Chapter 4
All through the day Ryan and I glare at each other. This is his turf not mine so everyone has his side. Finally it comes to a draw in third period, Spanish class. We are watching videos of traditional Spanish dances and the whole time he made comments loud enough for the teacher to chastise him, not that it helped much, about how dancing was so easy. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Señora ¿Puedo ver un video?”
"Sí Rosalynn.” I march up to the computer and type in Julliard Summer Dance Intensive 2011- Rosalynn H. Evans and Xander Y. Cartier.
The video starts off with me doing a dance in the middle of the stage. The music is slow and weary as I follow along with it. Then the music speeds up, almost as fast as the music was dancing to last night. Xander runs across the stage and tosses me in the air. I spin quickly before landing in his arms as other dancers come onto the stage and five of us girls being thrown and tossed about like leaves in the wind. Before long everyone else disappears and Xander and I switch from traditional ballet to more modern dance. I move along with him, our dance along the same lines as a mating dance. The music turns sensual as he pulls the pin that’s holding my curls back. My hair cascades down my back as he spins me away at the last moment. The stage turns black except for one light on me. I look around for him, but he’s gone. I dance from one end to the other looking for him. When I end back up in the middle I fall to the ground and the stage goes completely black.
I pull up a video of Xander and I practicing the routine in a studio. “Jesus Rosalynn, we’ve only been at this two hours. Why are you tired? You’re turns are sloppy, and tossing you is like tossing dead weight.” my instructor yells at me.
“You’re the one who said I shouldn’t eat breakfast.” I lean on my knees gasping for breath.
“Well how much do you weigh?”
“100.6.” I sit on the ground sweat pouring off of me.
“I said an even 100 Rosalynn. Run through it one more time. What would your mother say if she saw you like this? She’d say-“ he starts to say but I cut him off.
“Start the damned music.” I snap. I stand up and Xander and I run through it. Not a turn is slow, everything is perfect. When it finishes I flop against the wall.
“Perfect Rosalynn, just perfect. Your last turn was sloppy and you landed on the wrong foot. Do some barre work Rosalynn. Xander just work on your turns.” Any one can see how tired Xander and I are, but nope, no breaks for us.
“You ok Roo?” Xander says as I stretch at the barre. I look up at him.
“Fine X.” He looks at me concernedly.
“Babe dance with me?” He gives me his hand. I take it and spin around the room slowly. This is what dancing really is, no pressure, nothing. Just calm, and amazing. We stop and smile and go back to our assigned tasks. The video ends. There are twenty other videos of Xander and I during our summer program.
“That’s how real dancers are. We don’t just skip across the stage, it take years to learn to do the type of dance I was doing. It can cause serious harm, just like any sport. So before you decide to think that dancing is stupid how about you see a real dancer in action Ryan.” He stares at me.
“Fine do a routine. Now.” He smirks at me.
“Fine.” The teacher gives her approval and I go and change into more dance appropriate clothes and my pointe shoes. I have people scoot back the desks. I find the song I’ve been working with online and as the song starts I dance along with it. I leave my hair down for added affect as I spin around quickly with the piano and violin fighting for dominance in the song, each trying to going louder and faster than the other.
I spin and decide to wing it on this dance, I slide across a desk and spin right and front of Ryan as the song ends. As it slowly dies I do some very intricate pointe work you’d only be able to do if you’d been doing pointe since you were nine. I stop in front of him, my curly hair falling into my face staring right at him. He leans forward and the song switches to a fast paced song as I pull back and spin away leaving him confused and red faced. Finally I stop and look at him.
“Doesn’t look so easy does it?” I grab my bag and go change back into my regular clothes. I sit in my seat and the teacher goes back to teaching. Not that anyone is listening.
“The new girl just told off Ryan. Oh my god, no way. What a bitch.” Are the things I hear whispered as I walk down the hallway to fourth period. Ok I love being the center of attention when I’m dancing but when I’m not just call me a wallflower. I decide to skip fourth period and I go out to the track.
Right now I don’t care about messing up my converse, or that I’m skipping class, I just need to run right now. I grab my ipod out of my bag before throwing it onto the bleachers and I start running around the track.
I run for a straight thirty minutes before I notice someone watching me from the bleachers. As I run near there I see its Ryan. “What do you want?” I say barely winded.
“I wanted to apologize. I was a dick. I’m sorry.” He looks down, embarrassed to be apologizing.
“It’s fine. I’m a little sensitive about the whole dance thing. But it’s what my mom did and I’ve done since I was little so it’s my life.”
“That’s like me with basketball. Here everyone expects you to get married right after high school and work a blue-collar job. I want out of this place though.” He blushes afraid he shared too much.
“That sucks. It’s the worst thing when something your passionate about is taken as a joke by everyone else.” He looks at me.
“That’s exactly how I feel.” He smiles at me. “So you run a lot right?” I nod.
“An hour every morning since I was eleven.”
“Think you can outrun me?”
“Distance maybe.”
“Lets go.” Ryan and I start running around the track seeing who can last the longest. We run until fourth period ends and finally Ryan gives up.
“Ok ok I give you win.” He flops onto the football turf huffing and puffing. I sit beside him trying to catch my breath. A bunch of guys in football gear come out of the school and they stare at us on the field.
“Hoffman what are you doing kid?! We have practice, stop flirting with your girlfriend and get suited up!” Ryan and I stare up at the coach.
“Yes sir.” He says as we get up.
“You owe me since you lost.” I say as I pull my sweaty hair off of my neck and tie it into a bun with too short curls falling out.
“What do I owe you?” I shrug.
“Think of something.” I say walking towards my car.
“How about a date?” He says as the team stares. Just a few hours ago you were neck and neck with this new girl, now you’re asking her out? Is the line between love and hate really that thin?
