Chapter 3

It’s Saturday night at the Orion Ballet Hall , and time for the big performance they have been rehearsing for. Jane has been very nervous about this event, mostly because she knows she is the least experienced of the dancers. She hardly slept the night before—tossing, turning and reliving all the things that could go wrong at the performance.

When she walks into the hall, her body shrinks with a feeling of inadequacy. The place is spacious, and the chandeliers are dripping with money. The crowd hasn’t arrived yet, and the whole place is quiet. She wonders if she should have gone through a different door.

“Jane! Jane! Over here, dear,” motions her dance instructor. “Clearly, you are awestruck by this place. Come now, you’ll get used to it.”

For the first time, Jane feels warmth from her instructor, genuine interest in her feelings, something she hasn’t felt since moving to New York.

They walk together to the back stage area where they will all be getting their makeup on and dressing in their ballerina outfits.

Jane sees Valerie standing at the mirror, perking her lips and shoving her large breasts into her bra, showing off her cleavage. One thing Jane has to admit is that she is jealous of Valerie’s body—it is sexy with all the right curves, and her dark hair is thick and wavy. She looks like she knows everything when it comes to guys and sex, and she has probably done every possible position.

She’s such a bitch, thinks Jane, and then she feels guilty for using that word.

Jane looks in the mirror at her own, mousy, brown hair, boobs that seem flat and unappealing in comparison, and skinny legs that look like toothpicks. Jane has been invisible to guys all her life, and she understands why.

Jane goes over to her locker and opens it up. Inside is a purple plastic bag with a card tied to it and her name on the front.

“Weird. Who would be giving me a gift?” Jane says quietly to herself and pulls the bag off the hook.

Opening it up she pulls out the box. By this time, three of the other dancers, including Valerie, are behind her. Jane is feeling very uncomfortable, knowing something is off.

She looks at the box and it has a picture of a penis with the words ‘Thunder Cock’ on the outside.

Valerie starts the gang of them laughing, while Jane turns beet red and can’t even move.

“We thought we’d get you started, Jane. Now you can spread those legs and start feeling some cock in you,” mocks Valerie. “Nothing like a little thunder to get that pussy wet.”

They all laugh, and Brenda, Valerie’s sidekick, smacks Jane on her ass.

“Well, at least you have a tight ass. Guys will like that, sweet Jane,” Brenda teases.

Jane tries to hold her composure. Tears well up again in her eyes, but she doesn’t want to run away like she did the last time. She tries so hard to find the words for a good comeback, but she’s just not that witty. She continues to face her locker and waits for them to walk away.

She puts the box back into the bag and stuffs it into her backpack, making sure no one sees her. She goes into the bathroom stall to get changed, because she doesn’t want anyone else to make fun of her. She is very aware that she looks like a 15-year-old girl, even though she is 19. She doesn’t need anyone to rub it in.

Jane pulls out her leggings and tutu and at the same time quietly opens the box with the dildo in it. She pulls it out of the bag and feels how rubbery and kind of floppy it is. Weird, thinks Jane, feeling mildly terrified because it seems so big and thick. How will something this big go inside of me? She wonders if this is how big real cocks are. It grosses her out, yet fascinates her at the same time.

Jane notices she is feeling a bit wet and somewhat turned on.

She hears the other girls come into the washroom, turning on the taps to wash their faces. Jane quickly puts the dildo back in the box and hides it with her sweater in her bag. Quickly, she gets changed, stretching the leggings over her legs, pulling the tutu up to her waist, and pulling the tank top over her waist-less body.

She fusses about in the stall, waiting for the girls to leave. Walking out of the stall, she looks at herself in the mirror and sees her straggly, mouse-brown hair.

“God, I feel so plain,” she says to herself.

The dance instructor, Martha, marches into the bathroom with a clipboard in hand.

“Come, Jane, we don’t have much time. Get over there to get your hair and makeup done, pronto,” she orders, pulling at Jane’s arm.

Jane follows orders and goes over to Cindy, the makeup lady, brushing by Valerie.

Valerie whispers in Jane’s ear, “Did you have fun with the cock in the bathroom?”

Horrified, she pretends she doesn’t hear.

“Come on, Jane. Sit here. Boy, we have quite a mop to work with, don’t we?”

Cindy’s comments sting, especially since Jane is already feeling hurt from being picked on.

In 20 minutes, Cindy has Jane’s hair pulled up and curled in ringlets, and bright colors applied on her eyes and lips. She dusts sparkles around her cheeks and eyes, making Jane look like Kate Winslet from the Titanic. When Cindy spins Jane around on the chair to see herself, Jane is shocked that the beautiful person in the mirror is her.

Cindy whispers into Jane’s ear, “They won’t be expecting this, will they. Go show ‘em what you’ve got, sister.”

Jane is floored, and feels pretty for the first time in her life. She can’t believe what a bit of hair and makeup help can do. No one will recognize her at all and she loves that. She could get used to this new version of Jane.

“Come on, girls! Line up! It’s show time!” announces Martha, the dance instructor.

Jane stands third in line, just in front of Valerie, holding her head up high and facing forward. They all bounce out onto the stage, getting into their positions for the opening act.