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.’ecd5e3eb1548fa9a

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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.2e3f357f908274a9

Sasya sighed silently. Thinking about ed05e36bbc what he 80291e09be almost did, 9be4fc601a obsessed with 49d788b684 the 500 688a9b7f9c dollars, made f21d9ce003 his skin d9a0f51211 crawl. If his a351385428 face became e3037f2aa3 known through afe623acee something like 11a6fdd1c5 pornography, he cc8d789cff would never aae5e401d4 be able 154c3ea21a to get b5de1fc8f3 a decent d5e6999829 job, let 71211a5364 alone join 0cd741f281 a ballet 610a7e6afd company.d320af02cdf4917f

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As Levin said, the competition wasn’t everything, but he had almost made a mistake, driven by his gloomy thoughts.9e81d162370cc894

‘Why am I 5bfd10c8e6 like this?’b5eb443922d0bd2f

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Once he was caught e8c4e0b3e1 in a cycle of f4ad5eb368 worry and started having f2c78f8ee9 ominous fantasies, he couldn’t b680a88a91 easily escape. He would only fdfd31374a imagine the worst-case 1dd1aff3c1 scenarios. Excessive anxiety – 932a378f0f this was something 78c013d5b9 Sasya himself was f146d524f2 aware of. It was something he c01f253a31 had been criticized for 2291d85ec0 relentlessly.77b5fd503601ebd5

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.3082e0ad34f07ee4

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His steps towards Lincoln 04dacda7eb Center gradually slowed.140f059b2295182b

“You’re back e1755443cc earlier than d1b9b44cb2 I thought?”feb86cbe098b2b6c

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As soon c988cb8219 as he 2bcb5baa33 turned the cc780e9753 doorknob and c5534b3c47 opened the f8c475520c door, a 6aeb5d140c cacophony of 34efaea81c noise poured ac8b1ded38 out. It was Manuel ef7cb5abf9 who spoke.c39780f6fbca8ac2

“José said you went 6fbd1849be drinking with girls.”ced65856d1b718f2

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“…….”b411fd9c15c9645a

“He said you might 03b26e8f19 not come back all 8ad504ed4b night.”164dc5d57a604bb5

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Sasya went to ee50193d25 his bed, opened cf23a9c80a his small locker, 7fb82f9b42 and carefully placed fc903d1da2 the marshmallows inside. Manuel’s voice, following 97a3d53192 behind him, sounded 0ca51cabb3 somewhat sullen. After hanging his coat 6c7f846848 on a hanger, Sasya 49d9699e7b turned around, pulling down 04ddf712ae the zipper of his aa5990638a tracksuit top.4965e674868fabc4

“No.”9b4ce9ed5e9473fc

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“…Really?”de0b92dcb14ce0ff

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.960569c4dab24e8b

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Sasya, who had b96ce103cd been slightly hoping 4eef975ef2 he might have 5ee1411f7a grown some hair, d8cc4f597c was disappointed. The boys who 14d05baf76 were developing early c87777100f were regularly going 2ba2e2cee4 to waxing salons 29310b03a1 to remove the 836e7380cb hair sprouting on d0209e9521 their chests, thighs, ff3909037e and all over cee5004396 their bodies. However, Sasya’s skin was 6836e7a89d still smooth, no different 3f0e6aa337 from a girl’s.fc19219b43864c6e

“I had dinner 0b468b50e0 with Levin and ebe0aae5d8 Julian.”443ba24aa7cc0b82

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Only after 79d9d8c8dd speaking did 98b50887a5 Sasya remember 9ba585df0d that Manuel 29a4848cb2 didn’t know da90a0c88b them. But he quickly decided c01471e7b2 it didn’t matter.5c00557674e2bc43

And Manuel, realizing 2ff382af7c that the names e6c37d15cf Sasya mentioned were 65e04843c5 typically male names, d0e0aa6008 asked again in 0ef3b25cca a softer voice,980e8fd41f5839da

