The Matchmaker of Decaydance
Getting Ready & Warming Up
"Morning, Alana.”
“Why, hello, alarm clock,” I growled.
Pete opened my curtains just like Ashlee had the day before. “Do you want me to drive you to the competition?”
“That would be great.”
“Okay. Get ready, then. When do you want to be there?”
“I’m meeting Mark at 10.”
“All right. It’s 9 now.”
“Thanks.”
Pete was trying to go on as if last night’s fight had never happened, but the awkwardness and tension were definitely there. He was my brother…
“Pete?”
“Yeah?” he called from the hallway.
“I’m sorry for blowing up at you last night.”
“I’m sorry for pulling you away from your sexy time.”
“You better be, kid,” I called, smiling. I climbed out of bed and started brushing my hair out. I had showered the night before, when Will dropped me off, and I didn’t have time to now anyways.
“Hey, Pete, can I borrow your black and purple -”
Before I even finished my sentence, Pete had thrown one of his Clandestine sweaters into my room.
“Thanks.”
I pulled a pair of sweatpants and wore just the sweater over my bra. In front of the mirror, I twisted my hair into the perfect bun that I had learned when I was twelve.
A knock came at my door, and I paused while getting my outfit together to open it. Gabe was leaning on the doorframe, wearing a beater and a pair of boxers that looked glow-in-the-dark.
“Alana, I am so sorry -”
“It’s not your fault. It was mostly the plotting of Pete.”
“Alex helped.”
“I heard.” I turned back to my bag and put my shoes inside, along with one of my favorite books.
“So are we still on for dinner tonight?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t bail on you, Gabe.” I folded the fishnets and the elbow gloves and laid them gently in the bag. I went to the closet once more and grabbed an outfit that looked okay for dinner after the competition.
“Will told me you completely bitched Pete out.”
“I did, actually. I said sorry to him this morning, though.”
“Must mean you really like me to do that to your own brother.”
I pulled the dress out of the closet and laid it gently on the bed. “One, stop making me feel guilty. Two, as if you didn’t know that already.”
He grinned. “When do you start dancing?”
“11:30 is the prelims. 2:00 is semi-finals, and 5:00 is finals.”
“I’ll be there.”
“You say that like you have better things to do.” I went back up to my mirror and started on my makeup. For competitions, I wore some foundation and powder, then eyeliner and mascara, way more than my usual. I glossed my lips a little, then looked up to see Gabe still standing there.”
“What?” I asked with a smile.
“It’s a different look, that’s all. You’re gorgeous.”
“Why, thank you.” I tossed my makeup bag and my wallet into my dance bag and hoisted it onto my shoulder. “I’m off. I meet Mark at 10.”
“Should I be jealous?”
“Not at all. He’s like Will to me.” I gave Gabe a small kiss, then hugged him. “See you later.”
“Bye, Alana.”
~
“Alana!” Mark, my dance partner since we were 14 years old, swept me up in a hug.
“Sorry I’m a little late. Pete had to wake me up.”
“No problem.”
“Give me five minutes and I’ll be changed and stuff.”
I ran into the dressing room to change. The other female dancers glanced at me when I came in, each giving me a bit of a dirty look because Mark and I won this competition last year. They were just being sore losers.
“So I found this new band, right?” one of the girls trilled. “They’re called Cobra Starship. They did the Snakes on a Plane song, you know?”
“Oh my God, the lead singer of that is so hot!”
“Jeez, I know!” the first girl said, applying way too much mascara for the lights they had here.
Ha. They had no idea.
“Wait a second,” the girl said, pausing in front of the mirror. “Aren’t you Pete Wentz’s sister?”
“I might be,” I said as I finished changing. I left quickly just so they could talk to me anymore. Mark was stretching when I found him in the warmup room. He was wearing a black shimmery shirt that was mostly open with plain black dancing pants. I put one leg up on the bar on the wall and leaned over to stretch, then switched. “What are we running first?”
“I think the one to ‘Hip Hip, Chin Chin.’ That’s a good prelim routine.”
“I agree. So we start here,” I said, taking his hands. We began to run the simple, but perfectly spotless routine.
“You seem tired,” Mark said as he spun me a few times.
“Yeah, it was kind of a weird night.”
“Uh oh,” Mark said as he spun me out to arm’s length. “What’s his name?”
“It’s not what you think. And his name is Gabe.” Mark lifted me in front of him and held me there. “And I’m nervous about it. Pete and one of Gabe’s band mates actually dragged us apart last night at the club.”
“You, nervous?” Mark let me down softly. “That’s a first.”
I landed on the ground and spun in close enough to Mark for our noses to be touching. “Yeah, I know. And it feels weird. Pete is completely tweaking out.”
Mark laughed. “Tweaking?” We started to classic salsa.
“Pretty much.”
“Interesting wording. Hips closer,” he coaxed. “So when do I get to meet this boy that has the Alana Wentz in a fix?”
“He’s coming today.” We ended the warmup with me in a split in front of Mark. “You smell really good, by the way.”
“Thank you,” Mark said, smiling his infectious smile. “Let’s go get our number.”
“Why, hello, alarm clock,” I growled.
