Page 21 of Up All Night

I coughed on the sip of water I had just taken. “Next time?”

She looked up at me with wide innocent eyes that were anything but. “Yeah, you said it was great and that it wasn’t a struggle, right?”

“Yeah,” I said warily.

“Then I’ll see you again next week.” She turned, her ponytail almost hitting me in the face.

I stood there dumbfounded as I watched her walk out of the room. How in the heck had she gotten me to sign up to do this awful workout again?

8

Halle

As I walked out to my car, I smiled the entire way. That was the best spin class I’d ever taught. Watching West struggle had fueled me with more drive and intensity than any energy drink.

What did that say about me as a person?

That I loved being right.

He’d gone on and on about how easy spin classes sounded, and I had loved being the person to prove him wrong. The only annoying thing about it all was how even though he’d had to constantly fight to keep up, he’d looked good doing it. I hated how good-looking he was. It was as annoying as his personality. But I was woman enough to admit that he looked good covered in sweat, his shirt sticking to his skin and showing off the hours he had put in at the gym.

I got in my 2006 Toyota Corolla, and pushed thoughts of stupid, sexy, sweaty West out of my head. Putting the key in the ignition, I sent up a little prayer that my car would start. I turned the key, and the car spurted and spluttered, but the engine wouldn’t turn over all the way.

“C’mon, Betty,” I said to my car. “You can do it.” Betty was old, but up until a month ago, she had been a reliable car. I’d gotten an awesome deal on her and didn’t have a car payment, which was huge when every penny counted. I couldn’t afford to get a new car. And having to get this car fixed would set me back in my long term dreams.

I tried again, the clicking noise sounding loud in the gym parking lot. People from my spin class made their way to their cars, stopping to chat on the way, but paused to look at my coughing car. I tried not to be embarrassed as I looked down at my ignition to avoid seeing their curious stares. Hoping the third time would be the charm, I tried to start my car again.

Finally, Betty’s engine revved to life, and I breathed out a sigh of relief.

I pulled out of the parking lot and drove toward my apartment, grateful that I got to go home earlier than I normally did on Saturdays. I usually had two training sessions after my spin class, but they had both canceled today, giving me some extra time. Not that I would get to relax or rest. I still had three dances I needed to finish choreographing for the recital. I was hoping I could get a lot done with the extra hours I had today.

As I walked up the stairs to my apartment, my phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my bag and saw my mom’s name on the screen.

I let out a groan before answering the phone. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hey, girl,” my mom said, her greeting making me cringe.

Since she and I were only seventeen years apart, she’d always treated me more as a friend than a daughter. Not that being friends with your mom was a bad thing, but sometimes a girl needed a mom. It was like when she had me, she had stayed forever seventeen. She didn’t seem to fully understand what it was like to be an adult. I’d had to be the more responsible one, helping with the finances to help us make it through times when she couldn’t handle life. Or didn’t have a guy to help her out. She had a talent for finding boyfriends who were willing to pay for everything. Which I wasn’t totally ungrateful for. Between her many different jobs and different boyfriends (and my income as a teenager), I’d been able to dance throughout my childhood.

“I’m going to be in your neck of the woods and want to come see you,” she said, interrupting my thoughts.

“Oh, yeah, that would be great.” I tried to infuse some excitement in my voice.

It would be good to see her, but she probably needed money. If I had to guess, she and whoever was her latest boyfriend had just broken up.

“It will be fun! I just need to crash on your couch for a couple nights,” she threw in. “It will be like old times, but better because it will be like a sleepover!”

Yippee.

I shut the door behind me and dropped my keys in the bowl on the kitchen counter.

“That will be fun.” Although my voice didn’t match my words, she didn’t notice.

“Perfect. I should be arriving sometime on Monday. I’ll text you when I know what time.”

“Sounds good.” I sank onto the couch, suddenly feeling very tired.

We said our goodbyes, and after I hung up, I sat there in the silence of my apartment until the wind chimes I’d hung up last night started tinkling in the breeze.

---