"One more time, dear!"
Serif turned on the tape player and I showed my moves and a whole lot more. My forehead was beaded with droplets of perspiration but that didn't slow me down. Dancing is my life and if I didn't have a career involving dancing, I'd be nothing. I was useless at Maths, below average in English and I've never learnt to work a computer and I doubt if I'll ever be able to. So basically, dancing is my final chance at life, at actually achieving something. If I muck this up then I'll probably spend the rest of my life working at McDonalds.
Once the song finished I glanced up at the roof with a sigh, panting heavily. Not good. I needed to get fit. Mrs Serif on the other hand bustled up to me, her face radiating happiness and good will. Dear Mrs Serif, she's never been in a tough situation without a solution and if death slapped her in the face she'd probably just laugh. She had on the excited gummy face of a two-year-old but despite her faults, I had to admit I liked her. Partly because she's trained dancers that now work for Five, Britney Spears and 98 Degrees. I screwed my face up at the thought. I couldn't stand working for a band like 98 Degrees, I hated their tunes, I hated their music and most of all I hated them. 98 Disease they should call it. I smiled and reminded myself to remember that. I was always making up names for bands. Anyway, 98 Disease were worse than that band a1, or should I make that Gay1. And that's saying something considering Gay1's like, well, the gayest band in history.
Oh yeah, where was I? That's right, Mrs Serif. She approaches me.
"I just had a call from someone the other day. A talent agency. The manager of some famous group were looking for a really talented dancer and I thought you might fit the bill!"
My heart dropped to my stomach and I couldn't move. SHE suggested ME! I felt warmth bubbling up inside of me and I jumped up and down screaming.
"I take that as a yes you want to audition for the part?" She smiled.
"Of course!"
I couldn't believe it. Me, Luisa Rueben, dancer for the big stars. I could see the headlines now. Well, no actually I couldn't but you get the picture.
I stepped up to the office. This wasn't a normal city suite but the real thing. I was going to be a dancer. I went up to the secretary and beamed at her. She peered over wire rimmed glasses, and I swore that she was giving me the evils. Normally I would have made a snide remark but today I was too happy to ruin someone else's day.
"Hi, I'm here to see…" I ruffled through the pockets of my denim jeans and found the creased bit of paper. "Tim." I looked for a last name but there wasn't any. The secretary raised an eyebrow.
"Your name please?"
"Luisa Rueben."
She tapped at the expensive looking computer and I managed to get a closer look at her. Beneath all the overdone makeup she looked quite young, maybe twenty-one or so. I could tell from the clothes she was wearing that she was so last century though. Does anyone wear clothes like that nowadays?
"You're the dancer?" She spat out, staring at me with disbelief. I glared back at her. Who was she to judge me?
"Yeah. What's it to you?"
"Step through that door."
I went in, floating on air. I saw a slightly large man seated in a leather chair. I sat down, glancing around his room. There were CD singles on his wall but the light was too dim to read the actual writing.
"You the dancer?"
"Is it that obvious?"
My heart plummeted. Had I actually said that out loud? But instead of booting me out the door he gave me a warm smile. I decided he might be all right after all. But ONLY all right.
"You've got spunk, kid. You need that in this industry otherwise you'll never make it. How long have you been dancing?"
"Twelve years, since I was six. It's my entire life. I love it."
"We need that sort of commitment. I guess we could give you a try."
I squealed. Then I remembered I hadn't even ask what band it was. GOD I was so stupid!
"What band is it for?"
"A1."
That froze me in my tracks. The very band I hated I would be dancing for. God I'm a loser! But still the only way to make it big was to start big and even though I hated them, I had to admit they were big.
"When do I start?"
Tim gave me a humongous smile.
"That's my girl!"
we spent the next hour discussing details.
We were polishing off a new routine, this time with the boys. After I had finished glaring at the blonde one the music started. One month had been past since I had been accepted. There were only four dancers, one for each of the boys. I had got stuck with the blonde one, Christian if I could recall his name correctly.
Step right, break, arm in air, over shoulder, twirl…
I twirled all right but the wrong way. I came face to face with Christian. Our faces were inches apart. I pulled away, feeling colour rising to my face. Everyone was staring at me. I sighed, rolling my eyes. Christian was such a jerk. He was kinda cute…but still a jerk! Why couldn't I have got stuck with Ben?
"Alright!" The leader of the dancers said, wearing her crop top and tight shorts. I pulled my tongue out at her behind her back. She was such a bitch! Christian sniggered and I glared at him.
The touring was long and tedious. By the end of the month I had started more than enough catfights. I was sick and tired of everyone, especially the guys of Gay1. It didn't help that I was falling for Christian. I mean, who couldn't? You dance with the guy, you share changing rooms with the guy, you practically even sleep with the guy. And on a basis of gorgeous guy deprival what else could I do? Or was there something more to that? Something in the way he holds me tight and looks into my eyes when we're dancing together? Something about the way when his fingers brush my back that shoots shivers up my spine. I shook my head. God I am so wet! I couldn't love a member of Gay1…could I? But as much as I tried, I couldn't push my feelings for him away. But it could wait a couple more months before I finally reveal them to him. I mean it's not like some freak earthquake is going to kill us both or something. What were the chances of that?
I heard a screech of the brakes and I'm lurched forward harshly. I fumble for my seatbelt, only to find there is none. Shouldn't there be a law about seatbelts in tour buses? The bus slides and the impact is great. The crunching of flimsy metal giving away to jagged rocks greets my ears. I am catapulted through the front windscreen. My last thought was why did I have to sit in the front before everything went black.
Something blurred the edges of my vision. Only one face peered down at me worriedly. Pain was swiftly stabbing me all over. I knew that unless someone could come up with some miracle cure I'd die. The pain was too strong. I tried not to think of this, concentrating instead that it was awfully slack how only one of the eight people came to see if I was all right. And that one person was Christian. At that moment I knew that I had fallen in love with him. I tried to sit but my spine was working. I choked on blood and the pain seared me so badly I winced, my breathing quickening to short gasps. I looked up at Christian, my eyes pleading him to take this pain away, to end this misery. The tears in them rolled softly down my cheeks and I felt the smoothness of his skin as he wiped it away. I had to tell him, I couldn't leave without telling him.
"I…love…you…" I murmured, my voice shaky with my slowing gasps. Suddenly he was crying and I lay there helpless, unable to reach up and kiss the tears away but wanting to, oh how desperately I wanted things to be all better. But that was impossible.
"I love you too." He said, his voice almost unheard as he whispered. But I heard and I smiled, even the faintest smile I had difficulty achieving. But despite the pain, I managed it, the first time I've ever smiled because I truly love someone. And the last. And with the thought that Christian loved me safely secure in my mind, I let the fuzziness take control and I slipped into a painless slumber.