Sticks and Stones- A Seaycee story

Scars//Ch.8

"Ok I think I know what is wrong here. Technically the lift is sound. Sean your supporting Kaycee well, it looks strong. Kaycee your leap and the backbend looks good, but the chemistry is off," Jojo diagnosed, "Come here, sit down, lets figure this out."

"Kaycee you look really uncomfortable with Sean touching you, do you not trust him? It's ok if you don't, be honest."

Sean looked at her expectantly, awaiting her answer.

Kaycee hesitated, thinking about it for a minute, before answering honestly, "I don't. I want to, I really do." She said looking at Sean. "Um I was partnered before I moved here and it was a really unhealthy situation. It felt like we were always competing against each other rather than with each other, and whenever something went wrong he blamed me. I trusted him too easily and it only ended in me getting dropped or hurt. I guess thats why I'm so nervous now." Kaycee revealed, finally opening up about her past partnership with Gabe.

Jojo smiled warmly at the girl, now they were getting somewhere. "Im sorry that happened to you, sweetheart, but now that we know the problem, we can work to solve it. Now I have two exercises I want you both to do, and then we will reconvene and run the dance again." Jojo announced, smiling mischievously at the two.

"Okay" Kaycee chimed, while Sean nodded, watching Jojo, curiously.

"For the first exercise, You guys are both going to spill your deepest, darkest secrets to each other, and that will force you both to trust each other mentally, and better understand each other aswell. The second exercise is going to be a little different. I want you to get used to and comfortable with the feeling of being touched by each other. A lot of partner dancing is physical and intimate, so I want you to practice skin to skin contact. Whether its hugging, cuddling, feeling" Jojo announced suggestively, making the partners blush, "it should be intimate, you should feel vulnerable, and that's okay. You both need to be comfortable with your own body and each other's bodies as well, you need to trust each other enough to be vulnerable with each other, and when that happens I can guarantee you, this will all work itself out."

The two nodded, committed to growing as a partnership.

"Alright I'm going to come back in two hours and I'm also going to lock the studio door as well so you guys won't be interrupted. Talk to each other, trust each other, you guys can do this," were Jojo's last words before she left the two teens alone.

"Can we talk about the scars, Kaycee?" His distant tone made her snap her head around to meet his eyes. He never called her Kaycee. It was always Kayc, Ricebowl or Rice, so for him to use her full name, something must really be upsetting him.

"There's nothing to tell." She deflected.

"Bullshit Kaycee. We are here to trust each other, let me in, please. I've got you." He was there for her, he always had been. He had given her zero reasons to not trust him.

"Remember the night you asked me to be your partner? When we talked for hours and you asked me if I had ever been in love?" Sean nodded, silently urging her to continue, "The boy that I said could never love me the way I loved him? He was my dance partner back in Texas. I like to think he loved me for a while in the beginning of our relationship, but things changed. He started by making comments about my body and my personality and then one day after a big fight, he hit me. Things only escalated from there. I was in pain everyday, I was scared to dance because he would always be there. He's the one who made them, my scars. Like permanent reminders that I'll never be good enough."

Sean looked at her for a moment and she couldn't read his expression.

"Lay down on your stomach." Was the only response she received. Kaycee frowned.

"Sean I—"

"I've got you, Kayc. Lay down."

She gave in did as she was told, crossing her arms and laying her head in them, watching Sean from the corner of her eye. He sat close to her body, trailing his eyes up and down her, before gently tracing a finger along her spine, raising goosebumps on her skin.

She shivered at his touch, confused as to what he was doing as he begun drawing little lines on her back. She didn't question him and just let herself relax into his touch, her eyes fluttering closed. Suddenly, she felt the touch change, it was no longer hands touching her bare back, but lips.

Her eyes shot open as she looked over her shoulder to see Sean gently kiss a scar on her back. When he caught her looking, he put his hand on her head gently pushing her head back down.

"Relax, I'd get comfortable if I were you, we still have a long way to go," Sean directed.

"Why?"

"Im showing you that you are good enough. Each of these marks holds some negative memories for you, and something that makes you uncomfortable with your body. So I'm creating positive memory for each of them instead. Lay back down." Sean gently commanded.

Kaycee was shocked at the sincerity that was coming from a teenage boy. She obeyed him, resting her head in her arms once more. She evened out her breathing and just let him touch her, trusting him completely.

By the time Jojo returned after the two hours were up, the two were closer than ever. They ran the dance, this time with complete faith in each other and suddenly they didn't have an issue with the lift anymore. They were ready for World of Dance.