"Okay, so, let's just try this again."
Both boys, dripping with sweat, neither feeling very comfortable in their current situation, went back to the positions they had started in. "You know, I really appreciate you helping me with this. I mean, you and Namine are friends but we don't really talk much and well, I just really want to be able to do this for her."
Roxas ground his teeth to refrain from snapping at him. The boy was totally uncoordinated and they had worked their way down to the most basic of steps but it was still requiring numerous attempts to get anything close to what it should look like, His patience was already tried and now was not the time to be reminding him of how wonderful a boyfriend he was and that was why Namine would never hurt him blah blah blah.
"No problem. Just remember, it's not a set routine, you just have to move with whatever music is playing. Do what comes naturally."
They continued their lesson until Sora absolutely had to go home. They made a little progress, maybe even enough to place, but that would rely heavily on how Namine did.
When he was alone, Roxas took out his notebook and started working on something for the dance. He felt stressed out about everything that was going on. He couldn't tell Namine how he felt, she wanted to keep him a secret and he had caved and agreed to teach her boyfriend how to dance with her, and for what? To have to stand back and watch them bask in the glory of his efforts. Half her friends didn't even know his name. It wasn't fair, and he wasn't going to stand for it any more.
He wouldn't have to wait long, Namine was just about to come in.
"Hey."
"Namine, why do we do this?"
"What?" She frowned and sat on the chair beside his.
"Everyday, you find some reason to come over. We either stay here and make out, or we go out and I stay over at yours after. The only days we don't are when you and Sora have plans. Why do you insist on sneaking around? Why can't you just pick? Why are you even dating him to begin with? Do you even care about him? Do you even care about me?"
"Roxas, of course I care about you, but I care about Sora too, and I don't want either of you to be hurt. We've been through this before."
"Well Namine, maybe that's the problem. It's time we ended this cycle. You have to choose. Him or me. You can't love us both, and I'm sick of being strung around waiting for you to figure out your feelings."
"You're being unreasonable. Do you want me to go and break up with Sora right now? What would I say? Oh, Sora, in the past ten hours I've realised that I don't love you so I'm braking up with you. Yeah, that wouldn't crush him."
"I guess you're right. Let me make things easier for you. I'm ending this, whatever it is."
"You're breaking up with me?"
"I dunno, can you break up with someone you're not really dating?"
She got up and walked towards the door. "I guess you can."
"It looks like a marshmallow threw up in here." Roxas was right. As he walked in the doors his eyes were assaulted by pink, white and red streamers, baloons, posters and booths. Even the food and drink was colour coordinated.
"You said it dude." His friends laughed and walked over to the stage to set up. Roxas followed with his mouth still agape.
The competition was to start at eight, half an hour after the dance officially begun, but people started turning up at seven, just chatting and saying who they thought was going to win. Most people seemed to think it would be Namine and Sora. The competition was being judged by three teachers, thankfully the youngest on staff.
When the judges gave them the okay to start playing Roxas made the introductions and told the crowd that the song was written specifically for the competition.
All the couples were to dance at the same time and at the end of the song the judges would have fifteen minutes to deliberate and then they would announce the winners. The prizes weren't the best, but still worth entering. Third place would get two little 3rd place badges and a two tickets to the movie theatre. Second place was two 2nd place ribbons and two tickets to the next concert in town. The first place prize was a plastic crown and tiara and two passes to the best dance club in town.
As the couples moved onto the dance floor and everyone else moved off they started to play.
They may not have been particularly popular during school, but everyone seemed to enjoy it when Roxas started to sing.
"You are the girl that I've been dreaming of ever since I was a little girl
You are the girl that I've been dreaming of ever since I was a little girl
One,
I'm biting my tongue
Two,
He's kissin' on you
Three,
Oh, why can't you see?
One! Two! Three! Four!
The word's on the streets and it's on the news:
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you.
He's got two left feet and he bites my moves.
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance, dance, dance, dance
The second I do, I know we're gonna be through.
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you.
He don't suspect a thing. I wish he'd get a clue.
