I truly believe that every single person has to go through something that absolute destroys them so that they can figure out who they really are?’.
……
It was a bright sunny day, Kathleen was hurriedly walking to the classroom from her dormitory. She was late for the class. She enters the classroom and finds Noah waiting for her with a empty seat beside him.
The class was filled with students carrying out their own stuff, she could witness EJ looking at her. She walks fast towards Noah trying to avoid him.
“Hey, did I miss anything”, she sat beside him.
“Nothing much. But we have a lot to do. Professor instructed us on completing all the exercises before tomorrow evening”, signed Noah.
“What!! are you serious? Tomorrow?! but how?”, questioned Kathleen, confused.
“Get your skates on, we have to complete it”, insisted Noah, scribbling something on his notebook.
“Well, let’s begin”, shrugged Kathleen, writing down statistics on her notebook.
“Hey, I totally forgot about it. We should start working for our committee from today. Each committee has been allocated with a room!! Since, we are running out of time, our presence is needed by our committee members, 24/7”, concludes Noah.
“Oh, great!! So, now we have to complete all the statistics exercises in time and be for our committee as well, is that what you are implying?”, stated Kathleen with a weary expression.
“Yeah!! You are right!! There is message posted on the notice board telling all this!! Did you get a glance of it??”, mentioned Noah.
“No, Noah!! Since, I was a bit late today, I had to run to the class!! So, I didn’t have the time to notice it”, she said rubbing her forehead. She was trying to solve the statistics sum.
“In that case, let me tell you this!! We will have individual points for our performance in the committee works and for our contributing activities for the intercollegiate events”, confessed Noah.
“Seriously!! Are we getting grade points? Woah, that would definitely be great!!”, responded Kathleen in excitement.
“Yes!! So, you were in the cultural committee right?”, asked Noah, checking out a list in the phone.
“Ahmm, yes!!”, Kathleen nodded.
“Ah, you belong to the dance team!! Practice starts by 11”, informed Noah, looking at his phone.
“Uh, Dance!! Okay, I got this!!”, accepted Kathleen and continued doing her statistics work.
“I find it funny”, guffawed Noah at her remark. Kathleen made poker face.
“Kath, just for fun!! I didn’t know you could dance”, chuckled Noah.
“Know it now, I do dance”, grunted Kathleen.
“Hey, relax!! Crackerjack in anything specific”, enquired Noah.
“No, I can dance ballet, jazz, hip hop as well”, concludes Kathleen.
“That sounds amazing”, exclaimed Noah in a sarcastic tone. Kathleen stuck out her tongue since he was teasing her.
“Thought of telling you this, I saw Gerald today early in the morning in our dormitory”, stated Noah.
“Oh, really!! I hope everything is good. Hope Janice gets to see him”, affirmed Kathleen wondering what would happen if they meet each other.
………………..
“I said leave my hand, Gerald”, hissed Janice trying to loosen his grip. He held her tight by the wrist.
“Now, tell me what’s wrong and I’ll leave you alone”, spoke Gerald. She looks into those beautiful blue eyes and becomes speechless.
“What’s wrong?? I’m totally fine!! What’s wrong with you?”, responded Janice, trying to snatch her right hand from his grip.
“Just don’t lie, Janice”, stated Gerald, the way he stressed the word ‘Janice’, sounded serious.
“You are trying to avoid me since this morning. I said a hi and you ignored it, I offered you a seat near me and you rejected it in the class.
And when the teacher told you to pair up with me for the upcoming assignment in creative English, you neglected it and started doing it on your own.
I joined this Felicitation committee for you and you aren’t happy about.
No smiles, no grins, no excitement!! This is not the Jay, I knew for the past few months”, concludes Gerald, staring at her brown beady eyes which was filled with anger and worry. She remained silent and glared at him waiting for an explanation that she deserve.
“Fine. I’m sorry”, apologized Gerald.
“You are sorry for what?”, questioned Janice, acting as if she doesn’t know.
“I’m sorry for everything starting from the Cafeteria incident to disappearing without letting you know”, said Gerald.
“You go wherever you want, why do I care?”, spoke back Janice with a stern face.
“I knew you were looking out for me”, mentioned Gerald. Janice face turned red.
“No, I wasn’t”, lied Janice.
“The color of your cheek speaks the truth”, told Gerald with a smile , pointing out her cheeks.
“Why do you apologize?? Who am I to you”, snapped Janice. Gerald left her hand that he was holding this long.
“You need me to answer this?!”, asked Gerald doubtfully.
“You do whatever you want to do. I’m leaving”, Janice walked away.
“Hold on, you are that someone special, I love seeing it everyday”, confessed Gerald, standing right in front of her.
Janice showed no reaction.
“Oh, why it has to be me?”, expressed Janice.
“I don’t know!! you have always been different. You are not like the result of the people. I remember your first day here. You were wearing a blue sheath dress and your hair was made into a bun.
I hope you remember, there was small inaugural ceremony for the students of Howard’s University of arts and science alone. When all the students were holding themselves back, you stepped onto the stage bravely and spoke up very boldly.
From that day on, I started watching you and your actions anonymously. I admire the way your face lightens up in excitement, the way you forget the whole world while reading your book, the way you go crazy for foods, the way you sing along with the songs and thinks nobody notices you, the way you doze off in class and I’ve noticed every single thing about you, Ms. JANICE BROWN”, informed Gerald.
“Oh!!”, Janice could say nothing more than this. Her face was turning red in shy, she never knew that he admired her this much.
She thought it was one sided, that only she liked him and she thought she was a ‘nobody’ to him. But on hearing him say she was special to him, Janice couldn’t control her happiness. She wanted to laugh out hard. She was delighted on hearing his words. She maintains a strict face towards him.
“Say something!!”, pleaded Gerald.
“We have a lot of work to do!! Come on let’s do the committee work!!”, responded Janice, managing to not smile right before him.
“Fine”, grunted Gerald.
…………………
Kathleen reaches the dance studio of their university. It was few meters away from her classroom block. She enters the studio to find it bright, it looked brand new, all the sides were surrounded by mirrors. The studio was half filled, students from all the academic year were present. She couldn’t recognize any of them. All the students seemed new to her.
At the right end of the room, she could see the most familiar face hawking at her. It was none other than EJ. Kathleen was stunned on his presence. He and his friend Liam were a part of cultural committee.
She couldn’t believe her eyes. Her stomach churned in fear( no, maybe due to surprise, she convinced herself). She turned around avoiding him gaze.
‘What the fuck!! What is the devil doing here!! He doesn’t leave me alone or the karma won’t leave me alone??! What the hell is happening here!! He is present everywhere I go, how does this happen only to me!! Oh, god!! Please save your poor child’, Kathleen cried to herself. Her mind was filled with so many thoughts.
“Hey, guys!! Attention please”, announced a boy with a black, thick brushed back hair. Beside him, stood a glamorous girl, who had beautiful green eyes, face framing brown hair which was cut into layers and beautifully curled at the end. She looked exactly like a model.
“I’m Steve and this Ava, I belong to University of business and I’m in my 3rd year while she is doing her 3rd year? in the university of arts and science.
We will be tutoring you dance and we have to give few performances during the event. There are totally 20 members here including us, we have decided to pair you up since there are 10 girls and 10 boys from all departments.
I want each one of you to come forward and pick up a lot and the name of person you get in the lot happens to be your dance partner.
And guys, this is only for the girls. The girl will decide to pick her male dance partner”, informed Steve with a constant smile that never left his face. He was charmingly handsome.
“Girls, step forward”, said Ava in a angelic voice. The boys moved aside giving them space.
‘Oh, god!! Please help me!! I’ll have anyone as my partner, other than EJ!! I can never ever dance with him, not even in my wildest dreams. So save me, please’, Kathleen prayed god silently.
Few girls took up their lots and got their partners. Only 4 girls were left out and Kath was one among them. It was her turn to pick up a lot. She left her hand inside the bowl that Ava was holding, prayed god silently and took up a lot. She stared at the lot in fright, opens it and finds the name……
“Lucas”, she read out. Her happiness had no limits, she would literally dance right now contentedly. She was smiling like crazy one.
She avoids looking at EJ.
On hearing her say the name Lucas, a boy of medium height, with a well built body, and auburn colored crew cut hair, stepped forward.
She walked towards him while EJ glared at her.
After few minutes of pairing up, they were asked to decide on the type of dance they are comfortable with. EJ was paired with girl named Amelia from university of Engineering and architecture.
Amelia and Kathleen belongs to the same class. Amelia is a? short tempered person, she doesn’t speak much. Kathleen thought they were good for each other since they would clash often. She laughed to herself imagining them dance together.
“Hey, Kathleen I’m Lucas Beckett !!”, greeted Lucas.
“Hey, Lucas!!”, she smiled wondering how he knew her.
“So, what do you prefer to dance!!”, asked Lucas.
“Anything!! I’m comfortable with anything”, responded Kathleen.
“Okay, let’s see what the others decide to dance!!”, concludes Lucas and Kathleen nodded at his comment.
The discussion took place for a long time. Kathleen and Lucas remained quiet and watched what others has to say. EJ and his friend Liam were in deep discussion while Amelia was chatting with someone else.
………………..
Hey guys!! Hope you like all the chapters and feel free to comment anything and do continue reading, because there is something unexpected in the dance session and look forward for twists.