Atlas Grove, once a dancer with dreams of dancing under the stars, now lives petrified in the shadows of abuse. To escape her living nightmare she must keep her head down and work hard, being her senior year this is her last chance to get out. Altho...
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Warm air gushes onto my face as I step into the bustling hallway. Monday morning has never felt so fricking good. I think my smile is permanently etched on my face, my muscles hurt because they've been stuck in the same position since the state game.
I still can't believe that Blaze... feels that way about me...? Even the words take a while to process. After he told me everything, we went home and spent the rest of the weekend cuddled up on the couch binging Dance Moms and eating whatever snacks his mom threw our way.
To say she was happy with our arrangement is an understatement although considering we live together some 'ground rules' were set, yeah... send help. You can imagine what they were judging on the way Blaze spent a good half hour laughing at my beetroot red cheeks.
Not long ago I used to feel like I was walking into the lion's den when I set foot in this hall, ready to become prey- torn limb from limb by the carnivores that wait in the privacy of the lockers. But now I feel like I'm walking into the lion's den... standing next to the lion, all those lower down the chain bowing as he walks past.
The loud chatter in the hall diminishes slightly as people turn from their lockers to stare or glare at us. It's not uncommon, especially when I'm with Blaze. Having just won states he's the hottest conversation topic at the moment... but then again when isn't he. But the least common thing about this whole morning is when I feel Blaze's hand touch mine as we walk towards our lockers.
I jump away in shock, pulling my hand up to my chest like I've just been burnt. Blaze looks shocked at my initial reaction but a smile sits on his lips before he lets out a deep chuckle. "What are you doing?" I hiss in a loud enough whisper.
"Uh... trying to hold your hand Blondie?" He rubs the back of his neck, eyebrows pinched together in an entertained frown.
"Oh... You want to hold my hand?" I blush feeling very hot under the collar. He nods like I'm crazy, "Oh... right.... okay..." I smile as he reaches for my hand again, this time I let him take it and we walk towards our lockers, even more, students glaring at our intertwined hands swinging between our bodies.
My stomach feels like it's growing a butterfly sanctuary... Blaze is holding my hand in the school hall... I'm dating Blaze Beckett.
This is most definitely not how I pictured this year going.
Considering the lack of male relationships I've had, I'm a little... scared... okay, that's a lie I'm really scared. I know Blaze has had tones of... experience, for want of a better word, and the closest I've ever got to doing stuff with a boy... is with Blaze and even then we were just pushing. PG-13. I'm worried I'm not going to be enough or do the wrong thing. I've literally only just had my first kiss for god's sake. He's made it clear it doesn't bother him but it bothers me.
I push the fears back for now as we grab our books from our lockers, trying to avoid the girls who snarl at me from the lockers next to mine, Blaze sends his famous death glare to the guys whose mouths are wide enough to fit a whole melon in. All this attention makes me feel like an attraction at the zoo.
