A/N: I don't know how to waltz, sue me if this is incorrect but I just am going off what I know xD I have new pix of Zane and Tessa on my deviantART! My username is Vyntresser :)

*Chapter 20*

"Hey, I'll be back later," Tessa said as casually as she could; she slung her small bag over her shoulder. She was dressed in a casual, white tank top as well as her usual, dark tan racing pants, which were cut and frayed at the knees.

"Wait, what?" Oliver wondered loudly from the kitchen table where him and Penny resided. The morning sunlight layered the room in an envelope of care.

"I'm going to hang out with Zane for the day," Tessa tried her hardest to keep her casual front, though she felt a lump catch in her throat; she knew lying to her best friend and brother was difficult, mostly because they could sniff out a lie from a million miles away.

"Can we come?" Penny eagerly beamed as she perked up.

"Uh," Tessa stammered and gazed at the looming exit from the kitchen, it called her name so loudly it was deafening. She inhaled a shaky breath and glanced back at Penny and Oliver, "Well, we're helping Emery on a huge science project she has. We're just going to be gluing parts together and stuff."

"Emery can do her own homework," Oliver furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance, not so much towards Emery but towards his older sister, of whom he began to smell fibs from.

"Obviously," Tessa snapped, she began to wonder when she could finally walk away, "We just offered to help her because it's a lot and she has a lot of after school activities."

"Welp," Oliver slumped in his seat and gave Tessa a dull look, "Have fun explaining to mom and dad where you've been."

"I'm sure they'll be fine with it," Tessa grumbled as she finally made her way towards the kitchen's exit, "Don't get into too much trouble without me."

"No danger there," Oliver mumbled as Tessa finally left.

Tessa heaved a hard sigh and quickly made her way towards the castle's exit. She shrugged her bag farther over her shoulder and began to feel a nauseous pit form in her stomach. As she marched towards Sugar Rush's exit, she let her eyes get lost in the scenery of her own to-be kingdom. She inhaled her home's sweet air and let the feeling of the hot sun pierce her vanilla creamed skin. She let her mind delve into exactly what she had gotten herself into. She wondered if merely dancing with Selka would somehow help her ease into Academy. She knew going to school, with her interesting looks, had to be a difficult task. Most of the young programs that went to Academy were peppy, typical beach going beauties. She knew she had competition, though she had to wonder why Selka daintily plucked her from the crowd.

As she moseyed into Game Central Station and across the silent, golden hall of looming outlets, her mind delved into her future. She knew after years of schooling and helping to rule Sugar Rush by her parent's side, she had to wonder if there would ever be a time where they would hand the kingdom over to her. Purely out of wanting to take a break or bettering Sugar Rush, Tessa knew she'd have to be prepared for the challenge. She ran over the thought of eventually finding a future King for Sugar Rush. She tried her very best to wrap her mind around the idea. She knew no one could top her father, she knew no one cared for their home more than Ralph.

As straight, golden tiles finally waved into messy cobbles and rich, dark soil, she gazed down at her feet, though her mind was high above her in the stark, white clouds of Dead Zed. She bit her lip in nervousness and let herself get lost in thought. Out of the wildest picks of her daydreams, she imagined Selka by her side. She ran through Zane's words like a broken record, the fact that he is picky when it comes to people, and girls, he involves himself with. She furrowed her eyebrows harder into her headache and squinted her eyes in almost dismay. Was he strictly after Tessa because she was next in line to rule her kingdom? She shook her head in a confused manner, she wondered if his kind smile and gentle demeanor even held an ounce of shallowness, such as her thought. She wondered if Selka was genuinely interested in her. She inwardly chuckled to herself and had to imagine if he was interested in her different looks; surely, most of the girls that followed him around were merely copy-paste versions of modernized barbie dolls.