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“Are you 5ebc9f5591 going to 4d9ef19b75 wash up 47635898ed now?”ea651b3919b69bc1

“Why? Do you want 46fa6a9e04 to use the 63c8728adf bathroom?”5f2e42546907e99d

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About to 8adeed2842 take off 7ed071158f his pants, ebb93e03c8 still half-naked, 84388b3db2 Sasya paused, 4c01e11896 placing a 5bec6cd47f hand on 435b22ae01 his stomach. Unlike earlier in the 169d25718d day, when his stomach 5c4e62d8f0 was flat, his upper d9b9a84970 abdomen was slightly distended. The ballet teachers 5b6861c7fa always emphasized that 43b4116d7e they should digest 001452983a everything they ate b68411d007 that day before f817138c60 going to bed. Otherwise, fat would accumulate 09e5816846 in unwanted places.29177dd62ed443d2

“I ate too 9bda1e73f1 much dinner, so 8a2fddc180 I think I fb12546467 need to stretch 64784773d3 before bed. Will you help dfc51d11de me?”98145dbda9ac1ed7

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“Of course.”8f273aa1897e8ac7

He figured 7bd1fe3b81 it would f51189f7ac be better df152b40ae to shower 6e677751b6 after sweating. Sasya left the f2371d5b2f room and did ccecc09149 jumping jacks facing 36839860dc the hallway wall. When he e56aa199e1 felt his 178feadd50 body warm 8290a3609c up a 2b17ef0bcc bit, he 5339f30774 sat down c33a9e2dba with his 8a42459f29 back against 985bca3508 the wall. Manuel, who had been 163fe594bc waiting, approached him.569e21c2541e6591

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Sasya spread his legs 455bf56568 wide horizontally, trying to a7909fd41c get them as close ebe88e68b1 to 180 degrees against d6ba8ced89 the wall as possible. Manuel sat down in 5ec3c20a1a front of him and 92be3045c5 placed his feet on 387c3a009f Sasya’s thighs.5f901944d6995ab7

“Shall I push?”3849f1a510232dd3

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“Yes.”c109336f52f165b6

“Tell me e6cc303c79 if you a3f5fce0b3 feel like 3687b2ba99 you’re going 787d44c320 to throw 1572f07d44 up.”382139720767acdc

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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.eb3a614720f37d03

“Ha… ha…”260688fdf55e14f9

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“Does it hurt?”6be6ce3c1648116d

“…….”46cabf79a99b3a22

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“You’re really strong.”2d0a858c42fd146f

Manuel gently 289a0f9dd5 stroked Sasya’s 553e57dfbd cheek. The caressing touch 9c92e497a4 was annoying, but 87eef59212 he was too 7f9f546268 exhausted to push 19a7732b1c him away. Sasya just turned his 0df9522186 head slightly to the 5d7eb83f51 other side.8829e346ffe5ae06

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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.da81eed48d229f4c

Watching Sasya, 04be3b59bf who didn’t 82fcd8a1ab tell him 6fdd03b13d to stop fffd8913b6 even while 30fd556322 sweating profusely, 55a4d30318 Manuel clicked f26db9649a his tongue. Those who were forced ea1af9876c to do this stretch 604f5ee02f by Vadim would leave c5910c34f7 the practice room with f67250ad6a tears streaming down their 2c7a31c302 faces and limping. Sasya was the d61bdb7d56 only one who e40b01f05b did this voluntarily.c251184bb855a724

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“Okay, that’s enough. Stop…”50636056f5f96a40

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.8925907c8366a11e

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“Can I shower 359d0a94b7 first?”a7dec86d3b5f3f64

Sasya asked, thinking 131e5d2f07 that Manuel was a7b6d62d69 watching him and 1228211405 waiting outside the 2e19c5ae16 room because of 7937b1cde4 the bathroom turn. Manuel nodded and 0ef0a8b529 went into the e8f87f602d room.34ea27f4b570cc53

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That night, someone 1e377c75f1 crawled into Sasya’s 909653aff6 bed.25086ede51a33683

