A/N: Hey, you guys! This is a story having to deal with secrets, if you couldn't guess ;D I would like to dedicate this to bballgirl22 because she helped me SO MUCH with this story. Seriously, this would probably still be sitting in the depths of my computer if it wasn't for her!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kickin' It, sadly.
...it's no pose
cause when she dances she goes and goes...
The lights dimmed and five slightly fast-paced notes rang out from the speakers. A voice, clear and high sang the first line, and I began.
I feel light and clear, dancing to the beat of the song, light on my toes, my fingertips nearly touching the stars, graceful, powerful... The moves are slow and deliberate until a powerful pulse breaks in the music and I feel it in my veins, the rhythm adding another layer to the music. The moves become more than just limbs twining around my body, the tendrils of the song grabbing hold of me, the lyrics helping my movements tell a story.
As the song progresses the undertones push forward, a story of betrayal and hurt unfolding, my moves becoming more erratic, the dance building and building, and the bridge comes and I am drawn to the pain.
The vocals stop, piano is all that is left and I can feel the ache of the song, slow, deliberate movements again. The voice nudges back in, high and soft. I'm twirling, this piece of the song full of high legs and limber gestures, but the pain is gone. It is replaced by a firm acceptance, the past can not be undone, and the beat is back. The pulse that drives me forward, my movements more fast-paced and I pull myself into a pirouette, the spins becoming faster and then I spin into a fall, landing soft on the ground and looking out to the audience as the last chord of the song rings out...
Then there's applause.
Wait, what? Nonononononono, no one should be here! Why would anyone be at the school's auditorium at 6 in the morning? Half the teachers aren't even here! Okay I take that back, only THREE of the teachers are here! And only one of them knows I'm here!
"So you really can dance?" Ah, shit. It's Jack. Well, there goes my secret, he wouldn't be able to keep it if he tried.
I roll my eyes, squinting out past the spotlights, "Yes, I can. And I'd appreciate it if you'd get your butt on stage, so I can see your face." Disembodied voices give me the creeps.
Suddenly there's a thud and Jack has appeared on stage, as if by magic.
"So why did you say you couldn't dance when you obviously can. And very well, I might add. I never would have pegged you for a ballerina."
"Woah there, buster," I put a hand on my hip, "I am no ballerina," I point out to the stage where I had just danced, "That was not ballet! I am a lyrical dancer, thank you very much."
I give him a begrudging smile, "And thanks, but I don't really like people knowing I can dance. I've been dancing forever, and I know that if word got out, Miss Sanchez will be all over me, calling my parents and forcing me to join dance team. It wouldn't be pretty. And besides, the type of dancing Jerry does is completely different from what I do."
"Okay, okay, I see your point. Miss Sanchez can be... Enthusiastic." He couldn't keep a straight face and we burst out laughing, the idea of the Miss Sanchez being only enthusiastic was hysterical. The 40-something woman was an honest-to-god professional dancer for years, until she broke her foot and had to quit. Now she was living her glory days, in short skirts and midriff-bearing shirts. She had some questionable taste and it definitely showed through.
Our laughter has died off, and now I look at Jack under the spotlight, his eyes sparkling with mirth. My breath catches, and I'm all the sudden brought back down to earth, hard, and my crush on him has never seemed so strong. Butterflies erupt in my stomach, and I'm all the sudden oh-so-nervous he'll discover my much more carefully guarded secret.
"So, Jack. Do you promise, and I mean promise you won't tell anyone? I can't risk anyone else knowing." The nervousness shows through in my voice, but he thinks it's all about the dancing. Better keep it that way.
"Of course!" Jack says, offended I'd think otherwise. "I'd never spill your secret, it's not mine to tell."
I let out an immense sigh of relief and tuck my hair behind my ear, looking up through my lashes at that brunette boy. But then I remember...
"Wait, why are you here? Don't tell me you're secretly a dancer too." I smile, joking.
Jack laughs, "Unfortunately, I actually can't dance to save my life. I.. um," suddenly Jack seems nervous, his eyes shifting, avoiding mine, "Uh... my mom. She, uh. She had a... meeting. Yeah, she had a meeting early this morning and had to... Uh. Drop me off early. Yeah."
