Sequel: Green Porcupine ›
Bus Stop
Oppurtunity Knocks
I walk into my house one morning after spending the night at Tre's and I see a pile of letters on the kitchen table. Naturally, I flip through them and I see one addressed to me from The Dance Academy of New York. I rip it open and read that one of their scouts saw my last competition and said I have potential. They were offering a full 2 year scholarship. I looked over the pamphlet they sent and saw that 90% of their students have successful careers in dance; teaching, performance or choreography.
"Oh Jill, I don't know what to do. If I go to the dance academy I'll be away from Tre and everyone." I say later that day as I grip the necklace he gave me, "but if I stay here the most I can do is finish normal high school and go to community college."
"That's a tough decision, I know I'd have a hard time leaving Mike for two years, I mean a few weeks is already agony. But you have serious potential in dance and Rodeo doesn't offer much."
"So you see my problem."
"Have you talked to Tre about this?"
"No," I say feeling ashamed.
"Well, you should, see what he says and take it from there," Jill says sounding very much like a Yoda figure now. "We're going over now anyway, so talk to him then." All I can do is nod at her suggestion and follow her to the bus stop.
"Tre, do you want to go get some coffee or something?" I ask after Jill nudges me to tell him about the dance academy.
"I feel like eating pizza," he says taking his choice in food very seriously.
"Pizza's good too." I say as we walk outside into the summer heat. We start waking towards the pizza place and Tre runs ahead asking people to pull down his pants. We get inside the pizza place and we order.
"I got a scholarship to a dance academy," I say as we choose a table.
"Awesome," he says as he passes a salt shaker back and forth between his hands.
"Well, not really, it's in New York." He stops passing the salt shaker between his hands and looks up at me.
"But that's on the other side of the country!" he exclaims.
"I know," I say looking at my hands.
"I won't try to stop you if you want to go." He mutters to himself, "Even though I'd prefer it if you stayed."
"I think I'll just stay here and finish high school, then go to community college with Jill and Mike." As I say this Tre smiles a bit.
"I wanted to go to clown college." He says smirking, "If you stay, so will I. I'll go to that community college thing too." I laugh a little as he stands up and puts his hands on his hips like a super hero.
"So it's settled we'll stay here together," I say as I join him in his super hero pose.
After scarping down the pizza we walk down the street past a community center. Tre sees the gate to pool is open so he picks me up and runs toward the pool.
"Tre! NO! PUT ME DOWN!" I yell but he continues to run towards the pool finally throwing me in. He pulls off his shirt and jumps in.
"Aren't you taking your shirt off too?" he asks as he swims towards me.
"Not after that!" I say crossing my arms over my chest.
"I was doing you a favor, you were sweating buckets, I didn't want you to get heat stroke." Tre says acting innocent.
"Then why'd did you throw me?" I ask swimming away from him playfully.
"That wasn't a throw, I tripped and I accidentally made you go flying into the pool."
"Sure," I say rolling my eyes.
"No swimming without a bathing suit!" the life guard yells at me.
"I guess we better leave." I say looking over at Tre who got attacked by a floatation device. We take the bus back to my house so I can get changed, Tre sits on the bus shirtless due to the fact he's just as wet as I am and doesn't want to wet his shirt.
"Catch!" I say as I toss him a towel from the closet.
"Thanks," he says as he pats himself dry. I go to my drawer and pull out a dry pair of shorts and tank-top. I throw my wet clothes into the hamper and walk back into my room to see Tre looking through my drawers.
"Ahh, here they are," he says, pulling out the pair of shorts I "borrowed" from him. We get dressed then I sit next to him on the bed.
"So are you ever going to tell me about her?" he asks looking at me in a funny way.
"Who?" I say looking at him as if he was insane.
"Your mother."
"Why do you want to know about her?" I ask feeling uncomfortable about the whole situation.
"You look a lot like her, and I know you didn't inherit your spunk from your father." I laugh at his comment about my father.
"Well, she was a very inspirational person," I say as Tre looks at me with great interest, "she always told me to be independent, to stand up for what I believe and never be influenced by others."
"Yup, that's you all right. Did she tell you to feel free about showing off your body at concerts?" Tre says poking at me.
"No, that I decided to do on my own," I say rolling my eyes. "But she did tell me to be happy about the way I look and not to feel self-conscious about myself. Her catch phrase was Who cares what other people think." Tre nods as if everything he knows about me suddenly makes sense. "She died five years ago from breast cancer."
"Do you think she would like me?" Tre asks with a smile on his face.
"She would, I can see her saying 'that Tre is a riot.'" I say shaking my head with laughter. "Even though my father doesn't, my mother would definitely approve of you, maybe not your hair though."
"My hair! What's wrong with my hair?" he says laughing.
"Nothing, it's just in some lighting you need to wear sunglasses to look directly at it." I say as I rub his spiky green hair. "I love your hair though."
"Oh Jill, I don't know what to do. If I go to the dance academy I'll be away from Tre and everyone." I say later that day as I grip the necklace he gave me, "but if I stay here the most I can do is finish normal high school and go to community college."
"That's a tough decision, I know I'd have a hard time leaving Mike for two years, I mean a few weeks is already agony. But you have serious potential in dance and Rodeo doesn't offer much."
"So you see my problem."
"Have you talked to Tre about this?"
"No," I say feeling ashamed.
"Well, you should, see what he says and take it from there," Jill says sounding very much like a Yoda figure now. "We're going over now anyway, so talk to him then." All I can do is nod at her suggestion and follow her to the bus stop.
"Tre, do you want to go get some coffee or something?" I ask after Jill nudges me to tell him about the dance academy.
"I feel like eating pizza," he says taking his choice in food very seriously.
"Pizza's good too." I say as we walk outside into the summer heat. We start waking towards the pizza place and Tre runs ahead asking people to pull down his pants. We get inside the pizza place and we order.
"I got a scholarship to a dance academy," I say as we choose a table.
"Awesome," he says as he passes a salt shaker back and forth between his hands.
"Well, not really, it's in New York." He stops passing the salt shaker between his hands and looks up at me.
"But that's on the other side of the country!" he exclaims.
"I know," I say looking at my hands.
"I won't try to stop you if you want to go." He mutters to himself, "Even though I'd prefer it if you stayed."
"I think I'll just stay here and finish high school, then go to community college with Jill and Mike." As I say this Tre smiles a bit.
"I wanted to go to clown college." He says smirking, "If you stay, so will I. I'll go to that community college thing too." I laugh a little as he stands up and puts his hands on his hips like a super hero.
"So it's settled we'll stay here together," I say as I join him in his super hero pose.
After scarping down the pizza we walk down the street past a community center. Tre sees the gate to pool is open so he picks me up and runs toward the pool.
"Tre! NO! PUT ME DOWN!" I yell but he continues to run towards the pool finally throwing me in. He pulls off his shirt and jumps in.
"Aren't you taking your shirt off too?" he asks as he swims towards me.
"Not after that!" I say crossing my arms over my chest.
"I was doing you a favor, you were sweating buckets, I didn't want you to get heat stroke." Tre says acting innocent.
"Then why'd did you throw me?" I ask swimming away from him playfully.
"That wasn't a throw, I tripped and I accidentally made you go flying into the pool."
"Sure," I say rolling my eyes.
"No swimming without a bathing suit!" the life guard yells at me.
"I guess we better leave." I say looking over at Tre who got attacked by a floatation device. We take the bus back to my house so I can get changed, Tre sits on the bus shirtless due to the fact he's just as wet as I am and doesn't want to wet his shirt.
"Catch!" I say as I toss him a towel from the closet.
"Thanks," he says as he pats himself dry. I go to my drawer and pull out a dry pair of shorts and tank-top. I throw my wet clothes into the hamper and walk back into my room to see Tre looking through my drawers.
"Ahh, here they are," he says, pulling out the pair of shorts I "borrowed" from him. We get dressed then I sit next to him on the bed.
"So are you ever going to tell me about her?" he asks looking at me in a funny way.
"Who?" I say looking at him as if he was insane.
"Your mother."
"Why do you want to know about her?" I ask feeling uncomfortable about the whole situation.
"You look a lot like her, and I know you didn't inherit your spunk from your father." I laugh at his comment about my father.
"Well, she was a very inspirational person," I say as Tre looks at me with great interest, "she always told me to be independent, to stand up for what I believe and never be influenced by others."
"Yup, that's you all right. Did she tell you to feel free about showing off your body at concerts?" Tre says poking at me.
"No, that I decided to do on my own," I say rolling my eyes. "But she did tell me to be happy about the way I look and not to feel self-conscious about myself. Her catch phrase was Who cares what other people think." Tre nods as if everything he knows about me suddenly makes sense. "She died five years ago from breast cancer."
"Do you think she would like me?" Tre asks with a smile on his face.
"She would, I can see her saying 'that Tre is a riot.'" I say shaking my head with laughter. "Even though my father doesn't, my mother would definitely approve of you, maybe not your hair though."
"My hair! What's wrong with my hair?" he says laughing.
"Nothing, it's just in some lighting you need to wear sunglasses to look directly at it." I say as I rub his spiky green hair. "I love your hair though."