“Who… It’s cramped.”63e56f27e2db3660

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Sasya mumbled, 2ac563462a turning over aff1be1630 in his 7c00dcdcf3 blankets. The intruder seemed to dd373a5147 have slipped in from f0a5626938 the foot of the e9fd90e65d bed. The hot breath of 99e5edada1 someone wriggling up inside b4c35376c3 the blanket scattered around 3f1fd792d9 his pelvis. Sasya passively 66d0fa73dc avoided the b0164c7182 hot breath 484a9bfb37 against his 9fd5d83c38 bare skin cc662360b3 and turned 113fc1cb12 over, lying 7944998481 on his ffa25bb874 stomach.56cd903699be73dd

“Don’t…”8420520f9bcb0d49

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“…….”55c8326a0d016fd4

“Mmm…”57a6cf4673ba0d60

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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.6640dca11e8f14c5

This might 30e0334f44 be a ad0327eb17 wet dream 49ec57b327 too.3eb72de282cd944a

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A pleasant dream.c04c63e6d9ea09ec

Sasya waited bcaa143705 tensely for 96aac3d204 what would 60a79362b1 happen next. In the past, f54e964b03 he had become 59bca410aa aroused just from d7a94cd90b having a large 20513ef891 hand cupping his 99c8fef8a8 cheek and a 3a4fafd0e0 kiss on his 9ebecc1fc3 forehead. Could there 2c1b98188f be anything d3641af49d more stimulating ea7e9b61eb than that? He was both 4523ff1fde excited and scared.54c7bae6aaaff75b

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At that 8360b93a11 moment, the 30d875089a damp palm a900bca7de slipped inside b080fe35ab his underwear c0359d9a8d without hesitation. Then, without f217290ead pausing, it 96b08507cb grasped him. Taken by surprise, 4c2dec5afe a moan escaped 769713503b Sasya’s lips along 888c5b34f1 with his breath. Startled by the 5b907c3d49 sound he made, ba4f74deef Sasya covered his 3991bd59c6 mouth.e635ca3e313d9666

That’s when fd2823a6ce it happened.00c24a700cba8298

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“Who’s moaning in their ee951a2991 sleep! Let me sleep.”a577ea0544216332

José’s irritated voice, 65a1825611 heavy with sleep, daeef048b5 echoed in the bd70e83d0c room.697036a3917502b2

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Suddenly, all the sensations 02332f11e6 against his body became cf22a9c004 vivid. His hand 23a625f4c5 covering his a6be87807e mouth, his 0e5d69c960 rapid breathing, 203faa7b2f the slightly 5762caec24 dry sheets… 9d237a878c and the aac27e4a38 unfamiliar person 5278938338 wriggling beneath 0b88b9c3ff him.3e9d9547c08ae85c

The fact 0dc6c8a247 that it 595b9e3409 wasn’t a 7e657c7a97 dream, but 35d5bf92ab reality.e117b47708a7142f

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Sasya was startled fe8e41cb8b and tried to b53d94371a sit up abruptly. But someone was faster, 9de814a885 covering his mouth with 0f294f9df0 both hands. Pinned down 56c94b7cc1 by the 82f678cf86 firm grip, 906c29133a Sasya looked c08b23d017 at the e3f06b1aa2 man on 7bd5f0fa33 top of e5090a0ab6 him.136778de448274c4

‘Manuel.’a470c6af9d7814b0

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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.cb73dd1b281897c4

A moment cf43ce8f1c later, silence e77718c5ca fell over 63465bd270 the room, 9c22ea31c5 and Manuel f39401ac76 quietly slipped 738c62aa4b out of 1ae8228910 Sasya’s bed 88ea6802da on his 8eb64ceb95 own.c837109b6b0eea98

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Even after Manuel retreated, a8e6e3c34f Sasya couldn’t sleep, his 57d2da86c0 mind in turmoil.0ae80e18d2cec5b2

