Kylie & Jack 1: Humble Beginnings

82. That's a Wrap!

Friday 20th Dec 2019, 2:05 PM

"Change partners!" Kylie yelled out over the hubbub of noise. All the students darted around the room to find their next dance partner.

It was the last day of school; Linda, Jack and Kylie were all in Kylie's classroom with all the students, dancing to a random assortment of songs they had played all year. Linda was doing the Heel and Toe with Elise; Jack was twirling Ebony around and Kylie was pulled into a circle with Cooper and Cameron, to do some alternate version of the Heel and Toe too. All to the beat of Hall of Fame by The Script.

Linda had called Kylie and Jack earlier in the week to remind them that their rooms needed to be cleaned out of all the year's work, ready for a new year and that on Friday, she was perfectly happy for them to just host a party for all the students.

So here they were, with fifty–five minutes of the 2019 school year left, dancing themselves numb.

When the song ended, the kids all stopped dancing, huffing and puffing. Linda had taken a seat to help Beau tie his laces; Jack stretched his arms high above his head and Kylie pulled silly faces, sticking out her tongue and panting at the kids, although she was feeling next level exhaustion herself.

Then, Footloose came on and Ebony, Grace, Pippa and several other students screamed to see Kylie and Jack dance together, chanting "DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!" until Jack stumbled forwards, hands outstretched, a huge boyish grin on his face.

"May I, Miss Foley?"

Kylie laughed hard, drowned out by the music and kids. Even Linda was clapping along, seeing Kylie slap her hand into Jack's who spun her out and back to him, pulling her into a quickstep, keeping in time with the song.

Kylie laughed the whole time as Jack spun them around the room. Before the song had ended, they both stopped, absolutely puffed, to thunderous applause from the kids. Kylie stumbled onto a desk to sit down and catch her breath. All the dancing had made her head spin sickeningly fast.

A small troupe of kids crowded around Kylie, demanding to see another dance between her and Jack.

"Nope – no, no more –"

"– aw, but Miss –"

"– nope! No, all that spinning around has made me dizzy!"

"– but – but –"

"– no buts, Jackson – I said no and that's all there is to it!"

Across the room, she could hear Ebony, Grace, Sam and Jayden making the same demands of Jack, who was also telling them they got their show. He looked as worn out as Kylie felt.

It was now half past two and Linda got to her feet and turned the music off.

"Alright boys and girls, everyone find a spot on the floor, lie down!"

Linda pulled up a meditation video on YouTube on the smartboard, waiting until all the students were laying on their backs on the floor. All the tables had been pushed along the walls, which would stay there over the holidays, so that when Kylie came back in the new year, she could redesign her room.

When the soft music began to play, Linda whispered at all the kids as she wandered between them all, to just lie back and breathe, to just listen to the music.

Jack weaved his way across the room, stepping over the small bodies scattered around the floor to sit beside Kylie on the desk, nudging her with his elbow lightly.

"How you doin', old girl?" Jack whispered playfully in her ear, sure not to be heard by the kids.

"Aw yeah ..." she pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath.