#masoa

Second Position - Gay, He Is Not, Pt. 2

Anita Zhang seemed like such a beautiful woman, physically and mentally. Though, Allen was almost certain that he thought that of her just because he found her attractive. Additionally, the vibe she sent was a good sign that his quick judgement of her wasn't entirely false, however in an ironic way due to present circumstances, if he ever were accepted into her class, he'd be judging whether or not she was worth worrying over the treatment she would be given by his master. If she wasn't worth his heart weakening with each and every glance Marian Cross took of her, he'd mind himself and only himself. Not even other women he'd found himself having a liking towards either. If she was though, his heart would eventually break. Even before allowing himself to involve himself with other women, even if he were to date or not. In either possibility actually, dating being a very slim chance. Both possibilities most likely leaving no happiness for him. The first leaving him without a distraction from his circumstances and the other, if his master caught onto his actions, would probably still leave his debts intact.

He'd decided to decide if he would actually go through with what he laid out for himself if either or were to become a reality, be debtless but have his health deteriorate more in the end due to stress or still have debts but have the sweet thought of not having an innocent lady hurt severely finally...

For once in his good nature, he preferred the initial one. If the latter were true then he just reasoned with also the primary source of his mirth being the debts' disappearance kept in mind that, "people get hurt everyday and most of the times they end up fine in the end." Even if he knew eventually his conscious wouldn't allow it to play out actually.

It was his turn to audition due to his last name beginning with the letters W and A, leaving Allen to conclude that he was unconscious for a very, very long time. He got up from his spot on the floor with the help of Lenalee lifting him by his hand and keeping the ice packet on his head, thanked her very excessively and made it to the centre of the studio.

Anita smiled warmly at him, causing warmth in response to coil up in his chest at the gorgeous smile. Allen blushed, lowering his head and turned sure in that instant that he was going to have even more debt than what he started with at the beginning of this plan then.

"Now Walker, there are only so many remaining spots to be filled by males in my class. You better give it your all. I see your potential and it'd be lovely to have you as my student." Anita said.

Allen nodded at that. This is so gay.

Getting into his starting pose, the music began playing...

Allen allowed his body to move in rhythm with the flow of the song, hitting every beat with as much accuracy as he could. Despite how much effort he put in it, his dancing looked effortless. Despite how much effort he put in it however, his face didn't match the song's theme, because no matter what he felt nothing could conceal his hatred for what he was doing right now. Who really liked to be practically forced to do something?

It was ridiculous, him and Mahoja thought in unison. Mahoja thought that only the passionate ones should've been here. She wondered how Anita even made the decision to pick him. Glancing over at Anita, all she saw was the evident amazement written all over her face. It was ridiculous, she thought once more.

"He reminds me of someone." Lenalee whispered to her mentors.

"Someone wonderful, no?" Anita said and Lenalee nodded to that.

All Mahoja could do was scoff, knowing how stubborn her superior was. What was more ridiculous than this boy's dance moves however was Anita unintentionally asserting her status over Mahoja yet still trying to maintain her genuinely warm demeanour by saying that they were equals. Now that was ridiculous.

Allen finished and everyone applauded, all starstruck except for a few including Mahoja.

When the applause died down, Anita was the only one left still clapping (Cross smirking a bit at that) and stood up, grinning from ear to ear. "Wonderful! We have a prodigy in here everyone!" Anita exclaimed, Lenalee's face distorting out of slight jealously at that.

"Are you sure about that? Just because he reminds you of someone great doesn't mean anything. It just might mean he's an unoriginal loser. I felt uninspired by his moves because of his vibe. I didn't feel like he was into it very much." Mahoja commented.

Chaozii Han agreed to that along with some students.

"He has potential, don't you agree Lenalee?" Anita said, Lenalee hesitantly agreeing to that. "I see what you're talking about Mahoja dear but his potential is phenomenal. I can make a beautiful dancer out of this one. I know it. Just like I did another dancer not too long ago with a similar attitude."

"Who kept that same attitude all throughout his time here though might I add." Mahoja reminded.

"Kanda." Lenalee said fondly. "I wonder how he is."

"Indeed." Anita agreed. "Now that's who he reminds me of. I see."

But why him? Lenalee quietly thought to herself.

Allen cleared his throat, uncomfortable with how everyone saw through the facade he tried to keep up. "What class am I assigned to, Miss Anita?"

"My class of course." Anita informed, earning groans from the males since that left only two spots remaining.

Allen internally jumped out of sheer relief and joy. Being one step closer to having a brighter future financially. He looked over to his master, Cross Marian, and nodded at him. Him taking a swig of his whiskey in the flask he kept hidden in his jacket as a response.

Cross took yet another glance at Anita today. The millionth one today Allen exaggerated. For someone who objectifies someone as much as Cross Marian does, he sure does like to look at them often. Allen concluding that he was just possessive of what he considered his. Leaving him all the more keen on keeping an eye on him and Anita Zhang.