"Okay that was really pathetic. C'mon, Jack! Fess up! You know my secret, now spill!" I say, smiling and shaking his arm.
"Ugh, you're right... And you can stop that!" I laugh and he smiles while grabbing my hand to stop my incessant shaking of his arm. I was momentarily distracted by his hand on mine but I looked at him and he had this look on his face... Like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"Well. You know how the drama department is competing this year with a one-act play?" Jack said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah, has something to do with water? Something sad though. Mr. B was talking about it a couple months ago, asking me to try out." I smiled, the idea of me acting was outrageous, I may be hiding my dancing skills but I am a horrible actress!
"Yeah, well... I kinda... I'm kinda the main character.
My jaw hits the floor. No way Jack was in the school's play! Though that would explain why he freaked out at Jerry for going through his backpack to find a pencil.
"No. Way." I echo my thoughts, "There's no way you're in a play! You can't act!"
"Wanna bet?" He looks at me, eyebrows raised in a challenge.
I stare him down, but I don't have any money to lose, and it'd be funny going to see Jack try and act in a play, "Fine. Prove it."
He smiles, knowing he's won. "Alright. This Friday night, five o'clock, we're doing a run through before competition Saturday, show up and you can see that I am an awesome actor."
"Done." I say, crossing my arms
"Good." Jack mimics me, crossing his arms.
"I'll be there." I say, turning around, "But I still need to practice, so, do you mind?" But I don't wait for an answer, I push play and begin the dance. But when I turn around, Jack's already hopped off the stage, presumably making his way to the Black Box to practice.
Within the first thirty seconds of the song, I've forgotten Jack and I'm back in the world of the dance, making sure to fix a pirouette that wasn't fast enough, a leap that wasn't high enough, you know what I mean.
When I finished my third run through after Jack left, after I was satisfied I had improved enough, I allowed myself a break for water and laughed at the idea of Jack acting. It's funny though, at first he didn't want me to know he was in the play, but as soon as I threatened his abilities he was more than eager to show off his "acting prowess". I'm still skeptical on that.
I allow myself one last run through before heading to the girl's bathroom to change for class, stuffing my leotard, skirt and Dance Paws to the bottom of my backpack, pulling my hair into a high ponytail and shuffling off to class. Hiding my secret was tough, and sometimes I want to just scream at everyone that I CAN dance, I'm not some loser who has no rhythm! I felt like that this morning, but as I walked past Ms. Sanchez who today was wearing knee-high red boots, a white mini skirt and a rather low-cut orange top, I felt like burning my leotard to get rid of the evidence. When Ms. Sanchez is around, I will bury my secret so deep it ends up in China. Some times, some things are better left unsaid.
Dance Paws are a type of dance shoe (but not even really a shoe) that lyrical dancers use to be able to spin on the balls of their feet and not rip up their skin. I do not own the Dance Paws company.
I also do not own White Houses.
Anyways, this story is going to be finished some time soon, I'm finishing it up at the moment, but band starts up tomorrow and I am going to be swamped for a while, so expect chapter two some time this week, and chapter three next weekend!
The dance Kim did is a sort of hybrid dance I came up with in my mind while listening to White Houses by Vanessa Carlton (who is my favorite artist, EVER, btw) and the best visual representation I can come up with is if you go to YouTube and watch the music video for White Houses (DO THAT FIRST) and then watch this dance:
www[dot]youtube[dot]com/watch[question mark]v=hQqiPPKORw4&feature=related
The dance she does is somewhat of a combination of those (though obviously not a duet, like the second video...)
The only thing about this song, however, is that it does deal with a rather dark topic, so the bridge and other parts are cut out of the second dance. I still think the song is amazing and pictured Kim doing her dance to the full version of this song.
Anyways, sorry for the SUPER LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE, kudos if you read it all AND watched the two videos, I shall love you for all of time 3
(thanks again to bballgirl22!)
Please review!
x Em
