Dance of a Lifetime Read online

  "In a way. Hopefully, without that whole messy double-suicide thing, however." They both laughed.

  "True," Sophia agreed. "But the whole lovers-from-different-worlds thing, that's what reminded me of us."

  "I had noticed that, yes."

  "More?"

  "What, more Shakespeare?" Sophia nodded sheepishly. " Dammit, Soph, we'll make an intellectual out of you yet!!"

  "Not very damn likely, Prep Boy."

  "I've got Taming of the Shrew in my bookbag. I'll get that for you before we leave. This one is different. It's a comedy."

  "After Romeo and Juliet, I think a comedy will be a good thing!"

  They walked home, and Sophia took her bookbag up to her room, intending to dive into Taming of the Shrew. When she went to get it out, she saw her history textbook. She had a history quiz tomorrow. She knew what chapters it was on. She could read 'em, at least.

  What the hell, she thought.

  She withdrew the history text and opened it.

  Chapter 9 - Let's (Ice) Dance

  It was Friday night. Sophia always had the house to herself on Friday nights. That's usually when she brought her boyfriends home to have sex. Well, she sighed to herself, that hasn't happened yet with Warren. But he was here, with her, watching a movie.

  "Had a history quiz today," Sophia said.

  "Yeah?"

  "I actually studied for it last night."

  "Wow."

  "And I think I did pretty good."

  "Double wow."

  "Warren Kelleher, what the fuck have you done to me? Studying. No parties. Sitting in an empty house on a Friday night watching a movie. I'm becoming boring!"

  "Not even a little bit are you boring. Don't ever worry about that. You pack more living into one day than most people do in a year. Besides which, I didn't do this to you. You did it to yourself."

  "I know, I know. It's just weird. I like Shakespeare, for chrissakes! I'm not supposed to like Shakespeare, I'm supposed to like beer!"

  "Which do you truly like better?"

  "Shakespeare." Sophia sighed. " I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Before I turned into Wild Woman, I loved to read. I still do, but I never do it as much as I used to. Reading Romeo and Juliet-and I started Taming of the Shrew after I studied last night-reminded me how much I used to like reading. It all came back to me. It was actually pretty cool."

  "I want you to know something, Sophia. I think I need to say this. I love you, whatever you do. If you didn't like Shakespeare, I'd still love you. If you told me you didn't want to be together tonight because you were going to a beer and bong bash, I'd still love you. I'd worry more, but I'd still love you."

  Sophia laughed. "I think I knew that. But it was nice to hear, anyway. I really do like reading more than partying. I suppose I always did; I just forgot. But I worry about my image, more than I should. Reading Shakespeare and getting good grades just is not done in my crowd."

  "Actually, Soph, you do other things that I'd bet aren't done much in your crowd. And that's not even including having a preppie boyfriend."

  "OK, what else?" Sophia chuckled.

  "I'd bet not many of your friends are Beatlemaniacs. And then there's that whole thing where you know more about baseball than most guys I know."

  "True. Those things are, however, easier to hide than good grades."

  Warren thought for a minute. "What else did you like to do before you became Party Woman Extraordinaire?"

  "This, actually. I loved movies. I like that we watch movies, I've missed it. I actually-you're not going to believe this-played chess. "

  "We'll have to play sometime, if you remember. I'm pretty good."

  "A preppie? Good at chess? I'm soooooooo surprised."

  "You just keep quiet, you."

  "I'll have to brush up, so I can kick your butt. What else? I spent more time on the computer than I do now. Oh, and figure skating, of course."

  "Figure skating?"

  "I never mentioned that? Oh, yeah. Made it to Sectionals as a novice, what, three years ago? Yeah, three years ago."

  "What happened?"

  "My partner quit, and I never found another one, and then I started the downward slide into the depraved Wild Woman you see before you today." Warren stuck his tongue out at her. "If you're gonna stick that thing out, come over here and put it to good use. Anyway, I was a pretty good skater."

  "You said partner. Pairs?"

  "Dance."

  "Ah. I competed in singles as a novice two years ago. Didn't make it out of regionals, though."

