Summer was 6 when she watched The Swan Lake for the first time.

To others it was just some people dancing, but to her it was the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed. She admired the grace the dancers possessed. They were eloquent without even using any words. The rest of the week she would spend hours in her room, trying to find that same elegance. And though she was young, she soon knew the entire theme by heart.

Only a few weeks later she had her first ballet class. There were 25 girls and it surprised her that she was the only one who knew who Tchaikovsky was. When she shared her surprise with the teacher, the woman smiled and told Summer she would understand later, when she was older. The teacher smiled at her, as if she saw something in Summer that the others didn’t. Already at such a young age, her talent and passion didn’t go unnoticed.

Summer was 12 when she realized she was the only one left from the 25 girls in her very first class.

When she mentioned it to her teacher, the very same one from her first class, the woman smiled again. She explained that the interests of the other girls had changed over the years. Instead of princesses they now wanted to be singers or actresses when they grew up. Boys had become fascinating, because it turned out they didn’t have cooties after all.

Summer listened to the older woman with confusion. Sure, she knew that interests could change. She herself had recently stopped listening to the Jonas Brothers and started enjoying the Counting Crows. But why had they all given up on their dream? The teacher smiled again and reminded Summer of the fact that later, when she was older, she would understand. The woman smiled at her, because the passion was still there after all those years.

Summer was 18 when she knew she had fallen in love.

At first, other people called her young and foolish. How could an 18 year old girl have any idea about real love? She didn’t bother defending herself. In her heart she felt she had fallen in love a long time ago. And when people met Alex, opinions were quickly changed. You couldn’t help but love him. He was polite, friendly, handsome, funny. He would be waiting after practice, ready to help her with her ice bath. He was in the front row at every one of her premieres, handing her a bouquet of lilies – her favorites – afterwards.

On her last evening as Clara in The Nutcracker, she met her – now former – ballet teacher again. The woman not only congratulated her on a beautiful performance, but acknowledged she seemed very much in love. Slightly confused, but not really surprised that she could still read her so easily after all those years, Summer introduced her old teacher to Alex. The woman smiled when she noticed Summer’s confusion and reminded her yet again that later, when she was older, she would understand.

Summer is 21 now and waiting for the curtains to open, waiting for the show to start.

When the lilies arrive, everybody tells her how lucky she is to have him. How he is such a gentleman. She smiles and nods politely.

"I’m sorry, but I can’t keep doing this. I can’t be second choice anymore. I’m done waiting. But I will be watching forever. – Love always, Alex."

She reads the words out loud and suddenly he is an insensitive jerk, an annoying prick. The reactions make her let out a soft laugh, because the words on the card don’t surprise her. She knew it would happen eventually. She was waiting for it since the start. She doesn’t even cry.

Ten minutes later she gracefully moves across the stage. She is living her dream. She is Odette. And she finally understands what her teacher meant all those years ago. Her heart belongs here, on the stage. Alex is sitting in the front row, smiling. And she knows that he might be the one person who truly understands her. The one person who knows he didn’t break her heart, because it was never his to begin with. She loves Alex, but she was never in love with him.

Summer has fallen in love long ago. Ballet was her first love, and it will be her last.