An hour passes and the auditions were done and over with. Twenty people in each class. An even ratio of girls to boys in each one. The classes being ranked by how difficult and how good the dancer was. A being the hardest and hardest to get into and E being the easiest. To not cause discouragement however despite getting recognized by Anita Zhang in the first place was a feat itself, monthly—along with the tri-monthly $200 fee—everyone would be placed in different classes based on how well they performed by the end of the month until the beginning of November of next year where everyone would be in a permanent class by then based on how much they've improved. By the end of December, they'd perform at Madison Square Garden theatre. By then though, they would have performed at smaller places before that that they should've been used to the idea of it.

All Allen hoped was that Cross was done winning over Anita (and hopefully eventually give up on her by then) before a year passes so that he won't be there to see that big day and almost certainly ruin it for everyone.

Everyone, excluding the teachers, was getting their stuff ready to leave, some already gone. Cross took that opportunity to approach his apprentice.

"Idiot apprentice, good job winning over Anita. She was really impressed by you." Cross genuinely complimented, causing Allen to blush. He didn't care for the art but the fact that he left so many including a world-renowned professional in awe at his performance swelled him with subtle pride.

"I know." He spoke, rubbing the back of his head. That was when however he took in what he just said.

Good job, good job, good job...

Those three words spoken by the rudest man he's ever met left him stunned since they were so rarely genuinely spoken.

"T-thanks." Was all Cross last heard him say before Cross walked away, hoping that Allen would get the hint for him to follow.

A/N: This takes place two weeks after the prologue. You'll see why things were happening in the prologue and even more so for the events in this chapter. Anita's system for her studio is pretty simple. I haven't really set up one for her (renowned ballet) company as of yet, I'll never elaborate too much hopefully but I should at least build something on it so there's no loose ends, even if they're potentially minor.

First Position - Gay, He is Not, Pt. 1

2 Weeks Later...

"This is it." The taxi driver announced to his white haired passenger who was less than enthused to arrive to a place he wasn't entirely willing to spend time at.

"Thanks," nonetheless he said, paying the pleasant man his fare and exited the cab, shutting the door with equal unenthusiasm.

Arriving at the glass building's front entrance, Allen sauntered into the building with a blank look on his face. The emotion of despair found it however when he saw the flights of stairs he had to climb as an alternative to the broken elevator.

"For the debts, for the debts, for the debts..." He rambled with each step up then.

Soon enough, Allen was at the floor he was to be at, the stairs leading right into the studio with only a glass door blocking his would've been effortless, thoughtless entrance. Even though the transparent glass allowed him to see some of the things going on in the studio, it felt completely different viewing everything once he entered. A dramatic wave of sheer impression washing over him as he watched a petite woman work her body gracefully and seemingly effortlessly for the judges to the classical ballet music, finishing up with a simple bow; her long torso contributing to her hair tied in a bun reaching all the way down to the glistening wooden floor that helped the white walls and slightly dimmed white lights convey the innocence the studio oozed as soon as he set his eyes upon it.

Allen's eyes never left the woman for the longest time, drinking in every movement of her body, of her features as she gave a final smile and thought immediately of how pretty she was. Thinking to himself that he had found a crush already here. Thinking too that all he'd be able to do was stare and hope to not mess up his image around her seeing as though he thought she was way out of his league. Thinking on the brighter side however that he may have found his inspiration to do his best to get his debts repaid faster already.

When a familiar, more gorgeous woman took the effort to get up and approach him with a genuine looking enough grin, he felt it to be almost contagious and thought of her as his second newfound crush here. Gladly, he accepted her hug not knowing what exactly it was for.

Pulling away from him finally, she flashed her opalescent teeth, tilting her head right causing the black long side bangs to fall that way. "Oh, one hundreth...Walker, I'm so glad you made it. You were after all among my favorites in those video auditions. I would've bawled for days if you hadn't shown up today." The beautiful Asian woman sweetly exaggerated, pushing her low ponytail over her shoulder.

"How could I miss this? It's an opportunity of a lifetime," Allen lied.

"Opportunity of a lifetime? You're an hour late, we're almost done! Hell, that was the last live audition actually!" A large and bald, tanned and intimidating woman suddenly started, approaching him.

Surprised, Allen began explaining himself, "I was told to come at seven A.M sharp, so I woke up at five." The extremely recent memory of Cross kicking Allen out of his bed at that time all for him to be even further shocked to find all the things he needed to do for his morning ritual already set up - including a enormous breakfast - flashed through his mind. Allen trying not to shudder out of disturbance because of the memory. "I arrived at 6:58 A.M and it took me two minutes to walk upstairs to this floor which I assume would've took me five had I been a lazy, excuse me, twat. Therefore, arriving seven o'clock on the dot. Or am I mistaken?"

