Act 1, Scene 2

Now, so far, I've been trying to tell this story in a humourus light, so there are certain things I'm going to leave out. I don't particularly want to go into detail about some things in my past, so, if you feel there is some explanation missing, that's the reason. Which brings me to something I haven't yet mentioned: I have a limp. It's not like I hobble everywhere and look like some weird creep, I just lean slightly when I walk, am more clumsy than normal people, and apparently cannot dance on that leg. May I present Evidence A:

It's remarkable how quickly my partner's face went from a glare to full-on worry and sympathy and back. It was faster than a blink, and maybe I imagined it as pain flashed through my eyes, but as I collapsed, I thought I saw a twitch of emotion in that stone face.

We were supposed to be doing some sort of spin or something. I wasn't sure because, you see, there was this rule in dance where the guy leads and the girl is a sort of prop that does nothing but stay balanced and look graceful, and guess who got to be the guy in my partnership? Surprise: it was the five-five blond kid who had a baby face and was slightly underweight. Just kidding. It was my partner. Whose name I should really learn...

So when my partner spun me with the force of a charging bull - I mean, how much does this guy work out? - on my bad leg, I just crumpled. Let me tell you, fainting is very romanticized in the movies. You don't wake up to the cheering crowd when they find out you're alive, in your crush's arms as he softly kisses you awake.

That wasn't in a movie - that's just how I wanted this to go down.

No, I woke up in the hairy arms of my gym teacher, on the cold gym floor. Eww. At least Thomas was kneeling by my side, looking concerned.

"You okay, bro?"

I smiled, suavely.

"I'm fi-"

And then I almost threw up on him. Come on. I cannot catch a break.

The gym teacher put me down and stood up, probably to go yell at the class that was beginning to get a bit rowdy off to the side, where they were busy not caring that I might be dead.

"Get to the office, kid," the teacher ordered me before rushing off to where a fight was breaking out. Guess I can't blame him. If I'm not too injured, the most he can do for me is prevent other kids from being injured.

"Can you stand up? You fell pretty hard," Thomas asked, a cute little worry line appearing between his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I'm totally fine, don't worry about me, I'm a real trooper. I can handle th-"

Black spots appeared everywhere.

"Yeah, Newt, let's not try to sit up just yet."

"No, s'oka-"

"Bro, don't sit up. Seriously. You look like you're gonna pass out again."

"Fine."

He leaned in, and for a crazy second I thought he was gonna kiss me. He smelled really good too. Instead he put a hand under my back and one under my knees, and picked me up in one swoop.

"I gotcha, bro. Let's get to that office,"

He smelled really, really good.

"Mr. Thomas! We're starting again, get back here!"

And I had thought that my gym teacher really cared about my well-being for a second. But hey, at least he wasn't as bad as my history teacher. She's an ex-convict.

I don't go to the most prestigious school, if you haven't gathered.

"Sir, I've got to take him to the office,"

"He can take himself!"

Thomas looked like he was about to yell back. My heart leapt: I was in his arms, he cared about me, and did I mention he smelled really, really, really good?

"I'll take him. He's my partner, so I'd be doing nothing anyway," if I was standing up, I would have jumped in fright. My partner's voice came from right behind us.

Thomas looked at the teacher. The teacher shrugged. Thomas looked at my partner. My partner opened his arms. Thomas looked at me. I gave him a calm grin.

No, I didn't. I'm pretty sure I looked like a lamb about to handed over to a butcher. And not a cute one either. I mean the lamb. The butcher, although terrifying and weirdly good at dancing, was pretty cute. But he was no Thomas.

Thomas handed me over.

"Thanks, Min! Text me when you're feeling better, kay, Newt?"

And that's how I ended up being carried bridal style down the hallways of Glader High by a burly dancer who scared the living daylights out of me.

And he only smelled kind of good.