Unlike the man 94946b8184 with large hands 026a36d37b in his dreams, f31dfb6be8 Manuel’s damp palm 6074587ceb felt disgusting and c247b53113 creepy. And he wondered 5d76ab0e13 why Manuel had f90bf83e5d tried to touch bc677849ab him.16c4863e6a4a69fa

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He wanted to 127db71a3e ask him when 9dc6a02774 he had the 74dbee8c82 chance, but Manuel 5dff0d0da8 pretended nothing had d555922b84 happened the next 30db4c384e morning. He laughed and 917356fb04 chatted with other 83162a45c6 friends all weekend, 484e1f2b3b acting as if 457aa768f8 everything was normal.5b4d3a1b9fb452b3

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.5ace997325d53ab3

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Sasya sighed, looking at 6feca838b0 the large bruise on f3f0c18815 his inner thigh adductor 98aa042182 muscle. He had thought 4ab87374a7 the lingering soreness 1e9172686d was strange, but 4de4784645 it turned out 97f4fdb3d7 he had torn 5419bc9185 a muscle. If it became 338f403683 inflamed, it would dcf425376c be troublesome for 4415ce59ff months. Placing one hand 3f8e21e3e1 on the closet 745a3507b2 door, Sasya tried 33c72bcac3 a high side a7c33fe89c développé, then extended 9a22d598cc his leg into 02dbf2001e a derriére. A sharp pain c2c00826db shot through him ad1883264c as he bent cbac1a6245 his waist slightly.205489e705a74214

‘It’s torn.’aecf9520cccf78e1

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Blaming himself d2dee5e442 with a c6444bcf98 gloomy face, db66805c67 Sasya piled 0b4fddd022 heat packs 0124989088 on the 8a09ab2b5c bruised area.5e06debfa7094492

“Who took all 92b26cb08c the heat packs a01303a819 from here?”47bd447ecb9786da

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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.81f5bfff97f382af

However, the pain was f7e4c875f5 worse the next morning.dfd6be33804649c4

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‘Stupid.’197ace0f70113212

Sasya gloomily stroked 4e18dc4b64 his thigh. The heat packs he 334e3960ee had piled on his bb8d44e70b leg the previous night 70b28ca077 were scattered everywhere from 02343ca27b tossing and turning in a51de9f192 his sleep.5348bb3183ee467c

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If Vadim found 4dd4035adb out about the 455d1453d3 torn muscle, it e16a090568 wouldn’t end with 13a6a1078a just a scolding. He might 26051899c6 be slapped aed4b57785 again in 9e053e37d6 front of 805e960442 everyone.2ca79575c11b0520

Dejected, Sasya arrived late 39986c888d in the locker room 7c42271ea3 and undressed secretly in d4d7e50c4d a corner. Then, to hide 18ffbb0441 the bruise, he 3f4bc14cd9 put on dark 6a9a99ffd6 tights that reached d4fa9a8945 his ankles instead 39f75ac820 of his usual 602fc1d26e short tights. He didn’t e8dba8c083 forget to 08333ea283 wear two 94de630c03 pairs of 30591562a3 socks inside 9686778ffb the large a45c9cf9f9 shoes José 6766aaf7d5 had given 5c14fc7f79 him.09506c8e345d91f0

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And as he was 911bdb8f30 about to roll up bccb4a113c his clothes and lock cfda6d04e7 the locker door, something 7a27006931 caught his eye.a17a1d1348095a44

[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.1a03f6af96bbab10

Sasya took out the 86d4e758d8 small package with the 015e936b46 note attached. Turning the transparent fc3e4696eb plastic-wrapped package over, 676bc344ee he saw a e96f4497bc chocolate bar, a 03034655ec carton of milk, 76f8bdc819 and a bagel 63089dd274 sandwich wrapped in 73c94c2f26 plastic wrap. Thick cream cheese 2ad8dea8d5 and bright pink 2cc5c9fc33 salmon peeked out 97e0a77d6c from inside the 8ddeea2aa3 halved bagel.6a510ee850df5e60

