WingWard Side

Chapter 12: Jitterbug

"Kay put your hands under mine like this."

"Like this?"

"Yeah, now step to the left."

"Like that?"

"No you don't cross over you just step normal."

"Like... that?"

"No- how do you step normal?"

"I don't know!"

"Oh my gosh you're useless."

It was after school, I had met Keira in the small field near the Football field, and she was teaching me the basics of dancing. The sun was starting to set, it started setting earlier because of winter coming. So the grass was sparkling gold and the trees casting rays everywhere and the clouds going a warm orange. Very pretty.

However, dancing had turned out to not be as easy as I thought.

"Ok what the- No stop it." Keira held my shoulders still to stop dancing. (I had given up and started doing the Rick Roll dance.) "How about this: I'm gonna be the boy, and after I'm done you can just copy what I'm doing."

She held out her hands, and I rested mine on hers. And she started stepping to the left: one big step, then following with the other foot. Step, then feet together. Step, together. Step, together. Step together. Easy,

"Kay now you, the girl-" She chuckled. "You'll do the crossover step. Step with me, one, two, one, two, one, two, yeah you got it!" I bounced and stepped with her, getting the hang of it.

"Wouldn't it be easier with music?" I asked, watching our feet intensely to make sure I didn't screw up.

"Girl, with music you gotta go faster than this. I think you'd die." She laughed. "Ok now look at me."

I looked up and watched her, brain still looked on my feet movements.

"Now add some more pep. C'mon don't look like you're trying not to crap, dance with it, smile."

I tried to follow, and it wasn't that hard to have fun with it. So we started going in circles faster.

"Ok now I'm gonna spin you."

"Spin?!"

"Calm down you're not gonna die just, flow with it." She raised her hand over my head, guiding me with her other into a spin. Then reached back out to my hand again and slid back into the steps.

"Yeah see you got it!"

"I have never felt so not-manly in my life." I laughed. She let go of my hands and walked over to her bottle for a drink of water.

"The important thing is leading. Usually the guy leads, or whoever is taller, so you're gonna have to guide her. Use your hands to spin her and pull her in a circle around you and stuff. When you get basic moves down I can teach you cool stuff like the Dishwasher or a flip. When you do that it's gotta be more planned and stuff but you're good now."

"Flip?"

"Don't worry about it now. Just practice basics."

I sat down on the nearby bench. She sat down in the grass, chugging water.

"So am I pickin' it up good?" I asked.

She watched me for a second, before nodding, kind of like she was lying.

"Am I?" I pressed again.

"Yeah yeah surrrre!" She lied, setting down the bottle. I ripped up some grass and threw it at her, and we laughed.

There was a quiet breath before she spoke again. "So, why do you wanna teach your girl jitterbug?" She took another drink of water.

I thought for a second. "Well, she's wanted to learn her whole life. She brought it up a lil' bit ago and I remembered you knew and... yeah. I guess I thought it'd be a cool surprise for her ya know?"