“Sorry I have a boyfriend.” I yell as I turn and grab my bag and get into my car. I hop in and turn on the radio and drive off with a wave.
“Señora ¿Puedo ver un video?”
"Sí Rosalynn.” I march up to the computer and type in Julliard Summer Dance Intensive 2011- Rosalynn H. Evans and Xander Y. Cartier.
The video starts off with me doing a dance in the middle of the stage. The music is slow and weary as I follow along with it. Then the music speeds up, almost as fast as the music was dancing to last night. Xander runs across the stage and tosses me in the air. I spin quickly before landing in his arms as other dancers come onto the stage and five of us girls being thrown and tossed about like leaves in the wind. Before long everyone else disappears and Xander and I switch from traditional ballet to more modern dance. I move along with him, our dance along the same lines as a mating dance. The music turns sensual as he pulls the pin that’s holding my curls back. My hair cascades down my back as he spins me away at the last moment. The stage turns black except for one light on me. I look around for him, but he’s gone. I dance from one end to the other looking for him. When I end back up in the middle I fall to the ground and the stage goes completely black.
I pull up a video of Xander and I practicing the routine in a studio. “Jesus Rosalynn, we’ve only been at this two hours. Why are you tired? You’re turns are sloppy, and tossing you is like tossing dead weight.” my instructor yells at me.
“You’re the one who said I shouldn’t eat breakfast.” I lean on my knees gasping for breath.
“Well how much do you weigh?”
“100.6.” I sit on the ground sweat pouring off of me.
“I said an even 100 Rosalynn. Run through it one more time. What would your mother say if she saw you like this? She’d say-“ he starts to say but I cut him off.
“Start the damned music.” I snap. I stand up and Xander and I run through it. Not a turn is slow, everything is perfect. When it finishes I flop against the wall.
“Perfect Rosalynn, just perfect. Your last turn was sloppy and you landed on the wrong foot. Do some barre work Rosalynn. Xander just work on your turns.” Any one can see how tired Xander and I are, but nope, no breaks for us.
“You ok Roo?” Xander says as I stretch at the barre. I look up at him.
“Fine X.” He looks at me concernedly.
“Babe dance with me?” He gives me his hand. I take it and spin around the room slowly. This is what dancing really is, no pressure, nothing. Just calm, and amazing. We stop and smile and go back to our assigned tasks. The video ends. There are twenty other videos of Xander and I during our summer program.
“That’s how real dancers are. We don’t just skip across the stage, it take years to learn to do the type of dance I was doing. It can cause serious harm, just like any sport. So before you decide to think that dancing is stupid how about you see a real dancer in action Ryan.” He stares at me.
“Fine do a routine. Now.” He smirks at me.
“Fine.” The teacher gives her approval and I go and change into more dance appropriate clothes and my pointe shoes. I have people scoot back the desks. I find the song I’ve been working with online and as the song starts I dance along with it. I leave my hair down for added affect as I spin around quickly with the piano and violin fighting for dominance in the song, each trying to going louder and faster than the other.
I spin and decide to wing it on this dance, I slide across a desk and spin right and front of Ryan as the song ends. As it slowly dies I do some very intricate pointe work you’d only be able to do if you’d been doing pointe since you were nine. I stop in front of him, my curly hair falling into my face staring right at him. He leans forward and the song switches to a fast paced song as I pull back and spin away leaving him confused and red faced. Finally I stop and look at him.
“Doesn’t look so easy does it?” I grab my bag and go change back into my regular clothes. I sit in my seat and the teacher goes back to teaching. Not that anyone is listening.
“The new girl just told off Ryan. Oh my god, no way. What a bitch.” Are the things I hear whispered as I walk down the hallway to fourth period. Ok I love being the center of attention when I’m dancing but when I’m not just call me a wallflower. I decide to skip fourth period and I go out to the track.
Right now I don’t care about messing up my converse, or that I’m skipping class, I just need to run right now. I grab my ipod out of my bag before throwing it onto the bleachers and I start running around the track.
I run for a straight thirty minutes before I notice someone watching me from the bleachers. As I run near there I see its Ryan. “What do you want?” I say barely winded.
“I wanted to apologize. I was a dick. I’m sorry.” He looks down, embarrassed to be apologizing.
“It’s fine. I’m a little sensitive about the whole dance thing. But it’s what my mom did and I’ve done since I was little so it’s my life.”
“That’s like me with basketball. Here everyone expects you to get married right after high school and work a blue-collar job. I want out of this place though.” He blushes afraid he shared too much.
“That sucks. It’s the worst thing when something your passionate about is taken as a joke by everyone else.” He looks at me.
“That’s exactly how I feel.” He smiles at me. “So you run a lot right?” I nod.
“An hour every morning since I was eleven.”
“Think you can outrun me?”
“Distance maybe.”
“Lets go.” Ryan and I start running around the track seeing who can last the longest. We run until fourth period ends and finally Ryan gives up.
“Ok ok I give you win.” He flops onto the football turf huffing and puffing. I sit beside him trying to catch my breath. A bunch of guys in football gear come out of the school and they stare at us on the field.
“Hoffman what are you doing kid?! We have practice, stop flirting with your girlfriend and get suited up!” Ryan and I stare up at the coach.
“Yes sir.” He says as we get up.
“You owe me since you lost.” I say as I pull my sweaty hair off of my neck and tie it into a bun with too short curls falling out.
“What do I owe you?” I shrug.
“Think of something.” I say walking towards my car.
“How about a date?” He says as the team stares. Just a few hours ago you were neck and neck with this new girl, now you’re asking her out? Is the line between love and hate really that thin?
“Sorry I have a boyfriend.” I yell as I turn and grab my bag and get into my car. I hop in and turn on the radio and drive off with a wave.