Push!

Anastasia James

After so many adjustments to the choreography – not to mention the acting, of course – we’re finally done. We are exactly eight days away from the championship, and all that remains for us now is to continue rehearsing so that we don't forget a single step.

To be honest, unlike the others, who were nervous and anxious about the upcoming championship, I was extremely excited. What I wanted most was to be able to get rid of this obligation and responsibility that rehearsals are. To do what I like, you know? But, during one of Johnny's many motivational phrases, I caught myself thinking about the afterwards, and I was lost.

When I agreed to participate in the championship, my only thought was that I would finally be able to dance again. But when it's all over, what will I do? I thought about it for a long time, but the answer to this question just didn't come. I love ballet dancing, but even though my father has found a job, I can't go back to taking classes…

“You aren’t just going to stand there staring at nothing, are you?” Matthew snapped his finger in front of my face, waking me up instantly. I stared at him and took a deep, loud breath.

I must have been out of my mind.

What was I thinking to do such a barbaric thing? And with Matthew! What could be worse than that? Cool, I know his pain and all that shit, but I also know him well enough to know that he’ll make me hell for the rest of my days! Come one! He’s just my dance partner.

Oh, I hate him! Why did he have to be so stupid? Not stupid, idiot. Really! That drink must have been laced with some kind of hallucinogenic substance for me to want to have sex with Matt. He's not even all that! I took a deep breath and stared at him.

Matthew began to move around the room, doing some crazy 'hip-hop' moves. His eyes were fixed on the mirror, probably watching his own movements. When he got to the slow part of the song, he raised his arms, making very subtle movements that didn't even look like hip-hop, but they were. His shirt, being a little short, lifted up, allowing me to get a nice view of his waist. Matt had well-marked entrances to the ‘path of happiness’ and, impressively, there was a tattoo there as well. It was a rose, with petals colored in a very bright red and…

“Ana? Ana!” Steph's voice made me startle and turn in her direction.

“Hi.” I blinked a few times, still a little bewildered.

“Your turn.” She said as if it were the obvious, pointing to the center of the room. I followed his gaze and saw that Matt had his arms resting on his head, slightly bent, with a mischievous smile on his lips.

“Jesus, but are you still hung-over?” Kaleb asked, making me look at him. “She is over the moon.”

“And her cheeks are so red…” Scott narrowed his eyes, analyzing my face.

At that moment, I raised my hands and covered my cheeks, as if to change the circumstances.

“Not at all. She's probably just hot.” Matthew said simply, so I glared at him. “Would you like some ice water?”

I don't think anyone but me noticed the double meaning in his sentence, but I still thought it was unnecessary. I crossed my arms below my breasts and stared at him. Is he really going to keep making these ridiculous little jokes? I thought I had messed up by pretending that nothing had happened between us, or rather, that it almost did, but I am more and more convinced that I did the right thing.

“Sorry, guys. I promise to concentrate so that we can go home soon.” I forced a smile. “We don't need to do it again. Just turn the music back up a bit and I'll come in.”

As soon as I said this, I turned around and started to tie my hair into a high ponytail, going to my position in the center of the room. A silence filled the room and I bet no one understood a thing, but I just ignored it when the beats of the music echoed through the place. I took a deep breath and started to move. It's amazing how different everything is when I'm on my tiptoes. I feel like a different person.

When the beats became slow and steady, I approached Matthew, dancing around him. We looked at each other intently. It seemed like there was no one else there. Following the order of the steps, as the music gradually picked up speed, he threatened to approach me, so I did a sequenced spin, pulling away. I did the triple jump and spun on my own two feet, stopping just as Matt reached me.

He grabbed me around the waist and started to spin around the room with me. When my feet hit the floor, we parted, causing me to feel a tingling sensation in the area where contact had been made. I tried to ignore it. I spun around Matt, stopping behind him, who turned to me just as I threw my arms up in the air and bent backwards. One of his hands grabbed my waist, giving me the support I needed to lift my leg as high as possible.

Before the music could come to an end, Matthew pulled me in, as I bent my leg and hooked into the side of his body. I held my breath as I realized how close we were. With my breaths panting from the exertion, my traitorous mind did me the favor of reminding me of last night.

