The next day passed in a blur of classes, friends and daydreams. I was a bundle of nerves. On one hand, I was eager to talk to Santee about the DVD she had loaned me. But on the other hand, I wasn’t quite sure what to say without sounding like a complete idiot. I had visions of myself shuffling my feet, muttering under my breath with my eyes on the floor. Umm, yeah…so that dancing guy? He’s cool. I felt like crawling under my desk just thinking about it.
The closer it got to the end of the day, the more nervous I became. My neck was hot and itchy, and I had my hand snaked down the back of my collar, scratching. I always got itchy when I was stressed out. The bell rang, surprising me, and I let out a little shriek, jumping out of my desk. Thankfully, it was so loud with everyone filing out of the room that no one heard me. I rose shakily to my feet, grabbed my bag and headed to the lower school to pick up my sister. Her school was attached to mine by a covered walkway, which came in real handy in the winter.
Jen was waiting when I got to her class. “Let’s go!” She grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the door. “If I finish my projects, I can take them home today.”
“Okay, okay. I’m coming.” I laughed. She was like a little tornado. Always moving. Always excited about her latest project. Always smiling. She’d be a great dancer, I thought, glancing at her as we got into the car and headed to the community center. She fiddled with the radio as I drove, singing a line here and there and then immediately changing the station again.
“Jen, pick a station, would you?” I begged.
She sighed deeply. “I was looking for Taylor Swift. Or at the very least, One Direction. Or maybe One Republic. Mom has the radio set to easy listening. Easy listening, John!”
We pulled into the parking lot of the center. “Sorry, Jen. We’ll bring CDS next time. Hey!” I yelled as she jumped out of the car.
“It’s okay. I’m going in. Pick me up at five.” She yanked the door to the center open. “No! Five thirty! I want to finish my projects!”
“Look both ways next time,” I shouted out the window. She rolled her eyes and disappeared inside before I was even out of the car. I shook my head. Yep. She was a whirlwind, all right. I grabbed the DVD and lurched out of the car, slamming the door behind me. I took a deep breath and headed after my sister and into the center.
Rounding the corner to the gym, I was greeted by the now-familiar music and the dance teacher calling out to her students.
“No, Lily. You need to go to the left, not the right. Good! Much better.” The door was propped open, so I braced myself and stood in the doorway. Santee caught my eye after a minute and started toward me. “Keep going, ladies, that’s great! You’re one beat behind, Eden. That’s better.” She stopped in front of me and raised her eyebrows. “So? What did you think?”
I tried to be cool. For about five seconds.
“It was amazing!” I blurted out, smiling widely. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I want to do that! I want to be that guy!”
Santee laughed at my enthusiasm and patted me on the back. “Okay then.” She studied my face for a moment. “So…want to come in and give it a try?”