  "You did? Wow. Another thing we have in common. I didn't know you skated."

  "Still do. I'm at the rink every Saturday morning. I stopped trying to compete, but I still take lessons and skate for fun."

  "Why'd you quit competing?"

  "I wasn't much good." They both laughed. "Actually, I'm a superb basic skater. Great edges, good footwork, fast, the whole bit. However, I wasn't much of a jumper."

  "You should've switched to dance."

  "Hmmmm. Never thought of that."

  Sophia thought for a minute. "You going to the rink tomorrow?" Warren nodded. "Think I could tag along?"

  "Sure. It'd be fun."

  They showed up at the rink the next morning. Carol, the lady Warren took lessons from, let Sophia join in for the morning, as a guest. Sophia thought she'd start with the beginners, but she realized she really hadn't forgotten all that much. Quickly, she was flying across the ice like she had never left it. She had to admit, it felt really, really good.

  She looked over at Warren, trying some jumps. He had a double salchow that was solid, and a double loop that was respectable, but couldn't get past a single of any other jump. And the axel, even the single was an adventure. Sophia realized why he had stopped competing, at least as a singles skater.

  But, boy, could he move on the ice. His edges were solid as a rock; he had quick feet, good carriage, everything you could want in a young skater-except jumps.

  Sophia skated up to him as he took a slight break next to the coach. "Warren, I've been watching you."

  "What did you think?"

  "Warren, we should dance together."

  "Ah, I don't know."

  "Warren, you've got strong, strong basic skating skills. Your edges, your turns, everything. Screw the jumps. You need to dance, and you need to dance with me."

  "You're pretty vehement about this."

  Sophia smiled a little. "Yeah, I suppose I am. I watched you do that piece of footwork a minute ago, and I said to myself, damn, I want him to do that with me. With me in your arms."

  Carol, the coach, overheard. "Do you have a dance background, Sophia?"

  "Sixth in novice sectionals three years ago."

  "Great! You didn't skate out of here?"

  "No, down in Wennington."

  "Ah. Well, if you want to dance again, I'm sure we could find you a partner."

  "I'm trying to convince my partner," Sophia said with a smile.

  "Actually, Warren, she's got a point. You've certainly got the basics to do ice dance. The jumps are not coming. And, I don't know if you guys can learn to dance together, but you are certainly physically well-matched."

  Warren thought for a minute, and then said, "Hmmm. What the heck? I can try it, right? And I get to skate with the love of my life, that's a cool bonus."

  Sophia laughed. Carol said, "Listen. After the free session, the next lesson is run by June Riegert. She's a dance coach. You guys were going to stick around for the free session, right? Afterwards, I'll introduce you."

  They tried skating together a bit during the free session, and found that they had a decent natural rhythm. They met June, and she agreed to let them join her dance class. They danced for a while, mostly just trying to teach Warren the most basic of steps, but Sophia loved it. By the end of the class, Warren realized that he liked it better than singles, already.

  Chapter 10 - Plans And Schemes

  "So, we're going to take
ice dance lessons and see how it goes."

  Sophia was sitting at a party that Saturday night, talking to Jessie. Warren had had plans with Crash, so Sophia had decided to go to the party. She had wondered whether or not to tell Warren, finally decided to, and was happily surprised that he told her to go. She knew he'd worry, but he was good enough to understand that she couldn't drop out of the party scene altogether. That's where her friends were. She really was lucky to have him. She made a mental vow to take it easy on the nasty stuff at the party.

  "So, the Famous Couple is now a couple on the ice, too," Jesse snorted. "Jesus, do you guys do everything together?"

  Sophia sighed. "Well, Jess, aside from the fact that he's not here-no, we don't do everything together. I wish."

  "Hmmm. Methinks my friend sounds just a touch frustrated."

  "Just a touch."

  "What, that he's not here?"

  "Oh, no. I'm fine with that. I'll get him to come to one, when we're ready for that. It's fine that he's not here, he had plans anyhow."

  "Oh. OK. But there is a problem."

