"Quit ignoring me! I asked what you're doing. You look like someone kicked your dog; except we don't have a dog so it can't be that. What else is it?"
"Nothing," I lie.
It is something, though.
Luna rode off a while ago in her mom's Oldsmobile. I was only able to catch a glance at her, but her long, wild hair was pulled up to the top of her head in a tight bun. She waved at me as she passed.
I'm in a bad mood now, and I'm not sure why.
Although I do, and I just don’t want to admit it.
"Tell Mom I'm going to meet the guys at the park."
"Can I come?" she asks, her near fall all but forgotten. She circles around our driveway again, getting up onto her feet so she can peddle faster.
"Not today, Nora."
"I'm bored, though," she whines. "Luna went to ballet. I don't have anything to do."
I know.
"You wanna catch frogs with us? The big, slimy ones with the huge black eyes? Maybe his tongue will come out and wrap around your fingers."
"Ewwwww." Her faces curls in disgust. "Never mind. I don't want to hang out with you guys."
"I'll be back before it's dark," I say, my hands wrapping around my handlebars and lifting my bike upright. I slide onto my seat and fly down the road. The lights from the homes brighten the road up on the left side of me, keeping the cornfields on my right darkened from the lowering sun. I stay on the left side. The shadows in the cornfield always creep me out.
The park appears around the corner, and I see my friends in the distance. I'm about to turn their way when my bike gets a mind of its own. Or maybe it's not my bike at all. I end up taking a right toward town where all the small shops and businesses are crammed together on two streets. My bike drops down from the curb as I cross the street. I pop a wheelie to get up onto the curb on the other side of the street and end up in front of the only dance studio in town. My foot drops to the ground, sliding across the sidewalk and makes a loudkshhhhhhnoise as the sole of my shoe slides across the sandy pavement.
I slip off my bike and lean it up against the light post on the corner. A yellow lab stares at me from a nearby bench. I walk over to him and give him a pat on the head. "Hey, Billy." I scratch behind his blond ear and smile when he tilts his head to the side in pleasure.
Billy is Mr. Sorenson’s dog. Billy usually hangs out here in the evenings while Mr. Sorenson goes into the bait shop across the street to prepare for his early morning fishing trip. He’s one of the people on the lake who spends most of his days on the water, and his boat is the first one on the lake in the morning. He’s always trying to catch the best fish.
Billy doesn't even need to be tied up. He just walks over and lays on the bench. Everyone in town knows Billy and Mr. Sorenson. I think Billy even likes this spot because sometimes he gets treats from the locals.
After a few more pets, I shake my hand free of his loose, blond hair and walk toward the dance studio. The windows are large, and I can see the entire space from out front. I've never been here before, never been inside. But I'm assuming this is where Luna went, since this is the only studio in town.
I notice her mom sitting on a bench attached to the wall that extends from one side of the room to the next. She has a smile on her face that shines as bright as her colorful dress. I follow her gaze, my eyes landing on Luna.
Wow.
Her hair is tied up into a tight bun on the top of her head. I’ve never seen her hair up, almost like she’s allergic to ponytails. It’s always down in a long mess that floats to her waist. Not today. Today it’s tight, slicked, and shiny on top of her head.
A pale pink leotard suctions against her body. My eyes fall down her long, long legs to her feet, which are wrapped in those weird-looking slippers with the flat toe. A silky ribbon wraps around her feet and ends on the back of her calf in a small bow.
She looks taller than she is. She looks like so much more, standing there in a baby pink outfit. Her pale skin nearly blends in with her leotard. She doesn't do much as she wanders around the room. Bending a bit here and there and stretching across a long bar that extends along the wall from one side to the other.
She hops up on the tips of her toes, and my cheeks grow warm as her arms extend up, the line of her body flawless and straight.
She's perfect.
My throat feels full, like I just swallowed an oversized piece of bread. I clear my throat a few times hoping the feeling will go away, but as I continue watching her, it only grows bigger. My heart feels like it's about to break from my chest and run inside the studio all on its own. It wants to clutch onto her, and I don't understand this feeling.
I've never felt this feeling before.
She spins around, floating into the air like a feather before landing on her feet. Her body is turned in my direction, and her eyes float up and connect with mine. I stare at her, feeling like a creep watching her with my hands at my sides. She stares at me too, her gray eyes lighting a fire in her irises that burns me. It burns my skin, and it burns my heart.
With a blink of her eyes, she turns around and continues dancing, breaking the spell her silver eyes put me under. I reach up to the back of my neck and wipe away the sweat that shouldn't even be here this evening. The sun has started to set and there's a fall chill in the air.