Dance Fever

Nothing from the Twilight Series or Ms. Meyers works belong to me!

BPOV

Everyone was standing in the front hall waiting for Rox and I. We came downstairs and everyone headed out the door. As we were walking along, Ian came up along side me and smiled. "So I hear you had an eventful afternoon?"

"Ugh, yeah you could say that. I don't know that I'd say eventful, but certainly memorable," I said as I shook my head. "I can't believe he actually said that to me."

He raised an eyebrow, "Just what did he say? Anne didn't give us details, she just told us to keep an eye on Derrick because he wound up chasing you down this afternoon and was bothering you."

"Oh, well then maybe I shouldn't say. It really wouldn't be nice to tell. If Anne didn't want you to know, then perhaps I should just drop it."

"Anne wasn't protecting Derrick Bella, she was protecting your privacy. Sam and Anne both said you didn't want everyone to know what happened." He looked down at me and waited for me to tell him.

That was really very nice of Anne to consider my feelings on this. I didn't have an issue with Sam, Drake and Ian knowing what happened, I just felt bad for Derrick. I don't know why, but I felt sorry for him. As creepy as that whole scene was, it could be expected coming from someone like Derrick. He just didn't know how to act around people, much less girls.

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "It's no big deal really. He just decided to not only tell me how he felt about me, but he acted on it as well."

"He did what! Exactly what did he do?"

I could tell he was getting tense. He started walking faster and wouldn't look at me. Roxanne turned to us then, smiled at me with an 'I told you so' look. She turned back to Drake and started telling him what happened. Ian was walking along side of them now and I was a couple of steps behind while she told the story. Both Ian and Drake were pretty upset about how Derrick had treated me. I decided it was time to put in my two cents to lighten the mood.

"What Roxanne didn't tell you was how I told Derrick that she had a crush on him and that he should have been pursuing her. I was trying to get him to latch onto her so she could see how much fun it is to have someone like chase you around."

"Yes, but that boy is too enamored with you to even give me a second look." She said while sticking her tongue out at me.

Ian looked at me again, "Bella why are you giving him the benefit of the doubt. He's a creep and doesn't deserve your consideration, much less your kindness." The way he said it was like he was frustrated with me. It was as if Ian wanted me to be an emotional wreck about this. He kept up his pace so that there wasn't a way I could keep stride with him. What was this all about, why get mad at me? I felt a little disappointed with the way Ian was acting, it's not like I asked for Derrick to behave the way he did.

Very shortly we could hear music as we approached the park. Roxanne pointed ahead and said, "Look at the crowds. This is going to be great." Oh no, way too many people, this was bound to be a mistake. As we arrived at the park it became evident most of Burlington had come out for the Dance Dance Marathon.

There were vendors selling all types of things from pottery and jewelry to pretzels and ice cream. The area for the Dance area was roped off and as we made our way closer it became apparant this was a "Marathon", how could I have not made that connection. There was no way I could participate in a Marathon. I knew I couldn't dance and now they wanted me to participate in a marathon. Hours and hours on end dancing and not being able to stop, this was not good.

Grabbing Roxanne's arm and pulling her away from Drake I hissed at her, "I thought you said I wouldn't have to dance if I didn't want to? I don't know what I was thinking, maybe it was because I was preoccupied with the thought of dancing, but there's no way I can participate in a marathon!" I was so nervous I was going to make a fool out of myself in front of not only my new friends but also most everyone in Burlington.

Anne and Sam had stepped up to someone behind a podium but I couldn't tell what they were doing. Roxanne just laughed, "Bella don't worry. Anne and Sam are getting the information to see if we can even participate. I guess it's started already so we may not be able to. Calm down, let's see what the deal is." She pulled me along with her to join Ian and Drake who were standing off to the side waiting for Anne and Sam.

Anne came back and said, "Oh well, we missed our chance. The dance is closed; they aren't allowing any more participants. We can walk around the grounds, hang back and watch the marathon, or find something else to do. What do you think?"

"I want to dance. How about you guys?" Roxanne said turning to Ian and Drake. She knew better than to ask me.

"Sure let's go find somewhere else so Roxanne can get happy feet." Drake smiled at her now and pulled her into him while wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Come on guys, there's a club down on Church Street we can go to."

