• @MalfunctioningMind this drawing was so spot on, I'm going to charge you rent for staying unsupervised in my brain. Thank you so much🙏 (Unedited chapter) •

"So, by factoring the basic trinomials of the form x2+bx+c into 2 binomials—"

"Stop. I think I need a break," Adam sighed and rubbed his hands through his hair as Fiona and he laid stretched out on her bed after dinner at her house, doing their school homework. They had been at it for nearly two hours, and it was almost 10pm. As Adam laid down his pencil, Fiona couldn't help but yawn as well, and then nod in agreement; She was exhausted, too.

"Okay, but we have to finish these before I go to bed. What time do you need to be home?"

"2am," He replied. When Fiona blinked in slight shock, he shook his head with a little grin. "I'm going to work after this."

"Wait, wait," She held up a hand and stared at Adam preposterously while he picked up and sipped his second energy drink of the night. "Are you saying you work on top of everything else you do?"

"Do you think expenses pays themselves, tutu?" He mused with a tired smile. "Clothes, bus fare, school, books—"

"No," She broke in. She just couldn't believe it. How the hell did he find the time? "Where do you work, then?"

"The Junk Joint downtown. Three nights a week, from 11pm to 2am," He told and then reached for the bowl of chips Fiona's mom had put out for them. While he crunched on the crispy treat, Fiona summed it all up in her head.

"So you go to a public high school, work three night shifts a week down at the Junk Joint, and you still have time to come and dance with me every day, on top of keeping up with homework and taking care of your grandmother?"

Adam shrugged and gave a little grin before twirling his pen around on his worksheet. "Yeah. I'm healthy, I'm young and I'm blessed to have so many good things in my life. It's not really about having the time, it's about making the most of every moment. You know?"

"I... I guess," Fiona mumbled and looked down at her own homework. She still had a hard time believing she never knew he worked. He did so much... "But... don't you ever just get... exhausted?"

"Oh, trust me, I sleep well at night," He laughed and then grabbed another chip from the bowl before rising up from her bed and stretching his back. "But I count myself lucky to even be able to maintain a job with my history. Imagine if I was black, too," he teased.

Fiona glared.

"Not funny?" He grinned lopsidedly.

Fiona sighed, but then sat up as well and stretched her stiff body. Adam sat down beside her again, and then for a moment a silence stretched. There was a question in her mind she wanted to ask, but she wasn't certain it was her place to ask about...

And yet still, she did.

"It's what happened to Kalo, isn't it?" She slowly said. She knew he knew what she was referring to.

When Adam didn't move, but merely pressed his lips tightly together, it almost answered the question before he did.

"Yeah," He then said, quietly.

Fiona felt a familiar stab in her chest.

It wasn't often it happened to her, but sometimes she had run into people on the street who had looked at her funnily or failed to hide their opinion of her because of her... appearance.

Once, when she walked into a clothes store to pick up a birthday present for her mom after school, a security guard had told her to leave her backpack up at the counter. At first she didn't think anything of it, until a smaller kid with his mom walked in—the kid wearing a Spider-Man backpack whom the guard conveniently didn't ask him to leave at the counter. Both mom and the kid had been white. As had the guard.

Discrimination and sometimes being a minority still affected Fiona here and there, but it had never been as bad as it could've been—nothing like what happened to Kalo. To think someone would ever try to exploit someone because they thought they were easier to set up because of their skin color... like they were more stupid because they looked different—it was disgusting. And who decided what different was, anyway?

"He told her she was a nobody," Adam silently voiced, as if he had been reading her thoughts and thinking along the same lines as her. "He told her she was just another kid from the ghetto, and that in their business, you had to do things to get ahead. And then he said something crude about which head she could choose to use," He scoffed, angrily.

Fiona didn't realize her fists had curled up until she felt her fingernails poke into her palm. She quickly unfolded them and then exhaled what was meant to be a calming breath. It wasn't.

Adam, on the other hand, stood up and started walking the floor, as if to burn off some angry energy. By the look on his face, the issue clearly still bothered him.

"I hate this shit," He told and shook his head as paced back and forth on her floor in front of her bed. "I hate that it happens and that some people actually get away with it. She was one of the lucky few that managed to get out of it. I honestly don't know what I would've done if she... if she hadn't..."

Fiona looked up when he paused and saw him close his eyes tightly. The pain on his face was obvious, and out of pure empathy, she carefully reached out and took his hand. "Hey... she's okay. Nothing happened, and she told me she's moving on from it."

Adam slowly looked down and then grabbed her hand, giving it at clench. Then blew out a breath. "Yeah... I know. She's just... she's my best friend," He confessed.

Fiona stayed silent as Adam sat down beside her again and rubbed his face. Another question now burned on her tongue, but this one was much more nerve wracking than the last one. Did she dare ask?

"Do you... like her?" She whispered, barely audible.

Adam lifted his face from his hands and rose a crooked brow. "Like her? As in... like like her?" When Fiona gave a hesitant nod, his lips split in a quick laugh. "Fuuuck, no. She's waaaay too much trouble. Greatest human alive, but she's too much for me. No, we're just friends. I consider her my sister."

Fiona didn't want to exhale loudly, but it was as if her lungs cleared out and her stomach eased. Small stirrings started rolling around in there instead, tickling her lower abdomen and her heart, but she ignored it steadfastly. Adam and Kalo were friends, and so were they; Just friends.

"Kalo told me that you don't date," She suddenly blurted. When she realized she had spoken aloud, it was too late to take it back.

While Fiona felt the sweat run down her back, Adam's lips turned upwards in a modest little grin. "Yeah... that's true."

"Really? Never?" Fiona asked, surprised. With his looks and personality...

"I did some stupid shit back when I was younger that I wish I could undo, so I'm making up for it by... being more selective," He slowly chuckled and then laid down on her bed with a groan. "I just... I guess I haven't found the right girl to break my celibacy yet," He told, but then swallowed and cleared his throat as Fiona pursed her lips in thought. He really was a choir boy, wasn't he. "What about you?"

Snapping out of it, Fiona looked back at him and saw him raise a brow. "What about me?"

"Come on," He grinned. "Are you still a virgin? I want to say the answer is obvious, but I've learned not to judge a tiger by its stripes – or a ballerina by her tutu."

Fiona felt her cheeks slightly redden. She looked away, but honestly had no idea why she felt embarrassed. There was nothing wrong with being a virgin. She was only 18 years old, and she wasn't in a rush.

"I'm a virgin." She mumbled.

Adam's smile widened. "I figured. You have a very innocent glow about you. Except for when I bring out your attitude," He reminded her, which made Fiona roll her eyes. "That's why I felt I needed to ask." He sat up and suddenly leaned in towards her ear. "Maybe you have a secret alter ego I know nothing about." He teasingly whispered.

Fiona snorted as he laid back down again with a grin. Alter ego? Her? Hardly. "I haven't even seen a condom before, that's how virgin I am," She replied—and then instantly regretted.

"Hold up—you've never seen a condom before?" Adam echoed in disbelief. He blinked in shock for two seconds, then shook his head and abruptly dug his hand into his back pocket. "Okay, hold the phone."

Widening her eyes, Fiona then watched as Adam nonchalantly fished out what turned out to be his wallet. After opening it, he pulled out a small square packet from one of the slips; A foil packet.

Fiona gaped. Then, before she could think, she jumped up and hurriedly closed her door so her mom couldn't see the giant red flag Adam had just brought into her house. He brought a condom with him to her room; The 'celibate' boy. "Adam!"

He chuckled when she came back on the bed again and looked alarmed at the deceiving, innocent-looking little packet. "You look like a deer in headlights. You should see your face." He laughed, pleased with her reaction.

Gritting her teeth, Fiona decided to toughen up, even though she was freaking out inside. He brought a freaking-fracking-fucking condom with him to her home. "You know they say that keeping condoms in your wallet isn't good. It dries them out."

"That's only if you keep them there for too long," Adam chuckled, stuffing his wallet back into his back pocket while holding up the foil packet between two fingers.

"And don't you?" She pointed out, almost hoping to catch him mid-lie in his good boy behavior.

He laughed shortly, but then shook his head. "Always better safe than sorry, tutu. Anyways; Behold," He then said, waving the condom in front of her nose with a grin. "Your very first Trojan."

Fiona felt her cheeks heat up again as Adam kept it held up in front of her, as if it was some holy treat she'd never seen before. Which it kind of was.

"So? Are you gonna open it?" He asked when Fiona didn't take it, but simply just stared at it. "Or do you want me to do it?"

"What?" Fiona exclaimed. He didn't mean that, did he? He wasn't really going to open it... was he? "Uh, no. I-I think we should just keep it wrapped up, there's no need to—"

Adam placed the corner of the foil wrapper between his teeth, and then with a gruff, doggish sound, tore the packet open. Fiona's mouth fell open as he spit out the little foil piece and then held up the now opened condom. "Too late," He grinned.

Oh God, Fiona thought as she watched him now pull the little rolled up condom out, the latex looking... sticky. She swore she also smelled a scent coming off it. "Is that..."

"Apple?" He finished for her with a teasing grin. "Yup."

God help them if her mom was to walk in right now. Fiona was an absolute nervous mess. Her hands were sweaty and she was certain it couldn't get any worse, but then, what Adam did next, had Fiona going completely red. And that was saying something with her skin tone.

He started shaking the condom, thus making it unfold until it was completely out. In his hand, it now dangled like the sloppiest, thinnest excuse of a balloon in the world, looking so very... flaccid. Fiona couldn't help but just stare. That was slightly unimpressive.

"Well?" Adam questioned curiously, raising his brow. He waited for her reaction. "Everything you wanted it to be?"

Yes, this was exactly how she imagined looking at her first condom would be like; in her room with a way too smug-looking guy, with her mom right outside, probably finding her sandals as they spoke.

"It looks... kinda gross," Fiona stated and wrinkled her nose when he with a laugh jiggled it in the air like a worm and moved it closer to her face until she had to move back and push him away with a screech. "Ew, stop! Get it away from me!"

"Might look gross like this, but not on a dick," He laughed and then suddenly climbed in over her, still lolling it in her face. Fiona screeched again and then tried to avoid it by pushing it away, yet still not touching it. "Come on, Fee! Don't be scared—one day these'll be your best friends!"

"Not anytime soon!" She shouted back, squeaking when it graced her cheek. She felt a slimy sensation. "Ew, get it away, Adam! Throw it out!"

"Throw it out? So your mom finds it in the trash and gets a heart attack? What are you going to tell her then?" He wheezed and shook his head while Fiona hid her face in her hands. "'Oh. It was just some private thing between me and Adam. Don't worry about it.' I'll tell you right now, I won't be welcomed back then."

"Oh, my God, just get rid of it!" Fiona flipped. She swore if her mom actually walked in right now...

"Oh, so you wanna go naked?" Adam teased smugly, but then finally conceded and leaned back to toss the condom into her paper waste basket. She heard the limp splat of it hitting the bottom. "Well, get ready for lots of babies then. That's what happens if you don't wrap it before you tap it; baby batter makes the belly grow fatter. Quote me on that."

"You are so impossible," Fiona shook her head and now sat up, just as Adam slung himself back into her bed with a grin.

"Am I lying, though?"

"Shut up," She demanded. Adam continued laughing while Fiona palmed her face, trying to calm down. Her heart was racing, but it wasn't from fear. The excitement in her stomach told her... she was happy.

"Hey," Adam then suddenly said. The grin in his voice was gone, but a little smile remained on his face. "I'm sorry if I crossed a line. Sometimes I get overexcited."

Sometimes? When was he not excited?

"It's fine," Fiona sighed and then laid back down again, folding her hands on her stomach. She looked up at her ceiling, but sensed Adam watching her from the corner of her eye. The small flutter in her stomach returned.

"Can I ask a last question?"

Fiona slowly turned her head and then met his eyes and saw they had softened quite a bit. Her own expression melted, and with a last sigh, she nodded. "Fine."

He watched her closely, looking between her eyes and then finally down at her lips. "Have you ever kissed someone... or been kissed?"

All of the air in the room seemed to go on an instant vacation. Fiona's breath froze up, and with a shaky heartbeat, she looked back at Adam and swore that for a moment... she saw something in his eyes...

"No," She replied.

His lips twitched ever so slightly, but there was nothing teasing about it anymore. "Good. You should wait until you find the right person, and then wait for the perfect moment, too. Nothing will feel better, I promise you. Not even dancing."

Fiona let out a quiet snort. Nothing felt better than dancing.

"Wait and see," Adam turned his head up at the ceiling and grinned a little at it. "It'll be worth the wait."

"Yeah, well..." Fiona also turned her eyes away and forced herself to swallow the ball in her throat. "I'm not planning on having my first kiss anytime soon. It's one more week of this and then the audition. And then after that..."

