My Bubblegum King - Chapter 16: Chapter 16

I found it.
I found the three storey building dance studio and one would think with all the speeches and you can do it talks I've gotten, both from Sebastian and Diego and partially Ry, I'd have gotten rid of my nerves and be more than ready to face anything. Yes, the talks really helped, it's the reason why I'm standing here in the first place but, I'm not really ready to face anything.
Would I ever be even? The answer to that was a strong No and with that in my mind I stopped thinking about my nerves and just pushed the damn doors open, going in. I was attacked by while tile and lot's and lot's of stairs, I almost got dizzy for a second.
"Holy hell," I breathed out. Then I heard a ding and I turned to see a couple of ballet dancers coming out of an elevator that I had not yet seen, laughing amongst themselves. I sighed I relief and walked to the elevator, getting in and putting in the floor number Nancy texted to me. Second floor, room 7. I guess the stairs are mostly for decoration, there's no way that much stairs is needed to get anywhere.
When the elevator stopped at the second floor, I got out was faced with room 6, the door was partially opened and I could hear music coming out from it. The place felt quiet and peaceful, I could feel myself relaxing. The white tiles looked okay with the light brown doors. I turned and walked a little before seeing room 7, the door was closed. I stood by it and wondered if I should knock or just open it up. I decided to just open it and when I did, my ears was blessed with Christiana Perri's song, Thousand Years. It's this some kind of trap, I love this song! I didn't even have to search, the place was empty save for Nancy who was sat at the middle of the room, her purple shorts, dark sport bra and red hair clashing pleasantly on the white tile. I didn't know what she was doing with one leg curved under her and other one stretched out with both hands on her toes but I didn't want to interrupt and was willing to risk silently standing there like a tree branch for however long it'll take until she noticed me.
Thankfully, I didn't even have to stand for up to a minute before she threw her head back, her eyes meeting mine. My eyes widened but her composure remained perfectly calm until slowly her lips stretched into a wide smile. She reached for the tiny remote beside her, tapping it until the music reduced significantly. "Paxton," Nancy sequelled, jumping off the ground without any effort and running to me.
"Um, hey—" I was cut off when she threw herself at me in a hug. I subconsciously hugged her back.
"God, I can't tell you just how glad I am that you're here. I've been waiting and praying," she said, looking to be packed with so much energy.
I chuckled, "is that why you're playing one of my most favorite songs of all time?"
"Christian Perri?" She gasped, "me too."
"You're bringing back major feels that I wanted to keep buried," I fake sniffled. "I cried my heart out at the end."
"Who didn't?" She fake sniffled with me and we chuckled. "But like now, that's one of my most nerve calming songs. I listen to it and it brings on the Inner Peace." She did the kunfu Panda move.
I laughed, "true true. How did you know I was here? Finding me out like that was low-key creepy."
She gave me an I Know Right smug look. "At that Inner Peace mode, I'm super sensitive and I guess we dancer just know when people are looking at us."
"Make sense," I looked around the place and the wall facing the door was completely glass, the other two where regular walls with the country's flag on it and other pictures of people I didn't know. The glass part, I'm guessing every room had it because from outside, that entire part of the building was all glass walls and from up here you could see outside. It made the whole place more beautiful, no windows, just AC's. "This place is really beautiful."
"Yeah, I was surprised. For such a small school, they tried."
"Yeah," I smiled at her for agreeing with me that the school was small. Ha, in your face Ry. "So this whole place is like Dance Department?"
She laughed, "I guess you can say that. There are a lot of dance rooms here, each floor and class focusing on a different thing."
"Wow," I said, then confessed. "Honestly, I didn't even know we had this in the school until I met you and Fern and Stella."
"Yeah, sadly many people are so close minded with it comes to the Bachelor of Arts in Dance, thinking it can also be gained out there on the streets too. It's a big thing too like Medicine and whatever, you know."
I looked at her, doubting a bit— as big as Medicine, I doubt. So I voices my thoughts, "no way it's as big as Medicine."
"Oh my God, Paxton, do not be one of them," she practically warned. I raised my hand up in surrender. "Bigness in this case, can be importance or significance and trust me, those vary differently with people. Yes, Medicine is huge and super important but Dancing is just as huge for me and every other girl or boy in this building. Honestly if I don't dance, if I am not here doing this, I feel like I can just... wither and die. And that might sound like an exaggeration but I feel that way, it is that way."
I walked up to her and grabbed her shoulders, "breathe Nancy." She sighed and inhaled and exhaled like I illustrated. "I get what you're saying, sorry if I made it sound any way but I know it's big."
"No, I am sorry," she smiled. "Coming at you like that for no reason."
"I'm sure you have your reason."
"Gah," she groaned while still smiling. "You're really so sweet and cute."
I chuckled, "so I've heard." Then I clapped my hands. "So, how is it that I can be of help?"
She grinned, "I hope you know, I'm not asking you to be here. I'm just offering and begging. When I danced with you last, it was fun and beautiful. I just want to try and recreate that again and my dancing partners, I love them but seriously, they can be douches. Girls be clumsy with me and guys be feeling me up under the guise of 'dancing'," she raised a finger, looking pissed at the memory. "I know the fucking difference."
"Okay," I looked her over. For someone as small as her, she sure does have a mouth on her.
"So, no pressure, let's just dance to have fun," she picked up the tiny remote control again. "Can you dance to that or should I change it? Anything of your choice."
"A Thousand Years is okay," I shrugged off my jacket, dropping it and my bag on the ground. "Try not to be disappointed."
"Ha, very funny," Nancy smiled and increased the volume to the highest. "Let's do this then!"
