twelfth grader. So much for Charlieâs list. Still, there was plenty of time left, and Charlie thought it would be a few weeks yet before most of the guys made their moves.
x x x
In week five, after they had learned the salsa, Mr. Randall announced that since they were progressing so well, it had been decidedâby the teachers, presumablyâthat there would be a demonstration at the prom, for which couples would be chosen to perform one of the five dances they had learned. Charlie was surprised to find he was thinking more about the ballroom dancing demonstration than about how and when he might invite Melissa to the prom. Once he and Anneliese had gotten over their initial awkwardness, Charlie had started to enjoy dancing with her. Now, instead of embarrassed apologies, they laughed together when they made a mistake, sometimes shared a joke with each other or a bit of gossip they had heard around the school.
The couples chosen for the demonstration were announced in week six. Charlie and Anneliese were selected as one of the couples for the fox-trot. Anneliese gave Charlie a hug when the announcement was made.
âWe did it, Charlie!â she said excitedly, giving him one of her beautiful smiles. Charlie felt himself redden. He was pleased that he and Anneliese had been chosen. He thought they had earned it. He did not know why he felt guilty about it, as though he had done something underhanded by dancing to the best of his ability, by wanting to be chosen.
x x x
Later that week, Charlie was lying on his bed, underlining key quotes from one of his English literature books, when Anneliese poked her head into his room.
âHey,â she said. âHave you got a minute?â
Charlie sat up.
âHey, Anneliese.â
Anneliese had been to their house a few times by then, but she had never been into Charlieâs room before. He looked around to see if there was anything he might be embarrassed for her to see, kicked a pair of boxer shortsâcleanliness unknownâunder his bed.
âSure, come in,â he said.
âWhat are you reading?â she asked.
â Heart of Darkness ,â Charlie said, holding it up. âHave you read it?â
ââThe horror, the horror!ââ she said, clutching her throat.
They laughed.
âWhereâs Whiskey?â
âHeâs downstairs. I wanted to see if maybe we couldâ¦if you wanted toâ¦if you didnât mind, we could maybeâ¦you knowâ¦practice the dance.â
Charlie couldnât believe it. Anneliese Spellman was in his bedroom, asking him to dance. Sure, it wasnât slow dancing to âNever Tear Us Apartâ in a darkened room, but it was probably as close to that as Charlie was ever going to get. So why was he hesitating?
âI got the music from Mr. Randall,â she said uncertainly, showing him a tape. âBut if youâre busy, thatâs okayâ¦â
Charlie made up his mind. âNo, no, youâre right,â he said, virtually jumping off the bed. âItâs a good idea to practice. Mr. Kurtz isnât going anywhere.â They laughed again. âDo you think thereâs enough room in here?â he asked, shoving his schoolbag into the wardrobe. He hoped she would say yes. He didnât want to go downstairs and practice in the family room, where they ran the risk of his mum or dad coming home from work and wanting to watch, not to mention Whiskey.
âPlenty of room,â Anneliese said. She put the tape in his stereo and pressed Play.
Dancing with Anneliese alone in his bedroom was completely different from dancing with her in the gym, along with forty other students and Mr. Randall, with his adjustments and wisecracks. Undistracted by anyone else, Charlie was suddenly acutely aware of how close he was to Anneliese, the places where his body met hers. He could smell her hair. They bumped and shuffled around the room, and he couldnât