And I don't know if it was something in my troubled head, but I swear I saw Matt approaching. I began to hallucinate, no longer able to discern reality from fantasy, in a mixture of yesterday's fragments, and the dance. So I abruptly turned away. I looked around and everyone seemed calm, as if everything was in the planning. Didn't anyone realize what had happened here? It seemed like forever!

“I think that's enough, guys.” Steph said with a sigh.

“That's true.” Johnny agreed. “We had a lot to drink last night and still came here to make an effort.” He smiled. “At least the day wasn't in vain.”

“So we're free?” Kaleb asked expectantly.

“Yes.” Steph nodded and laughed as she heard the redhead's outrageous celebration.

Everyone started to gather their things and slowly left the room. I smiled and decided to do the same, walking to my backpack, which was in the corner of the room. I sat down on the floor and, in record time, removed my ballet shoes. I put on my sneakers and when I mentioned to walk to the door, Matthew called me.

“Anastasia?” I turned to him, surprised and confused at the same time. “I wondered if we could talk.”

I looked away from him to Steph and Johnny, who were the only ones still in the room. They alternated their gazes between us, then looked at each other and just raised their eyebrows without saying a word. When they mentioned getting up and leaving, I spoke up.

“Does it have to be today?” I moistened my lips. “My father wants me home early for dinner.”

Was that a lie? Yes, after all, with his new job, my father has been coming home very late. My dinner tonight will be pizza!

“Then I'll walk you home.” He shrugged, and as she threatened to turn to leave, my brain clicked.

“No.” I practically screamed, making everyone look at me in astonishment.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I can't justify myself on this one. But, I guess it's better to take five more minutes here than to have him so close to my house. Honestly, just thinking about the possibilities of him coming in and us ending up alone in the same place.

“I…” I pressed my lips together and stared at him. “Five minutes.” I said with a sigh. “That's as long as I can wait.”

“If you cooperate with me, I’ll only need two.” He said simply, but it strangely affected me. “Steph, you don't have to wait for me. You can take Johnny home.”

“Okay.” She shrugged, putting her backpack on her back.

“Are you sure?” Johnny alternated his gaze between the two of us. “We can wait for you outside.”

“Yes, don't worry.” He said. They shrugged and obeyed, then left the room.

Once we were alone, I stared at him, analyzing his expression. Matt had his hands inside the pockets of his jeans and was looking at me with a certain… funny? I couldn't explain it, but there was a sparkle in his eyes.

“So?” I encouraged him to speak.

“I'll be direct.” He warned, and after a few minutes of silence, he spoke again. “Forget about last night.”

I couldn't help myself and laughed in derision. He wasn't serious, was he?

“Is that what you wanted to talk about?” I raised my eyebrow, but preferred not to argue. “Rest assured, I told you that for me, that night never even existed.”

“Good, then at least learn to cover it up.” He laughed nasally.

“Cover what?” I frowned.

“You get all tense around me.” He moistened his lips, containing a smile. “If I touch you, the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.”

“It’s not like that!” I huffed, crossing my arms under my breasts. “I feel too much cold. It’s just this.”

“Okay, then let me test it.” He stepped forward, and my reaction was only one: to step back and defensively raise my hands in front of my body. Matt laughed and shook his head negatively.

“I'm sweaty.” I argued. “Better not.”

“You threw up on me.” He stared at me, bored. “Want something more disgusting than that?”

“It wasn't exactly on you.” I muttered.

“Anyway…” He rolled his eyes. “We're clear, right?” He sighed, impatient. “I don't want something insignificant to get in the way of the championship. “

“Something insignificant?” I raised my eyebrows, incredulous.

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “Unless you want to go back and say that the alcohol was just a pretext.” He cocked his head to the side, clearly enjoying the situation.

“That's what you most want to hear, isn't it?” I narrowed my eyes. The debauched smile on his face just made me want to choke him. “What a shame! I was so drunk last night…” I was ironic and saw him smile.

He tapped his index and middle fingers on his forehead, and turned and left the room. I stared at the door where Matthew had left, and it was impossible not to burst out laughing.

“Something insignificant?”

