'Okay, turn, turn, a little more height in those kicks, ladies! Aaaand Next Group!' Michelle shouts over the music.

I'm panting like crazy as I make my exit and the next group starts doing the new combination Michelle is teaching us. God, ballet is hard. I love it to bits, but it's crazy hard. It's even harder today, when I can't even focus on the stupid class.

Suddenly, I feel someone grasp my arm.

'Hey, pretty lady' Ginny breathes. 'Jeez, someone's distracted. I called you like three times already.'

'Oh. Okay' I answer vaguely and briskly move toward the back of the room.

'Melanie!' Ginny stomps her foot and catches up to me. 'Come on! How are you doing?'

'Uh, okay, I guess' I answer shiftily. 'I could use some water.'

'Are you thinking about it?' Ginny presses on.

'Thinking about what?' I ask innocently, as if I hadn't been thinking about it all morning. Or all day yesterday. Or all the time since the actual moment that Dez, Charlie's freaking Dez, asked me out. And I said Yes. I think.

'You know!' Ginny says, and suddenly whispers 'It's today, isn't it?'

'Uhhh' I say, thinking of the right answer to get my sweet but inquisitive little friend to bug off. 'Uhmm. No?' I answer stupidly. Okay, that didn't work. I pick up my pace, hoping to avoid further unwanted questioning.

'I knew it!' she exclaims as she catches up to me again. Rats, she's fast.

'What are you guys yammering about?' Boo asks as she and Sasha come up to us. Great, more questioning. Yippee! 'Is it about the d-a-t-e?'

'Yup! It's today. The d-a-t-e with d-e-z!' Ginny answers.

I sigh and succumb to the fact that I cannot escape my friends and all their probing questions which I had miraculously managed to dutifully avoid all week. 'Ginny, you don't have to spell it out. or whisper about it'.

'Oh, we have to, Melanie Segal' Sasha says. 'We are keeping this situation low profile until your apparent sever brain injury heals and you come back to your senses and realize that Humans do not mingle with Apes.'

'That's a really nice thing to say, Sasha' I answer in annoyance. Sasha tends to do that to me sometimes.

'Quiet in the back!' Michelle shouts again. 'aaand, Next group!'

'I can't believe you're finally going on your first date!' Ginny squeals excitedly, causing a few other students to look her way.

'Shhh, Ginny! the whole freaking world doesn't need to know it too!' I shush. 'And I'm not even sure if it counts as a date. He just said he'd pick me up after Ballet on today, and we'd hang out.'

'When did he say that?' Sasha asks.

'He texted me this morning.' I answer.

'You guys have already been texting?!' Boo says in a loud whisper.

'He can use a cellphone?!' Sasha snickers. 'I mean, I thought you had to learn how to read before you could start texting.'

'It's not a big deal, Boo. Sasha, shut up.' I roll my eyes.

'But he did ask you out, right?' Ginny probes, ignoring the other two.

'Uh I guess.'

'Guess? How can you guess, Melanie? It's either Yes or No.'

'I don't know, Ginny! He wasn't very definitive about our activities.' I shrug.

'Okay. Let's do this step by step' Ginny says slowly. 'How, exactly, did he ask you? Exact words, please!'

'Uh, I think he said 'Will you go out on a date with me, Mel?' and I said 'Uhh.. okay'. But I think it took me a long time before I said that. Anyway, he said he'd text and then we exchanged numbers.'

All three of my friend's jaws dropped.

'Will you go out on a date with me, Mel?' Those were his exact words?' Ginny probes.

'Uh, yeah.'

'Are you kidding me?! How could you not have been sure if this is going to be a date or not, Huh?! This is most definitely a date! I hope you prepared for it. How did you prepare for it? Are your legs shaved?' Ginny launches into her tirade of questions and starts speaking in that hundred words a second way of hers.

'Okay People!' Michelle shouts again and shuts off the music. 'That's it for today! That was some good, hard work!'

As Michelle's giving a few more announcements about our next class, I take this opportunity to slip away from my friends and to protect myself from further interrogation and my shaved-or-unshaved legs from their scrutiny.

I hear Michelle starting to say something about 'the chatterboxes at the back' when I slip out the door and climb up the stairs to the dressing room. I'm so caught up in getting away from the studio that I didn't notice Dez, in the flesh, sitting on the steps until I'm only about one step away from him.

'Dez!' I almost shout, shocked at seeing him up so close. I'm immediately aware that I'm in my tights and thin strap leotard, and all of a sudden I've never felt more naked. As an instinct, I wrap my arms around myself to cover myself up, which is ridiculous since Dez has already seen me in my ballet clothes over a dozen times. So why does this time feel immensely different?

'Hey, Mel' he smiles a smile that goes all the way up to his eyes. Why haven't I ever noticed that before?

'Wh-what are you doing here?' I ask, completely puzzled.

'To pick you up' he says, confused. 'For our date.'

Date. There's that word again. 'Oh. Right. You're... here!' I answer stupidly.

'Yeah' he nods, failing to notice my absolute dunce-ness and still smiling that ridiculously cute smile. 'Should we go?'

'Now?' I can't help but smile. 'I'm still in my ballet clothes!'

'Oh' Dez says, and I think I see a hint of a blush. 'You look nice, anyway.'

And now I'm the one blushing. I'm probably blushing like crazy. I look away since I am now completely embarrassed. 'Uh, just give me a second to grab my stuff and change into normal people clothes.'

'Okay' he smiles and steps off the stairs.

'Uhm. See you in a bit' I say awkwardly as I make my way up the stairs and dash into the dressing room.

Before anyone else has the chance to enter, I immediately collapse to the floor, breathing heavily. Oh My God. What just happened? I hear footsteps coming up from the stairs outside. Well, whatever that was that happened down here,it sure is making me smile like crazy.