Free Burning Down the House by Allie Gail Page B

class?”
    “Not in my class, no. There’s a few younger boys in the intermediate class. We’re getting a couple of dance majors from Temple University to fill in for the advanced roles.” That was certainly something to look forward to. As Snow Queen, I’d be partnered with one of them for the pas de deux with the Snow King. They were supposed to start practicing with us in two months, after Thanksgiving break.
    “I’ll put on a tutu and come dance with you,” Doug offered, standing up to clumsily twirl his husky body with arms curved over his head, beer still in one hand. We all cracked up at the sight - even Rob, if you can believe that.
    “I think you need a few more lessons. No offense,” I giggled.
    “Your loss.” He gave a regal bow before taking his seat. “I’ve actually been told I’m very light on my feet.”
    “Light in your head is more like it,” Trent snorted.
    I tilted my head to look over at him. “Hey…let me ask you something.”
    “Okay.”
    “Why do you go out with Staci?” Might as well cut straight to the chase here.
    “I don’t go out with Staci.”
    “I heard you did.”
    “You heard wrong then.”
    “So you’re not together?”
    “Hell to the no. Why you askin’?”
    “She didn’t ask you to be her escort? For the homecoming coronation?”
    “No. Why? Someone say I was her escort?”
    I shook my head. “ Would you like to be? I mean, not for her but for someone else.”
    “Who?” He gave me a suspicious look.
    “How about Dana?”
    “ Dana? Where’s this coming from?”
    “I dunno…” I shrugged innocently. “I was just thinking the two of you would look good together.”
    “ Nice try, but Dana Landry would never go for that. Girl can’t stand me.”
    “I beg to differ.”
    “Uh…her favorite name for me is Manwhore Myers!”
    “Because she thinks you’re banging Staci!”
    “I’m not banging Staci.” He caught Doug’s eye and grinned. “Anymore.”
    I rolled my eyes while they both snickered. “Whatever. So basically then, you don’t have a date for the dance either?”
    “I wasn’t even planning on going. It’s gonna be boring as shit.”
    “ But if you asked Dana, I know she’d go with you,” I persisted.
    Trent propped one arm over the back of the couch and gave me a skeptical look. “What makes you think that?”
    “Just trust me on this one.” He still acted as if he didn’t know whether or not to believe me, so I threw all my cards on the table. “Do I have to hire someone to illustrate it? She thinks you’re hot, brainiac! Jeez! ”
    “You serious?”
    “Yes, I’m serious!”
    “She told you that?”
    “Yes!” God, were all guys this oblivious or what? It occurred to me then that they apparently weren’t any better at reading us than we were at deciphering them.
    “Who are you going with?” Doug interjected. “Are you going?”
    “ Riley.” I noticed Rob’s eyes shift to me for a split second before he casually returned his attention to the TV.
    “I thought Riley said he was gonna ask Jordan,” Doug mused, turning up his bottle to swallow.
    Trent shot him a dirty look. “It’s called tact, you fucknut!”
    “Well…I didn’t mean anything by it! I was just sayin’, you know…”
    “ Don’t worry about it.” I gave Doug’s knee a reassuring pat. “Maybe he asked her first and she turned him down, I don’t know. He just asked me a little while ago. So are you going?”
    “Yeah… Melanie Walker roped me into taking her. I don’t know what she expects me to do there. I can’t dance for shit.”
    “ There’ll probably be more socializing than dancing.”
    “Total waste of time,” Rob muttered.
    “Why do you say that?” I cornered him.
    He fixed his gaze on me. “ Isn’t socializing what we’re doing right now? And we didn’t have to get all dressed up to go do it. Did we?”
    “Dude has a point,” Trent backed him up.
    “Maybe that’s your opinion, but I’ll have you know girls like