Chapter Two, Part Two: Kept it Inside Didn't Tell Anyone
~Leia Bai~
"Okay, girls try-outs are officially over." I announced, relieved that this dance team idea was really getting off the ground. Finally, I was doing something that I wanted to do again. As I sat down to do a few more stretches before leaving the studio, I felt a small tap on my shoulder. "Hi Mia."
"Hi." She sat down next to me, copying my actions by placing the soles of her feet together.
"If you're here to ask me about if you're going to make it or not, that decision is totally not up to me." I chuckled. "Mr. Toledo is handling everything."
"I actually wasn't going to mention that, but the anticipation is going to kill me."
"Yeah, that's the one good thing about being the founder of this group. I don't have to wait until Wednesday to find out." I boasted a little bit. "So what's up? What'd you want to talk to me about?"
"This is a little embarrassing but … has Danny said anything to you about me?"
"Like what?"
"Well, I know that you kind of have a thing for him but--"
"Back up and pause. I what?" I stretched my legs forward, rolling my ankles. "You think I'm into Danny?" I asked, not expecting a response.
"Yeah, of course. You're always around him." Mia answered.
"That's what best friends do." I explained, sighing. "Are you going to ask me to hook you two up? I can." I offered.
"No." Mia answered shortly, standing up. "Please don't say anything to anyone about this … conversation."
"Okay." I shrugged, still in my own world. I was on this huge adrenaline rush from dancing and everything and it was to the point where I didn't think I could calm it down. The only way to get rid of this was to dance it off … and where did people to go dance, why clubs of course.
~Alli Bhandari~
"So you're not doing Indian Cultural Exchange anymore?" My mother wondered as I shrugged my shoulders. I so did not want to be having this conversation, at least not right now. "I thought you liked it honey. You've been talking about it since before you even got to Degrassi."
"Well mom, things change." I sighed, feeling so stupid sitting here with all this extra clothing on when it was 80 degrees outside. I hated wearing hijab all of the time, which is why I took it off when I got to school in the mornings.
I got there so early that no one knew what I was doing, and I was happy to get to wear my shorts and spaghetti strap tanks my mom allowed me to get to wear around the house. The only reason I had to wear hijab now was because Sav had stupidly invited some of his friends over. I stared at my plate the entire time, hoping no one would mention my change in clothing choice.
"I think you should make her stay in ICE." Sav spoke up. "She needs to learn that you just can't quit doing something because it gets too hard."
"I think you should butt out Sav." I turned my attention back to my parents. "I'm running for student government and the fashion club and yearbook. There's no time for ICE."
"Since when are you in the fashion club?" Sav wondered, mocking me.
"Since today." I answered, mocking the sound of this voice.
"InshAllah you will be able to do all of it and make us all proud." Dad chimed in as nodded.
"Yes, inshAllah." I smiled quietly. My parents were so old school that they didn't get it. I didn't want to be wrapped in up an abaya, married to some man that I don't even know, just because he's Muslim and I'm Muslim.
Maybe that worked for Sav, but not for me. I want to experience the world, meet other people, places, and things outside of my Indian-Islamic upbringing. I really just want to feel free to do what I want and not what they want me to do.
"May I be excused?" I asked, ducking out of the room quickly and dialing up that Asian girl's number … what was her name again? She looked like she knew how to have fun and the last thing I wanted to think about was the fact that I wasn't chosen as a representative for ICE because I was too dark. Bummer.
~Armando Felix Gutierrez Martinez-Hassan~
Practice was brutal, beyond brutal. These two-a-days were killing me and it seemed like I was the only one getting a little winded from everything. Coach Jeremiah was no joke. Today, though was supposed to be a special day. Spirit squad was doing something for our team … I didn't even know what spirit squad was, but any news was good news at this point.
I turned to look at the other guys on my team, reminding me of how much I didn't even seemed to fit in even in this group. The only time I felt at ease was when I was playing the game, but coach was telling me that I was too slow, way slow.
"Hey Hassan! Get in there!" Coach Jeremiah yelled. Riley, our quarterback, called out a play that involved me running as fast as I could into the outfield. This wasn't was I did. I wasn't a running back. I was an offensive guard, but here I was making a play that I knew I would miss.
"That's alright gentlemen. Try it again." Coach demanded, looking straight at me with a look that meant be there or die.
We ran the play again and again until it was obvious that I wasn't getting any better, but worse. Coach didn't say anything, but rotated my position out to a couple of the other players, who made the play with no problems.
"Good work men." Coach Jeremiah called us all in as we did our little ritual before practice ended. God, I sucked.
"Hey, Hassan get over here a minute."
"Yes coach."
"You're a little slow." He began simply.
"No sir. I've been trying--"
"Trying is not getting there. I've told you time and time again that I don't like excuses. Just get it done, whatever you have to do, whoever you have to call on to do it, you need to get there Hassan."
"Yes sir."
"Next practice, you better be where I tell you to be when I tell you." He responded firmly. I nodded and started to walk away. "Wait son, I didn't say dismissed … you owe me a mile. Better start running it now."
By the time I was done with my run, the other guys had already showered and had their locker room talk. I hated that I missed out on who was going what with whom and everything else. I never had anything to say because well, let's face it, I was still pretty much a nobody here, for now.
"Hey dude, tough break out there." Riley gave me a pat on the back. "You know that extra weight is really slowing you down."
"Don't I know it?"
"Well, I had a cousin who was like 400 pounds. He needed to lose the weight and was down two hundred pounds in less than six months."
"I work out every day at practice. I don't think his diet will work for me."
"That's just some pity talk dude. I'll tell him about you and see what he says … what are you like 330?"
"310." I corrected him.
"Hmm. I'll definitely talk to him for you."
We slapped hands as I stripped down to shower.
"Hey hurry up with that dude. The spirit squad is waiting to give us a private show."
When I finally got everything together, I had missed half of the show and was cursing myself for it. The only comfort was that there was only one really hot girl on the squad, Holly J. Sinclair, and that she was looking directly at me.
~Alli Bhandari~
"Are you sure these will get us in?" I whispered to Leia who nodded, barely even looking at me. She totally looked older than us. Twenty-one wouldn't be a stretch for her, but Claire and I barely looked 18. Actually, we barely looked 16.
"I will take care of everything. Trust me." She promised as we moved up in the line. We were next.
"You three, over here." One of the bouncers pulled us to the side. Oh no, this was bad news. I didn't know if he was going to call our parents or take away our IDs … I'd stolen eighty-dollars from my parents and 10 off of Sav for that ID and the cab over here.
"Hey." Leia breathed coolly as I realized that I knew who this guy was. He used to go to Degrassi.
"I'm not stupid girls. I know babies when I see them."
"We're not babies." Leia chimed in. "We're just trying to have a little fun tonight. These two are newbies to this club and I'm just showing them around."
"Uh-huh." He paused. "Look, I used to go to Degrassi and I know your brother and … your sister." He pointed at me and Claire. The, he shook his head. "Now I could either call your parents or take these IDs from you."
"How about you do neither." Leia offered. "You don't know me, do you? Which means, you have no way of knowing if I am what I say I am or not." She argued, calling out all the information on her card as though it were actually true before he could ask. "Look … Sean." She stopped to read his name tag. "Do me this one favor, please? I swear I'll look out for these two. Just let us in?" She begged, tossing her hair to the side seductively. Now, I could totally see why Danny called her a Pussycat Doll.
"You three better be out before 1am or I'll come in and take you out." He gave in.
"Oh, please do." Leia chuckled as Claire walked behind me stiffly.
"For a moment there, I thought I'd be grounded for life." I sighed in relief.
"I cannot believe that I'm here." Claire whispered to me, angrily.
