Free What The Heart Wants by Jessica Gadziala

cones and squares and varying other unusual shapes. A DJ was situated discreetly next to the stage, his table covered in a grass-patterned tablecloth. A refreshment stand was next to it.
    Directly in the door to her left was the admission table. “Well well well,” a female voice said from behind it. There sitting behind a huge sign telling everyone to sign in there, sat Maude Mays in a light orange summer dress and a hat lined in flowers. “don’t you clean up nice? Come over here and sign in, girl.” Anna paid her five dollars and wrote her name on top of one of the lined dance cards. “Now, I’ll hold onto this and when someone wants to dance with you, they will come to me and sign up and pay. You just go and enjoy being young and pretty.”
    Anna thanked Maude and walked into the gym, feeling a lot like an outsider. Everyone was scattered around in small groups, laughing and enjoying the festive atmosphere. A few eyes fell her way, appraising her new look. Most people gave her a small, friendly smile. But out of the corner of her eye, she could swear she saw someone looking at her with outright loathing.
    Annabelle took in her bleach blond hair and icy blue eyes. Her pink dress was overly tight and her heels very high. She looked to be about Viv’s age with an impressive shape. Anna looked away first, unsure what she could have possibly done in the past few months to deserve such animosity.
    But she didn’t have much time to give the thought before pretty little Ashley from the diner came bouncing over in royal purple sundress looking very much like a stunning picture of young happiness.
    “Oh isn’t this so exciting? I’ve always loved this event but have always been too young to participate. This is my first year. The dance hasn’t even started yet and Maude just told me my dance card is already full! Can you believe it?” she gushed, practically bouncing with excitement.
    “Yes, yes I can. You look beautiful.”
    Ashley rushed on about the decorations and how dapper the boys from her school actually looked all dressed up before she ran off to greet her friends.
    Anna looked around. The bleachers were full of younger teens, clustered in groups separated by obvious school cliques. There were families with children and elderly couples all dressed up in their best.
    She slowly made her way over to the bleachers just as the band started up. The first song was a fast and cheery oldie and everyone who had a partner made their way to the dance floor. Ashley was being spun around by a handsome teenager dressed in all black dress shirt and slacks with bright yellow suspenders and tie.
    Anna felt a warm breath by her ear. “The first one is mine,” Eric told her. She felt her spine straighten.
    In the weeks following the events with Eric and Sam, Anna had thrown herself fully into wronged-woman mode. She blasted female empowering alternative rock. She reread the book of feminist poetry an ex-best friend had forced her to read when they were teenagers.
    In the past, she had never had to deal with the feelings men tend to bring with them- extreme hope and excitement followed by a strange cocktail of sadness, anger, and a need for vengeance. If she were to be completely honest, the real reason she bought a new dress and worked so hard on her appearance was to drive Eric and Sam crazy and get the pleasure she would feel by turning them down.
    “It doesn’t work that way,” she told him, keeping her eyes on the dance floor.
    “Tonight it does,” he said, walking toward the sign-in table.
    She was still seething from his arrogance when she felt a tap on her shoulder. A young man stood there, somewhere between Ashley’s age and her own. He was good looking in a nerdy kind of way with his average brown hair and his quirky horn-rimmed glasses. He extended his hand to her, “I believe the next dance belongs to me, my lady,” he said and they both laughed.
    She took his hand and was led onto the dance floor for