Dance Colors Our Life and Makes It Bright Again

I don't know when I fell asleep but I awake early the next morning to the sound of a few of the kids still awake and playing video games or watching a movie.

My eyes are still closed as I lazily roll over onto my other side where my biggest surprise was waiting for me. When I open my eyes, my face is barely centimeters from Chase's.

His sleeping figure looks so at rest. He long lashes contrasts with his cheeks as the sunlight indirectly hits his face, his brown curls are a beautiful mess and and lips are full from sleep. I can feel him breathing softly onto me but I don't move.

First of all, why am I even thinking these things about him? We hate each other... Don't we? I'm still so confused.

I start to scoot myself away from him when I feel something hard between us. His cell phone? Why would he leave it in his pocket while he sleeps? As I sit up, the object is revealed clearly and it's definitely not a cell phone.

It's slimmer and significantly smaller than his phone and there's one long, thin tube extending from the bottom of the device back towards his body. What the hell?

I try not to let my curiosity get the better and set the .. whatever it is back beside him and head to first floor of the studio where my co-worker, Richie, greets me with a cup of Coca Cola.

"This is the closest thing we have to coffee right now."

"Thanks." I take the cup from him and take a swig I the bubbly liquid.

"So, that your boyfriend you were sleeping with up there?"

I freeze and feel myself start to blush. What's your problem Dani? It's just a question. "N-no."

"Really? Cause you guys were all snuggled up with each other all night." He playfully pushes his shoulder against mine and a chuckle nervously.

"Well it was pretty cold last night Richie."

"We had the heat on."

"Oh." I mutter. He seats himself up on the reception desk and I seat myself in the chair in front of him.

"That's the Fuller sisters' brother, isn't it?,What's going on between the two of you?"

"It's pretty complicated."

"Complicated how?" He urges. I sink back into the seat and take another sip of the soda. Where do I start?

"We've just been arguing a lot lately, we're not too keen of each other's presence. "

"But you were all cuddly together last night?"

"Hey, I said it was complicated didn't I?"

He nods and crosses legs Indian style on the counter. He takes one last big sip from his cup and sets it beside him.

"I think you guys definitely have a thing for each other." He says bluntly. I almost choke on my soda.

"Are you on drugs?" I choke softly.

He shrugs,"Mary Jane, Molly. Only the generic stuff."

Smart ass. "We hate each other--"

"Then how come I didn't hear a sound come out of you when you woke up and found yourself in his arms?"

I opened my mouth to speak and then shut it. Damnit. He nodded and mouthed "exactly."

I got up from the chair to get myself some more Coke and when I turn the corner I wasn't surprised to see Chase there holding McKenna on his hip trying to get a drink for himself.

He was struggling to open the bottle, so I came over to help him.

"Now I've got to ask you, do you have personality issues?" He asks. I roll my eyes at him

"Not so as much as you do."

"Then why are you helping me?"

"Because."

"Because...?"

"Because I feel like it."

"I wouldn't think you're the type that's all happy in the morning and stuff."

"I'm not." He scoffs. I pass him his cup and I take a sip out of mine. McKenna sleeps peacefully curled up in his arms and I gently tuck a curly piece of hair behind her ear.

"Do I really come off that way?"

"Eh, a little."

I felt a soft tug on my shirt and saw Calliah snake her arms around my leg and sleepily rest her head against my hip.

"I should probably take them home."

"Yea, I should head home too."

"Come 'ere Cals." He kneels down to pick her up and she cuddle her head into the crook of his neck. I looked down at the liquid in my cup to keep myself from staring at the muscles in his arms.

"I'll see ya." He said as he started for the door.

"Yea."

"I should be over all the butterfliiiiies." Richie sings as he walks by.

"Richie."I throw one of the empty bottles on the table at him. It hits him dead in the chest with a smack.

"Ow!"

~~~~~~~

The rest of that week Chase and I don't say a word to each other. He keeps to himself and I do the same. We don't argue, we don't speak, we hardly even look at each other. This thing between us, whatever the hell it is, is becoming such a headache. It's hard to keep up.

It's been five days since the lock-in that was the last time we talked. I can't remember anything strange happening that night so it's hard to pinpoint a logical explanation to why we're avoiding each other.

Today's Wednesday. The recital is next week, the banquet is two days away and there's also two days until the start of winter break. Taylor and Ethan are going off on vacation and I'm stuck back with my parents.

I rest my head on the steering wheel at the thought. Maybe that's why I haven't been talking to Chase at all. I'm nervous about going back to my parents house this weekend. I sigh. I press my cheek against my broken horn as my car gradually gets colder since I'd turned off my car.

I don't even wanna think of what was probably going to happen. No matter what I do i'm not looking forward to it and there's no getting out of it.

I open the door and step out of my car and for rehearsal at the auditorium we'd be using.

As soon as I'm on the floor, I make eye contact with Ritchie and he immediately fills me in on what I've missed. Beginners went first, intermediate are going now, solos were next, followed by duets, then finally the advanced and competition groups.

"Which solos are we running first? Modern? Contemporary?"

"Definitely modern. So I hope you're ready."

"Ready to break my feet with those toe rises? Ugh."

"Oh shut up, you'll be fine."

" I guess."

"Lighten up, why have you been so down lately?" I shrug.

The only people that know about the whole situation with my parents is my sister, my brother and my parents themselves. I figure its not worth anyone else knowing. It's not a big deal.

"Just been tired I guess. Ya know, packing to back to my parents this weekend, school, practice for the recital, finding a dress for the banquet, I'm just.... Tired." It wasn't exactly a lie but it still made me feel guilty that I was keeping a secret like this from someone I literally had to trust with my life.

Richie's my duet partner. He's been lifting me, twirling me, tossing me, and everything else a male partner's supposed to do since he was 8 and I was 6. He's always told me everything. I'm the only one who know's he's gay, he trusted me with that secret and yet I can't tell him my parents abuse me. It makes me feel more terrible than I'm already feeling.

He just nods in understanding and I wonder if he knows that I'm hiding this from him. He slings his arm around my shoulder and gives me a small squeeze.

"Dance it out."