School, sports, homework, chores. School, chores, homework, chores. Repeat. Everyday. It’s funny how I don’t live my life for me anymore. I’m always on my toes trying in vain to dance the dance they all can dance so well. Tripping on my feet, missing steps. They laugh, dancing their flawless dance. Time after time I fall, my knees bloodied and bruised, but I can never dance like them.
  Them. They are everywhere, dancing their dance. In the chair next to me in chorus, dancing across the measures, with perfect grace. On the art on the walls, gliding down flawless brush strokes. One the tests on the desk next to mine, twisting through the flawless answers. Everywhere they dance. Gallant leaps, effortless dancing. Amongst their perfect dancing I writhe and stagger, missing step after step.
I can’t get away from them. They are in my head, twisting through my thoughts, tugging at my faults. They leer down at me casting shadows over my thoughts. Chanting, twisting, they gnash their beautiful teeth at me. “You do not belong” they chant. They lean over me and offer a hand, only to snatch it away as I grasped for their slender fingers. Just out of my reach, they twirl and twist their beautiful bodies away.
Long shadows fall upon me as I thrash, their shadows. I leap and twirl only to stumble and fall. The higher I reach the farther I am pulled down. If only I could reach them, they who gnash their teeth. I could be free.
Fingers bleeding, I grope for something to hold on to. Nails breaking, creating jagged lines, I desperately grasp at empty space. Crashing farther into my abyss, I need to reach them.
They dance their terribly beautiful dance, cackling, laughing at my struggle. Murmurs stir around me, whispering failure. Whispering judgments. They condemn me, laughing they say I will be with them. Murmurs turn to whispers, whispers to shouts. Failure. Failure. Failure they preach.
Squinting in the darkness, I hope for a light. I desperately grab for something, anything. Savage grey light fades into the distance leaving me with them, dancing above me.
Not for me. I live for them. I will reach for them, always. School, sports, homework, chores they chant. Do the dance, they say. School, sports, homework, chores I say. I can do it. I will do it.
Can I do it?