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Authors: Jessica Gibson
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in.
“Becca?” Her warm smile made me cry. She took me in her arms and held me while I cried. It was all too much. “What’s going on honey? I thought you were at school.”
“Chad got arrested for possession of drugs.”
Her eyes widened as she listened to the whole story, including the offer from Levi’s parents. “What should we do?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you that. You need to do what you feel is best for both of you. I will say that getting him away from your mother might be the best chance he has at a future, though.”
I stared out the window, feeling miserable and hopeless.
“I still have your things in your old locker.” She smiled.
I knew what she meant. “I just need to change.”
When I came out of the locker area, she was standing by the front mirror, waiting. “If you would approach the barre, please.”
We both laughed and I did as instructed. She led me through my warm up, her soft voice calling out movements. Jane took me through my positions and into pirouettes.
“I had forgotten just how good you are, Becca.” I blushed; “Now, show me what you’ve been working on.” She leaned against the mirror to watch me dance.
I lost myself in the movements, and nothing else mattered. I danced on my toes and moved into a pirouette. Everything was better now; this was all I needed. Pointe shoes and a shiny wooden floor to dance on.
When I finished dancing, Jane was in tears. “That was amazing. You always surprise me with your talent. If you can stay focused, nothing will stop you. All this stuff with Chad can’t last forever. Don’t let it stop you from achieving your dreams.”
I thought about her words as I walked back to the hotel. She was right, of course. I couldn't let anything derail me.
“Do you feel better?” Levi was lying on the bed, flipping through the channels on the TV.
“I do. Jane always knows how to get me out of any funk. She was always the one person I could go to with anything. She helped Chad and I so much after my dad went to prison.”
“Someone called your phone a few times while you were gone,” he said casually, but the look on his face told me he’d looked to see who it was.
I sighed and grabbed it to listen to the messages. I knew it would be my mom; her voice on the other end was grating. She knew I was in town, because someone had told her they saw me going into the dance studio. Why had I not called her, and more crap about how sad she was that Chad was in jail. I hung up after the first message and slumped down on the bed. “I so do not want to deal with her.”
“So don’t. Wait until tomorrow when my parents are here. My mom is really good with difficult people; she did wonders dealing with me when I was growing up.” The hint of levity was supposed to make me feel better, but it didn’t.
We spent the rest of the day in the bed, watching movies on the hotel’s movie channels, and eating takeout. Even though the day had started out crappy, it ended nicely. I had almost forgotten about my mom. Almost.
“Are you okay with us both sleeping in the bed tonight?” Levi asked once it had gotten late.
“We did last night, didn’t we?”
“Yeah, but last night was different. We were too tired for anything.”
I looked at him, catching his meaning. “So, are you saying you’re going to try something with me then?” I laughed.
“No, but it doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about it.”
His words caused something in my stomach to flip. “Well, behave.”
He didn’t answer me and the intensity in his stare was unnerving. I fled to the bathroom with my pajamas to change and to stop freaking out. My stomach was tying itself into a series of knots. Everything about this situation was foreign to me. I stayed in there longer than I should have.
Levi knocked on the door a while later. “Hey, are you going to come out ever? I have to pee and that’s the only bathroom.”
I imagined him doing that potty dance that little kids
“Becca?” Her warm smile made me cry. She took me in her arms and held me while I cried. It was all too much. “What’s going on honey? I thought you were at school.”
“Chad got arrested for possession of drugs.”
Her eyes widened as she listened to the whole story, including the offer from Levi’s parents. “What should we do?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you that. You need to do what you feel is best for both of you. I will say that getting him away from your mother might be the best chance he has at a future, though.”
I stared out the window, feeling miserable and hopeless.
“I still have your things in your old locker.” She smiled.
I knew what she meant. “I just need to change.”
When I came out of the locker area, she was standing by the front mirror, waiting. “If you would approach the barre, please.”
We both laughed and I did as instructed. She led me through my warm up, her soft voice calling out movements. Jane took me through my positions and into pirouettes.
“I had forgotten just how good you are, Becca.” I blushed; “Now, show me what you’ve been working on.” She leaned against the mirror to watch me dance.
I lost myself in the movements, and nothing else mattered. I danced on my toes and moved into a pirouette. Everything was better now; this was all I needed. Pointe shoes and a shiny wooden floor to dance on.
When I finished dancing, Jane was in tears. “That was amazing. You always surprise me with your talent. If you can stay focused, nothing will stop you. All this stuff with Chad can’t last forever. Don’t let it stop you from achieving your dreams.”
I thought about her words as I walked back to the hotel. She was right, of course. I couldn't let anything derail me.
“Do you feel better?” Levi was lying on the bed, flipping through the channels on the TV.
“I do. Jane always knows how to get me out of any funk. She was always the one person I could go to with anything. She helped Chad and I so much after my dad went to prison.”
“Someone called your phone a few times while you were gone,” he said casually, but the look on his face told me he’d looked to see who it was.
I sighed and grabbed it to listen to the messages. I knew it would be my mom; her voice on the other end was grating. She knew I was in town, because someone had told her they saw me going into the dance studio. Why had I not called her, and more crap about how sad she was that Chad was in jail. I hung up after the first message and slumped down on the bed. “I so do not want to deal with her.”
“So don’t. Wait until tomorrow when my parents are here. My mom is really good with difficult people; she did wonders dealing with me when I was growing up.” The hint of levity was supposed to make me feel better, but it didn’t.
We spent the rest of the day in the bed, watching movies on the hotel’s movie channels, and eating takeout. Even though the day had started out crappy, it ended nicely. I had almost forgotten about my mom. Almost.
“Are you okay with us both sleeping in the bed tonight?” Levi asked once it had gotten late.
“We did last night, didn’t we?”
“Yeah, but last night was different. We were too tired for anything.”
I looked at him, catching his meaning. “So, are you saying you’re going to try something with me then?” I laughed.
“No, but it doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about it.”
His words caused something in my stomach to flip. “Well, behave.”
He didn’t answer me and the intensity in his stare was unnerving. I fled to the bathroom with my pajamas to change and to stop freaking out. My stomach was tying itself into a series of knots. Everything about this situation was foreign to me. I stayed in there longer than I should have.
Levi knocked on the door a while later. “Hey, are you going to come out ever? I have to pee and that’s the only bathroom.”
I imagined him doing that potty dance that little kids
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