Page 118 of What You Wish For

I let my hand fall to my side. This was getting embarrassing.

“What’s the problem?” I asked, stepping a little closer.

“I haven’t danced in a long time,” Duncan said.

“I haven’t dancedever,” I said, “except in my living room. But that’s not stopping me.” Actually, it might stop me. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do if he didn’t take charge.

Duncan shook his head, likeDon’t do this.

Should I do it?

I took the card out of his hand and read it. “Final task,” it said. “Dance with Sam. Right now. Mrs. Kline has a song queued up for you.”

I looked around. Mrs. Kline was watching us, at the ready. The room was watching us, too, trying to figure out what was going on. Duncan was watching me, wondering what I was going to do next.

WhatwasI going to do next?

I hesitated.

And then I remembered something Max used to say.Do something joyful.

And so I just knew. We were doing this. He didn’t want to, and I sure as hell didn’t want to, but we were doing it anyway.

I looked over at Mrs. Kline, and I gave her a little nod.

Then I said, “Well, if it’s really been a long time, I bet you miss it.”

Duncan blinked.

“I can’t make you dance with me,” I said. “But I’m kind of hoping I can tempt you.”

Duncan shook his head.

“I bet that you can’t resist whatever Babette’s got queued up.”

Duncan shook his head. “I can resist anything. I resist things every day. I am a world-champion resister.”

I raised my eyebrows, likeTouché. “So this is a very low-risk proposition for you.”

I could sense his competitive spirit rising. “It’s not low risk, it’snorisk.”

“You don’t know what the song is yet. Maybe it’s irresistible.” I didn’t know, either, but he didn’t know that.

“Don’t worry about me.”

“I won’t.”

“Worry about yourself.”

Actually, I should have been worrying about myself. Because I’d just chosen a path that I’d have no choice but to dance my way out of.

Not good. At all.

But this was happening.

“Hey!” I shouted then to the room, before Duncan could stop me. The few teachers in the room who weren’t already watching us looked over. “Principal Carpenter thinks he can resist an irresistible song!” I pointed at him exaggeratedly. “And so I dare himnotto dance!”

The room cheered me on.

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