Tessa shook her head and rid her thoughts, or tried to. She felt a frown grace her face as she thought of Zane, and how he was selflessly willing to give his time to help her out. She wondered if he was even up for the task, or was merely doing it to help out Selka. She slowly moseyed through the quiet game. She was curious as to where the game-time action was held, though she knew that Dead Zed was just as large as Sugar Rush. As she strolled into town, she passed the quiet nook of homes and little shops that were happily nestled into the side of a small, jungle-tree ridden mountain. The view from their side of the hill was breath taking. Their humble town sat quietly, though a few regular gamers hung around and busied themselves. Tessa made a beeline for Zane's loft. It was near the edge of the town, higher on the hill. His abode was tucked away from the gentle noise of the town, hidden beneath a few larger trees.

As she approached his home, she let a smile widen across her cheeks. Zane's small loft was sat above a two car garage, with a hidden stairwell around the side of the building that led into his home. His garage doors were open, and he was calmly inside smoothing out a surfboard he had recently carved. Tessa watched his every move as he ran his hand down the board, as if to find even the slightest of bumps or ridges. His piercing blue eyes held solid concentration on what he was doing. He had a small boom box near him that played gentle, white noise music. He was barefoot in a wife beater and gym shorts. His jet black faux-hawk was a complete mess, as if he had rolled out of bed and strolled down to his garage to work.

"Hey," Tessa chimed calmly as her bare feet were met with the concrete of his garage. She stepped inside with ease, as if she had just stepped into her second home. Zane quickly looked up and blinked a few times to adjust his eyes.

"Oh hey!" Zane beamed a semi-sleepy smile and dropped his attention off of the board he was working on. He quickly stood from the small station he was sat at, on the ground. He dusted his hands off and motioned down to his handiwork, "Just makin' myself a new board. My old one ate it last week."

"Ol' Reliable?" Tessa said with a genuine frown, she gazed Zane an apologetic look as he nodded and heaved a hard sigh.

"Many a wave was caught on that old board," Zane said through one long breath as he ruffled his hair, as if he had forgotten he was going to have company today. He inwardly cursed himself for looking so sloppy, though he pressed on, "It's ok... It was about time, anyhow."

"This one is beautiful," Tessa said with a kind smile as she gestured down to the sleek board before the two.

"Thanks," Zane caught eyes with her, though he continued to mess with his hair and heaved a hard exasperated sigh, "S-Sorry, I lost track of time. I look like a hobo."

"You should see my dad in the morning," Tessa said quietly as she tucked her long hair behind her right ear, it was down and in deep waves down to her lower back. She shook her head and widened her eyes, "Not a pretty sight."

"Bah," Zane waved her off before he placed his hands on his hips, "You ready?"

"No," Tessa said with a sheepish look towards Zane, though he let out a chuckle coupled with an annoyed sigh.

"C'mon, you'll do great," Zane tilted his head towards the stairwell that let upstairs to his little loft.

"Okay, but if you come out of this with broken toes, I'm forfeiting this whole dance fiasco and am not showing up," Tessa giggle as the two single filed into the narrow stairwell.

"Trust me, you'll be just fine," Zane eased gently as he continued to mess with his choppy black hair.

"How are you so certain?" Tessa beamed an annoyed smile and slumped her bag down in it's usual spot on Zane's loft landing, the birch wooden floors were as glossy as ever, "Have you taught people to waltz before or something?"

"Nope," Zane beamed confidently in her direction, "Not a soul."

"What!" Tessa complained as she slumped her shoulders, the two moved deeper into his single roomed loft.

His loft, though small in square footage, had high, arched ceilings and a wall in which was floor to ceiling windows. It overlooked the breathtaking view of the valley down below. His small kitchen nook was tucked on the opposite side of the single room, and his bed was messily splayed on the wall across from his windows. His little home was quiet and humble, though it looked to be on the expensive side. Tessa always wondered how he was able to land such a desirable little home all for himself. She figured through the means of his parents, somehow he was blessed with this gem.