Her words trailed off when she realized she hadn't planned after that. If she got in by some miracle, she would be training with a ballet company. If she didn't... well, then what?

Luckily in that moment, just as she was about to reply, the door burst open and Fiona's mom came in. Both of them jolted upright when she stared at Adam, harshly. "It's 10am, time to go."

Fiona blushed, but Adam just grinned and nodded. While he started packing up his books and her mom retreated to the living room, Fiona spent a few seconds gathering her thoughts. What was her plan if she didn't get in?

Would she stay at the DanceDec?

"Fee?"

"Hm?" Fiona looked up and saw Adam packed and ready. His school bag was slung over his shoulder, and he was lingering in the door.

He gave her a slow smile. "Bring your pointe shoes tomorrow."

~~~

The next Friday afternoon, Fiona should've been used to walking into the DanceDec nervous. She had done it almost every day for the past two weeks, but after Adam's last words yesterday, today felt... different. She didn't know what to expect when she would walk through that door, but she had done as he had asked and brought her pointe shoes.

Did it mean what she thought it meant?

She exhaled one last time before then turning the doorknob and walking inside their studio. She immediately halted.

Adam was standing by the stereo as usual, but unlike his usual sweatpants and t-shirt attire, he had dressed differently today.

Wearing a simple white T-shirt and a pair of black tights, he turned and looked up from the stereo as she walked in. Their eyes met, and with a little smile, he lifted his hand and gestured into the studio where two warmup barres were pulled up to the centre.

Ballet.

Fiona's breath hitched and her eyes dropped to his feet as he slowly approached her. He was wearing ballet flats, and from the lack of lines on his tights, he was also wearing his dancer's belt.

She had been right; Today would be different.

"Did you bring your pointe shoes?" He asked. Fiona's eyes snapped back to his and laid eyes on his face. He looked calm, but why did it feel like a warning?

"I... yes," She whispered.

They were dancing ballet today. Not contemporary, not jazz, nor hip hop or salsa. Ballet. He was finally dancing what she wanted to dance...

So how come she wasn't excited?

"Go warm up," He told her, gesturing to the barre before turning to walk back to the stereo. "I'll be with you in a moment."

Fiona stayed rooted for another couple of seconds before her brain would cooperate. She slowly started walking forward, her knees feeling shaky. If they were dancing ballet today...

Slow piano music started flowing through the sound system, and with a last adjustment on the stereo, Adam walked up and joined her by the barre. He gave her a little smile, then let his hand fall to the wooden barre. "Show me your warmup routine."

He was following her. Already the whole routine of their daily flow had been altered. She had never been the teacher, but now he was telling her to take the lead.

Fiona slowly swallowed, but then turned and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her black tights and her purple top didn't resemble her old appearance, always in a leotard and pointe shoes. The girl who stared back at her was someone else... or a newer version of herself.

And maybe that's why taking the first step felt hard as she folded her feet against each on the floor.

Breathing out, her right hand fell to the barre while the other floated in front of her stomach. In the mirror, she saw Adam copy her moves and wait for her next one. He looked all wrong too, dressed up in ballet clothes.

What had happened to her?

Slowly moving her hand, she pushed up on her feet, seeing Adam doing the same. Then, lifting her arm and slowly bending down, she let the tip of her fingers graze the floor as her forehead met her knees. When she slowly arose again, she saw Adam do the same.

Throughout her whole routine, he followed her, making every one of her moves seem so elegant, yet handsome when performed by him. She kept checking to see if he was keeping his posture and his lines straight, and surprisingly he was. His arabesque was a little lower than hers, but his pliés went as far down as her own. By the time they had done the routine for 15 minutes, all of her muscles ached, both inside and out.

Two weeks without ballet felt like an eternity to the muscles.

Finishing with a last plié, they came back to first position. Fiona let go of the barre and saw Adam smile at her. He didn't say anything, simply just lifted the warmup barre and carried it back to the wall.

Fiona exhaled, but the ease didn't come to her. The hardest part didn't feel over yet. Even as she without a word went up to her bag and started tying on her pointe shoes without his command. They slipped on, shaping after her foot like an old friend.

"Sugar Plum Fairy. Do you know it?"

Fiona froze. Staring through the mirror, she slowly looked up and saw him look at her from the wall, slowly coming towards her. "Adam."

"I'll assist you. We'll make it a pas de deux, and I'll be right there with you, Fiona."

Fiona shook her head and immediately stood up. She wasn't ready for that. "The sugar plum fairy has—"

"Tchaikovsky's sugar plum fairy has 17 fouettés and 23 pirouettes. And I'll be there through every single one of them."

"It's too difficult," Fiona protested, already backing away when he came up to her. "I can't—"

"You and I both know you can do it. Not only physically, but mentally. You can do it, Fee," He said, stopping in front of her.

She kept shaking her head. She wasn't ready for it. The pirouettes—him, the whole dance. It was too much, and she liked him too much to watch him—

"Hey," Adam suddenly cupped her cheeks in his palms when she was spinning out. Maybe he could see it in her eyes, or maybe it was evident in the way her knees buckled. "Breathe, Fiona. Look at me. I said, look at me."

When she refused to look at him, he hooked her chin with his knuckle and forced her to meet his gaze. Her breath froze in her throat, as did the sob about to spill from her lips.

"I'm right here," He whispered, brushing his thumb over her cheek. "I'm here, and I'm not leaving your side. You've come this fucking far, Fiona. Two weeks ago, you wouldn't even trust me with your foot. Look at us now."

Her eyes dropped and saw how close they were standing. He was less than five inches from touching her body.

"You're dancing for him today, Fee," He whispered, smiling a little. "But you're doing this for yourself. You know you can, and I'll just be holding your hand through it. Do you trust me?"

Fiona held back the tears in her eyes. She knew it was irrational, but the fear was rooted so deeply inside her. But Adam...

He made her feel so safe.

Seeing the slow change inside her eyes, Adam slowly nodded and then pulled back. He wiped a single fallen tear from her eye, then exhaled and squeeze her hand. "From the intro. I'll follow your lead."

