Dancer

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Hairline

A is the company's rising star, cast in the lead that will make her career. A hidden fracture means telling the truth costs her the role. So she hides it, and starts breaking everyone who could take her place.

A dances better than anyone in the company.

The director gives her the lead in a season-defining production.

B, her closest friend, is the understudy — rawer, hungrier, rising fast.

A loves the work, and loves being the best at it.

Then her foot goes in rehearsal: a hairline fracture.

Admitting it means months off and the role passing to B.

A tapes the foot, swallows pills, and dances clean enough to fool the director.

The physiotherapist clocks her limp; A lies.

When a lift collapses on stage, A lets her partner C take the blame, and C is cut.

To keep B from being promoted, A drips small doubts into the director's ear and takes B's solo for herself.

Each lie buys one more night on the stage, and costs her one more person who trusted her.

On opening night the foot is near splitting.

A can pull out and hand B the lead she has earned, or dance and destroy herself.

A chooses the spotlight.

She dances the premiere flawlessly.

The bone shatters on the final landing.

The ovation roars as she is carried off — career finished, B gone, C gone, the title finally hers and worth nothing.