I cut him off mid speech. “Thanks, Dad. I love you, okay, but right now I’m on my way out with Courtney, and we’re going to see Swan Lake. I will call you and Mom this weekend. Love you, bye.” I hang up before he can reply and put my phone down on my bed, leaving it behind in case someone else tries calling me. I don’t want distractions tonight.
“Same talk?” Court asks as we go down to my car.
“Yup. As usual. I know my parents love the hell out of me, and support me with whatever, but the lectures that comes with everything drives me batty.” I start the car up and we take off. “Did you know that Mom wanted to move here so I could live with her? I swear, she’s nuts.”
Courtney laughs. “She’s the most horrid helicopter mom I’ve ever met. I’m surprised she only offered to move here to live with you. I’m surprised she didn’t ask for a surgery to attach you guys together.”
I groan. “Oh god, don’t even suggest that near her, she probably would.”
Courtney entertains me on the drive by bitching about Keith interrupting her beauty sleep.
“That dude seriously needs to get a grip. It’s been forever since you have dated. You just wait, he’s going to cause a shit storm with Tate.”
“Tate isn’t my boyfriend,” I remind her. “We’re friends.” At least I think we are. After our date that wasn’t really a date, I’m not sure.
“Mhmm, I hear you.” She smirks turning up the radio and sings until I threaten to put her out on the freeway.
After paying for parking, Courtney and I head inside to find our seats. This isn’t really her thing, but she soldiers through it for me. The lights go down and the curtain opens. The orchestra plays softly from the pit and I am in awe. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. When I’m dancing, nothing else exists. I don’t have to think about anything. I just let my body take the lead.
The performers on stage blur out of sight as my fantasy of dancing with a company takes center stage.
**
Sitting across from Courtney at some swanky restaurant near the theater she starts in. I’m buying since my parents pay my way right now. Might as well reap the benefits while I can. I know if I tell my dad about the audition, he will flip his shit.
“Dish about King. You haven’t been telling me much.” She sticks her fork into her salad and takes a giant bite.
“Not much to tell really, you already know about the dancing and about how he helped me with Keith.” Her eyes narrow and I surrender. “Okay, so we’ve gotten food together, and I like him,” I divulge quickly.
“Wait, what? You like him?” Of course, she would catch onto that slight admission.
I sigh. “Yes okay, and I know I shouldn’t but ugh, I don’t know. I do. It’s weird, right?”
She grins. “This is perfect, I love this. And he obviously likes you, right?”
I fill her in on what he said to me last night and she stares at me in shock. “Yeah, he totally likes you. Woot!” She screeches. “My bestie has the hottest guy on campus wanting her bad.”
“Shh,” I scold her. People are staring.
“Huh uh, no way. I’m basking in this awesome moment. I love this. And I love this for you.”
“He’s just so not what I expected at all. He is so thoughtful and caring. I was expecting him to be all jerkfaced and feeling entitled to the world. Tate’s so different from any guy I’ve ever dated, hell, any guy I’ve ever known.”
Courtney is wearing a disgustingly cheesy smile on her face as she takes another bite.
“Just don’t let him see you eat, like really eat.” She snorts as I wipe dressing from my shirt. “You should just bring a bib next time,” she teases.
I throw a baby tomato at her and it goes down her shirt.
I dab at my shirt. “Yeah, when we got food the other day, I only got one plate, and I even gave him the rest, pretending I was stuffed.”
Court laughs. “That’s probably why I could hear your stomach growling all night.”
I throw my napkin at her laughing.
Today has been the best day I could have asked for.
Chapter 11