The Bad Boy's Dance (44 page)

              I swallowed thickly. “As I’ll ever be.”

              She reached out and adjusted a few tendrils of my hair. “Listen, I know I’ve been tough on you this semester, but it was only because I knew how much potential you have. You can take the girl out of Dance, but you can’t take Dance out of the girl and all that jazz. The Grayson boy is a great partner for you, even though he distracts the girls in my class way too much. You two were meant to dance together, corny as it may sound. Now go out there and dance your butt off!”

              She slapped my bum, making me jump about a foot in the air. I watched her disappear into the audience. What a strange woman. Suddenly, there was static as the host cleared his throat into the mike. I peeked at the stage from behind the curtain, my heart resuming its frenzied thumping.

              “From Darwin High we have Ivy Robello-oh, hold on! It seems Miss Robello is a former dancing star! She stopped dancing in 2011 and it seems this is her debut. Fantastic! Her partner will be Asher Grayson, who is new to the dancing scene. Please, give both of them a warm round of applause!”

              Inhaling deeply, I pushed back the curtain and strode forward, paying close attention to the floor so I wouldn’t end up eating the stage. Asher strolled out, looking absolutely unaffected that thousands of people were watching us.

              My family was in the third row, and they waved at me excitedly. Asher’s mom was sitting besides my parents, and it seemed like she was getting along well with my mom. Huh. Who would have thought the drunk woman who had called me one of Asher’s playthings would be friendly with Nurse Robello, aka Momzilla?

              Jodi was bouncing on my Mom’s lap, and I focused on her shiny blonde ringlets as the lights dimmed, and the spotlights pointed at the stage.

              I felt a hand grasp my own, and looked up to see Asher giving me a reassuring smile. He leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek before retreating a few paces away. The crowd “aaaaawww’ed”.

              The first notes of the music began to play, and just like that, I felt the muscles in my body loosen. It was easy to forget there were a thousand or so people watching me and let my body take control, flowing seamlessly to the soft rhythm of the song. Asher moved in behind me, taking my arm and twirling me past him. His cobalt blue eyes shone with mischief and love, and I fell in love with him all over again as we danced across the stage.

              Images flitted through my mind as Asher lifted me in the air, twirling me above his head.

             
“We believe in you.”

              “Because loving you makes me want to be a better man.”

              “I’ll always take care of you.”

              The first time Asher and I danced, pressed together on our knees in the school studio.

              Caleb waving at us from the soccer field as he chased the little white ball.

              Kyle and I in a fit over Petrie Peter’s dried chin drool.

              Dana laughing hysterically on my floor when I told her about my day in Dance, spilling nail polish all over the floor.

              Brenda’s shocked face as I smeared my red velvet cupcake in her face.

              Asher tucking me into bed the night I got drunk.

              Mom brushing my hair from my forehead, planting a kiss on my cheek.

              Me as a fourteen year old, spinning in the dance studio where I would kiss Asher, my hair flying behind me as I spun.

             
I slid down Asher’s body as he dropped me to the ground, and I immediately spun away from him until only the tips of our fingers touched. It was time for our grand finale. As I ran to Asher, I had a vivid flash of myself running into his arms years from now, a white gown trailing behind me. Asher got onto one knee and caught me as I flipped over his shoulder, my legs landing behind him, and my arms around his neck as he rose.

              He pulled me forward and we both slid until we were on our knees, facing each other, breathing hard, once again. We beamed at each other, so lost in our world that at first, I almost didn’t register the roaring of the crowd.

              Asher and I looked at the same time as he helped me to my feet. The audience was on its feet, and thunderous applause rocked the stadium as they cheered. Spencer stamped his feet and released an ear-splitting whistle while Paul whooped at the top of his lungs.

              I reached for Asher’s hand, and we bowed to the crowd as they gave us a standing ovation. The host stood off to the side, clapping loudly and smiling at us.

              Asher’s arm wrapped around my waist. “This is what you were always meant for, angel. To be seen, appreciated, loved. You’ve found your place. You did it!”

              With the cheers of the crowd in the background, I locked my gaze with his beautiful eyes, letting myself see the love and adoration this amazing person had for me.

              I leaned on my tiptoes, and before I pressed my lips to his, I whispered, “We both found a place we belong. And I’m looking right at him.”

              And the rest is moon-cheese history, I suppose.

    Epilogue

         Limitless With You

“Are you sure my ass doesn’t look big in this?”

              “Dana, everyone’s ass looks big in this.”

              “Why do we even have to wear these?”             

              “Maybe because we can’t graduate in our street clothes?”

              “I have some pretty rocking torn jeans.”

              “Shut up, Dana.”

              It was G-Day. Graduation Day, and naturally, Dana was freaking over the size of her butt in the royal blue gowns. I had half a mind to call Kyle over to kiss her mindless so she’d be too high on endorphins to talk. The teachers had told us to sit on the chairs with our names on them and Dana’s surname was Harris, which meant she should be far away from the R section.

              But this was Dana. She didn’t give a crap.

              She’d eventually warmed up to Asher in the past few months after the ‘Brenda’ incident. She’d decided he’d do anything for me, which meant he was good people in her book. As for Kyle, I’d had a little ‘chat’ with him- unbeknownst to Dana- where I told him exactly where I’d place his gonads if he ever crossed my best friend, then I gave him a hug.

              It had taken the poor boy a week to meet my eye after that.

              Caleb waved at us from the J section. He’d tugged Phoebe down onto his lap, where the girl sat blushing adorably. She’d come to support her graduating boyfriend, which had made me and Dana tease Caleb until he promised to kick a soccer ball through our windows.

