Page 69 of Sporty Girls Don't Fall For Loners

Her hands are so warm and soft, but I’m trying not to focus on that. Honestly, I don’t know what made me come over here.

She’s looking at me and I’m looking at her as the music blares and everyone shakes their bodies around us.

We’re like in some sort of bubble or trance.

Until I realize what I’m doing and I quickly drop her hands. She smiles awkwardly as she tucks some hair behind her ear.

“So um…still want to dance?” she asks.

I glance at all the kids who are having a good time. For six years, I didn’t let myself have an ounce of fun. Now that things are relatively okay…maybe it’s time.

“Not together or anything,” Zoey quickly says. “Like…with each other…as friends.”

My eyebrows furrow. “Friends?”

“Well, if you want to be, I mean.”

It warms my heart that she sees me as a friend. I’ve forgotten what that feels like. “Sure.” I clear my throat. “Yeah.”

“Cool. Good. Great.” Pressing her mouth shut, she looks away. A few seconds pass before she says, “So all you have to do is feel the beat of the music and move your body. I’ve been told there’s no wrong way to dance. Just do what feels right.” She starts to move. “Kind of like this.”

I try to feel the music, but I’m not getting anything. I just stand there.

She laughs as she takes hold of my hands. “Follow what I do.”

I do as she does, shaking my body in different directions.

This is kind of silly. But at the same time, it doesn’t feel so bad because she’s here with me.

“See! You’re getting the hang of it,” she says.

She drops my hands and waves hers over her head as she dances and twirls around. Then she goes still, her eyes wide. “Wow. I have no idea where that came from. I haven’t moved like this since my dance classes ages ago.”

I take her hands again. “You must have felt the music.”

She stares at our hands again, then looks at me. “It’s probably all the stress from football and school coming out.”

“Stress from football and school? But you like those things.”

“Yeah,” she says as she moves to and fro, our hands still clasped. I don’t think either of us wants to let go. “I sometimes get stressed about football. Like tonight, even though we won the game.”

“Heard the Lions demolished the other team.”

She shrugs with a laugh. “I wouldn’t say demolished, but yeah, we showed them.”

We’ve stopped dancing, but are still holding hands. She doesn’t let go and neither do I.

She opens her mouth to say something, but then shuts it and looks away. I keep my eyes on her until she focuses back on me. I don’t avert my gaze.

“Sorry I wasn’t such a good party buddy tonight,” I tell her. “It was my first party.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that. So what do you think?”

“Too many people.”

“Yeah, I’d rather be reading a book in my room.”

“Or playing a game on my phone.”

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