"I mean it," Zane chuckled lightly as he finally straightened his hair into normality. The morning sun somehow splashed into the room, though his windows faced Northwest.

"Well isn't this great," Tessa said in a dull, sarcastic tone as she kept her eyes trained to Zane. He moved across the way to a cd player and stereo system he had on a low table.

"You doubt me?" Zane wondered curiously with a smile that could practically be felt. Tessa scrunched her eyebrows.

"No," Tessa lightly fibbed, "I guess I'm just in denial. Not once have you ever talked about knowing how to dance. I've known you for the past 4 months now."

"You learn something new every day," Zane heaved through a small, quiet sigh as he continued to tinker with his stereo.

"How did you learn to dance anyways?" Tessa gently asked as she crossed her arms in patient waiting. She let her eyes stretch to his high ceilings; his warm home was more than welcoming in calm creams and birch wood.

"Uh, my mother," Zane said casually, though he shot Tessa a small smile, "She taught me last year. She figured if I was going to the ball, I'd better know how to dance."

"Did it come into use at all?" Tessa wondered as Zane stood and approached her.

"No," Zane frowned and looked down and to the side, "I-I was stood up..."

"Oh," Tessa gently dropped her arms to her sides and let her eyes wander Zane's chest and shoulders in a contemplative way, "I'm sorry Z."

"Bah," Zane waved his hand downward and gave Tessa his typical, gentlemanly smile, "Looking back, she was sort of mean."

"Mean," Tessa repeated as she cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Zane laughed as he rubbed his chin, which had gone from black stubble to a very short, prickly beard, "I only asked her because we both liked to surf, and I figured I'd get to know her better... She decided to tell me, at the dance, that she was instead going with Selka. She was the last girl Selka ever dated."

"Sheesh," Tessa furrowed her eyebrows and almost began to feel protective over her best friend, "Did Selka steal her from you?"

"No, not at all," Zane's facial expression dropped, "Trust me, if that happened, I don't think Selka and I would still be friends... She told him she didn't have a date, and after the dance, I told Selka what had happened. Their little relationship sort of went downhill after that."

"Huh," Tessa looked away and let her mind process.

"She only ditched me because Selka is, well... Selka!" Zane gestured his arms with a measly smile, though it faded as he rubbed the back of his head, "I guess the surfer boy takes backseat to the popular guy in town."

"Bah, c'mon, Zane," Tessa beamed a bashful smile and nudged his lower arm, "You'll come with us this year, it'll be great. You'll see!"

"Yeah," Zane smiled into her eyes and nodded just barely, "It will be. I'm glad I get to go with you guys."

Zane let himself hold eye contact with Tessa for longer than he intended. After a few moments, he heaved a nervous cough and idly rubbed his arm in a contemplating way as his cheeks grew noticeably red. He darted his eyes around before he gestured towards Tessa with eager eyes and a loving smile. He gestured for her hands and kept a calm air about himself.

"Why don't we get started, yeah?" Zane asked quietly with his usual, kind, smiling eyes. Tessa smiled a bashful, nervous smile and exhaled a hard sigh.

"If you insist," Tessa hissed in mild annoyance, though she widened her eyes a little as Zane pushed past her nervous front and took hold of her hands.

"You'll do great," Zane jolted her hands around lightly before he stood up straight, "Now. The most important thing here, is posture and grace."

"Hmm," Tessa inquired curiously, her eyes slid down his arms as he tenderly tried to position the two for the proper dancing form.

"Waltzing is typically fast paced, but we can start out slow," Zane said, his voice became quieter as he grew closer to Tessa.

"It's fast paced?" Tessa worried, though she was suddenly very aware of the distance between the two. She almost wanted to giggle out of pure nervousness as Zane gently cupped his strong, warm hand around her upper back.

"Yeah," Zane rolled his eyes lightly and shrugged, "You'll do anything not to trip, really. Now, put your left hand on my shoulder."