"You wanted adventure Ms. Edwards. What could be more eventful than a club?" I asked, excited about the experience of it all.
~Leia Bai~
Getting into a club was easy, but getting a drink was a little harder. I worked my charm and managed to get a free drink for me and two cokes for the other girls.
"Wow, you're awesome!" Alli screamed, hugging me as Claire continued to pout. What a buzz kill.
"To looking fabulous and being fabulous." I toasted, taking a few sips of what the bartender had given me. It wasn't very strong, but strong enough to do a little damage. After one and a half of them, I was more than a little tipsy.
Alli and Claire were telling me that it was almost one and that we needed to go, but I wanted that Sean guy to come back. I liked messing with him.
"I see you don't listen." A male voice whispered in my ear as I turned to see the guy I had just been thinking about.
"I've got a hard head … and a soft behind." I joked, continuing to dance to the music. I was hoping that he got the hint, but his tone didn't change.
"I could lose my job for this." He pointed to me and the drink.
"No you won't. I won't let them fire you." I whispered back, taking another sip. "So … you used to go to Degrassi?" I wondered, making small talk. I was getting that feeling again, the same feeling that solidified my bad reputation. But sometimes you just wanted something and for now, Sean was what I was chasing.
"Ancient history."
"Look, I'm not normally like this but … hell, I am, but there's something that I've been wanting to do to you." I admitted, laying down the glass, and staring at this guy. His blue eyes were calling me to him and I was a slave to the alcohol running through my body.
I kissed the side of his face lustfully, pausing before moving to his mouth.
"You're too young." He whispered back, moving out of the way.
"Pretend I'm not. For now." My lips finally met his as we moved onto a full make-out session. What I was feeling right now wanted me to push this farther than just a make-out session. I wanted this dude right here, now.
I reached for his belt, caressing his mid-section instead, pleasantly surprised by what I felt. He was Greek deity perfection.
"Don't." He warned me, pushing my hands away from his belt. I stopped kissing Sean, and looked at him accusingly. "You have to get out of here, now."
I fought against the drunk side of me that wanted to argue with him and make this a huge ordeal but instead I shut up. I let Alli and Claire pull me away, staring at Sean the entire time. I was pissed. I was going back to the old Leia and even worse ... before I held the power, but now I was feeling so helpless, so out of control.
I threw the closest glass I saw on the ground, but that didn't hit the spot. I tried to find something else ... and before I knew it, I was bawling my eyes out, and then later recounting the whole story to Danny.
~Claire Edwards~
Going to that club was one of the dumbest things I had done, the stupidest things ever. It wasn't Leia acting all promiscuous and then getting us into a club with people almost ten years older than us that freaked me out. Rather, it was what I had traded in for tonight. K.C. talked to me and he asked me out on a real date, not some school-sponsored event, but a one-on-one date.
I couldn't take it so I flaked on him at the last minute, but I never really said yes or no in the beginning. I just blushed shyly. He was so excited about spending time with me, but I didn't understand that, any of that. I'm just a normal girl, beyond normal ... I'm sort of plain.
And I didn't know what was goign to happen or what to expect. What do people do when they go out on dates? What about the awkward moments and everything and what would I possibly have to say to him that I couldn't say at school?
I could always ask Alli because she seemed to know everything there was to know about things, even if she went about it the wrong way, she knew. I on the other hand was clueless and I didn't want to seem like even more of a loser than normal, so I kept my mouth shut. When Alli came up with plans for us this weekend, like she always did, I went along with it.
Now, I knew it was a bad idea, but I felt really guilty so I dialed K.C's number before it was too late to hang up.
"I'm sorry." I blurted out as soon as the ringing stopped.
"Claire?"
"I'm sorry to call you in the middle of the night, but I'm really sorry K.C."
"For what?"
"For bailing on you ..." I retold him the entire story as the conversation drifted onto something more light-hearted and comfortable. This was nice.