CHANGED
"not a what. a who."
tw: age gap relationship, power dynamic relationship, general scuzzy man behaviors
Isla met Jean Paul "JP" Dumont when she was only seventeen at the ballet academy she was attending at the time when he was brought in as a guest instructor. A decorated competitive and theatrical dancer, classes with JP were usually highly coveted and ridiculously expensive. Luckily, her primary ballet instructor happened to be a long-time family friend of the Dumont’s, and was able to snag him for a semester to help prepare the girls for the professional world. During their first class, it was obvious that he took a quick liking to Isla. He constantly complimented her in front of the class, even using her as an example for some of the lessons (causing much envy to be directed towards her from the other girls). Isla couldn’t help but feel awestruck by the man. Here was this talented, successful (not to mention gorgeous) man who thought she had a ‘talent that couldn’t be matched’ as he told her. So when, at the end of class, JP offered to carve out an hour from his schedule to provide her with private lessons after the group class, the girl couldn’t say ‘yes’ fast enough.
Their lessons started innocently enough: corrections on form, customized advice and warm-ups, and perfecting competitive solos filled the hour. Sure, when he placed his hand on her waist to help adjust form, the young girl’s heart skipped a beat and her stomach fluttered with butterflies but she was a seventeen-year-old, admitted boy crazy girl, so the feeling wasn’t a shock. To her, it was another silly little teenhood crush. However, as the weeks went on, she could feel those thoughts changing to something deeper. Her ‘little teenhood crush’ was becoming an all-encompassing, utter infatuation with JP. Every look, every touch, every single moment of closeness made her want to act on her feelings that much more. Nevertheless, there was no chance that he reciprocated her feelings. She was just some young student he saw some promise in and nothing more. At least that’s what she initially thought.
A few weeks into their lessons, their relationship changed. It started innocently enough: a rehearsal for a tango-inspired piece to show off partner work. As they worked closely together, bodies intertwined in choreography, there was a moment of pause. Then a kiss. Then a deepening of the kiss. Then much more than a kiss. Then Isla lost her virginity to JP. From that day on, both their professional and personal relationship began to bloom. However, the personal side of that relationship had to remain a secret for the time being. They both agreed it was for the best and with the secrecy, they could be together in relative peace. Despite the secrecy and the twelve-year age gap between them, Isla found herself genuinely falling in love with him. Sure, the securing of professional opportunities, introducing her to influential colleagues, and providing her with even more private lessons was a welcomed addition to their dynamic. Besides that, she was falling for him: The man who threw himself into his work, who was passionate about life, and brought out a new, more confident side to her never seen before. She fell for the man that she and she alone got to see.
As their relationship continued, JP introduced her to the importance and power of her body and sexuality when it came to getting what she wanted. With any connection he introduced her to (that happened to be male and sexually attracted to women), JP would encourage her to exchange sex for opportunities or to get ahead. He called it her ‘industry hack’. The first few times she tried it, she was absolutely mortified. Isla worried her actions would hurt JP’s feelings eventually and their relationship would crumble. He quickly explained those fears away by explaining that he knew there was no romance behind these actions, so he knew that at the end of the day, she’d be his. With that explanation, her trust in him knowing what’s best for her, and getting the results he promised and then some, she decided to continue. Sex in exchange for personal or professional gain is something Isla still does to this day.
Even with his semester-long stay being extended to a year-long residency, the day he left to tour with a French ballet company was not any easier. Though, as he promised her, they continued to stay in touch. Thousands of handwritten letters, texts, and FaceTime calls were shared between the two to keep their relationship connected. As that next year went on, Isla became more and more hopeful that the two could go more public with their relationship especially as she was due to graduate from the ballet academy, meaning she'd no longer be seen as a student. However, any time she would bring up going more public with their relationship or even the future of it, JP would either change the subject or simply brush the conversation off. Soon, her graduation came and went with no improvement of their situation on the horizon. In fact, as the days went on, conversations with him became shorter and shorter. Then, eventually, they stopped all together. No matter how much she tried to get in touch, how much space she gave him, or how much she wanted to go back to the way things were, she knew otherwise: he was officially ghosting her. To drive the knife of heartbreak further into her, five months later a picture was posted to JP’s Instagram: a picture of him and his supposed new girlfriend. His new, fellow ballerina girlfriend had similar features to her. For the first and only time in Isla’s life, she felt broken. Not only heartbroken but as if her very soul was shattered in that moment.
Nowadays, JP is Isla’s only weakness; her kryptonite. He has since gone on to marry that girlfriend and has never offered any kind of explanation for why he suddenly and completely dropped her from his life. Despite the hurt he caused, Isla is utterly oblivious to the fact that what JP did was sleep with her when she was too young and then pimped her out to his industry buddies. She only sees him as a run-of-the-mill shitty ex-boyfriend and not the slimy monster he truly is. This ignorance is a huge reason why she still uses her body to get what she wants. It’s her ‘industry hack’ after all.