What a jerk! I may not be the siliconed skirt he's used to seeing in bars and nightclubs, but have patience, right? I rolled my eyes and reached into my purse, stomping hard out of the practice room.

I won't stress myself out.

***

John Leblanc

God, I'm so hungry!

I continued scrolling through the Netflix catalog, trying to keep myself distracted, but my stomach was rumbling so hard, I started squirming on the couch in the living room. What the hell! Why is Steph taking so long in that shower?

Impatient, I got up from the couch and walked to the kitchen. Since the pretty one is going to be a while, I'll go and line my stomach with some cookies. As soon as I reached the kitchen, I went to the cabinets on the counter and rummaged through them, looking for something. My eyes lit up when I saw a chocolate filled cookie, so I reached out and grabbed it. I know I sound like a child, but as soon as I opened the package and ate the first cookie, my insides just let off fireworks. I was happy when I went to get the second cookie, but a voice made my body stop and a shiver ran up my spine

“Johnny!” I turned around, my mouth full of cookies, and found Steph staring at me, staring at my leg in a cast.

“Are you done with your shower?” I blinked a few times and said with my mouth full.

“Your leg…” She ignored my question, perplexed.

Okay, it was good while it lasted.

“I can explain.” I said with a sigh, walking back to the couch. I didn't look at her, but I imagine that she must be surprised that I was walking normally.

“If you tell me it was an act from the beginning, get ready to be beaten.” She warned.

“What if it wasn't exactly from the beginning?” I gave a yellow smile, but Steph raised her right hand, threatening to hit me, so I raised my arms to defend myself. “Calm down! Calm down!”

“I think you better have a good excuse.” She growled, and I sat down on the couch.

“Maybe it's not so good for you, but for me, it's excellent.” I smiled cheekily and shrugged, but when I saw the look in her eyes, I pressed my lips together. “For starters, I really broke my foot, okay?” I nodded. “But it got better…”

“When?” She said in a terse voice.

“Yesterday? Today!” I raised my arms and saw his face soften. “It was literally after the Festival of Colors.”

“Okay, less bad.” She sighed, sitting down beside me. “I thought you had made me your servant up and down out of sheer convenience.”

“Is that what you think of me?” I stared at her, but her face indicated that I was in no position to demand anything, so I rolled my eyes and decided to let it go. “Today I was later than everyone else. Remember?”

“Uhum.” She affirmed. “You went to the doctor?”

“That's right.” I pointed my forefinger at her. “She had said that when I could put my feet on the ground without pain, I would be able to take off the cast. And that's what happened. But, I asked her not to take the cast off.”

“Why did you do that, you jerk?” Steph slapped my arm. “It’s bad for your foot.”

“Ouch!” I grumbled, smoothing the sore spot. “I'll fucking explain!”

“Okay, sorry.” She crossed her legs.

“When I broke my foot, Matt made me promise to take my place back as soon as he got better.” I remembered the agreement we made at the hospital, when I asked him to replace me.

“He had the nerve to ask you to do that!” She raised his eyebrows.

“Yes, but the point is that my foot is better, right?” I stated the obvious. “And I don't want to go back.”

“What do you mean you don't want to go back?” She widened his eyes. “You're not going to tell me you're giving up on…”

“No.” I laughed nasally at your desperation. “I just don't want to go back now.” I emphasized, looking at a random point. “Have you noticed how much Matt has changed since you told Ana? I don't know, but I think she's good for him.” I frowned, searching for the right words. “It's like she's woken him up from his… delirium.”

“Yes, I noticed.” She confirmed. “They even joined together to make the championship work!” She emphasized. “I just thought that today, they were really weird…” She commented. “Did you notice?”

“I noticed.” I moistened my lips. “And that's why I think there was something going on between them.”

“What do you mean?” She frowned at me.

“Didn't you mention that yesterday when you were walking back to your room, you bumped into Matt coming out of there?” I asked.

“Yes, I did.” She shrugged. “But when I questioned him, he said he only went to return Ana's cell phone, because she had left it on the couch. And really. Before I went to Greg's room with you, it was off there.”

“That's the point.” I smiled mischievously. “This morning he asked me to return Ana's cell phone, because she had dropped it in the nightclub parking lot!”

