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Most of the kids have very specialized gifts that don’t affect me at all. A few young ones, like Daisy, don’t know how much their gifts impact the adults around them. Thankfully, I can commiserate with a full staff. I can talk to therapists if it ever gets too much. I have to hand it to Meredith, she’s created something special here.
I check my watch and see that I have half an hour until my teen hip hop class. It’s both my favorite and most stressful class. On the one hand, the kids are all very talented and seem to enjoy the choreography. On the other, gifted teens come up with creative ways to bully one another. I have to be extra watchful during that class.
I don’t mind. I still feel a huge thrill whenever a kid masters a new move or comes to me with a choreography idea they’d like to show. Of all the recreation teachers at the center, my classes fill up the quickest. I’ve added extra classes to accommodate them all, not wanting any kids to feel left out.
I walk down to the staff break room and refill my water bottle at the fridge. The art teacher, Daniela, is talking to the basketball coach, Wade, about a child who’s exhibiting a lot of aggression in his pieces. I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but she’s speaking loudly and gesturing wildly with her hands while Tom stands in front of her stone faced with his arms crossed.
“I’m just saying,” she tells him in an overly dramatic voice. “He would benefit from more time on the court. I think your benching him is causing serious psychological repercussions.”
“He’s been through a lot, Dani,” Tom says in a calmer tone. “I hardly think that time on the bench is what’s causing his … what did you call it?”
“Artistic outburst,” Dani answers.
I try very hard not to giggle at her tone and turn to leave, thinking I’ll spend my remaining break coming up with new choreography. But I stop dead in my tracks when I see him. Is it 3:00 already? I glance up at the breakroom clock to confirm it.
James Marrow walks into the breakroom, ignoring all of us. He heads straight for the snack station, grabbing a bag of chips and a candy bar before turning around and walking right back out. He’s going to Meredith’s office, I’m sure. Every Friday at 3:00, he meets with her for half an hour, then leaves with an envelope in his hand. No one really knows who he is or what he takes, but the water cooler gossip about him is salacious.
Mary, the gymnastics coach, thinks he and Meredith are having an affair. But we all know her husband, Dr. Graves. He stops by way too much for Meredith to be having an affair, and I’ve seen him and James talk before like they’re old friends. I don’t give this theory any thought because I would be devastated to think James is sleeping with my boss. With anyone, really.
Since the first time I saw him, I’ve had a huge crush on him. I do everything I can to make him notice me, even coming to Meredith’s office sometimes when he’s there, but he hasn’t looked at me once. Just like when he came into the breakroom and acted like none of us were even there. It’s like I’m a ghost when he’s around. I could probably scream in his face and he’d ignore me.
I try not to let that bother me as I walk into my hip hop class. The enthusiastic faces of the kids encourage me, helping me to banish the thought of James Marrow for an hour. By the end of the class, I’m sweatier and sore. Thank goodness this is my last class of the day. I have nothing left in me. It’s the end of the week. I’ve more than gotten my workout in for the week.
Watching the kids improve makes it all worth it. It must be how my instructors felt when they were teaching me as a kid. I didn’t take to dance immediately. When I finally did, I was determined to be perfect. They coached me to the perfect form and award-winning movements. I danced in competitions and won.
Of course, all that had to end. At least teaching helps me feel connected to my roots. Since I can’t spend my days on stage anymore, it’s just as good to inspire the next generation of dancers. It makes the years of sacrifice feel like they were worth something.
I lock up all my equipment and close down the dance room, grateful for the weekend to rest my body and get my head together for the next week. Too soon, it will be Friday. James will be back, taunting me with his movie-star good looks. When I took this job, I naively hoped I might meet a handsome man who’s passionate about changing the world. After all, nobody works at a youth center for the money.
It became clear to me after my introductions to the staff on the first day that no eligible men waited for me here. At first, it was a real bummer, but it helped me to focus better on my job. I had almost gotten through my first week when James walked through the door for first time.
Originally, I thought maybe he was a parent. I tried to casually ask one of the other teachers whose father he was, and she laughed and said he was Meredith’s friend. A little more digging revealed, well, nothing. Apart from the fact that he was gorgeous, didn’t wear a wedding ring, and didn’t have a kid at the center, I couldn’t find out anything more about him from the staff. So, naturally, my brain latched on to him and concocted wild plans to introduce myself.
It’s been three months, though, and I’ve made zero headway. I’ve tried everything I could think of, but he’s clearly not interested. I should move on and forget the whole thing, but I can’t help the way my heart skips a beat every time I see him. I purposely scheduled the youth ballet class to end at precisely 2:55 so I’d get a glimpse of him when he comes in.
My cheeks flame at the ridiculousness of it all. I’m not usually the girl who pines after a guy she has no chance with. I know I’m pretty and that’s not just me being vain. There are plenty of men in the city who would probably feel lucky to share the same air as me. But something is so intriguing about James, so enticing.
As I walk by Meredith’s office on the way out of the center, I see that her light is on. Before I can lose my nerve, I poke my head into her office.
“Hey, Melissa,” she says brightly when she sees me. “How’s everything going? I’ve been hearing great reviews of your classes!”
I really like Meredith. She’s only a few years older than me, but she’s clearly got her life together. She’s married to a gorgeous doctor, and she conceived this place all on her own. She’s living out a dream she’s clearly passionate about.
“Things are great,” I respond just as brightly. “I’ve enjoyed all the kids, and the staff and I are getting along really well.” I take a breath, debating what to say next, but the words come out on their own, without my permission. “I just wish your friend was a little nicer to us.”
That wasn’t subtle. Maybe she’ll think of it as a genuine complaint and not me fishing for more information about him. She cocks her head and squints her eyes, likely trying to think about who I mean. Understanding dawns on her face and she has to suppress a chuckle.
“Oh.” She laughs. “You mean James. I’m sorry about him, he’s not really thrilled that he has to come here every week.”
“Has to?” I ask, surprised.
“It’s nothing,” she says, waving her hand. “His boss helps out a lot and likes to get a report of his volunteer hours every week. But, yes, Bones…James isn’t the friendliest.”
“I feel bad for his girlfriend,” I say in a dismissive tone, hoping again that she won’t see through my thinly veiled interest.
She simply throws her head back and laughs again. “That would be the day,” she says, unable to control her laughter. “I can’t imagine him with a girlfriend. Gosh, I’ve said too much. Listen, if he bothers you just stay out of his way. Not that he will. He looks a lot more intimidating than he is. He’ll never go out of his way to upset you, I promise.”
I nod and quickly make my excuses to leave. That conversation taught me exactly nothing. I needed to just move on.
