Summer Intensive (Summer Kisses! YA Short Story)

I tied
and tucked in my pointe shoe ribbon, then looked up and saw
him
. "Is that Travis Towers?"

Chanie, m
y
roommate for the summer turned around to get a look. "The one and only. He is so frickin' hot."

"He's changed
," I
said.
How did he go from scrawny and clumsy to
that
?

"Do you know hi
m?" Chanie's eyes twinkled with excitement
.

"We partnered at Joffrey two summers ago.
He was my worst nightmare." I moved my
le
gs into a split and began warming up with stretches
.

"Are you kidding me? Every girl here would die to draw his straw."

"You can close your mouth
, and not
every
girl. I don't
want to partner with him. He's
clumsy –dropped me more tha
n once. And he's cocky." I reached for my toes until I felt the burn in my
legs and back.

"I don't see how. He's built like a god. Tall, muscled, and
gorgeous." Chanie sat down next to me on the
floor and started her stretches.

"I admit he's taller, and more mus
cular, and okay...
he
's kind of cute, but still." I shuddered at the memory of my
butt hitting the floor when
he couldn't hold onto me, and it's not like I'm
fat
,
either.

"Well, I would love to partner with him," said Chanie.

"Good luck with that
."
I rolled up off the floor and he
aded to the barre. Travis warm
ed
up on the other side of the room. Several girls trie
d to crowd in around him. I glanc
ed around the room and spied a couple of nice looking guys I hadn't seen before. One was just the right height and build for me.

Chanie took the spot beside me. "It's a shame we can't choose our own partners. I'll probably get partnered with a gay guy."

"I'd prefer it. At least I wouldn
't ha
ve to worry about him hitting on me or trying to
feel
me up
."
Our conversation ended
abruptly
when the instructor clapped her hands for
our ballet
class to begin.

During warm ups on the barre, Travis was in my line of sight. I couldn't avoid seeing him in his black tights. He
was at least a foot taller than he
was
two summers ago
.
His legs and arms had great muscular definition. He
'd been
cute before, but
,
now, he was
beautiful.

Somehow
,
seeing Travis grow into himself pissed me off. He was such a jer
k when I danced with him before. B
ut
,
that was then. I wondered if he
had
changed on the inside. A snort of laughter found its way out of my nose. Everyone turned and loo
ked at me. I raised my chin,
looked straight ahead
, and
forc
ed
mysel
f to concentrate on my
elev
é
.

When it was time to partner up,
I crossed my fingers that I'd get the cute guy I spotted earlier. I watched him during warm ups. H
is
form
was great
, and I just knew we would look
perfect
together.

The instructor lined us up –boys in the back, girls in the front. Then
,
she started moving the girls around to match up with the boys. I was glad there were enough guys that we wouldn't have to share partners. The cute guy was behind me. I wan
ted to stay right where I was
, but the instructor grabbed my hand and moved me –
in front of Travis
.
I groaned.
Lucky me.
I go
t the
one partne
r
I
did
n't want
,
and
I got
the evil eye from every girl in the room.

Travis moved up
and placed his hands on my waist. They were larger than I remembered, and warmer.

He whispered in my ear, "Hello, Marianna." His breath tickled
my neck
.
I pressed my lips together to keep from giggling.
At least he didn't smell like onions this time.

We watched as the instructor and one of the boys modeled the first step. Travis moved his hands into position beneath my breasts
.
An odd sensation
puls
ed through me.
I've partnered with lots of male dancers. The contact is often close a
nd intimate. You get used to it.

So
,
why did
goose bumps
race
across my skin?
I didn't want to be
attracted to Travis. I only
wanted to dance.

How is it tha
t Travis
had
changed so much in
two years?
I reminded myself that j
ust because he
'd
filled out physically
,
it
didn't mean his brain
had gro
w
n
.
He was immature and kind of a jerk before, so
,
rea
lly, I didn't trust that he'
d
be any different now.

