Dance Like Juilliard's Watching

22.) A Change In Pace

"Wait, wait, wait, so you're telling me that this guy isn't just one person, but hundreds of people? And he's been committing hundreds of crimes?" Lilie shakes her head, awed by everything I'd told her.

"I know. I still can't believe it."

It's a week before Christmas break, and being back at dance lessons has helped ease so much stress from everything with Riker. Since going back to the studio, I've strengthened myself past the Juilliard routine, which I'm going to be sending in soon, and anticipation is killing me already.

I dropped off Lilie at her first period, catching up with Emerson down the hall. "Hey!"

"Hey. Guess what?"

"What?"

"Kelsie told her parents."

I stop dead in the middle of the hallway. "And?"

"They were compolitely fine with it. So were my parents when we told them."

"I can't believe her parents were totally fine with her becoming a mom at seventeen!" I said, shaking my head. "My dad would've flipped out!"

Emerson laughed, partially uneasily. "Yeah. Her dad looked like he wanted to shoot me at first. But then when he heard how excited she was and how excited her mom was, he cooled down. Her mom just wanted to know if we were getting married in the summer or the fall."

"You guys are getting married and you didn't think to tell me?" I yell.

Emerson laughs, a real laugh this time. "God, no! Not yet anyway. Her mom just got ahead of herself."

I breath a sigh a relief. "Jeez, Emerson. Don't scare me like that!"

Emerson laughs yet again. Then, after a moment he falls silent.

"What's up Em? You're all quiet now."

He sighs. "It's just...I never thought about being a dad so young. But now it's my whole world. And I'm over the moon, believe me, but it's just....strange. You know?"

"Not really," I admit. "But I get the weird feeling. That's how I felt when I was in the crash. It was like my entire world got wiped away and reset and I was living someone else's life all over again."

Emerson is still quiet. Then he says two little words that could've meant nothing to someone else. But they meant everything to me. "May tenth."

"What?" I ask incredulously.

"Baby's due date. May tenth."

That's the day my mom died. And Emerson knows this, of course. It's hard to believe it's been almost a year without her.

"Wow, that's...great," I say, trying to smile. I try to stop the threatening tears from spilling and swallow the lump forming in my throat. Emerson just wraps me in a hug.

I didn't know I needed a hug that badly until I got one.

"We're hoping to change that day into a positive one for you," he says, smiling. I smile back, more healed than I ever was before.

On my way home from school, after finally escaping that hellish class they call chemistry, I get a call from an unknown number. I'm not stupid, and I've seen horror movies where someone dies by answering the phone. So I don't answer.

Until it rings again. And a third time. The fourth time the same number calls, I answer, skeptical.

"Hello?"

"Hi Jessie. It's um...." A deep breath. "It's Kelsie."

"Oh, um, hey Kelsie," I say, not really sure what else I can say.

"Look I'm calling because...I needed someone to talk to and you're the only person I can trust..." She sounds like she's about to break down and cry.

And then I did something. I can't believe I said it, but the voice that came out of my mouth sure as hell was mine.

"I'll meet you at Starbucks in ten."

I must've had a spasm, a heart attack, a stroke, something. Nothing could rationalize what I just said. But it was done. I hang up and hop into my car.

Ten minutes later, I walk into Starbucks and see Kelsie sitting at a table in the corner by the window. I take a deep breath and walk over to her. She looks up at me, and her eyes are red and puffy.

"You said you needed someone to talk to," I say, sliding into the seat opposite hers. "So here I am."

~