Pas de Deux?

“Violet! What did I tell you about underground caterpillar racing? Uncle Maxie said it was too dangerous for little girls because you can never tell when a caterpillar is going to charge!”

Violet could only laugh at Max while Kris set her down and helped her into a chair. Leave it to Max to lighten the mood.

Suddenly, they had lost him. His eyes were practically hanging out of his head as he watched a tall blond figure strut into the room. She looked around before posing, and then making her way over to the group, winking at Max, who seemed confused.

“So that’s the Space Whore huh?” asked Sidney’s partner, Caroline.

“Yup. Hard to miss isn’t she?” Kitty replied.

“Damn. That girl looks like she got stuck in a toaster. That tan is nasty!”

“So what’s with the name anyways?” asked Sidney.

“Oh your so innocent Sid…look at her!”

Fake tan aside, Ashley ALWAYS wore silver metallic leotards with revealing cutouts. She “like made them herself” and apparently thought someone should commend her on her design skills. She thought she had this fashionable “Euro” look going on, but really, it was just plain awful. There was always a new boy in her bed, which she didn’t hesitate to announce to anyone within earshot, and was less than ladylike when asked “what she did last night”. She was also a boyfriend stealer. For obvious reasons, she had the male corps wrapped around her little finger, but the girls, they were another story.

“Oh there you are Kristopher!” she said, playfully hitting him on the shoulder. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you."

“You must be Ashley,” he said, awkwardly holding out his hand. What else was he supposed to do?

“Don’t be silly! We’re going to be spending a lot of time very close together so there’s no need to be so formal!” she said, walking her fingers up chest and then playfully tapping him on the nose. Kris looked to Max for help but it was no use. Max couldn’t see because he was too busy squinting from the glare off of Ashley’s leotard. So that was how she caught her boys…she blinded them and then attacked.

“Well Kris actually knows the dance now, so you won’t have to spend so much time hanging all over him.”

Violet had never been the jealous type, but in that moment, seeing Ashley all over Kris, the words had spilled from her mouth before she could stop them.

“Why? Are you two like a thing or something?”

“No, they’re not. It’s just that Kristopher here hurt his shoulder and it bothers him when you lean on him like that. He’s just too nice to say anything and we can’t have him hurt for the game” Max said, trying to avoid a screaming match.

He had witnessed firsthand what happens when nice girls get their boyfriends stolen by trashy girls. He didn’t know how Violet would react to the situation, but he’d take her in a heart beat. It’s always the quite ones you had to watch out for.

“Oh! Poor Krissy!”

Apparently, she was dumber than they all thought because she bought Max’s lie.

“Well, you could come back to my place after and use the hot tub if you like,” Ashley said, batting her eyelashes. Well, that backfired.

“Um, I can’t actually. I have a girlfriend and I’m kind of crazy about her, so I’m going to have to say no,” Kris finally spoke.

“Whatever. If you change your mind, I’ll be right here.”

When Ashley turned her back, Kris winked at Violet, who was trying to hide her smile. She really was the luckiest girl in the world. Max and Kitty were smiling like idiots too, but it was because they’d just watched Ashley try to hit on Geno, who at present, was frantically trying to get out of her manicured claws. This girl just didn’t get it.

They ran through the dance a few times, with Ashley being unnecessary provocative in all the wrong places. Kris tried his best not to react and Violet watched, feeling sick to her stomach as she saw Ashley’s hands slither down Kris’ back.

“Ok class. Very good. Now we gonna go to fitting room for costume check. Show is in one week and I want you all to look perfect!” Anya announced.

The Fitting Room

“I don’t understand!”

“What is there to understand Talbot…it’s like a giant onesie, you know, like babies wear! Just put it on and then pull the pants overtop!” Kitty replied from one room over.

“For the love of humanity, why is this necessary?”

Kitty stepped out of her fitting room, dressed in a hot pink fringe dress that ended several inches above her knee.

“So that your shirt won’t come untucked Max. Now let me see.”

Max poked his head out of the change room, seeing that none of his teammates had dared to venture out. He drew the curtain back and walked out like they do in the western movies right before a showdown. His legs were bent out to the sides and he waddled forward to stand beside a hysterical Kitty.

“Something wrong Max?”

