Page 66 of Ask No Questions

I knew he wouldn’t ditch class, so I got to the room as fast as I could after yearbook so I could catch him on his way in.

It worked. I could have sworn he hesitated when he saw me, but he walked over to me and gave me a signature smile like everything was normal.

“Hi, Aubrey.”

That’s it? Days of ignoring me, and he just says hi. Jerk.

“Hi Luke, I’m surprised you remember me.”

“Look, I know we haven’t talked much. I’ve just been really busy with some surf competitions and stuff.”

“Competitions on weekdays? Luke, are you mad at me or something?” I hated sounding like a desperate clinger, but I thought we were friends.

“It’s not you.” Famous last words. “I just have a lot to focus on right now, like the competition on Saturday. It’s huge for me, and there’s all this drama going on. I don’t want to get dragged into it.”

“You said you would be back in time for pictures and the dance, though. Luke, if you had this going on why did you ask me?”

I wasn’t panicking about the dance so much as I was angry he would put us both in awkward positions.

“I wanted to go with you. I still do. But everyone is talking about us, and the nominations, and asking me if we’re a couple. It’s too much. I’m not into drama.”

“Neither am I. I had no idea there would be posters of us, or that I would even be nominated.”

“It’s not your fault. I just think it would be best if we kept things simple. We can be friends, but I don’t want more rumors going around about us.”

What rumors? “Okay, that’s fine.”

“Maybe we can hang out tomorrow after my competition. I’ll call you.”

I just nodded as he walked by me and into the classroom. I knew the posters were over the top, especially after Sydney got a hold of them, but why was Luke blowing everything out of proportion? Dumb boy.

If only boys were as easy to understand as dance. In the studio, I knew my place. I knew what was expected of me, and I knew what the results would be. There were only a few surprises or things that could mess with your mind.

I repeated that to myself through the hours of practice I had. I pushed away all thoughts of Luke, Gage, Carter, and Mike. Wow, four guys. How did my life become so complicated? Up until moving here, I was a one-man woman.

Apparently, I was more focused on my thoughts than the moves since I was called out by Miss Amy multiple times in my first class.

In my contemporary class, Miss Gloria walked us through a new routine, including a kick. She demonstrated a high kick that led into an arched back. It was beautiful but challenging to fit in with the rest of the routine.

I was either distracted or feeling overconfident when I did my first run through. I stepped into the kick on relevé. I learned quickly that being on the ball of one foot with the other in the air and arching my back could lead in only one direction. Down… to the floor. I crashed-- horribly ungracefully-- to the ground in front of the entire class. It was like time stopped as everyone turned and gawked at me. A few girls snickered, but most looked horrified.

Miss Gloria stepped in front of me and offered her hand. Pulling me up, she smirked. “In all my years I have never seen such extension and length. It was beautiful until that moment.” She turned to the rest of the class. “And that is why we do this move with a focus on balance. You need to be grounded to pull it off.”

“Sorry.” I barely whispered it as I walked back into the formation.

No more boys for me. Not only was that the single most embarrassing moment of my life, but it was all because I had my mind on other things. No more.

After that humiliating experience, I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and wake up sometime next week, maybe. But when I got into my car, I saw a text from Mckayla wanting me to meet her to get our nails done. I responded with a quick yes and drove to the shopping center. I parked next to her car and met her inside.

“Aubrey! Come over here. I got us two stations.” Mckayla was sitting in a large massage chair with her feet soaking in the tub. Next to dance, this had to be my favorite activity.

“Hey. I’m so happy you texted me. I had a rough day at dance, and I completely spaced on getting my nails done for tomorrow.” I settled into my chair and dipped my feet into the warm water.

“I figured you had a lot on your mind.” She handed me a magazine and a bottle of emerald nail polish. I didn’t even realize I walked in without selecting a color.

“Thanks, you know me well.”

She laughed and leaned into the chair, closing her eyes. “Of course. Now it’s time to relax. No drama allowed.”