As we were walking towards the club, Anne came walking up to me, "Why the long face Bella, is everything okay?" Its funny how my face shows all my emotions, I'm so easily read, like an open book as Renee has always told me.

"Nothing, I'm just nervous. I don't dance, no that's wrong I can't dance. I'm not just two left feet; I don't have feet at all when it comes to dancing. I'm not sure how she did it, but Roxanne dragged me along and now I'm regretting that decision." I smiled at her but it really wasn't a smile more like a smirk.

"Come on Bella, it'll be fine. No one has any expectations from you. We're not here to judge you on your dancing abilities. We just wanted to get out of the house and enjoy some time with our new friends. So lighten up and just enjoy the company, the club we're going to has chairs and everything" she said while chuckling. Then she smiled and nodded her head towards Ian, "I know for a fact that he was really happy you were joining us this evening."

Oh boy was she trying to make me even more uncomfortable. I certainly didn't need the added pressure of trying to make sure that Ian didn't get the wrong impression all while still trying to build a friendship with him. I liked Ian; he was quiet and intelligent, and had a sense of humor that made me laugh. When I was with him on my first full day in Burlington, I really enjoyed our time together.

I was staring at him and thinking all these thoughts, lost in my own little world, when Anne nudged me, "Bella did you hear me? I asked you if you brought your student ID? You can't get in unless you have your ID. They won't let you drink because you aren't of age yet, but you can get in if you have your ID."

"Oh sorry, I was just drifting for a minute there. Yeah, I have it, no problem. It's fine I can't drink, the last thing I need to do is drink in a club, again the klutz thing ya know" I smirked at her.

"Bella you really need to lighten up on the whole klutz thing. Maybe you're so klutzy because you put so much thought into it. I believe that we control our own destiny and maybe not consciously but subconsciously you are probably causing your own klutzy behavior. If you relax, enjoy, and loosen up you might find that some of the klutziness will disappear." She nodded her head letting me know to think about it.

I really liked Anne, she was like the older sister that I never had. She was calm and patient, different from Roxanne. Where as Roxanne was cautious and always willing to jump at dragons that weren't there, Anne evaluated the situation from every angle and made her own conclusions. She didn't make me feel stupid, she just pointed out a different perspective.

"Thanks Anne. I'll give it a shot. You might be right, but then again don't blame me if you're wrong. I warned you. I've visited more hospitals than you could possibly imagine."

"Then the next question is, did you bring your medical ID card?" She and I laughed.

We stepped up our pace to catch up with everyone. They had just gotten to the club and were waiting at the door for the two of us. The club looked old with a marquee outside announcing the entertainment of the evening. Apparently all the local DJs weren't at the marathon!

We walked in and headed up the stairs to get to the main area of the club, it was packed. I guess anyone who couldn't participate in the marathon decided dancing was the entertainment of choice this evening. The lighting was pulsing with the music and the sound level was such that you could barely hear anyone next to you screaming in your ear. I made the decision to just let go, Anne was right I was here with my new friends and I should just relax and enjoy myself.

We found a table, no chairs but at least we could stand by the table and had a place to put down our refreshments. As soon as we were settled, Roxanne grabbed Drake's hand and pulled him out on the dance floor. Anne and Sam followed and were quickly lost in the mass amount of bodies swaying to the music.

I looked at Ian as he turned to me and smiled. He leaned over the table and shouted, "So Bella, can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm okay for now. Ian if you want to go dance, please go ahead. You don't have to hang back with me, I'll stay here." I waved my arms towards the floor letting him know to go.

"No way, I'm not leaving you standing here for all the vultures. Come on, why don't you dance with me, I'll be gentle." He grinned at me, took my hand and started pulling me towards the dance floor.

"Ian, that's not really advisable. I'm not very good and I may embarrass you." I was pulling back towards the table but he had a good grip on my hand and wasn't letting me go.

"Bella, you couldn't embarrass me more than I'll embarrass myself. I've never taken any dance lessons; I just let the music move me. I probably look like I'm having seizures when I'm dancing, the difference between you and I is I don't care what people think. I'm here having fun and to hell with what someone I don't know thinks."

