SEE! FF even deleted it when I put the link on the fourth chapter or whatever... I put something like FF net or something, and it deleted itself or something. blinks It keeps doing such weird stuff...
I just noticed, I keep forgetting to indent. XD I'm gonna use the indent though when I start using lyrics, which is in this chapter.
I met Crystal infront of the school when the last bell rang. She stood there, smiling, but I wondered if she had something devious up her sleeve.
"So, where to?" I asked her. I hoped it wasn't somewhere public. No way did I want to let Kazu or Kenta see me dancing, much less Rika.
"Hmm... well, today I have my CDs and my boom box in my backpack. Your house sound okay?"
"All right," I looked at her, relieved. I started walking, leading her towards the way to my house, and she started talking about the sorts of music we would dance to.
"I'm going to try and start you off with some really easy songs," Crystal said. "The kind where you can really feel the beat."
"Hey, as long as you don't make me dance to something like the Macarena or Britney Spears or something, I'm TOTALLY fine with it." I joked. She laughed, with this big grin on her face that made me want to smile too. There was something about Crystal that made you feel comfortable about being with her.
She continued to tell me about the music she was going to teach me, but I wasn't really listening. I kept thinking about Rika, and how if I finally did learn how to dance, maybe she would accept me as something more than a friend. I had been hoping that for a really long time, and maybe...
"Is this your place?" Crystal interrupted my thoughts. She motioned to the bakery infront of us.
"Heh, yeah." I smiled, embarrassed that I had gotten carried away by my thoughts. "How'd you know?"
"Rika-chan's told me a lot about you guys," Crystal explained. "She wrote letters to me a lot before, so that's how I know how all of you were like and stuff like that."
I showed her the way upstairs to my room, and Crystal sat down on my rug, starting to take her boombox out. I excused myself for a moment and went downstairs, to get some lemonade and some bread ready. I brought it up on a small tray, and set it on my desk as she finished popping in her CD.
"Okay," Crystal said, with an instructional voice. "The key to dancing is all about finding the beat. If you don't have the beat to a song, you have to try and find it, or else your moves will be off, and your dance will just look stupid. If you have the beat, at least your moves look choreographed."
She gently pushed the play button on her boom box, and a small drumbeat started up, and the music started to flow into the room. A mixture of violins, guitars, and piano keys played as Crystal continued.
"Most of the time you can figure out the beat in the beginning of the song, from the drum beats. This one is a 1-2-3-4 beat. Sometimes though, the beat will be harder to pick up on, but try your best to try to find it."
Crystal started to sway, to and fro. She moved about, swiftly moving to the music. She reached over to where I stood and suddenly entwined her fingers with mine, and she started to instruct me how to move.
"Okay, do as I say, all right? When I say 'one, two, three, four', move sideways as I do. When I say backstep, you move backwards, and when I say front step, move forwards."
The music played in the room, and she started to tell me the steps. I heard the sounds of her instruction as the song sang in the room, the harmony blending with the moves that Crystal was trying to teach me.
My heart, your hands, gentle my friend
Break me neatly, numb me sweetly
Say you would, say you could
Say you'd come and stop the rain
Say you'd try and hold me tight
And you just give me away
Make me high on lullabies
A melody for me to sway
Say you would, say you could
And you don't do anything
Come down heavy, try and steady
Precious ladies, love you, love me...
"OWWW!" Crystal yelled out, interrupted the song. She limped towards the boombox and abruptly pushed the stop button.
"What, what!" I looked at her, wondering what was wrong.
"You stepped on me, you idiot!" Crystal shouted. She rubbed her right boot. "Jeez that hurt!"
"Well, sorry, but if you don't remember I'm a beginner at this!" I was suddenly getting really mad at Crys. The lesson was NOT going well.
"I know you're a beginner, but that doesn't change the fact that you stepped on me REALLY HARD!"
"Yeah well you didn't have to act like it was REALLY my fault! It was an accident!"
"Next time, why don't you try controlling your freakin' two left feet!"
Crystal plopped herself down on the rug, rubbing her foot. I looked at her, sighing. We stood in an uncomfortable silence. The feeling of comfort that I had before with her was gone.
I sat down next to her and sighed again. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to step on you."
"Eeh, it's okay," she said calmly. She rubbed her foot. "Besides, I'm wearing boots. It was just the sharp pain that I felt at first that hurt..."
"I'm really sorry," I looked her in the eye, and she returned my gaze. "Do you want me to get some ice?"
"Nah, it's okay." She rolled up her pant leg and started to unzip her boots. "I think we should dance barefooted though."
"Yeah, I kind of forgot to take my shoes off too." I reached over and started to untie my sneakers.
"Hey Takato?"
"Yeah?"
"Why exactly do you want to dance?"
"Huh?" I looked at Crys, puzzled.
"I have this feeling you're determined for some reason. And I know it's not because you just want to go to the dance."
I continued to stare at Crystal, and I felt the comfortable feeling I had before come back.
"Well..." I started off, "I kind of have a crush on Rika."
"Cuz?" Crystal looked at me, but not with a look of bewilderment. More like a jolted look, as if she had been suprised with a small shock. "You have a crush on her?"
"Yeah, I do... I've had one ever since I met her."
"So what does dancing have to do with liking her?"
"Well... Henry got this weird idea that if I learned how to dance, and got over the embarrassment of that, I would be able to ask her out."
"Hmm. Interesting idea," Crystal said, looking up at the ceiling. "Take this advice, Takato, if any. If you really like somebody, you should tell them while you still can."
"I'm kind of hoping I'll be able to tell her when I can ask her out to the dance," I said, smiling with a dreamful look.
"I think you will," Crys said with a wistful sound to her voice, but she wasn't smiling. Her face was blank as she looked up at the ceiling.
I stood up, and turned around so that I faced her, and I held out my hand. "Want to try again? I think I'm getting this beat thing down, sort of."
Crystal smiled up at me. "Well... all right. Just don't step on my feet again."
"Don't worry," I said, exchanging a smile with her, "I'll try my best."
The dancing stuff may be incorrect... bleh. oO I don't know how to dance IRL, that's probably why.
Why do all of my chapters feel long, but they're actually really short? Ah well.
UGH HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO EDIT THIS! x-x It annoys the crap out of me.
