Chapter 27
As my alarm sounds, I roll out of bed, walk downstairs and check on Paisley. I’m impressed to see she’s acting as if she didn’t lose her mother yesterday. I talk to her for a few minutes and then get my chores done quickly. Missing school yesterday probably wasn’t the best idea, but there’s no way I could have made it. Heck, I didn’t even make it through dance.
As I finish up, I wonder where Barrick might be, but I assume he’s just exhausted from last night. Going to the house, I hurry to get ready, take the green smoothie Gran has made me, and walk out the door to find Barrick approaching.
“Hey,” I say as I take a sip of my smoothie. “Want some?” He shivers.
“Nope. Sorry I’m late. I overslept and I never do that. Are you okay today?” he asks as he walks me to my vehicle.
“I’m good, thanks to you,” I reply as I wrap my arms around his waist.
“That makes me so happy to hear,” he murmurs as he kisses me and gently tucks me into the driver’s seat of my Range Rover. “Have an amazing day, and I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“I’ll do my best,” I say as he closes my door and waves bye as I exit the driveway.
I can’t wait to see Jade at school. I text her and tell her I need to talk. Of course, she thinks it’s about her brother, but it’s not. I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to do if I’m not going to Boston.
As the bell rings for lunch, I walk to the media center and take a seat at the back computer table.
“What’s up, chica?” Jade asks.
“I need your help.”
Pulling the chair out, she takes a seat. “Hit me with it,” she says.
“So, you know Ms. James has asked me to Boston.” She nods. “Well, I’ve decided I don’t want to go and I want to explore my other options.”
“Are you serious?” she questions.
“I’m not sure touring and dancing with a company are what I want right now. I think I’d rather stay closer to Delight. I looked up the application process for ECU and UNCG in Ms. Lyndsay’s office but I never did anything with the information. What do I do?”
“Come on,” she says, walking toward a computer. She searches several schools, programs, and other options.
“How’d you know to do all this?” She laughs.
“Well, I knew a few things I wanted in a school and started looking last year, so I’ve done a lot of research.”
“I should have known,” I say as I shake my head and we quickly scroll through them. As I look at each school, I notice that the application dates have passed. What am I going to do? When the bell rings, she quickly unzips her backpack and hands me a god-awful teal chevron notebook. It looks as if someone has bedazzled the front. What in this world?
“All of this info is in here. I took notes on everything.”
“Jade, all of those dates for auditions have passed. It’s useless,” I say as I place my head in my hands.
“How do you know that? Maybe there’s a loophole or something,” she says as we walk toward our classes. “I’ll see you at the studio,” she says and my mind is reeling with what I should do.
When I get to class, all I can do is think about my future and ask the teacher if I can go see a counselor. He gives me a pass and I walk to the guidance office, where a young woman greets me. “How may I help you?”
“I need a little guidance with college applications,” I state.
“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” she says with a smile.
Stepping into her office, she closes the door and I answer a few questions. After an hour or so, she’s explained that all I can do is apply. She also said I should think outside of the box. She told me to do something to stand out and make Cadence Lewis memorable. I’m going to have to talk to Ms. Lyndsay about this today.
My mind is spinning, and I ask if it would be okay to get started on this instead of going back to class. She agrees and gives me a note to go to the media center. I apply to UNCG, ECU, and NYU. Then I begin a dance résumé. I have to text Mom for some information, and before I know it the bell is ringing to dismiss us for the day.
Once I’m inside the studio, I hurry to get ready and Ms. Lyndsay asks to speak to me. She asks if I’m okay today, and I tell her I’m extremely sorry about yesterday. I then ask her opinion on what I can do to stand out on the applications.
“Cadence, I’m going to be extremely honest. This late in the game is going to be hard to get in. It’s not impossible, but I believe if they see your grades and your talent, they’d be crazy not to accept you. I might have a connection or two as well,” she says with a wink.
“So what should I do to stand out?” I ask her. She shakes her head.
“Be yourself. You are a light in the darkness. You’re one of a kind and they will see that the moment your body moves to the music. I have no doubt, but no matter what I’ll be glad to help you any way I can.”
“Thanks, Ms. Lyndsay,” I say as I give her a hug and hurry to the dance room to stretch. After class, Jade and I stay so that we can make a video for my applications. It doesn’t take long before I have it recorded, and we gather our things to go home. Jade calls my cell as we follow each other out of the parking lot.
“Totally different subject, Cadence, but have you gotten your prom dress?” she questions.
“I’ve looked a little bit, but I have no idea what I want. Well, I do, but Mom already called in that favor at homecoming,” I say with a smile.
“Would you want to go shopping tomorrow since we have a day off? And let’s not mention it’s in less than a month.”
“Absolutely. Where should we go?”
“SouthPark.”
“Where’s that?” I question.
“Charlotte. Barrick can go if you want,” she says.
“No way! He’s not seeing my dress until that night.”
She starts to laugh like crazy. “This isn’t a wedding, Cadence. He can see it before the night you know.”
“I don’t care. I want it to be a surprise.”
“You’re crazy,” she says.
“Maybe so.”
As I pull into my driveway, I tell her I’ll drive tomorrow and pick her up about ten. I’ve got to get my chores finished and get these applications in.
“What applications?” Barrick asks as he approaches me.
I pull the phone away from my ear and fiddle with my bag. “Just for a few schools and programs nearby. I’ve waited around so long, I’ll probably have to take a year off and work around here,” I say, defeated.
“You’re crazy. You’ll get in. If not, you can go to school with me,” he says with a wink.
“You don’t know what you are doing yet either.”
“Well, now that I know you aren’t going to Boston, I may apply to ECU.”
“Well, that one is on my list,” I say as I pull him in for a kiss.
“Ew, I’m still on the phone and I can hear you kissing,” Jade yells before disconnecting.
“You want me to help you with your applications?” Barrick asks.
“Yes,” I say as we walk up to the house.
Barrick
Ms. Mae and Regina are at the kitchen table when we walk in. Cadence tells them all about her talk with the guidance counselor and that she’s already applied to three schools. She lets them know I’ll be helping her upload her files and asks if I can stay for dinner. She also lets them know that she and Jade are going shopping for prom dresses tomorrow. Crap. I’ve got to order a tux.
After we eat, we settle into the living room, and Cadence turns on the mobile hotspot on her phone to connect the computer to the Internet. We go over all her information, upload all of the files, and then submit.
Once we are finished, we look at the clock and it’s still pretty early. I ask if she wants to go to The Loft but she shakes her head no. Instead, we take a seat on the couch and watch TV for a little while.
“Want to go outside on the swing?” she asks.
Glancing at the time, I know I’m going to have to go soon so we won’t have long. “Sure, I can hang out for a little longer,” I say.
The wooden swing creaks as we move back and forth. She places her head on my shoulder and I wish I didn’t have to leave.
“Oh my. Barrick! There they are!” she exclaims.
“What?”
“The lightening bugs.”
“Want to catch them?” I ask.
“Why not?” she says. Taking her hand, we walk down the front steps and into the yard.
“Hold on,” I say as I hurry to the back porch to grab a mason jar. Coming around to her again she looks confused. I take my pocket-knife out and puncture a few holes in the lid. “They’ve got to be able to breathe,” I say.
She tries to catch a few but struggles. They seem to escape her grasp but after a few minutes, she finally gets one.
“I got one!” she squeals. But then her face transforms. “Oh my gosh! It tickles and it’s a bug. Get it!” she squirms, jumping up and down. Once I come to her rescue, she takes a seat and says she’s done. I gather a few more and enjoy their light.