Aaron T x Aaron Z| Oneshots

Highschool Dance Club (part 3)

Word count: 1509 (fInAlly it's getting ineresting)

Aaron T's POV

He slid into his desk, bouncing his knee and glancing at the chalkboard. Mr. Dutton had already started his lesson, and while Aaron was late for class, Aaron Z still wasn't there. He hadn't shown up to school for the rest of the week, and with it being Monday, Aaron T was hoping to see him next to him in his first-period class again.

He didn't know exactly what he wanted from Z, but what he did know was that he was talented and a hard-working student. Was he kind to his friends? Was he just as passionate about dancing as Aaron T was?

He glanced at the doorway to the classroom, but the caramel-skinned boy was not there. He searched through the window, but again, the boy was not there. He could feel his frame deflate. He'd stayed awake for nothing.

+++

Tae was already in the gym and stretching when he got there. Both he and Aaron managed to make the second cut which meant that this was their final tryout. Only six people were left, including them, Jesse, and Aaron Z, who was still nowhere to be seen.

Aaron T glanced around the gym in search of the tall athlete. How was he going to make the dance team if he wasn't there?

"Hey, guys," The coach said as he strode into the gym, holding a massive boombox over his shoulder. He placed it in the middle of the gym where Robaire stood with Jesse. They were whispering to each other with concerned expressions on their faces. Aaron tried not to watch as he stretched.

The third and final tryout was much like the first, but instead, each contestant had to learn the routine Robaire had prepared on their own time. Tae and Aaron had practiced it together over the weekend. It was more technical than the others.

The two other competitors were talented, and Aaron had to force himself not to watch them practice- if he did, he'd lose confidence in himself and mess up the routine. He couldn't afford to do that, not when he was so close to achieving his goal.

"Let's go over the steps again," Tae suggested, drawing him out of his trance. Aaron blinked twice before nodding. They hummed the lyrics and beat to the song, moving in synch until they heard the sound of the gym doors bursting open. Everyone turned to see a very tall, and very sweaty Aaron Z sprinting into the gym, his backpack thumping against his back. Aaron had never seen him with so much energy.

"Sorry," he breathlessly mumbled to the coach and his friends as he shrugged off his jacket and stuffed it into his backpack.

"Where have you been?" Robaire asked him.

"Yeah, man, you've been AWOL all weekend," Jesse said and rested a hand on his shoulder.

Aaron Z wiped the sweat over his lip and shook his head.

"Been busy," he told them. They glanced worriedly at each other before stepping closer to the rest of the students. We gathered in a circle while the coach explained how the tryouts would go, and when we would find out if we made the team or not. I felt a jittery sensation settle into my stomach.

It didn't take long before we all sat on the floors and a student stood to perform the routine. Since we all knew exactly what the steps were, we could foresee each step and tell exactly when the dancer messed up. It was both painful and exhilarating at the same time.

Soon, it was his turn. He stood and found his position, remembering how he felt less than a week before during the first tryout. Was he more or less nervous than before? T didn't know. Every time he looked at the students in front of him, his eyes were drawn to Aaron Z's. He was looking at him intently, analyzing every single one of his steps. Did he recognize him as his first-period deskmate? What did he think of his dancing? Aaron T wanted to know all of this, and many things more.

Finally, the song ended and he'd completed the routine with only two mistakes. As he sat, Tae threw his arms around him with a squeal.

"That was awesome!" He yelled into his ear. Aaron pulled away with a yelp and they burst into laughter as the last dancer stood and readied himself for the song. His eyes were cast down to the ground as he waited for the song to begin.

"He's so cool," Tae whispered to him, his eyes never leaving Aaron Z. The song began and he immediately launched into the dance routine. His every move had intention. He was perfectly balanced and light, and assertive with his moves when he needed to be. Aaron Z looked like a painting with every motion. He was beautiful. He was art.

+++

Aaron Z's POV

The truth was that his parents were away. Where? He did not know. But he had a sister and he couldn't leave her alone. He had to stay with her during the day and miss school. During the weekend, they still didn't come home no matter how many times he called. It was like they disappeared without so much as a goodbye. But this wasn't the first time it happened.

They'd returned that day. He didn't even speak to them- all he could do was race out of the front door and make a run for school. Fine, he missed half a week of classes, but he drew the line at missing a tryout.

He told his friends that it was nothing, that he was just busy. They wouldn't understand. Maybe they would, but even so, it was embarrassing. Jesse's parents would have at least hired a babysitter. Robaire's would have never considered leaving in the first place. Aaron was all that his sister had and he couldn't leave her alone.

While he danced, all he could think of was the anger he felt towards his parents. His heart melted at the thought of his sister, and how willing they were to leave her in the first place. She was barely two years old. More than anything, he feared that they'd leave her alone again.

When he finished his routine and sat back down, his friends slapped him on the back and told him how great he was. It was up to the coach to judge his talent, he knew, but it meant a lot that they were supportive. Each one of the dancers deserved to be on the team- they were all hard-working and dedicated. Each person had their own specialty that would be an asset to the team, especially the dancer that had performed before him.

Aaron Z was bad with names, but he remembered the other boy's name because it was the same as his. He had a spring in his step and a sunshiney vibe to go along with it; he wondered how it was possible that the other Aaron had so few friends. Was he an asshole? It didn't seem like he was.

All he knew about him was that he was new to the school and in his first-period class. He'd only seen him stay awake for one of the classes. Still, there was no mistaking that he was talented. He hoped that he'd make the team.

Though Z was never really one to go out of his way to speak to anyone, after the tryouts ended and the coach wished everyone a good evening, he made his way up to the boy who shared the same name as him. It took him a few moments to work up the courage to say, "hi."

The other Aaron looked up at him in surprise. His shoelaces hung limp in his hands. Then, as if he were brought back to reality by an indescribable force, his mouth hung open and the skin on his cheeks and nose turned bright red. Aaron resisted a smile.

"Hi!" the other Aaron said and scrambled to his feet. Even as he stood, he barely reached his shoulder.

"You were really good out there," He said to the shorter boy. Again, his cheeks darkened and his eyes averted from his.

"Cute", he thought to himself.

"Thanks," the boy said and scratched the back of his neck. "You, too."

Aaron would have said something more, but he felt Jesse's hand tug on his shoulder.

"Come on, man, Rob says he's getting us pancakes." Aaron turned to look at his friend and was about to tell him that he should probably head home to check on his sister. He would have, but the words fell short on his lips. He turned back to the other Aaron who was slinging his backpack over his shoulders. His laces were still untied and he'd probably trip on them.

"See ya tomorrow," he said to him and turned away. Aaron watched the shorter boy leave, and wished that for once that he had the courage to just say how he felt.