I'm not gonna teach him how to"
"Dance, dance, dance, dance"
"You are the girl that I've been dreaming of ever since I was a little girl
You are the girl that I've been dreaming of ever since I was a little girl
One,
I'm biting my tongue
Two,
He's kissin' on you
Three,
Oh, why can't you see?
One! Two! Three! Four!
The word's on the streets and it's on the news:
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you.
He's got two left feet and he bites my moves.
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance, dance, dance, dance
The second I do, I know we're gonna be through.
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you.
He don't suspect a thing. I wish he'd get a clue.
I'm not gonna teach him how to"
"Dance, dance, dance, dance"
"One!You're biting my tongue.
Two!
I'm kissin' on you.
Three! Is he better than me?
One! Two! Three! Four!
The word's on the streets and it's on the news:
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you.
He's got two left feet and he bites my moves.
I'm not gonna teach him how to"
"Dance, dance, dance, dance."
The band played out and Roxas left the stage, headed for the bathroom.
"Hey dude."
Roxas looked up from the sink, Sora had followed him in.
"Namine is outside, in the cold, and she won't come in. I don't know why, but I know it has something to do with you. I'm not stupid, I know there's been something going on."
He waited to feel the pain, he had to be here to beat him up.
"Please, just come outside and talk to her? We need to sort this out."
"Eh, okay." To say he was confused was an understatement.
The two boys walked over to her. She turned to face them. Sora spoke first.
"I want to know what's going on."
Roxas and Namine looked at each other, when Roxas cocked his eyebrow she took it as a sign that she should speak up.
"Roxas and I." She paused, looking up from her feet momentarily. "Well, we've sort of been, well, we were, going out."
They looked at Sora, awaiting some sort of response but he just kept his gaze fixed on the ground between them.
"I'm sorry, I don't know how it happened. The last thing I wanted to do was to hurt you. I was going to tell you but then we broke up and I didn't see the point in telling you for no reason."
"No reason?" Roxas, finally, spoke up. "How can you say that there's no reason? Namine, I know you'd like to just continue on like nothing's happened but you and I both know that that wasn't nothing. I love you and I know you've got to feel something back, and that is worth telling."
Sora looked from Roxas to Namine. "Is it true?" She nodded, just slightly. "Why would you stay with me if you want to be with him?"
"I never said that. I just. I never wanted either of you to get hurt, I really care about you Sora."
"But you love him." It wasn't a question or a statement, he just added on the part of her sentence that she hadn't.
"Namine, I love you, but that's how I feel. I don't want you to be with me because you don't want to hurt me. I want you to be with whoever makes you happy. Who you love. I'm going back inside. They're about to announce who's won. I think you two should stay out here and talk about things."
With that Sora left.
"You know, he's right. You should be with who you love. You shouldn't care what anyone else thinks. Let me know when you figure it out."
Roxas turned around and started to walk away.
"Wait." She didn't say it very loudly but there wasn't much noise to drown it out. He didn't turn around but he stopped walking.
"Did you really mean what you said? Do you really love me?"
She couldn't see it but he smiled. "I thought I made that pretty clear."
She ran up to him and he did turn around. "Say it again."
"I love you." He could hear the blood rushing through his head and he had butterflies in his stomach, he didn't know why.
"And I love you." She flung her arms around him and he held her against himself tight.
"Oh we would have to do this on Valentine's Day." He laughed and replied into her hair. "That's just us."
And in his mind he hugged that word to himself.
In the background they could hear the cheers as the winners were announced, and at school on Monday, amidst the shock of everyone who wanted to know what had happened between the two and all the rumours that would go along with it, they would hear that it was, in fact, Selphie and Tidus who had taken first place, but for now, they were oblivious to everything but each other.
Okay, so originally this was going to have four chapters but they would have been just too short, so here it is. Happy Valentines Day. (Single-people awareness day, if you are so inclined)
Also. I may post the alternative ending if enough people want it..
LISTEN TO THE SONG PEOPLE!!
Thanks :D xx
(Dedicated to Alice)