  "Jess, it's such a minor one, I don't want to make a big deal about it. I'm so in love with him, I can't stand it. It's everything I could have ever dreamed about in a relationship. He's damn near the perfect boyfriend."

  "Except..."

  "Except we've been going out for three weeks and he hasn't made even something resembling the slightest hint of a move on me!"

  "Aaah. Sophie's horny."

  "And how. And he hasn't done anything more than kiss me. Oh, and just to ratchet up my hormones a few degrees, he's an exceptionally good kisser."

  "Really? Prep Boy?"

  "Yeah. Surprised me how good he is."

  "Hmmm. Well, as for your little problem, you've gotta understand; three weeks for you might be an eternity, but for Mister Inexperienced? If you guys are making out, that's fast for him."

  "I know, I know" Sophia groaned. "I just wish I could somehow let him know that I'm not going to bite."

  "You don't bite? That's a pity."

  "JESS!"

  "Aaron used to like it when I bit."

  "JESSIE! You're horrible! Besides which, I thought you and Aaron never did it?"

  "We didn't, but we did everything but. No, unlike you, I kept my virginity. Unfortunately. If I hadn't, I might have kept Aaron."

  "You did the right thing, Jess, you know that."

  "You're probably right. I wasn't ready."

  "Jess, I wish I had held out. I might not be driving myself crazy right now. Damn, I am just not used to this-I'm used to guys that want to jump my bones on the first date."

  "Hey, I didn't tell you to go out with a preppy, now, did I?"

  Sophia giggled. "Ah, I wouldn't trade him for the world."

  "So jump his bones."

  "Huh?"

  "Make the first move, Soph. Grab his crotch or something. Answer the door wearing a baby-doll. Write a lascivious note and put it in his bookbag. Be creative."

  "That's a damn good idea."

  "Of course it is. I thought of it."

  "Jess, you're a genius. Hmmm. This beer is almost empty."

  "How many?"

  "First."

  Jessie gaped. "Soph, you've been here two hours. One beer?"

  "I'm taking it easy."

  "You're turning into me, is what you're doing."

  "Huh?"

  "Soph, haven't you noticed? I hardly ever get drunk. I take a beer and nurse it forever. I take one toke off a joint and pass it around. All the parties I go to, and the times I've been truly wasted or stoned I can count on about two fingers. Everybody thinks I'm cool, but I keep in control. And I even manage to get decent grades without everyone thinking I'm a wimp. I'm serious-you're turning into me. Keep your rep but take care of business."

  "Yeah, except you don't have to worry about venturing into this den of jackals with a preppy on your arm."

  Jessie laughed. "True. Of course, if I could get me a preppy that treats me like Warren treats you, I might consider it. But, what you said reminds me..."

  "Of what?"

  "Three weeks from now, the 'rents are out of town. Which coincides with your fifteenth birthday. Which means..."

  "Jessie's Annual Sophia's Birthday Bash?"

  "You got it. And this is a perfect opportunity to parade the preppy into the den."

  "You think?"

  "Sure. First, you know my parties tend to be tame by comparison."

  "That's because if anyone gets out of hand, you kick their ass."

  "Exactly. Second, it's my party. My party, my guest list, my best friend's boyfriend is firmly on the guest list, and if anyone has a problem with that..."

  "You kick their ass."

  "Exactly."

  "We'll be there. Might as well get it over with."

  "Cool. It's going to go better than you think, you know. Just make sure Prep Boy brings that rapier-sharp sarcastic wit that I've seen with him."

  "I'll do that. But first, I need to launch The Plan to Get Sophia Laid."

  Jessie just laughed.

  Sophia wrote the note on Wednesday. They had made plans to get together on Friday night, as usual, and her mother was working late, and the kids would be with their father. She planned to drop the note in his bookbag at work on Thursday. So she thought for a while on Wednesday night, and ended up writing this:

  My dearest Romeo,

  I don't have a balcony for you to sing up to, so my bedroom will have to do. Up the stairs, to the right, first door on the left. I will be waiting for you there Friday night. Just let yourself in and come right up. I will be ready for you, and I will be wearing something very special for the occasion.

