Sophia
Dance Practice: Day One of Three.
Fortunately, I didn't miss a full day of class this Monday, due to the fact that there was only one week left into the semester, the remaining school days of this December would only be half-days.
Cole, Liam, Matt, Emily, and Spencer had already gone home, much to my insistence. They wanted to watch over me just in case I collapse again but they looked hassled from the stress of panicking and clucking after me so I ignored their string of protests and thanked them for all the help they'd given me.
"Sophia, maybe you should get more sleep. You might---"
"I've gotten enough rest at the hospital, Lucas.I'm perfectly okay to do this," I interrupted him.
We have returned to Orion University,therefore,we were also dressed in our school uniforms.
The black-haired, brown-eyed teenager wore a skeptical frown on his handsome face. "Alright."
Orion consisted of several facilities: The gymnasium, dance studio, drama theater, quadrangles...
But I craved privacy so I asked Lucas if we could rehearse somewhere less crowded.
Where?
The Rooftop of the Humanities Building, which unluckily, had no roof to shelter our heads, but the sky was a clear and innocent blue. The weather offered a cold breeze, and there were no white clouds in sight, so it seemed fine.
A soft smile made its way onto my pink lips as I set up the small black boombox against a tall potted plant. Lucas and I contemplated on using one of our music players, but we ended up borrowing a boombox from the music department so we could practically use the remote whenever we needed to fix our mistakes or redo the choreography.
I squatted down in front of the boombox and fiddled with the buttons until I got the hang of it.
"Okay." I sprang up from the ground and poised my thumb over the PLAY button. "Let's discuss how we're going to create the steps."
When I turned around, my heart jumped a little when my brown eyes met Lucas' brown eyes.
He didn't seem to notice my reaction,thank goodness.He was quite fixated on his black phone.
"There's no need, Sophia." He shot me a sheepish grin. "I.. I kind of covered the steps.. by now."
I stared at him. "What do you mean?"
Lucas showed me his phone, which was on You-tube. "I've been memorizing the steps while I was at the hospital with you and everyone. Don't worry, I polished the choreography."
"That's crazy!" I exclaimed before I could stop myself.
My black-haired companion gave me a goofy smile. "I told you I have a good memory."
"Does it come with your humility?" I laughed, cupping my mouth.
"As a matter of fact, yes." I inwardly gasped when he cautiously took a step towards me and gently put his hands on my waist, his long fingers skimming the small of my back.
I felt my whole face heat up into a fierce blush.
"Sophia, we don't have to win, but you have to at least try, okay?"
I raised my chin to meet his encouraging smile. "I.. I can't dance well, Lucas."
"Is that a fact?" He sounded so different, so motivational, I locked eyes with him.
When I didn't answer, Lucas slowly let go of my waist. "Sophia, I'm your dance partner and please trust me when I say I'll be patient. I'm not going to help you up when I know very well you can stand on your own. You're a strong person, Sophia. You can do anything you set your mind to."
I pursed my lips, unsure how to reply to him. But I maintained eye-to-eye contact.
"First step?" Without tearing his eyes from mine, he reached for my hand. "Eye-contact. When we dance, you have to focus on me.In this contest, I'm your partner. Your other half. We'll need to channel more confidence, not only into our moves, but also in who we are. In order for everyone to believe you know what you're doing, you have to believe in yourself first."
I nodded my head.
"And Sophia?"
"Yes?"
"You need to be more comfortable around me. Can you do that?"
The way he asked that question--It seemed to imply that he was already easygoing around me.
"I can do it," I firmly told him.
We were assigned to dance the Cha-Cha which involved a lot of sexy and energetic movement.
The butterflies in my stomach fluttered more and more when Lucas' skin brushed against mine as he took the small remote from my fingers.
"Watch me, and let the music control your soul."
I stood in front of the 18-year old male, who aimed the remote at the boombox, pressing PLAY.
"When marimba rhythms start to play.. dance with me.. make me sway.."
Lucas flashed me a bright smile, melting my heart.
He held out his hand to me and I tucked my palm onto his, allowing him to guide and glide me around the windy rooftop, the dreamy, lively music surrounding us.
Stacy
I chose the Orion University Dance Studio to be our practice spot because I often come here whenever I needed to vent out some stress. Plus I love to dance alone.
But that isn't an option today.
"We're the only ones here," remarked Bryce De Los Reyes as he walked inside the cold room.
"Of course. I got permission to borrow it for four hours." My expression was smug as I unzipped my black hoodie and hung it on the rack behind the silver door. I also removed my pink headband and shrugged my long golden hair free, letting my silky tresses cascade over my shoulders and down the back of my gray vest.
I silently observed Bryce as he roamed around the spacious dance studio. How was it possible to have such perfect brown hair? I rarely coveted a guy's hair, but his looked so soft and well-combed.
At least he didn't have long eyelashes. I'll personally kill him if he had the same lashes as Sophia. He already has a tall, lean figure, chiseled features, and piercing deep blue eyes.
Even in a simple white school polo, blue tie, and blue pants, he was every inch the campus heartthrob that every girl in Orion squealed over.
"Hmm."
"What?" I asked, following his curious gaze. He'd been surveying the four walls for a few minutes now and it was irking me a little. What's his deal? Every wall is only made up of floor-to-ceiling mirrors with thin, long silver ballet bars mounted along every mirror.
The 18-year old male, his hands still in his pockets,reeled around to look me squarely in the eye.
A meaningful smirk appeared on his lips. "You seem to be quite fond of this place."
"I am." My sky blue eyes scrutinized the wonder in his expression. "Why do you ask?"
Bryce lifted one shoulder in a careless shrug. "Just curious," he replied as he sauntered over to the small black boombox perched on a wooden chair. I would have preferred my own music player but Sophia persuaded me--correction, nagged me--to borrow a boombox since it would be more efficient to use.
His back was facing me as he answered: "It means you're probably a good dancer."
"I AM a good dancer. Better than you, I bet," I told him haughtily, my arms crossed.
Bryce threw me a conceited grin. His right hand was laid atop the long row of buttons.
"Prove it," he riposted. "What are the stakes of the bet?"
I looked at him through narrowed eyes. "I don't have to prove anything to you."
"Sure, sure." His face was dubious as he advanced towards me. "Show me the video."
I fished out my white phone from inside my gray vest and said: "I sincerely hope you've watched this movie. I've mastered every dance from it. So you best catch up with my pace, De Los Reyes."
The smile he gave me was beyond irritating. "I'm aware of the Broken Tango Scene in Step up 3."
"We'll watch this five times before we start practicing," I declared, then pressed PLAY.
I ignored him. Everything about him--his scent, his closeness, the warmth of his arm on mine.
But from today onward, I need to lower my guard.. I have to break down my walls of defense.
And I prayed Sophia was doing the exact same thing.