The muscular woman exhaled audibly, vein twitching in sync with her left eye below it, pointing a finger aggressively at the clueless teen. "Don't you dare bring that condescending attitude in here with me, or Lady Anita, ya' little confusing geezer-teenager, shrimpy little british fuckboy!" Grabbing onto his collar protruding out of his gray vest, she continued breathing down his face, "who do you think you're talking to? I could break both your testicles and then finally get the leading role in The Nutcracker."

With that, their audience watching them as soon as the terrifying woman raised her voice turned to look the other way, what was happening being none of their business. Acting as if nothing out of the ordinary was occuring.

Allen almost felt pee trickle down his thighs. "I'm-I'm sorry, I just-st thought I-eeeee was supposed to c-co-come at seven."

"Mahoja calm down, he was just explaining himself. We really did say to come at seven." The soft voiced yet mature sounding woman reasoned. "Auditions did start now, you're right on ti..." She trailed off however when a familiar chuckle assumingly at the scene reached her ears.

Lady Anita looked up from her partner and her hundreth student and begun gazing upon the handsome, red-haired man smoking a cigarette, bringing attention to himself from Mahoja. Her, - if she really was at least - whipping her head over to where the distinct smell came from and exhaling out of disgust, trying not to breathe in the death stick's aroma. Her fists unclenched from his collar, letting him thud to the floor as she started rolling up her already short sleeves. Stomping over to the disrespectful man who strangely didn't even have his eyes set upon her as he let his cigarette burn, leaving a long stick of ash threatening to drop. Involuntarily though, the man flicked the cigarette's hanging ash off as he tried to set the stick between his lips for another drag, Mahoja's eyes bulging further. Swiftly, she forced herself down to the floor, sliding across it and in the end perfectly catches the ash before it hit the then tainted floor.

Eyeing the mess in her hands then at the inconsiderate man, slowly, she raised herself from the floor, rubbing the ash together between her hands. The red-head with annoyingly long hair for a man was still looking straight over her, enraging Mahoja more. "Hey," she started, almost at eye level. He still wasn't looking. "Hey!" She huffed now at eye level, catching his attention this time.

"Wh-!" And as soon as their eyes met, a clean slap to the face with ash permeating into the air rung throughout the already almost quiet studio (including Allen's soft whimpers and Mahoja's heavy breathing, movements and threatening voice). Now though, it was silent. Until her next slap with her left rung this time again before he fell to the floor, catching him with her right hand and grabbing onto the skin of his face of both cheeks and stretching it, his feet hovering over the floor.

"The audacity..." She breathed heavily through her teeth, almost incoherently.

Her gaze leaving even the red-haired highly esteem man feeling like a mere bug when he awoke from his brief coma.

Just when the ill-tempered woman was about to do more damage, a smaller short haired woman stepped in trying to calm down the scary lady from harming who Allen recognized to be his guardian, Cross Marian. Allen catching his breath as Anita finally started paying attention back to him. Bringing him up from the floor. "As I was saying, you're not in the wrong. Mahoja was just joking around with you. She's just sensitive to y-young ones and their ah-attitudes." She reassured, rubbing his back soothingly as he clutched onto his chest.

That's when Allen paused, catching the stammer at the end of the seemingly composed and graceful woman's sentence (of all the things he found the strangest) and cocked a brow since that seemed uncharacteristic. Thoughts flooding in about Anita being scared too by her, by Mahoja simply because she quite rarely or never ever lashed out like this to anyone. Feeling guilty and all the more agitated, breathing turning rampant again.

Fainting actually, that being too much for his weakened heart...

By the time he awoke and officially calmed down, it was almost his time to perform for the judges who were no other than Anita Zhang: Class A's teacher, Mahoja: Class B's teacher, Chaozii Han: Class C's teacher, Masoa: Class D's teacher, Kie: Class E's teacher, and Lenalee Lee, who was the same person who came to his master's aid and helped rehabilitate Allen to sanity. She was Anita's pupil. Thankfully, paying attention only to him, leaving his rightfully bruised and dirty with ash hand prints on his face teacher to awkwardly gaze at his supposed to be teacher on the floor in a corner. Her aid helping assure the judges he was healthy enough to dance.

From the way Cross was staring at the gorgeous owner, obviously with money signs in his eyes, he knew he had to get into Class A. Unfortunately being the most desirable class since The Anita Zhang taught it meant Allen would have to exert even more effort than he even less so wanted to in order to have a chance of getting into it.

He groaned to himself, mentally disheveled almost completely but having to keep composure for his dance, he had already begun to suck it up...

A/N: I remember you, Midnight Phantasma and your advice to start writing 1,000 words/day. I'll take your advice for this story. Though when the plot thickens, maybe the chapters' will purposely lengthen to 2,000 words.