Ending dance

Chapter 2

For the next few weeks Jesse and I hung out a lot after school. I would help him with his English work, and he would show me how people at the dance club danced. Today, when we were hanging out I decided to ask him, " ¿A que club de baile vas?" He looked at me. "I hang out at the one by the marketplace. That's where most of us kids at this school go. The kids from the other schools normally go to the one on the other side of town. I don't like to go there. I heard a couple of people got hurt, killed, I don't know, it was something like that. But yeah, that place gives me the creeps now. I feel truly sorry for the family. I heard the daughter went insane and had to spend a week in the hospital under surveillance." I looked at him, now wouldn't be the best time that I was the daughter who went insane. He would probably freak. He looked at me. "Everything alright. You seem a little more pale than usual." I glared at him. "You are such a jerk, you know that right?" We both cracked up laughing. I may like Jesse, but if one thing for sure is, if I ever told Jesse that I was the one who went insane, he would probably not even speak to me anymore. So, I decided to change the subject.
Hey Jesse, can I ask you something?" He looked at me and then down at his feet. Man, boys are really immature aren't they? "Yeah, what's going on?" I took a deep breath. "My dad is an alcoholic. But I don't know how to tell him to quit, I'm too afraid that he will blow up on me. Do you know what to do?" He looked at me and then back at the floor. "My dad was an alcoholic, and I haven't seen him since the seventh grade. He ran away and left me and my younger brother. So, I take care of myself and him." I saw a tear in his eye. " Lo siento Jesse, ¿dónde está tu madre y no estoy tratando de irrumpir, pero piero ayudar en algo?" He looked at me and with a smile on his face. Then he came and sat by me and wrapped his arms around me. I didn't knock him loose,but I didn't like the way he was just able to grab me like that. I've had a history I guess. But still, we just sat like that and spoke to each other for what seemed like a short time when my phone goes off. "It's mi papá." He waved his hand and smiled. "Hi dad." "Camille, I want to know the truth about why you are staying after school. I want you home in fifteen minutes with anybody that you hang out with, with you. Understand me?" Wow, I can't believe my dad just pulled that card. And I know for sure that he was drinking. He was really slurring his words. I went back to Jesse. "What's wrong?" I looked at him and smiled my sly smile. "Want to go get your brother and have dinner at my place?" He didn't even have to answer. I already knew he would.

It only took Jesse and his brother, Juan to make my dad plaster a fake smile on his face when we all walked in. "Hi Mr. Rodriguez, I'm Jesse. And this is my little brother Juan, or who I call Juanita." My dad shook both of their hands. Juan was in seventh grade, but was taller than me by two inches, so that meant when he went to shake dad's hand he had to look down five inches. And Jesse, he was six foot two, only four inches taller than me. He kept his fake smile on the whole time they were there. And nobody acted uncomfortable except for him. It kind of made me happy. Dad didn't like me hanging out with boys. He said they were selfish little shits, who didn't care about anything. I guess he forgot to exclude himself in that remark. But I'm glad he didn't, because it's true. We sat at the dinner and all ate homemade mac and cheese that was mom's secret recipe. Jesse sat by me with his thigh touching mine. We glanced at each other with smiles on our faces. Juan sat on the other side of Jesse and dad sat by him, with one chair separating him from me. Juan went home a little after seven thirty. He said he had a basketball game to go to tomorrow and he wanted to sleep. Jesse said he probably had a girl coming over and doesn't want to say. Dad said he would drive Juan home. He came back an hour and a half later with booze in his hand. During the time he was gone Jesse and I found ourselves laying on the couch watching Steamboat Mickey. When dad came home we both jumped up so quick that I don't even think dad noticed. Both of us helped dad up the stairs since he couldn't even keep balance on flat surfacing. Jesse kept looking at me and smiling. Once we got dad to his room he asked me to stay and for Jesse to go down stairs. I whispered for him to just stay by the door. "I don't approve of you and that boy hanging out. I want you home every night by foto7 If I don't see you walk in this door by four oh five, I'm calling the police. I don't like that boy, or his family's last name. He is lucky he was able to sit at my table. Tell him he has to go home and then I want you doing your homework. Understand?" I looked at my dad for a few moments. I just stood there shocked that he would even say that about Jesse. He was a good kid, he watched after his brother. The name doesn't make the man. But just when I was about to say something, Jesse walked in. "Bye, Camille. Juan called, I gotta bounce. I'll catch you later." He didn't even look at me. And then I remembered that I asked him to stay by the door. Shit, I ran to go talk to him, but he was already gone.

I ran upstairs and that's when I saw something lying on my floor. It was a box Jesse had, I guess he left it here. But why did he throw it in my room? I went over to the box and opened it. It was a phone. I gently picked it up and turned it over. There was a pink note on the back. "Call me. But don't tell your dad. XOXO Jesse." I smiled. I hope he threw this after he got mad and not before, I still want to talk to him. I got the phone and opened it up to the contacts. Jesse's number was already in there.

I knew it was bad having two phones, but now, Dad won't know if I'm still talking to Jesse or not. And he will never find out. I texted Jesse, "Hey, sorry for what my dad said. I just wanted to say thanks for coming over. And this was a GREAT idea." I got a response almost immediately. "Hey Camille, it's alright, I ain't trippin'. Juan really did call, the power bill came and he didn't want to open it w/out my permission. I didn't know if you thought I was mad at you, but I'm not. My family name isn't very clean. And my name, has a bunch of records." I laughed, but I never did ask about where his father was now. So, I decided to grow the balls and ask. " I hate to bring this up Jesse, but, where is your father now?" Jesse started typing. And then he would stop typing, and then go at it again. " He's six foot under." Uh-oh. I didn't know. I quickly typed, "Oml I'm so sorry. I didn't know." He put a smiley face with a red heart. "Don't trip, the people he killed are the people you need to be sorry for. And plus, he was such an ass-hole. I'm surprised he made it to age thirty, he was a reckless driver." I stared at the screen, something about what he said struck me. I don't know if I've heard that before or what. But it reminded me of something I couldn't put my finger on. Whatever though.

The next day at school, it was an early out. All kids got to leave campus at twelve thirteen. But Jesse and I had stayed at school. He told me I really needed to come to the dance club that night. He gave me puppy dog eyes and I finally gave in. "But... I am not dancing." He looked at me and smiled. Then he leaned in and kissed me. This was my first kiss. But it felt like I knew what I was doing.