AllFreeNovel
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“Hey there, crazy girl.”
“Ryder!” She got off her barstool and fell into him. “Oops.” His hands steadied her.
“You all good there, Tweety? Need a ride home?”
“Nope! I’m a party girl.”
“Yes, she is!” Nina cried. She had her arms around Beau Keller’s neck.
“Party, party!” Betsy chanted.
“Want to dance, Ryeberry?”
In school, she’d been Tweety, and he’d been Ryeberry.
“Sure.” He put an arm around her waist and led her to the area where people were mostly swaying from side to side.
Birdie had no rhythm and had never tried to learn to dance since someone had once said she looked like a baby elephant.
“Move then,” Ryder said, standing in front of her.
“I can’t.”
“Of course you can. I’ve seen you a hundred times.” He put his hands on her hips and pushed her from side to side. “There you go.”
“I’m no good at it,” Birdie shouted at him.
“You need to relax. You don’t have to be good at everything, Tweety.”
She felt the ridiculous urge to cry, but she shuffled her feet, trying to copy her friend.
“But thash the problem,” she said to her toes.
“What?”
She looked at her old friend. “The problem is, I’m not good at anything, and I-I—” She stumbled sideways, and he righted her again. “But I want to be. I want to start livshing.”
“Living?” He smiled down at her, and she nodded. “I didn’t realize you felt all pathetic like this.”
“I’m not pathetic!” Ryder winced as she shrieked.
“Birdie, you are the smartest, most amazing person I know. You are talented at so many things. The only person stopping you from living is you.”
She stared at her friend, knowing he was right. She threw her arms around his neck.
“I love you, Rye.”
“Love you too, Tweety. Now, do you want some help to start living?”
She shook her head so fast she saw stars. “I need to do this for myshelf.”
“Okay, well, how about you and me have lunch next week, and we can start on your transition?”
She nodded, swallowing back the tears.
“Hi, Ryder.”
Ryder smiled at the woman who was dancing with Jay.