Dana and I had attempted to have a little ‘chat’ with Phoebe too, but we’d taken pity on her when she’d burst into tears only after the second time Dana threatened to make her policeman father make Phoebe’s murder seem like an accident. We knew she loved Caleb, but the emotionally- moronic boy was totally oblivious.

“Graduates, please resume your seats if you haven’t yet,” Mr. Henderson spoke into the mike, leveling his gaze at Dana, who stuck her tongue out and returned to her seat with a mumbled “yolo.”

“It brings me great pleasure to graduate the class of 2014. It’s been a year with ups and downs, tears and joy. Friends have been made, they’ve been lost, but these students have come out stronger for it. It makes me proud to be Principal of these outstanding students,” Mr. Henderson said gruffly.

The students and teachers clapped politely as he wiped at his eye. Clearing his throat, he spoke. “And presenting this year’s valedictorian, Asher Grayson!”

I whooped loudly as my boyfriend strode onto the stage, completely self-assured. All his hard work had paid off, and he had been accepted into UCLA to study law, where he could escape his past and the last dredges of his father’s influence.

He stopped at the mike, making an obvious sweep of the audience before his gaze found mine. A breathtaking smile curved his lips, and I heard a more than a few girls inhale sharply.

Our relationship had been unbreakable after the NDT- which we were second place for, by the way, some creepily flexible ballerina got the trophy- and Asher had introduced himself to my parents as my boyfriend. My Dad fell in love with him almost as much as I did once he saw his motorcycle and car, but my Mom had taken a bit to come around, but even she was helpless to Asher’s looks and charm. That boy was a force of nature.

He’d confronted Brenda about what she’d done, and she’d broken down in a mess of tears. Apparently, she’d been in love with him for years, but he’d never seen her as more than temporary, so naturally she’d hated the girl who had him ‘wrapped around her finger’. She stayed away from us the rest of the year and warned Kelsie away from me. I was still confused as to why she had her Dad defend my case with Jared. Asher thought it was some way to make up for what she did, but I wasn’t so sure.

Our first Valentine day, Asher had surprised me with a trip to a teeny factory a few towns over that sold something called moon cheese. I’d been skeptical at first until I tested it. Asher had laughed so hard when I’d tried to gravitate to the moon, but that cheese was damn delicious. Just the flavor took me to outer space.

I bought him a pound of burgers and kidnapped him. Oh yeah, I blindfolded him and took him to the jail where his father was. His exact reaction when he saw where we where?

“What the
fuck?!”

It took a solid thirty minutes of begging to get him in there, as well as a making me say “Asher is the sexy, hot, funny man of my dreams” ten times.

I’d only walked Asher in to make sure he didn’t bail- haha get it, bail at a jail cell? Okay, I’ll stop- and the pure relief and adoration that washed over Asher’s father’s handsome features when he saw his son made my heart hurt.

I’d waited outside, and when Asher came out, it looked like a load had been lifted from his shoulders. He thanked me by kissing me until I was not legally stable enough to drive.

We’d fought constantly, of course, and each one ended the same. Asher lugged me over his shoulder while I shouted and made me eat a Hershey’s.

Anyways, back to Graduation. I’d been accepted to South Dakota State, which had a very good literary program that I was excited to take (hopefully it wouldn’t include Romeo and Juliet), and while I’d had a crying jag for three days straight once I realized how far away Asher and I would be from each other, I’d accepted it. Neither of us wanted to take a break. We were too in love to let something like distance break us up, despite the horror stories about long-distance relationships.

Dana and Caleb were going to nearby universities, so I was stuck with those loveable assholes until we are all gray-haired and watching The Vampire Diaries against Caleb’s will.

A hush fell over the students and parents alike as Asher adjusted the mike to his tall height. We waited breathlessly until he spoke.

“Today’s the day we’ve all been equally dreading and anticipating for the past four years. Today we leave behind a sea of memories, good and bad. We leave behind friends, lovers, confidantes, and half of ourselves. Every part of Darwin High holds a place in our hearts. The tree where you kissed your first girlfriend, the first classroom you ditched, the first car you got-sorry if I slashed the tires, by the way.

“We’re moving on, going off to discover ourselves and the future. From here on out, we live for
us.
Not for our parents, our teachers, but for each and every one of you. We can chase our dreams and make them happen. I’d like to say the worst is over, but let’s be real. High school is not the worst time of your life. Hell, you guys see that beautiful girl right there, in the R section? She’s the best thing that ever happened to me, and I met her in high school. We learned how to build a friendship in the past few years, how to trust, how forgive. The core of what makes us who we are, of what’ll define us as life yanks us back and forth in the future, was made within the badly painted walls of Darwin High. This is it, guys. We’re
done.
”

A smile curved his lips as his eyes met mine once more. “Welcome to the rest of your lives.”

All the students rose to their feet, hooting and hollering. The parents and Mr. Henderson looked confused, given Asher’s random side notes, but they rose to their feet as well.

Mr. Henderson thanked Asher, who took his seat in the G section. He said a few more words and started calling the students of the names to come and receive their diploma. My palms were sweating, my heart thudding erratically in my chest as I watched each student wrap their fingers around the diploma.

“Asher Grayson!” I got to my feet and let out a loud scream before returning to my seat. The redness of my cheeks was worth it to see Asher laugh as he accepted his diploma.

“Dana Harris!” Caleb and I rose at the same time and whooped. Kyle whistled loudly, and Dana’s Dad waved his flare gun in the air until Mr. Henderson shot him a panicked look.