Pete opened my curtains just like Ashlee had the day before. “Do you want me to drive you to the competition?”
“That would be great.”
“Okay. Get ready, then. When do you want to be there?”
“I’m meeting Mark at 10.”
“All right. It’s 9 now.”
“Thanks.”
Pete was trying to go on as if last night’s fight had never happened, but the awkwardness and tension were definitely there. He was my brother…
“Pete?”
“Yeah?” he called from the hallway.
“I’m sorry for blowing up at you last night.”
“I’m sorry for pulling you away from your sexy time.”
“You better be, kid,” I called, smiling. I climbed out of bed and started brushing my hair out. I had showered the night before, when Will dropped me off, and I didn’t have time to now anyways.
“Hey, Pete, can I borrow your black and purple -”
Before I even finished my sentence, Pete had thrown one of his Clandestine sweaters into my room.
“Thanks.”
I pulled a pair of sweatpants and wore just the sweater over my bra. In front of the mirror, I twisted my hair into the perfect bun that I had learned when I was twelve.
A knock came at my door, and I paused while getting my outfit together to open it. Gabe was leaning on the doorframe, wearing a beater and a pair of boxers that looked glow-in-the-dark.
“Alana, I am so sorry -”
“It’s not your fault. It was mostly the plotting of Pete.”
“Alex helped.”
“I heard.” I turned back to my bag and put my shoes inside, along with one of my favorite books.
“So are we still on for dinner tonight?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t bail on you, Gabe.” I folded the fishnets and the elbow gloves and laid them gently in the bag. I went to the closet once more and grabbed an outfit that looked okay for dinner after the competition.
“Will told me you completely bitched Pete out.”
“I did, actually. I said sorry to him this morning, though.”
“Must mean you really like me to do that to your own brother.”
I pulled the dress out of the closet and laid it gently on the bed. “One, stop making me feel guilty. Two, as if you didn’t know that already.”
He grinned. “When do you start dancing?”
“11:30 is the prelims. 2:00 is semi-finals, and 5:00 is finals.”
“I’ll be there.”
“You say that like you have better things to do.” I went back up to my mirror and started on my makeup. For competitions, I wore some foundation and powder, then eyeliner and mascara, way more than my usual. I glossed my lips a little, then looked up to see Gabe still standing there.”
“What?” I asked with a smile.
“It’s a different look, that’s all. You’re gorgeous.”
“Why, thank you.” I tossed my makeup bag and my wallet into my dance bag and hoisted it onto my shoulder. “I’m off. I meet Mark at 10.”
“Should I be jealous?”
“Not at all. He’s like Will to me.” I gave Gabe a small kiss, then hugged him. “See you later.”
“Bye, Alana.”
~
“Alana!” Mark, my dance partner since we were 14 years old, swept me up in a hug.
“Sorry I’m a little late. Pete had to wake me up.”
“No problem.”
“Give me five minutes and I’ll be changed and stuff.”
I ran into the dressing room to change. The other female dancers glanced at me when I came in, each giving me a bit of a dirty look because Mark and I won this competition last year. They were just being sore losers.
“So I found this new band, right?” one of the girls trilled. “They’re called Cobra Starship. They did the Snakes on a Plane song, you know?”
“Oh my God, the lead singer of that is so hot!”
“Jeez, I know!” the first girl said, applying way too much mascara for the lights they had here.
Ha. They had no idea.
“Wait a second,” the girl said, pausing in front of the mirror. “Aren’t you Pete Wentz’s sister?”
“I might be,” I said as I finished changing. I left quickly just so they could talk to me anymore. Mark was stretching when I found him in the warmup room. He was wearing a black shimmery shirt that was mostly open with plain black dancing pants. I put one leg up on the bar on the wall and leaned over to stretch, then switched. “What are we running first?”
“I think the one to ‘Hip Hip, Chin Chin.’ That’s a good prelim routine.”
“I agree. So we start here,” I said, taking his hands. We began to run the simple, but perfectly spotless routine.
“You seem tired,” Mark said as he spun me a few times.
“Yeah, it was kind of a weird night.”
“Uh oh,” Mark said as he spun me out to arm’s length. “What’s his name?”
“It’s not what you think. And his name is Gabe.” Mark lifted me in front of him and held me there. “And I’m nervous about it. Pete and one of Gabe’s band mates actually dragged us apart last night at the club.”
“You, nervous?” Mark let me down softly. “That’s a first.”
I landed on the ground and spun in close enough to Mark for our noses to be touching. “Yeah, I know. And it feels weird. Pete is completely tweaking out.”
Mark laughed. “Tweaking?” We started to classic salsa.
“Pretty much.”
“Interesting wording. Hips closer,” he coaxed. “So when do I get to meet this boy that has the Alana Wentz in a fix?”
“He’s coming today.” We ended the warmup with me in a split in front of Mark. “You smell really good, by the way.”
“Thank you,” Mark said, smiling his infectious smile. “Let’s go get our number.”
♠ ♠ ♠
I'm going out of town fr the weekend, so I won't get another one out until at least monday (unless I manage to do one before I leave in half an hour, ha).