Our Dance

Chapter Two: Zach

It's just another day. That's what I tell myself. It's not the day my mother died. Okay it is but I can't think about that. I have to get out of the house before my dad sees me. Otherwise he'll beat me. I grab my backpack and jump out of the window. I hear my dad waking up so I shut the window behind me and run. I run past the grocery store and the library all the way to the harbor.

They have a big pile of cargo boxes. The big metal ones. I climb up to the top of one and turn on my music. I start out with stretching. It's been a few days since I've danced.

I then move into dancing. I start with ballet. Moving swiftly with my jumps and spins. Moving my feet in a quiet manor. As ballet should be done. The song starts picking up speed and I do the same. I kept my pace with the music until the song was done.

I then practiced my lyrical. It was more like jazz that ballet but it is my favorite style.

I then heard the sound of foot steps coming my way so I turned off my music and sat down. It was my friends they all climbed up and sat down next to me.

"Thought we could find you here."

Carlie said. Her green hair blowing in the wind. Her tan skin almost glimmering in the sunlight. Id be lying if I said she wasn't hot but she's untouchable. Her parents live on the Northside while the rest of live in the Southside. We have no idea why she hangs out with us but she's cool so we don't kick her for being one if the 'rich' kids.

"I wasn't hiding."

"When are.you gonna stop coming here? I mean I've your hike life is bad but us this any better."

Ian. He never understands my dancing. He supports it unlike my dad but he just doesn't get it.

"I can dance here."

"Dude stop with all the dance s**t. You. Need. A. Life."

"I have int you just don't like it."

I think I just witnessed the biggest eye roll of all time from Ian.

"There this girl in the building next to me and while I was doing homework I could see her dancing on the roof of her building."

Carlie has been trying to set me up with girls. So I just assume that's what she's trying to do here.

"I'm not really into-"

"Stop. I'm not trying to set you up but maybe you should reach out to her some how. Dance partners."

"Yeah maybe."

"I'll get her number. Okay?"

"Yeah Okay."

We talked for hours. Just laughing and telling each other jokes. They know I need this for an escape so they do whatever they can to make me forget it. But then they both had to go and I was left alone with my thoughts.

What if I went to the Northside. No that's crazy. I'm a Southsider. I'm poor and their rich.

But before I can fully convince myself not to go I'm already walking over to that side. I pull out the small amount of money I have from my pocket and hold it in my fist.

If I'm going there I'm gonna get something while I'm there. Dance shoes. I have enough money for a cheap pair. I hope.

I feel my adrenaline pump through my veins and I break into a run. I run through the Southside. People giving me looks. They know what I would get there and they also know what will happen to me if I can't hide them. But I really don't care I just want to dance in a pair just once in my life.

I can think of all the times as a little boy when my mom would play piano and I would dance. Those are the days I wish I still had. My mom played until she couldn't anymore. She played until she was so sick she couldn't eat. She cried when she couldn't play and she said she had felt like a failure of a mother. I had always told her otherwise. I told her she was great until the day she died.

I missed her more than anything because when she was alive my dad was my dad not some mean old drunk. He used to watch me and my mom but when she died he told me dance was unmanly. That hurt. I know why he said it. I know it hurts him to know I still dance because mom isn't around. But he should think that is I had stopped dancing because if the at mom would've been disappointed. And I needed her to be proud even if she want here.

I ran into the dance store and looked around. I found a black pair of ballet shoes for $70 lucky me had enough money for them. I grabbed my size and slipped them on. When someone came up to me.

"Do you need help with those sir?"

I looked up there was a boy about ten wearing a black hoodie and great legging with jazz shoes on.

"Yeah. Thanks."

He nodded and bent down tying them and checking them to see if there tok big or too small. He then stood up and held out his hand. I took it and went onto my toes. I had done this with shoes all the time so it was nothing super new but the feeling of this was different.

"Can you give me a spin?"

I nodded and turned around. Doing a quick spin. He nodded and walked off. I guess that was my clue they were good. So I packed them up and took them to the checkout counter. There was an older women there and she looked up and saw me. She smiled widely.

"Hello dear is that it?"

"Yes ma'am."

She checked them out and put them in a bag. She handed the bag to me with a smile on her wrinkled face which I returned, before leaving. Shoving the shoes in my bag I ran back to the Southside. The run refreshing, as the small amount of cold breeze rushed through my scalp.

Stopping shortly of two houses down from my own I noticed my father home, waiting outside. Waiting for me....