I was confused about what to go and Nancy gestured to herself as if telling me to imitate her. I nodded and kept my eyes on her seriously, only for her to throw her legs and hands out like a crazy person, totally catching me off guard. She burst out laughing at my expression and I chuckled, imitating the crazy move. I guess she did it to diffuse some of the nervousness, it worked and five more crazy penguin moves, she finally did something that resembled actual dance and I imitated her successfully. Nancy kept doing moves all the while moving and keeping her feet busy. I tried to keep up and even though I almost fell that one time, I'd like to think I did a good job. Soon enough, she was right in front of me, bodies touching as our arms and spine moved to the flow of the music.
It surprised me that Nancy was right afterall. When we got to the real freestyle dancing, my pace came really close to matching her and the earlier moves— which I later realized were some kind of rehearsal — were Incorporated and we flowed well together. I wasn't thinking about how I might suck or how it might not be for me or how I needed to be doing the right thing. I got engrossed in the music and the way my body replied to it, I got lost in myself and Nancy and nothing else seemed to matter. It was a kind of rush, almost like the one I've read in books that people got from jumping cliffs, skydiving or even a more relatable thing— like the one I got from riding on Sebastian's motorcycle for the first time back in highschool junior year.
When I came to the finishing part, Nancy moved away from me, did a spinning thing that's almost made me who was watching her dizzy and ended with something that had a split in-between. It was beautiful to see. She surely has been doing this her whole life.
"Wow," I breathed and so did two other voices from nowhere. I gasped turning around to see Fern and Stella by the door way.
Nancy grinned and just when I thought I had seen it all, she screeched so loud and high and got off the ground in a split second, running and jumping on me like a monkey. I barely kept my balance as I caught her. "Oh my God, I love you. I love you, I love you!" Nancy screamed and with every 'I love you' I got a kiss on each cheek, last one landing on my lips. I was stunned to silence.
"Nancy McIntyre, get off him please," Stella pleaded on my behalf.
"I can't," Nancy refuted, wrapping her arms and legs more tightly around me. "I've found my soulmate."
"Okay," Stella said, dropping her back on the floor and walking over to us. I gave her a pleading look and she nodded before she started dragging and trying to pull Nancy off me.
Fern laughed, "I'm surrounded by crazy nutheads."
Pulling Nancy off didn't work, so Stella tried tickling and it worked like magic because Nancy fell right off, taking us off guard with how fast it was.
"Ow, my bum!" She cried, trying to standing up and failing.
"Serves you right," Stella said and stopped me when I went to help her up. "Don't do that, unless you want her clinging unto you again. She's a crazy person, remember that."
"Nothing is wrong with a little crazy," Nancy retorted, finally pulling herself up.
"Yeah but yours isn't little."
"Hey Fern," I greeted, leaving the girls to argue and we shook hands.
"What's up, Paxton?" He nodded at me. "Honestly I didn't expect you to show up, you looked like the scared type that wouldn't."
I chuckled awkwardly, "I am the scared type that wouldn't but after a lot of advice and convincing, I came."
"Hopefully with a condom on right?" Fern asked and I just blinked at him in confusion. "I mean, we wouldn't want Nancy pregnant now. She might not look it but she's still too young."
Then it hit me and my face got red hot.
"Oh Lord, Fern, not that!"
He laughed, "I can't believe you didn't get it the first time. You need more dirty game in your life dude."
"I think I'm fine."
"So you guys saw right?" Nancy started, walking over with Stella to where Fern and I were. "Paxton is a natural, he's good."
"Yeah, Paxton," Fern said, tapping me. "The minutes we were able to see you kinda nailed it. Yeah your moves were a bit sloppy and slow and you could use more—"
"Fern!" Stella and Nancy cautioned.
"Okay, you did okay. Still need a lot of practice but like, it was good." He finally admitted, earning an eye roll from the girls.
"Thanks, Fernando." I said with a smile, tapping him back on the shoulder.
"We could use new blood around here," Stella said, taking a sit on the floor. "So when are you transferring Paxton?"
"Transferring?" I asked, a bit confused.
"Yeah, to Dance from whatever Chem you're studying. I don't think it's too late, is it?"
I coughed, "no, I'm not transferring, I love my Engineering."
"Yeah and he's good but not that kind yet. I'm still the number one male," Fern said, eying us all.
"Yeah we know Fern," Stella said with a deep, I don't know how she did it, long eye roll. "You're not transferring?"
"Nope," I sat down too.
"Not even changing minors?" She asked again.
"I don't have any minor," I tell them. "Chem Engineering is huge enough already. And I just don't know what to minor in, Chem Engineering has been my only thing."
"Whoa."
"Oh Stella chill mama bear," Nancy said. "Not everybody needs to have their entire life figured out, down to where they want to get buried."
"That's your problem," Stella replied, pointing a finger at Nancy. "The grounds at the cemetery in LA gets fully booked, if your body misses LA and ends up at the bottom of Pacific, that's your fucking problem."
No words.
"No pressure, we'd just dance whenever you have a free time and whenever you feel like having fun and letting go," Nancy encouraged taking a sit on the ground. "Dancing also helps with thinking and making decisions. You'd be surprised how freer you mind gets when you're dead tired with numb toes and muscles. Works like magic."
"Okay," I chuckled taking a seat as everyone while Fern brings out snacks. "I just wanted to try this out now and it was awesome. Thanks for inviting me Nancy, we really do fit."
"I know right," Nancy and I high five-d.
"I think Chem Engineering and dancing is one weird combination," Fern said shrugging.
"Shut up Fern!"