The Secret I Tried to Keep

Chapter 22

"Okay, start with the box step," Cassie said as she stood with her hands on her hips. Tyler and I were in my backyard trying to make up a dance for the opening. Cassie was in charge of it and was taking that role very seriously. She taught us a few basics before we got to work. Fehtra and Ben had the day off because it was Sunday, so they were sitting on their lawn chairs, sipping lemonade, and watching the spectacle. Aria would have been here as well, but she had to her her mother with a photoshoot.

Tyler and I did a box step, as Cassie ordered, before Tyler spun me out and back in. Tyler dipped me back before I came upright and slid my leg between his. I popped back up just in time for Tyler to spin me away from him again. I let go and stood beside him. Cassie smiled and clasped her hands together.

"Okay, perfect! Now we can move on to the fun stuff," Cassie said with an exciting smile. She had this idea to mix it up and have us perform a full show. She was going to make the music that went with our dance, but it was choreographed to be much more than the plain-and-cut slow dances that were done in the past. It would be a Homecoming first for the school. We worked on more of the dance as the sun beat down on us. Even in my tank top and running shorts, I was sweating bullets.

"Water break," I breathed as I walked towards the house. Cassie rolled her eyes as her hands went to her hips.

"Five minutes! We only have a week to perfect this!" she yelled after me. I waved her off and went inside. Domino jumped on me as I rubbed his head affectionately.

"Hey Domi," I cooed at him. Domino had to stay inside while we were practicing because he kept stepping in between Tyler and I as we tried to dance.

"Dria!" Presley's voice rang through the house. I smiled in relief. This meant a longer break. Domino greeted Presley excitedly as she came into view. Zane wasn't too far behind her. He gave me a quick hug before his face went to one of worry.

"Why are you so warm... and sweating? Are you getting sick? Do I need to take you to the hospital?" He asked. I chuckled and rolled my eyes as I went to the kitchen.

"If I needed to go to the hospital, Fehtra would have taken me already. I just need water right now," I said as I grabbed a bottle out of the refrigerator. I chugged some of it before I tightened the lid back and set it on the table. I took a seat and sighed as I leaned back into the chair. Zane looked at me expectantly for an explanation. I rolled my eyes at his persistency. "Tyler and I are making up something for the opening dance. Well... actually Cassie is choreographing it, but we're the dancing puppets. We've been practicing in the backyard for the last hour. I.e.: warm skin and sweat," I explained. It was unnaturally hot out for the end of October.

"Well... take it easy, okay?" Zane ordered liked a worrying mother. I smiled slightly and drank more of my water.

"Dria!" Cassie yelled from outside. I sighed and stood.

"Duty calls," I joked as I stretched my limbs. I went back to the yard with my water to find that Presley was already sitting next to Fehtra with Domino trying to fit in her lap. It was a funny sight considering Domino covered Presley's entire lap easily. Zane gave Tyler a once over before he tilted his chin up in the weird way guys do to acknowledge each other and crossed his arms.

"Martin," Zane said flatly.

"Reeds," Tyler greeted back. The whole exchange was weird. It was like they knew each other but didn't like each other. The tension was felt by all of us as a brief silence occurred.

"Okay," Cassie said slowly before turning to where Tyler and I were standing. "We'll start where we left off," Cassie instructed. We continued as Cassie added her choreography. It took a few times, but we finally remembered the steps and got the whole dance down. Cassie recorded it for us to 'study' before I was finally allowed to rest. I plopped down on the grass with a heavy breath.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Dria," Tyler said before he left the house. A smile crept onto my face as Domino trotted over and licked my cheek. I pushed him back and stood.

"Alright, Alright," I chuckled as Domino wagged his tail excitedly.

"Why will Martin see you tomorrow?" Zane asked as he walked up to me. The others had already gone inside for a snack. It was just Zane and I in the backyard. Aria's words from the locker room popped into my head.

He loves you as well as that baby...

"So... Martin is going to be hanging around then?" he asked. I chuckled and pinched his cheek playfully as I stepped closer.

"Why? Are you jealous, Zane?" I joked. Zane took my hand in his and looked at my stomach. He blushed as he shrugged. I stopped laughing and just stared at him. "You can't possibly be serious, right? You have no right to be jealous," I said softer as I pulled my hand out of his.

"So what if I am? What if I actually care about you and want to be with you romantically. Would that be a crime?" Zane said honestly. I shook my head.

"Zane, stop. It's not going to happen. I'm not setting myself up. You said it yourself, Zane: you're not capable of doing relationships," I said. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Dria, I'm trying here... I really am, but you make it so damn difficult," he said defeatedly. I sighed and crossed my arms over my stomach as I got defensive.

"Zane, I don't want to mess anything up from the way it is right now. Girls come easy to you. I'm difficult because I have to be. I have to draw the lines because you won't," I explained. I was suddenly pulled into Zane as his lips pressed against mine. I froze in shock as my body pressed against his. My heart was pounding wildly as butterflies attacked my stomach. His lips were soft and gentle as the caressed mine. It was easy to get lost in the kiss. It felt so good...

...but it was wrong.

I pushed him away from me gently as the back of my hand went to my mouth. We were both quiet as I caught my breath. I didn't move, and I didn't dare to look at him. I kept my eyes on the grass. Zane sighed as he finally took a step towards me. I immediately mirrored him and took a step back.

"Dria," he started. I shook my head and held a hand out to stop him. I couldn't even say anything. My thoughts were jumbled and butterflies were still running a muck in my stomach. I simply turned and went inside the house. "I'm sorry," Zane called after me. I ignored him and kept walking. I passed everyone in the living room and went straight up the stairs to my room. I closed the door behind me and placed a hand on my stomach as I took a deep breath. I thought I was going to be sick. I didn't want to think about Zane right now, but he was all I could think about. I knew that if I went down that road with him and it ended badly, our child would be caught in the middle. I didn't want that for the baby. For the sake of our child, I had to stay away... but I knew in my heart that I didn't want to. I closed my eyes for a moment before I laid down on my bed. I tried to relax as my hands rubbed over my nearly invisible baby bump.