  I want you, Romeo, so bad I can taste it.

  See you Friday,

  Your devoted Juliet.

  Thursday Sophia walked in to work. Warren was already there, squeezing some studying in before his shift started.

  "Whatcha studying, Preppy?"

  "Biology. Respiratory system. Got a quiz tomorrow. I figured I'd get a bit in, but I'll have to do more tonight."

  Sophia looked over his shoulder. "So this is what you'll be having fun with tonight?"

  Warren laughed. "Yup. I do like bio, but I don't know if studying is fun."

  This is perfect, thought Sophia, as she made note of the page number. 226. "Oh, you love studying, and you know it."

  "Ah, it's alright." He closed the book. "Ready to go to work?"

  "Yes sir, sir."

  Sophia went to work, and waited until Warren went out to clean the lot. She planned to follow him out-she had almost completely quit smoking, but she still had one or two a day, usually at work-but, before she followed him, she went to his bookbag, withdrew the biology text, and slipped the note in right before page 226.

  It was close to 11 PM, and Warren was still grinding out his studying. He had already told Sophia he probably wouldn't be able to call her tonight-she was fine with that, they were getting together tomorrow night. He had already ground through some Geometry and had conjugated a bunch of Russian verbs-now to nail down that respiratory system stuff for his biology quiz.

  He opened up the text to the page he had left off at-and found an envelope. A pink envelope, with "ROMEO" in big letters on the front and a bunch of little hearts scattered about. He smiled, and opened up the envelope and read the letter.

  And read it again.

  And turned a lovely shade of purple. "Oh my goodness," he said to himself. This was an unexpected development so early in their relationship. He read the note again. "I think I'm hooked," he said to himself.

  "As if I wasn't, already."

  He didn't get much studying done after that.

  Chapter 11 - Feels Like The First Time

  Warren approached Sophia's house and took a deep breath. He had spent a completely unsettled day at school. He couldn't stop thinking about that note. His only saving grace was that Biology was last period, and he had calmed down a bit, knowin
g that the day was almost over, and aced the quiz. Then he went home, and ate. Now he was here.

  He opened the door. Except for one light in the entranceway, the downstairs was dark. The steps, which led up from the entrance, were lit. Ah well, he thought, here goes nothing.

  "Soph?" he called, just to make sure.

  "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?" he heard from the top of the stairs. He couldn't help but smile at that, and bounced up the stairs. To the right, first door on the left. There it was. He went in.

  ... and stopped dead in his tracks.

  Sophia was sitting on her bed, propped up on a pillow. Her hair was down, loose around her shoulders-she didn't often wear it that way, but knew Warren liked it. She was wearing a pink babydoll teddie that was just about see-through, and barely reached her hips-and nothing else except for a pair of pink panties.

  Her breasts were clearly visible through the slight fabric. She was slightly flushed, had an endearing twinkle in her eye, and a slight smile on her face.He could see her nearly porcelain skin on her legs and arms, framed on her arms by her jet-black hair. She wasn't wearing any makeup, which to Warren enhanced the whole effect. Warren felt a little out of breath.

  "WOW," was all he could get out.

  "You like?"

  "That's an understatement."

  Well come on over here and show me how much you like!"

  "Waitaminnit. I'm in shock. Let me catch my breath." He took a deep breath and looked around. "I've never been in your room before." He looked at the posters on her walls. "Hmm. Paul McCartney, Nomar Garciaparra, and Bourne and Kraatz. Good taste."

  Sophia smiled at him. "Who's on yours?"

  He smiled back. "John Lennon, Pedro Martinez, and Nicole Bobek." They both laughed.

  "Well," Sophia said, "We've firmly established we both like Beatles, baseball, and figure skating. So. Got your breath back, yet?"

  "I think so."

  "Then GET OVER HERE!" He did, and sat next to her on the bed.

  "Sophia Daniels, you have got to be the most beautiful creature I have ever seen."

  "So, Warren Kelleher, tell me. Do I turn you on?"

  "Most of me is very turned on."

  "Only most? What about the rest?"

  "The rest... is terrified."