As he walked back towards the stereo to start the music, Fiona took a couple of deep breaths and tried to shake the fear from her body. Squeezing her eyes shut, an image of her dad popped up.

He was smiling. He was watching her dance, just like in their old garage, but he was alive in her head.

In her heart.

'Today you're dancing for him.'

As the intro started playing, Fiona exhaled a last time and then laid eyes on herself in the mirror.

Dance for him.

Closing her eyes, Fiona didn't even register as the music transitioned into the dance portion, but her body did. Without even having to tell herself to move, her feet lifted her up until only the tips of her toes were carrying her whole weight. All of the weight she had cut down so dancing wouldn't feel so painful.

But the pain came from within.

Warm hands came to her waist, and with a small gasp, Fiona opened her eyes, but moved as the music continued. She didn't focus on the body that followed behind her and stabilized her when her legs shook.

"Feel it inside," He whispered in her ear, moving close enough as she extended her leg and let him support it. The first pirouette was coming up, and as if her body's movements gave it away, Adam gave her a little clench. "Let go of the thoughts that doesn't make you stronger, Fiona. You can do it."

She couldn't do it. She couldn't do it. She couldn't do it...

"You can do it."

With a sob, Fiona's body trusted Adam's words as he steadied her for the first pirouette. Her leg bent up and then she was turning.

It was over so quickly before she could process it had happened. Something inside her hurt, but the music waited for no one. It kept on playing, and right after the pirouette came three fouettés. Adam was still there, holding on to her.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't do it. She couldn't...

Her leg kick out and her spot blurred on the wall, but feeling Adam's hand clasp her waist when she started to spin out of control, she sucked in a shaky breath and found her spot again.

Keep going. You can do this. You're doing this. He's watching you. You're doing this for yourself. You have to get through this.

Fiona kept spinning and lost sight of Adam in the process. She knew he was around, but she couldn't tell if the words in her head came from the outside or from herself. The music kept playing and she kept dancing. The whole room was spinning.

She couldn't do it... but she was doing it.

The tears on her face dried and turned into silent, trembling breaths as she spun around in a large circle in the dance studio. The sugar plum fairy was technically difficult, but that wasn't what today was about. Adam didn't want her to look perfect. She had chased that for so long, but no more.

He just wanted her to dance and feel happy and free.

Just like her dad.

Fiona spun and spun and spun around, but the ache in her chest disappeared with every spin. Every time she kicked her leg out, she felt like screaming as she pushed away all of the old shit stuck inside her.

Loving dancing. Hating dancing. Loving her father. Hating him for leaving her. Hating Adam. Hating him for making her dance like this. Hating him for bursting through to her. Loving him for...

For helping her come back to herself.

"Fiona."

Her body was caught as she lost footing and crashed against a hard body. She was sobbing full on and she didn't even realize. Adam was holding her so tightly, cupping her face in his hands and brushing the strands of hair that had escaped her bun away from her face. She was shaking all over, her body feeling so completely bared and so vulnerable. So empty.

It felt like every hard breath in her body had left her, and suddenly she was breathing fresh air for the first time in years.

She had danced for him. She had showed him she could do it without him.

She was strong enough by herself after all.

"Fiona," Adam's voice sounded gravelly, and as she opened her eyes, she first thought she was seeing things, until she blinked a couple of times and cleared the water in her eyes. He was... was he really crying with her?

There was water in Adam's eyes, but the most beautiful smile on his lips as he brushed her cheeks with his thumbs and looked at her. "You did it, Fiona. You fucking did it. You danced so goddamn beautifully, I couldn't even—you let go of my hand and you just fucking spun on your own. Fiona, you did it."

Fiona let go of a sob and cupped her mouth, shaking her head as it all came out of her. The strength had been inside her all along. She had always known, but it had always hurt. She had starved herself, punished herself, tortured herself for years—of course it had hurt. Adam taught her how to stop and then taught how to let go – literally.

'You let go of my hand and you just fucking spun on your own.'

"Adam," She cried.

"Fuck, yeah," He whispered back, then clutched her into his body so tightly it almost hurt. She felt his lips press a hard kiss to her head, lingering for several seconds before he pulled away and brushed her back with his hand. "Fuck yeah, Fiona."

It felt like she had reached her goal. All this time they had trained to ready her for her audition, but it felt like none of it mattered in that moment. Right in that moment, this had been what it had all been about; Letting go; Dancing for herself; Showing to herself she could do it; Proving that her dad's death wasn't going to control her steps for the rest of her life.

"How are you feeling?" Adam pulled back and cupped her face again, looking into her tear-filled eyes. His own were still wet, but the smile on his lips shone through them. "Did it feel good?"

Fiona was lost for words. She didn't know why it had taken her so long to fight through it. Had the circumstances done it, or was it the boy standing in front of her who had helped her? Or was a hand really all she had needed to do it herself?

Mutely, Fiona simply just nodded frantically, more tears falling from her eyes with a little sob. Adam's smile broadened and he chuckled a little, almost laughing and crying with her. "Yeah? Do you want to keep dancing?"

Did she want to keep...

She swallowed hard and looked up at him through her tears. Did she want to keep dancing? "Yes... with you."

Adam's lips, if possible, turned up even more. Then, with a laugh, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her sweaty forehead. "You fucking got it, baby."

And then he crouched down and lifted her up by her thighs, whooping loudly. Fiona screeched and quickly grabbed on to his shoulders, but couldn't stop laughing as he spun her around and howled joyously. He grinned up at her, shaking his head while splitting his cheeks with his smile. She couldn't help but automatically smile back and look into his brightly shining eyes.

She really did it.

And she owed all of it to him.

~~~

By the end of the day, both of them had danced so much that they could no longer keep going. As the clock turned 8pm, both of them were laying down flat on the floor with each their water bottle, panting. Adam was chewing on a candy bar. The day had been absolutely amazing, and Fiona still felt high from all of it. It was as if she had jumped out of her own skin and done what she never thought she could do.

She had proved to herself she was much braver than she originally thought.

"Come dancing with me tonight," Adam then suddenly voiced. Fiona turned her head towards him and gave him a turned up brow.

"Excuse me?" He had just spent all day dancing with her until every limb in her body hurt. More dancing didn't seem like an option at this point.

"There's this club not too far from where I live," He said, sitting up and leaning his elbows on his knees. He curled up his candy wrapper and looked at her. "They don't check ID and I know the doorman. He can get us in."

"You... you mean, like... go out with you?" Fiona carefully whispered. It sounded like a date. Didn't it sound like a date? Was it a date? It couldn't be a date...

"To dance, yeah," Adam smiled softly. "It's a Latin club, so it's mostly salsa. You already know some, and I'll guide you through the rest. What do you say?"

A club. A night out with him. Him, alone.

Fiona bit her lip. Everything inside her old self wanted to scream and run away, but after today, a part of her felt like... like... like this was something she had to try as well. Going out like a normal teenager, having fun with friends... being a part of the youth...

