Dance to This Beat
Let's Get These Teen Hearts Beating Faster
“Claire?” I heard the voice even in the pouring rain. “Claire, it that you?”
I gave in, looking up at the person who was talking to me.
Jon.
“Claire, why are you sitting here?”
I sobbed. “I don’t wanna talk ‘bout it.”
“Please.” He sat down on the curb next to me.
“My momma. She’s preg-pregnat,” I stuttered. “She had to go back to Mississippi ‘cause it’s daddy’s. We got in this huge fight about it. I ran out of the house and somehow ended up here.”
I looked around at the park that I had ended up at. It was about thirty blocks from my house.
“You ran here?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
Thank God for track.
“Why are you out here?” I asked curiously.
“Me and Dawn, we got in a huge fight and ended up breaking up. She was mad about me bringing you to the coffee shop. She’s a really jealous person. I was gonna break it off with her anyway. There’s this other girl and I think she’s pretty amazing.”
I sighed silently. “Yeah. That’s cool.”
I’m such a loser.
“So do ya want a ride home?”
I shrugged. “I guess so.”
Jon pulled me off the sidewalk and we walked to his car. I got in and laid my head against the cool window, sobbing quietly. Jon placed his hand over mine after starting the car. He squeezed it in a comforting way. I held onto it all the way home.
“Well, I’ll see ya tomorrow,” Jon said after pulling into his driveway.
I nodded and undid my seatbelt. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
I got out of the car and ran to my house. I tried to open the door but it was locked. I left my key in my bag, which was in my room. We didn’t have a spare. I stood on my toes and looked through the window. It was completely dark. The clock read 8:36.
Damn it, I thought.
I looked over to Jon’s house. He was standing on the porch watching me.
I sighed then yelled over to him, “Doors are locked, and I have no way to get in my house. Any ideas?”
“You could come over here and stay until tomorrow morning,” he suggested.
I shrugged. It was better than standing in the rain until three in the morning.
I ran back across the lawns and up to their porch. He opened the door and we walked in.
“I love summer rains,” he laughed.
“Oh yeah. Lemme tell ya ‘bout it.”
“Jon, is that you?” I heard a woman call to him.
“Yeah mom. And the neighbor, Claire.”
A pretty blond walked in from the kitchen. “Hi. I’m Katrina Walker.” She smiled at me.
“Hi, Claire Williams. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too. I don’t mean to be rude, but I have to go back to the kitchen. I’m baking some cookies.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“Mom?” Jon asked quickly. “Can Claire stay the night? Her mom, uh, had to go to Mississippi, and she got locked out of the house."
“Yes, I suppose so,” she nodded.
------
“This is a look everyone should be able to rock,” I laughed, gesturing to the clothes I was wearing.
“At least you’re gonna be comfortable.”
I nodded in agreement. I was wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants and a big Chicago Bears sweatshirt. Jon was also wearing a pair of plaid pants, but he got the way cool Blink tee shirt. I was jealous....
“And you don’t look so bad. Actually, it’s kind hot.”
I blushed. “Whatever.”
“It’s true.”
“Jon, I’m not an idiot.”
“I know you’re not. I just think a girl that isn’t so uptight about what she wears is hot. I like it when a girl can just put on sweats ‘cause she doesn’t feel like dressing to the nines.”
“Then you’ll like me a lot,” I laughed.
I thought I heard him mutter, “I already do,” but I just figured it was a figment of my imagination.
“So can I tell the guys that you’ve officially been in my pants?” Jon laughed.
“Yeah. That’d actually be really funny,” I chuckled.
“Yeah, I thought so.”
Then my damn phone rang. “Keep holdin’ on, you know--“
“Hey Jenna!”
“Hey Claire Bear,” she replied happily.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing, I just miss you. What’s up with you?”
“Just hangin’ out with my neighbor.”
“Oh. Well Kelsie, and Aimee say to tell you hi. They’re staying the night.”
“Wow. I’m staying the night here, too,” I said, getting annoyed.
“Cool. What’s her name?”
“It’s a he, and his name’s Jon.”
“Oooh. Is he cute?”
“Yeah, extremely hot,” I replied fake-giddily.
“I am, like, so jealous.”
“You sound like it.”
“I so am.”
“Well, I gotta go. We’re about to start watchin’ Knocked Up.”
“Oh, well don’t get pregnant.” She laughed, then hung up.
“Bitch,” I muttered.
“What happened?” Jon asked.
“Jenna is so friggin’ fake. And she told me not to get pregnant just ‘cause I told her you were hot and we were about to wat--“
“Watch Knocked Up,” Jon finished for me. “She does sound like a bitch.”
