CHAPTER 2
HOOP DANCING 101

“When did you start playing music early in the morning?” Declan asked as he entered Tobias’s backyard. “Also, why are you sweating?”

“Declan, you ask a lot of questions,” Tobias responded. He hurried to turn off the music.

Declan shrugged his shoulders. “That’s what my mom says. And my teachers. The list goes on. But you didn’t answer my questions.”

Tobias bent down and picked up his hoops. He wasn’t ready to tell Declan about his dancing. Nobody outside his family knew about his hoop dancing. “Guess I should go in and get ready for school,” he said.

“Hold on a minute,” Declan said. “Can I see one of your hoops? They’re so cool and colorful.”

Tobias held on to the hoop and thought. Should he tell Declan? If he didn’t, Declan would never give up trying to find out. Tobias gave in.

Tobias handed over a hoop.

“It’s a hoop used in hoop dancing,” he said. “Traditionally, they are made from willow branches. But mine are made from plastic tubing. I use colored tape to decorate them.”

“You made these?” Declan ran the hoop through his hands. “That’s awesome!”

“Yes, with a little help from my mom and a YouTube video,” Tobias said.

Declan’s upbeat curiosity made Tobias wish he had told him sooner. He liked the feeling of sharing his sport with Declan. However, Tobias didn’t want others at school to find out. Though he couldn’t explain why.

“Please don’t tell anyone at the school about my hoop dancing. Okay?” Tobias asked.

“Sure, I won’t say anything, but can you teach me how you did the twirl spin move?” Declan’s eyes grew large. They always did when he learned something new.

Tobias spent the next fifteen minutes teaching Declan how to hold the hoop and do three simple moves. He showed his friend a hand twirl, a finger twirl, and how to use two hoops to imitate a turtle snap.

Declan was a lot better than Tobias thought he would be. Before Tobias knew it, they were tossing a hoop back and forth, doing turn butt-kicks before tossing. Even though hoop dancing was a solo sport, Tobias enjoyed dancing alongside his friend.

“So. Why didn’t you tell me about your hoop dancing?” Declan asked. He tossed a hoop to Tobias.

Tobias caught the hoop and paused. He had to be honest.

Finally, he said, “Sometimes you can be a loudmouth and tell people things without realizing it’s not your place to tell them.”

“You’re not wrong. It’s my worst flaw,” Declan said. “But why don’t you want anyone else to know?”

Again Tobias paused. What he was about to tell Declan was personal.

“I’m not very good,” he finally said. “Plus, most people in our town have never heard of hoop dancing.”

“I think you’re good. And who cares if no one around here has heard of it,” Declan said. “Toss the hoop back.”

Tobias tossed it back, doing a one-armed cartwheel.

“See? What you just did, that was cool,” Declan said. “Is this why you dance? So you can do all the cool tricks?”

Tobias shrugged. He couldn’t explain his reasons; he was still figuring them out. Was it just cool tricks or was it deeper than that?

Tobias just hoped he could trust Declan with his secret.