Dancing with Danger

Chp. 19 The Final Day of Dance Camp

When I say "in position" the girls are on the boys' backs, and when the music starts the boys kind of sway in a robotic sort of way.  Then the girls dropped and spun and then wrapped around their necks and the boys dragged them a little ways before spinning quickly and slowly lowering them to the ground while the girls stayed straight as planks. It has a lot of spinning, dragging, and lifting, is the longest dance of all three dances. Once it was over everyone stood up and clapped. I cheered and clapped for them along. I called the younger kids in too and they all took a bow.  I noticed Clapton smiling at me, he winked and picked up Zoey, the oldest girl and Thomas's dance partner. He placed her on his shoulder.

"Excuse me!" she said waving. "Excuse me can I have your attention?!" Everyone hushed and slowly sat back down. "First of all I'd like to thank all of you for your numerous trips here and back home, it was really cool of you, also for signing some of us up for this. I'm sure Thomas wouldn't be here without his mother." The crowd clapped. "Second of all I'd like to thank Mr. Clapton and Miss Hillary. I know they worked really hard on the choreography and the long hours spent with us. It must've been stressful. Also, they're spending their summer dancing so they can get an awesome education, how awesome! Someday I want to be doing what their doing." The audience applauded again. "So, that's why I'm going to ask them to give you all an encore."  

"Oh, Zoey, we don't have anything-," I started to say.

"But, I thought you said that the best dancing comes from the heart not the choreography," she said spitting my words back at me. That little bitch...in a good way. I felt my cheeks get hot.

"One more dance," some one said. Then soon everyone was chanting. "One more dance. One more dance. One more dance." Clapton looked at the Hemp and Frail then at me and shrugged. I sighed. 

"Ok!" I shouted. "Ok, we'll do it." Zoey slipped off of Clapton's shoulder and ran over to me. 

"Can I choose the song?" she asked. I nodded. The kids laughed and giggled as they sat along the wall and I met Clapton in the middle of the room. I glanced at Hemp and Frail. Frail raised an eyebrow at me. I looked at Zoey, she pressed play and my heart lurched. Clapton slipped a hand around my waist and took my other one. She guided me around as if we were ballroom dancing to Katy Perry's Unconditionally. When she broke out into the chorus he lifted me up and spun around. I was right, even though I didn't know it. True dancing did come from the heart. 

"I will love you unconditionally," Katy sang as Clapton spun. Once the line was done I went straight into another lift. One we hadn't really practiced. I put my legs on either side of his body as he spun. At the words, "Let go and just be free"  He lifted me over his head and at the end of the chorus we fell back into our ballroom dance. It was slightly faster, and as she held out "Worthy" he dipped me. In that moment, it felt as though it were just the two of us. Everyone else in the room seemed to melt, it was me and Clapton against the world. I spaced for the rest of the song, and I think Clapton did too, because when the song ended we looked out at the crowd, panting. Then everyone was on their feet cheering. I let go of Clapton's hand to embrace some of the girls. Zoey brought Clapton and me flowers. I think I cried, I don't remember, Clapton will tell you that I cried, so I'll tell you that he cried too.

Once most of the parents were gone, some were waiting for their kids to be ready, they helped Clapton and me fold the chairs and put them back in the closet. I was folding a chair when Mr. Frail came up to me. 

"Miss Gale?" he said his face stiff. I nearly dropped the chair. 

"Mr. Frail, can I help you with something, cab fare?" I asked. He shook his head.

"I just wanted to inform you that you are a beautiful dancer, you and Mr. Michaels both," he said. "That last number was spectacular. Are you sure that wasn't choreographed?"