It's My Life • Shawn Hunter

34| Turnaround

At school Zoey, Shawn and Cory were walking through the halls, listening to people talk about the Turnaround dance. It was a dance that instead of the guys asking the girls, it was swapped around so the girls asked the boys.

Zoey began to become nervous because she wanted to ask Shawn to go with her, but she didn't have the confidence yet.

"Turnaround dance, huh?" Shawn said as they looked at the poster for the dance. "Girls ask the guys. Merry Christmas to me."

"Ah, it's about time the girls had to worry and sweat and write out a list of topics to talk about on their hands." Cory said as the three walked down the small flight of stairs.

"You do that?" Zoey wondered.

"No, never." Cory answered quickly, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm just glad the pressure's off. You know, we just get to sit back and wait."

"Is that what you think, the pressure's off?" Eric asked as he appeared beside them with a smirk. "Dream on, girls."

Eric was about to leave until Cory grabbed his arm. "Wait! Come back, come back. What?"

"Look, Turnaround dance tells you where you stand. Ad the type of girl who asks you, tells you who you are." Eric explained to Shawn and Cory.

"Well, who are you if nobody asks?" Cory asked.

"Then you're you." Eric responded simply.

"Well, how do you get asked by a cool girl?" Cory questioned. Zoey huffed lightly and leaned against the lockers, watching the boys struggle.

"Position." Eric stated.

"Huh?" Cory asked in confusion.

"Look, you want a cool girl, hang near her locker. Stay in her direct vision. If she can't see you, she can't ask you. Remember, positioning." Eric explained. He then demonstrated and stood in front of Jacqueline, who walked straight past him. Zoey chuckled

Shawn shook his head and turned to the brunette. "So, who are you going to ask, Zo?"

"I'm not telling." Zoey stated with shrug. "I don't think the guy would say yes."

"Okay, positioning." Cory said, walking into the middle of the hallway. "We're in a main hallway, between the bathroom and a drinking fountain. There's good foot-traffic. All right, let's do it." Zoey laughed when Cory stepped in front of a girl, who basically ran away from him. Cory turned to his friends and saw Shawn's head in his locker. "Shawn! Come on, positioning. How do you expect to get asked out with your head in a locker?"

Zoey straighten up when she saw Becky approaching Shawn.

"Shawn, would you got to the turnaround dance with me?" Becky wondered, smiling.

Shawn pulled his head out of his locker and smiled when he saw her. "Becky? How are you? Sure, I'll go."

Zoey scoffed and her jaw clenched tight. She was going to ask Shawn to the turnaround dance. She shook her head, tighten the strap of her backpack on her shoulder and walked away from her friends.

••••

In English, Zoey sat at her desk, feeling upset. She couldn't look at Shawn because if she did, she would just spill everything that she had feeling for him and it frustrated her when Becky asked him to the dance.

Mr. Turner was currently talking about the book that he assigned the class to do, but Zoey wasn't paying any attention as she fumbled with her fingers instead.

"... Shaw's play, Pygmalion, is filled with strong opinions about class prejudice. You guys agree or disagree?" Mr. Turner asked the class, who remained silent. "Wow, I didn't know they were taking the class picture today. Come on. How you speak, how you walk, affects how you're gonna do in life. You guys believe that?"