"Don't worry, Marianna, I won't drop you." Travis' voice
had
changed too. It was no longer squeaky, but deep and male, and
oh my gaw
d
.

He didn't drop me.
Travis lifted me as if I were a feathe
r then he
sen
t
me
floating on the wind.
Our bodies came together
in the dance. I knew we were beautiful together.
I could
see
our images
in the wall length mirror as we turned and le
a
p
t
together.
W
e moved
as one
, and
I realized that
things
had
changed from before.

And
,
that pissed me off even more. I was attracted to Travis in spite of myself.
A
lso,
I couldn't have asked for a better partner.
He was the right height
with
the perfect amount of strength.
He was graceful and strong
,
and a much better dancer than any of the other guys in the studio.

He was a different dancer now, but I
was
doubt
ful
about him as a person
. He may have ch
anged his stripes, but I
questioned whether
he
'd
changed his
spots.

As soon as class ended, I
made a
beeline for
my bag, threw my shirt and shorts over my dance clothes, and sat down to remove my pointe shoes. I wanted to get out of there fast.
I didn't want to talk to Travis, or think about how hot he'd become, or
confront these crazy new
emotions
I was feeling.
I needed to
clear my head.

"What's the hurry?" asked Chanie.

"I'm hungry. It's time for lunch," I said.

"I know this great little
French
bistro a
round the corner. Wanna go?"
Travis'
deep
voice wrapped around me like
a
soft blanket on a winter day.
He
stood
in front of me
,
dressed in sweats
and
holding his bag ready to go.

"Chanie and I were going to grab something..."

"I've heard of that place.
It sounds great. Hey Brian, we'
re going to the bistro around the corner. Do you want to come?" Chanie called out to her dance partner.

I sighed inwardly. Chanie made the decision for me. I couldn't back out now
or I’d look
like a
snob
. I lo
oked up and saw Travis smiling in a way that
made me melt
physically
.
Ugg!
Liking Travis was so not in my plan.

***

I tried to keep my m
ind on eating and not on Travis, but it was harder than I expected.
Somehow
,
I
ended up sitting next to him
. His thigh touched mine in the cramped booth. Sometimes
,
our arms brushed.
I was on fire the entire time.

I had to admit the food at the bistro was mouthwateringly good. I
t was
the best croque monsieur sandwich
I'd ever had
, and
Chanie and Brian talked enough for the four of us, so I didn't have to say much.

"Where did you go last summer?" asked Travis right after I took a bite of sandwich.

I hate it when someone expects me to answer when I still have food in my mouth.
It seems like the food will never go dow
n, and everyone's looking at me and waiting for my
answer. I took a sip of tea before I said anything.

"I got into Houston Ballet's summer intensive. It was great but hot and humid there. Where did you go?" I asked.

"I went to Kirov Academy in D.C."

"Seriously? I've auditioned for Kirov every year but never got in."
Now, I was
interest
ed
.

"I think it's easier for guys. Not as much competition."

"That's for sure," said Chanie.

Brian chimed in,
"This is my first summer intensive. I'm a late starter, but I've heard it's way easier for men
to get spots than women." He
put his arm around
Chanie. She wiggled and moved closer to him
.

"For
a late bloomer, you're freakin' amazing
," said Chanie.

"Thanks," Brian blushed.

I rolled my eyes.
Based on what I already knew about my roommate, it didn't surprise me that
she
hook
ed
up
quickly
with a guy.

"Do you guys want to meet up and hang out in the rec room after classes tonight?" asked Travis.

No. Yes. Maybe.
"Sure," I heard myself say. I'm not sure what made me say it. Did I really want to hang out with Travis?
Okay...maybe a little, but seriously, I knew I was going to be beat.
I stil
l had a tap and jazz class to go to before my day was done
.
As we walked back to the studio, Chanie and Brian dropped back. They were holding hands.
I felt awkward
as I walked
next to Travis.
I wished
I had pockets to tuck my hands into.