“The boys are a little snug and what’s with the man thong?” he whined.

“Well you’ve got it on backwards! What kind of shirts do you wear that button up in the back?” Kitty laughed

Max was speechless, but waddled back into his room to fix the problem. Five minutes later he was back out, shirt open and hips shaking.

“How do I look in my pink sparks?”

Apparently, that was what he was calling sequins these days.

He modeled for Violet who had been witness to the entire episode and was laughing harder than he had ever seen. In the next room over, Kris could hear her and smiled to himself. God, he loved that laugh. He was also thankful to Talbot for causing it. Incredibly uncomfortable in his own green costume, he stepped out of the fitting room and sat beside Violet. He regretted it immediately and concluded that these costumes were not meant for sitting in.

“Uncomfortable?” Violet asked

“You have no idea.”

“Well you look very handsome, even if you are wearing a giant onesie”.

It was too much for her, what with the painkillers and all. She just couldn’t stop giggling. Hysteria had set in. Sidney gingerly walked over in his yellow costume and began chatting with Violet and Kris about how he should have worn a cup. Suddenly they were interrupted by a loud whine that sounded strangely like a howler monkey.

“Oh my God, it’s like way to big me. Anya, help me!” Ashley whined.

She was wearing Violet’s costume, and it honestly fit her quite nicely. Either Ashley liked her clothes ridiculously tight, or she was taking a shot at Violet. More than likely though, she was just trying to find a way to draw attention to herself. After Anya had pretended to make some adjustments, Ashley skipped over to Kris, pretending to be cute and pulled him out of his chair.

“We are like super cute together. You should chuck your girlfriend and go on a date with me. We’d be so hot together,” she finished, pecking Kris on the lips.

Violet didn’t even know how to react to what she had heard. She was upset and mad and embarrassed all at the same time. First, Ashley had more or less called her fat, and in the world of dance, weight was a touchy subject. Then Ashley had told Kris to dump her, and finally, she had kissed her boyfriend right there in front of her. At that moment, she wished she could crawl into a hole and die. Kitty sat down beside her and started to rub small circles on Violet’s back to calm her down.

“Actually, I have the perfect girl and i'm kind of in love with her, so… I’m good.”

Violet’s head, which had been resting on her knees, snapped up. Had she just heard him correctly? He loved her? Or was he just saying those words to get rid of Ashley? He sent her a look that said they would talk later and she dropped the subject, urging Max to close his mouth which had been hanging open.

Kris met Violet in the lobby afterward. He pulled her up into a piggy back and made for his car. Violet hung on, wondering what the next few hours would bring. Kitty had told her, only say it back if you really mean it. She did mean it, or rather, she would when Kris said it again. If, he said it again. They rode home in silence, which Violet never really liked in cars, but every so often Kris would look over at her and offer a small smile. He wanted to talk, to tell her how he really felt, but he didn’t want to do it in the car. He wanted to be able to look her in the eye and tell her that he was in love with her, although, if they were in a moving car, she would be less likely to make a break for it he thought to himself. They arrived at Kris’ apartment and managed to reach the fifth floor. Kris opened the door, pulling Violet inside with him. Soon enough, he had started to prepare dinner, with Violet reading out instructions from a cookbook. Suddenly she stopped.

“Kris, how long are we not going to talk about what happened today?” she asked softly.

Kris walked around the counter to the barstool where Violet was sitting and brushed a few stray hairs out of her face. He took a deep breath and spoke.

“I meant what I said today Vi. I know we just started dating, but we’ve known each other for a little while now and I can honestly say that I’m in love with you. I miss you when I’m gone and I always want to be with you. I want to wake up to you in the morning and kiss you goodnight for as long as you’ll let me.”

“No one has ever said anything like that to me before” Violet said, shocked at how genuine Kris was.

For awhile she said nothing, and Kris slightly panicked, wondering if he had gone to fast. Was he about to scare her away for good? She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on Kris’ chest and looked up at him.

“Well, I love you back, so I think that makes us even,” she said sweetly.

Relieved, Kris kissed Violet like he’d never kissed any other girl before. They finished their dinner, put on a movie, and spent the rest of the night cuddling on Kris’s couch. And so it seemed, that something good could come from something so shiny.