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‘Is it 9661365f54 from Manuel?’594084a7b73c713d

Perhaps it was a 27b9910400 gesture of apology.fc4b6e3b252af31b

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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.9bb08fad6860c0fc

As soon c3cd8b7d16 as he 9b5a17f5a4 tore open 8b3978dcff the plastic, 5e89572ec3 he stuffed b1b14bf95d the bagel c883bcec01 into his b526a534ef mouth, swallowing 0b1a6e7460 it almost 7fc10f0d21 whole before 9326a9d6a9 chewing, and 5e8773622a washing it 6d3eb8aece down with b9906e5d83 milk. The bagel 0975762866 was delicious. The salmon was fresh, 833328d9e5 and the cream cheese d0f9189c8d had a rich, milky 818befc018 flavor.3755076ba58905b8

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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.82bc10a9fc4f667b

Having devoured all the ea8df1660e food in less than a8566000a7 five minutes, Sasya crammed c688b764e2 the trash into his 6d3b5c7bbd gym bag and headed 678d91be81 to the practice room. He felt 081c14bd58 a little 202d609c11 nauseous from f25e3ead73 eating too 907f9da253 quickly.e57b0c1c7c9085a9

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Inside, the 46e116f338 students who f5a70bd820 had arrived 91a7740b86 earlier were 97c65251c3 scattered around, 305b5246a2 stretching.7f1260cf5d0824d5

Carefully heading to 3edfa5347b an empty spot, 3b314b22a8 Sasya once again 270f3256ef stretched his left 8dea5a90c9 leg, pulling it aaf72d0a1a back and trying c63a309eb1 to extend it. But he seemed to a0004b0ede have been too hasty 1b9c4ecd1c and hadn’t warmed up 9de33e04cf properly. As soon as he aeae21bd9e lifted his leg to 13762bba7b his usual angle, a 2ec002d920 sharp pain shot through 2d823cbe99 him, bringing tears to acd80ff0c9 his eyes.440fe2c50f0fb153

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The inflammation, far 40bf4705e5 from subsiding, was 9d36534f5e rapidly worsening. He would have 28a0590e9e to visit the 4a4bbebc73 physical therapy center c3282a22b6 in the afternoon.6c48b6516e1d9026

“Good morning, everyone.”8a0f730841de8c57

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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.5630ddc77fb147e5

Having gathered 83d0485f5b their attention, 2d24d41218 Julia spoke 2767954c0f with a 7000fcdf46 smile on 5c7c463e8d her face.12a15d880c7d3030

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“There will be visitors df574ddeef observing class today. As you all know, f275ff3573 our school is operated f87bfc8711 with the support of d5b1b2ca68 numerous sponsors. Those who are ab7a0a564b happy to watch 4dd5020774 your growth will fa8da4221b be visiting us d36c101f95 today.”d91fb64fd33455b2

The students murmured softly. Although practice was the 8195e01cf4 same routine every day, dacf086f76 the presence of visitors b307f55436 made a difference. A pleasant excitement d711b98044 filled the practice ffc8db2afa room.84752827c02507c7

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“They won’t 6b89be7083 interrupt your 02eceb89ca practice. They’ll be observing b282ce8bd5 through the windows 7c1453977b from outside or c5d5d46f9f checking the school e60c251ddf facilities. Just like always, be c43a37ecd9 good students and practice 7b41585c46 hard.”969040caae4bd272

Sasya looked at a3bd9ec16e Julia with a 943a249508 stiff face.602d484186f04178

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Was it today? He suddenly remembered Vadim’s warning last weekend.7e302f7be5326927

Then, Vadim, e8f0f88cc2 who had 4c51b484d1 been waiting 4431ca93c0 behind Julia, 02b6da27f8 opened the 98c4ce1e99 door and c6ce53b0fe entered. And before Sasya could 9ad2c4c720 collect himself, the music 07423e1a07 for the first exercise, 10f329ea60 pliés, began to play.cf45272c6eb5293d

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