We had reached the dance floor and faced each other. He started swaying to the music and dancing around me, just enjoying himself. At first I just stood there and then I started moving, making sure to keep my hands at my sides and barely moving my feet. More like just shuffling along. He was grinning and shaking his head.

He leaned into me and yelled in my ear, "Bella you can move your arms and feet. No one will care if you bump into them. Look at this place, everyone is bumping into one another, that's part of the fun." He pulled back and grinned at me.

I shrugged my shoulders and started moving a little more, I closed my eyes out of fear, but felt myself really feeling the music now. I started focusing on the music instead of my movements and when I opened my eyes again, he was really smiling. He gave me two thumbs up in approval of my new attempts.

We continued dancing for what seemed like hours. The DJ was great, playing a lot of the songs that I had on my iPod. I was really having a great time now that I let myself relax, but I was starting to get hot and thirsty. Leaning towards him I said, "I think that's enough for me for now, I really need to get some fluids in me before I continue."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me back in the direction of our table. When we arrived we discovered the table was no longer ours. We headed over to the bar. Ian ordered us both a tall glass of ice water which didn't last very long as both of us were parched. We continued resting while standing by the bar scanning the crowd for the rest of our party.

He leaned into me, "So Bella, are you enjoying yourself?" His face was so cute, he was smiling so broadly now and his eyes were sparkling.

"Yes, thank you." I looked down at my drink as I blushed.

"Come on, enough hydration, we're here to have fun." He pulled me back to the dance floor.

We found Roxanne and Drake this time and the four of us were dancing with each other. This really was a good time, but with all the bodies we were fanning ourselves as the sweat rolled down our bodies. The music was really pumped up now and there was just no way to attempt to talk while dancing. I looked at Ian and he was just dripping in sweat, I thought perhaps I could help him cool down a bit. I took my glass that I had drained of water, it only had ice in it and pulled the back of his shirt out and dumped the ice. He jumped back and looked at me, I smiled, leaned into him and yelled, "Just trying to help cool you down. You looked like you needed it."

Roxanne and Drake just looked from me to Ian and grinned. The song ended and all of us walked off the dance floor heading towards the bar. I grabbed Roxanne's hand and told her I was heading to the ladies room. She nodded in understanding and I went in search of the restroom.

Upon returning I saw that Anne and Sam had found us. We decided to call it a night and head back to the house. As we left, I noticed that Ian was walking ahead of everyone and walking at a stride that would very soon put him at a substantial distance from us. I turned to Drake and Roxanne and asked, "Is he alright?"

Drake looked ahead towards Ian, turned to me and said, "Yeah, he's fine. I guess he's just in a hurry to get back. Well, did you enjoy yourself, it sure looked like you were having fun."

"Oh yeah, it was great. Don't get me wrong; I'm not about to become a dancing queen or anything. But that was fun. And Rox," I turned to look at her, "don't get any ideas about doing this every weekend. There's no way I'll be doing this very often even if I did have fun."

Everyone laughed and Sam said, "Don't worry Bella. We don't go out every weekend. You'll soon see that the professors will start dumping on the work soon. They want us to get as much out of this semester as possible and with all of the holidays this semester it's like they try and make up for all the days we won't be in classes."

We entered the house and Anne and Sam said goodnight and headed upstairs. Drake and Roxanne decided to head into the common room and talk for a little while before heading to bed themselves. Deciding to give them some time alone, I kissed Roxanne on the cheek and told them I was exhausted and heading up to bed.

Entering the room, I smiled. As much as I was brought along kicking and screaming the whole way, it really was fun. As I was getting dressed for bed, I realized I was too keyed up to sleep. I climbed into bed anyway and briefly wondered what happened with Ian. Maybe he really was tired, but if he was so tired where did he get so much energy to practically run back to the house. It would have been nice to spend a few more minutes with him to at least say goodnight.

As I lay in my bed I was thinking about what a full day it had been. I found it confusing that I could go from really enjoying myself to being homesick, back to having a great time. I missed Jake, but he never would have gone dancing, we would have probably walked around or sat out on the deck just enjoying the evening. My life in Burlington was so far removed from my life in Forks, I almost felt like a completely different person. I closed my eyes and started drifting off.