But the anxiety bubbled in her stomach.

"I... I'm not sure," She said, sitting up and wrapping her hands around her legs. "I'm... I don't think my mom would let me go."

"Call her and ask her. Tell her you can stay at my place so you won't have to travel home at night."

Fiona nearly choked. "Your... place?" Breathe. Breathe. Where was all the fucking air at?

Adam's lips twitched into a little grin. "My grams will be there. Call her and ask, I'm serious. If she says no, I'll get it, but if she says yes..."

Fiona knew she wouldn't say yes. Not even a little. Going to a club in an unknown part of Harlem with a boy she already had a stern eye on, only to spend the night at his place, too? Yeah, there was no way in hell she would approve.

"I'll give her a call," Fiona said, seeing Adam grin and get up. He grabbed his bag, then went to the door.

"I'll go change in the meanwhile. I love your gift, tutu, but another part of my anatomy is really having a stringent fight here."

Grimacing, Fiona watched as Adam then chuckled and left. He went to the girl's bathroom to change, and with a sigh, Fiona therefore reached for her phone in her bag.

Should she really call her?

Chewing on her lip again, she thought for a couple of minutes about all of it.

She wanted to go... but she also feared going. If she called her mom, the answer would be a definite no and she would tell her to come home immediately. The choice would no longer be hers, but if she didn't call...

With a pinch in her stomach, Fiona put her phone away and zipped up her bag, just as Adam came back in, changed to his usual black top and denim pants. How he could even wear that in this heat was beyond her.

"So? What did she say?"

Fiona looked up at him as he came in, raising a questioning brow. The words almost got stuck in her throat. She was about to lie, but wasn't it okay if it was for the greater good?

Then how come it still felt wrong?

"She, uhm... I had to convince her, but she eventually said yes," She boldly lied, seeing Adam's eyebrow lift even more. "On the condition that... I text her to let her know I'm okay."

Adam watched her for a moment, but then slowly nodded. "I thought for sure she'd say no. She seems like the type, no offense. Not that I know much about parents," He chuckled.

Fiona nervously chuckled back. "She is. She just, uh.... she's been wanting me to get out more and see some friends. I think that's the only reason she said yes."

"Well, let not take that for granted," Adam grinned. "Let's go."

Fiona stood up, but then immediately looked down at herself when she realized... she didn't have any other clothes with her to go clubbing. She would have to go home to get some, and if she did... "I... I have no clothes to wear..." This was already becoming a worse and worse idea. Should she just back out while she still could?

But Adam merely shook his head and smiled. "You can borrow something from Kalo, I'm sure. She always has clothes lying around. Let's go find her."

"I—" Fiona didn't get a chance to argue with his proposal before he grabbed her hand and led her out of the studio with him. They hurried down the hall to another studio where Adam poked his head inside and looked around. She spotted Rani and some of the other boys hanging out in a corner.

"Hey. Any of you seen Kalo?" Adam asked.

All of them shook their heads. "Check with Dimitri, maybe he knows," Twitch, the dancer from the dance circle, suggested. "He just went to the bathroom."

"Thanks," Adam grinned.

Without further ado, he dragged Fiona along to the girls bathroom. Fiona awkwardly followed along, feeling weird. He seemed so set on getting her to come with him...

Bursting the door open to the girls bathroom, Adam stuck his head inside and hollered. "Dimitri!"

They waited, but didn't hear a reply. All the stalls were closed, so maybe it was occupied.

"I'll check the boy's room," He sighed and shut the door, walking two paces to the left. "In worst case of emergencies when all the toilets are occupied, we—oh, shit!"

Opening the door to the boy's room, there came a screech and a shocked outburst.

Right there, against the sink, stood Dimitri.

– With Kalo bent over it, right in front of him.

"Holy shit," Adam burst into laughter and hurried out as both of them yelled at them to get out. Fiona had caught their faces though. They had been red as hell, and it hadn't been because of...

"Were they just—"

"And that-" Adam, who couldn't stop laughing as he leaned up against the wall outside, said, "-is why we use the girl's bathroom."

• • •

And that is where I end this mile long chapter.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

This was the sugar plum fairy dance. Imagine it as a half duet. I have no idea if the pirouette and fouetté count is correct, by the way. I took a shot in the dark. My eyes couldn't keep up.