Believer // Julie and the Phantoms

14

[Finally Free]

The doors to the dance studio opened and Julie rushed in.

"Oh, Julie, how nice of you to join us," the dance teacher said.

"I'm so sorry," Julie apologized. "I overslept."

"Take your spot."

Julie walked to one side of Flynn and began repeating what the teacher was doing.

"So... Why didn't you wake me up?" Julie asked. "I missed my first three classes."

"Julie, you said you were never gonna show your face at school again, and I'm a very literal person," Flynn replied.

"It's okay. It's those stupid ghosts I'm really upset at. I'd kill them if they were already dead."

"Having a band is supposed to help your social life, not ruin it."

"Ex-band."

"Right. Sorry. Ex-band."

"It's all so messed up. I thought they were in this with me. But obviously I was wrong."

"Hey, don't blame yourself. You can only be so strong when three cute ghosts ask you to join a band. And speaking of cute, have you talked to Nick today? He was pretty chatty at the dance."

"No, and I'm kind of dreading it. At least I know I won't see him in this class." Something caught her eye. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What?" Flynn asked before looking back to see a group of boys walking towards them; including Nick.

"What are they doing here?" Julie whispered.

"Right on time, Coach Barron," the dance teacher said. "So, students, Coach Barron and I have decided that his lacrosse team will be part of our class for a few weeks. Many pro-athletes have used dance to help them with coordination and mobility."

"This isn't about flirting with girls," Coach told the boys who laughed. "It's about making us better so we can actually win a game. We lost against Burbank. Burbank!"

"Well, let's all remember that composure is a big part of dance. Everybody pair up."

The boys went to find a dance partner. One approached the girls and found a spot with Flynn.

"No, no, no," Julie said.

"I'm sorry," Flynn apologized as she was led away.

"Don't leave me. Please." Julie held her hands out.

"Hey," Nick greeted as he walked up to Julie.

"Hey, you," Julie replied awkwardly.

The dance teacher said, "So, ladies, let's do what we learned last week, and we will perform this with the boys this Friday. Coach Barron and I will demonstrate."

Coach Barron shook his head. "No. I don't dance."

"You do now." Everyone began following the teacher's instruction and learning the dance routine. "Let's do it again. Half-time, no music."

"You ready for this?" Julie asked Nick.

"Sure," Nick replied. "Uh... My little sister throws a lot of princess dance parties."

"Five, six, seven, eight," the teacher said and the students began dancing again.

Julie chuckled. "Not so bad, Your Majesty."

"Thank you," Nick said. "So, about last night's dance."

"Yeah. I was kind of hoping that if I didn't talk about it, it'd be like it never happened."