Free Whiskey & Charlie by Annabel Smith Page A

twelfth grader. So much for Charlie’s 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 decided—by the teachers, presumably—that 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.
    â€œWe did it, Charlie!” 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.
    â€œHey,” she said. “Have you got a minute?”
    Charlie sat up.
    â€œHey, Anneliese.”
    Anneliese had been to their house a few times by then, but she had never been into Charlie’s room before. He looked around to see if there was anything he might be embarrassed for her to see, kicked a pair of boxer shorts—cleanliness unknown—under his bed.
    â€œSure, come in,” he said.
    â€œWhat are you reading?” she asked.
    â€œ Heart of Darkness ,” Charlie said, holding it up. “Have you read it?”
    â€œâ€˜The horror, the horror!’” she said, clutching her throat.
    They laughed.
    â€œWhere’s Whiskey?”
    â€œHe’s downstairs. I wanted to see if maybe we could…if you wanted to…if you didn’t mind, we could maybe…you know…practice the dance.”
    Charlie couldn’t believe it. Anneliese Spellman was in his bedroom, asking him to dance. Sure, it wasn’t slow dancing to “Never Tear Us Apart” in a darkened room, but it was probably as close to that as Charlie was ever going to get. So why was he hesitating?
    â€œI got the music from Mr. Randall,” she said uncertainly, showing him a tape. “But if you’re busy, that’s okay…”
    Charlie made up his mind. “No, no, you’re right,” he said, virtually jumping off the bed. “It’s a good idea to practice. Mr. Kurtz isn’t going anywhere.” They laughed again. “Do you think there’s enough room in here?” he asked, shoving his schoolbag into the wardrobe. He hoped she would say yes. He didn’t 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.
    â€œPlenty of room,” 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 couldn’t