“Liar!” Steph covered her mouth with her hands. “But what did he want with her?”

“I don't know.” I shook my head. “You didn't notice anything strange about Ana, did you?”

“No! When I entered the room, she was out.” Sh said, thoughtfully. “I guess the most he could have done was cover her up and put her head on the pillow.” She stared at me. “She couldn't have done that by herself, could she?”

“Yes, indeed.” I agreed. “Well, whether there's something going on or not, I don't know, but you can feel the vibe between them.” I smiled broadly, thinking of all the times I have caught certain glances. “To be honest, I think Matt has been swayed since the first day Ana showed up at Rachel's.”

“So did he, right?” She snorted. “Ana is the spitting image of Rachel!”

“Not just in that sense, dickhead.” I rolled my eyes. “I'm saying that she awakened something in him. Don't you remember that he looked like a walking door, pretending to be blind for other people?” I raised my eyebrow. “He only talked to the people in the group.”

“Maybe that was just a coincidence too, huh?” Steph narrowed her eyes. “The day she arrived was the day he decided to change.” She shrugged. “Coincidences happen.”

“Even he doesn't believe that. You won't be the one to believe it, will you?” I stared at her. “I've already set up so many things to make them…” I pressed my lips together. “I don't know!”

“I can't believe you're playing Cupid, John Leblanc.” She laughed nasally. “You, of all people!”

“If not me, who will make him see things?” I snorted, annoyed at Matt's sluggishness. “I tried to figure out all sorts of ways for them to spend time together. I even thought that the day he told his life story something would happen, but it didn't, did it? The only way out I found was this dance for the championship.”

“Yes, it’s difficult. They are very different.” Steph commented, thoughtfully.

“How different?” I frowned at her. “Only in their tastes and opinions, because their stubbornness is surprisingly the same.” Steph eventually agreed, making me sigh. “Too bad, the championship will be over soon. Also, I don't think anything will happen in such a short time.”

“It would be nice if they spent some time together.” Sh said simply. “But outside of this championship atmosphere and the drunkenness of the club, you know?”

“Like on a date?” I laughed mockingly, knowing that this would be impossible. “I told you, I tried to set them up, claiming it was a coincidence, but Matt just ripped my balls out through my throat.”

“Not even if you ask them to find you, and you drill?” She raised her eyebrows.

“I'm telling you, I did exactly that.” I said. “It would only work if…”

Suddenly, an idea popped into my mind.

“When you make that face…” Steph stared at me with narrowed eyes. “What were you thinking, huh?”

“I'll have them pick up the credentials for the championship!” I said, excited.

“But didn't you already get them?” She frowned.

“Well, nobody knows that but you.” I winked, causing his jaw to drop.

“What a damned fool!” She laughed, incredulously.

“Yes, it is.” I smiled mischievously, putting my hands behind my head. “But you will be my accomplice, huh?”

“Me? What do you expect me to do?” She gave me a disdainful look.

“Cover for me?” I said as if it were the obvious.

“Okay, but…” She moistened her lips thoughtfully. “I know you're going to be pissed off with this, but have you ever thought about the possibility of them going, getting nothing, and coming back the same way?”

“There's no way that could happen.” I laughed puffily.

“Actually, it's quite possible.” She affirmed.

“Okay, but it won't happen.” I stared at her, already annoyed by her pessimism.

“How can you be so sure?” She narrowed her eyes.

“Because I can feel it.” I gave her a wry smile. “Love is always stronger.”

“Oh, what the fuck was that, Johnny?” She huffed, standing up.

“I don't know, I think it's the hunger.” I sighed, patting my stomach.

“Well, I'm going to go now and order our dinner, because if I have to listen to another one of those, I think I'll throw up.” She frowned and went off after his cell phone. I couldn't help but laugh.

I stared at the television, which was in standby mode due to the amount of time it had been off. I am not a romantic lunatic who believes in fate and the like, nor am I a cupid who wants to go out and mend the hearts of everyone who comes along. But, anyway, I really believe that Matt and Ana were made for each other. They just haven't realized it yet.

But, as my grandmother would say, and I agree with her completely, all it takes is a little push and everything works out.