"Trip?" Tessa worried as she gently held her hand on Zane's shoulder, he kept a comfortable distance between the two as he held her other hand faced upwards in his.

"Can't tell you how many times that has happened," Zane said in a dull tone, though his smile was infectious, "My mom didn't really teach me like how I'm going to teach you. With her it was sort of like, move now or die."

"Sheesh," Tessa stifled a laugh and furrowed her eyebrows, "Do that to me and I'm certain I'd wreck your whole loft."

"I can always count on you," Zane teased in a dull tone, though he jolted with a loud laugh as Tessa swat his shoulder, in which she was holding.

"Hey, be nice, I'm a white belt in waltzing," Tessa beamed as Zane continued to laugh, "Don't make me cry on the first try, here, buddy."

"Alright, alright, I'm kidding," Zane laughed as he tenderly squeezed her hand in his, "What you want to envision, is a square."

"A square," Tessa wondered as she gently looked down.

"Yes," Zane eased gently, his deep voice coated the room with comfort, though he could still feel Tessa's tense muscles in his grip, "So to start, I'll move my left foot forward, and you move your right foot backwards."

"Okay," Tessa stammered as the two finally began to move, though she jolted once she felt Zane gently sway her backwards and lead her back into a normal, standing position, though they were turned in a different direction. She beamed a confused smile and gazed into his face with a sense of pride.

"I didn't step on you!" Tessa wondered aloud, though she flinched once Zane stifled a laugh and squeezed his grip on her just barely.

"I'm proud of you," Zane chuckled, his bright blue, half moon eyes smiled with all the appreciation for his student, "Now, you're going to move you're right foot forward, and I'll move my left foot back."

"Alright," Tessa eased as she kept her eyes down, the two fluidly moved again, she felt bad for relying on Zane's heavy lead, though she figured it'd all even out eventually. The two stopped in a standstill position, yet again, though faced in yet another direction.

"Easy enough?" Zane wondered, though he could still feel Tessa's tense self, as if she were crippled into a nervous, unsure mold.

"More or less," Tessa lightly shrugged.

"Alright, now we're going to do those same two steps again," Zane instructed gently, "You ready?"

"Yeah," Tessa breathed as she kept her eyes down, though just as she stepped backwards, she suddenly snapped into focus and gripped Zane's hand and shoulder in pure, delighted terror. The two quickly moved the last two steps of Zane's, tricky little positioning. He held her firmly, but with delicacy. The two gently flowed back into their starting point, where Zane brought the two to a halt. He held Tessa kindly and peered at her expectantly.

"Whoa," Tessa breathed a small giggle and let her eyes finally pierce Zane's. She flinched at just how close the two were, "Seems like if I go too fast, right now, I'll fall down, I'm certain."

"You have a lot more grace and accuracy than you give yourself credit for," Zane said kindly, though Tessa gazed at him long and hard for a few seconds.

"Really?" Tessa wondered in disbelief.

"You're doing great," Zane chuckled and looked away in a fit of guilt, "Especially since I started you out on something you don't really totally start out learning right off the bat."

"What?" Tessa beamed, "You're skipping steps?"

"I just wanted to test you," Zane chuckled with a shrug, "You passed with flying colors, though!"

"Huh," Tessa looked down a little before looking at Zane again, "Well I'll be... Is that all there is to it?"

"Well, if you want to get technical, not really," Zane said as the two very gently let go of each other, as if on a cue, "There are a lot of different patterns... I'll show you. They all sort of fall into place after awhile."

"So, it's not just a square this whole time, after all?" Tessa wondered nervously as she gestured to the ground.

"Not all the time," Zane shrugged, "Though, don't worry yourself. There won't be room on that dance floor to go flying all around it. I don't think Selka knows much beyond the square anyhow."

"Oy," Tessa hissed, though she giggled once Zane let out a soft laugh and put his hands on his hips.

"Don't be worried," Zane smiled kindly, "You're a natural."