“Oh, she is.”
I gave in, looking up at the person who was talking to me.
Jon.
“Claire, why are you sitting here?”
I sobbed. “I don’t wanna talk ‘bout it.”
“Please.” He sat down on the curb next to me.
“My momma. She’s preg-pregnat,” I stuttered. “She had to go back to Mississippi ‘cause it’s daddy’s. We got in this huge fight about it. I ran out of the house and somehow ended up here.”
I looked around at the park that I had ended up at. It was about thirty blocks from my house.
“You ran here?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
Thank God for track.
“Why are you out here?” I asked curiously.
“Me and Dawn, we got in a huge fight and ended up breaking up. She was mad about me bringing you to the coffee shop. She’s a really jealous person. I was gonna break it off with her anyway. There’s this other girl and I think she’s pretty amazing.”
I sighed silently. “Yeah. That’s cool.”
I’m such a loser.
“So do ya want a ride home?”
I shrugged. “I guess so.”
Jon pulled me off the sidewalk and we walked to his car. I got in and laid my head against the cool window, sobbing quietly. Jon placed his hand over mine after starting the car. He squeezed it in a comforting way. I held onto it all the way home.
“Well, I’ll see ya tomorrow,” Jon said after pulling into his driveway.
I nodded and undid my seatbelt. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
I got out of the car and ran to my house. I tried to open the door but it was locked. I left my key in my bag, which was in my room. We didn’t have a spare. I stood on my toes and looked through the window. It was completely dark. The clock read 8:36.
Damn it, I thought.
I looked over to Jon’s house. He was standing on the porch watching me.
I sighed then yelled over to him, “Doors are locked, and I have no way to get in my house. Any ideas?”
“You could come over here and stay until tomorrow morning,” he suggested.
I shrugged. It was better than standing in the rain until three in the morning.
I ran back across the lawns and up to their porch. He opened the door and we walked in.
“I love summer rains,” he laughed.
“Oh yeah. Lemme tell ya ‘bout it.”
“Jon, is that you?” I heard a woman call to him.
“Yeah mom. And the neighbor, Claire.”
A pretty blond walked in from the kitchen. “Hi. I’m Katrina Walker.” She smiled at me.
“Hi, Claire Williams. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too. I don’t mean to be rude, but I have to go back to the kitchen. I’m baking some cookies.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“Mom?” Jon asked quickly. “Can Claire stay the night? Her mom, uh, had to go to Mississippi, and she got locked out of the house."
“Yes, I suppose so,” she nodded.
------
“This is a look everyone should be able to rock,” I laughed, gesturing to the clothes I was wearing.
“At least you’re gonna be comfortable.”
I nodded in agreement. I was wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants and a big Chicago Bears sweatshirt. Jon was also wearing a pair of plaid pants, but he got the way cool Blink tee shirt. I was jealous....
“And you don’t look so bad. Actually, it’s kind hot.”
I blushed. “Whatever.”
“It’s true.”
“Jon, I’m not an idiot.”
“I know you’re not. I just think a girl that isn’t so uptight about what she wears is hot. I like it when a girl can just put on sweats ‘cause she doesn’t feel like dressing to the nines.”
“Then you’ll like me a lot,” I laughed.
I thought I heard him mutter, “I already do,” but I just figured it was a figment of my imagination.
“So can I tell the guys that you’ve officially been in my pants?” Jon laughed.
“Yeah. That’d actually be really funny,” I chuckled.
“Yeah, I thought so.”
Then my damn phone rang. “Keep holdin’ on, you know--“
“Hey Jenna!”
“Hey Claire Bear,” she replied happily.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing, I just miss you. What’s up with you?”
“Just hangin’ out with my neighbor.”
“Oh. Well Kelsie, and Aimee say to tell you hi. They’re staying the night.”
“Wow. I’m staying the night here, too,” I said, getting annoyed.
“Cool. What’s her name?”
“It’s a he, and his name’s Jon.”
“Oooh. Is he cute?”
“Yeah, extremely hot,” I replied fake-giddily.
“I am, like, so jealous.”
“You sound like it.”
“I so am.”
“Well, I gotta go. We’re about to start watchin’ Knocked Up.”
“Oh, well don’t get pregnant.” She laughed, then hung up.
“Bitch,” I muttered.
“What happened?” Jon asked.
“Jenna is so friggin’ fake. And she told me not to get pregnant just ‘cause I told her you were hot and we were about to wat--“
“Watch Knocked Up,” Jon finished for me. “She does sound like a bitch.”
“Oh, she is.”