Always Gonna Be You | Ongoing

30| Dance of Distractions



The school day finally ended, and after dance practice, Kayla and I headed to the studio to get changed. I slipped into a pair of black shorts and a green t-shirt. Once we were ready, we made our way to the studio and sat on the floor with the rest of the team, waiting for instructions.

"Hi everyone," our coach began. "Mr. Taylor wants us to perform at the football game on Friday and has asked us to do so every Friday. Since it's Wednesday, we should start now. We'll head to the field and begin practicing."

As we walked across the field, I spotted my dad talking to the boys. I waved at him, and he waved back, causing the boys to look over and wave at me too.

"Okay, we'll be doing a remix of different dance styles," the coach explained. "It starts with a slow, soft song that gradually gets louder with a beat drop, transitioning into more hip-hop and a bit of jazz. I'll put you in your positions, and we'll start practicing."

Kayla and I were positioned in front. We quickly learned the first few steps and got into the rhythm.



"Dude, focus," Logan said, snapping me out of my trance just as the ball collided with my head.

"What the actual fuck, Lo?"

"Dang, that girl's got you good," Nathan laughed.

I rolled my eyes and bent down to pick up the ball. Kiara was a distraction, the best kind of distraction. She moved with such precision and grace that I couldn't take my eyes off her. Each movement seemed to carry passion and meaning, drawing me in deeper.

She had gotten me good.



An hour later, we had finished the entire dance.

"Great job, everyone," the coach said. "Next practice, we'll go through formations and finalize everything. See you all then."

As we grabbed our bags, Kayla approached me. "Mr. Taylor needs some help setting up for the game on Friday afternoon. Would you like to join?"

"Yeah, sure. I'd love to."

"Great," she said, checking her phone. "My mom's here. See you tomorrow." We hugged and went our separate ways.

I walked over to where my dad was talking to the boys. My eyes found Grayson's, and he was already looking at me.

"Focus," I mouthed, grinning. He smiled back, shaking his head before turning his attention back to my dad.

I headed up the stands and waited for my dad to finish coaching. Feeling tired, I laid back, using my backpack as a pillow, and scrolled through my phone, finding a message in the girls' group chat.

Group Chat

Mila: Hi, guys. Anyone down for the beach again this weekend?

Jordan: Oh yes, please.

Kayla: Sure, we can go.

Me: Sure, I'm down.

Mila: Great. We'll talk more about it tomorrow. Should we invite the boys?

Kayla: That's fine. I'm sure there are two people who would like to see their boyfriends half-naked.

Jordan: Oh my gosh, Kayla! You can't be serious :)

Me: We aren't even dating.

Mila: Exactly.

Kayla: YET. You aren't dating YET!

I got home, took a shower, started on homework, and then relaxed outside with my mom. We chatted about our days, gossiping and discussing everything under the sun.

"Remember the boy I told you about?" I asked.

She smiled. "What happened?"

I told her every detail. We screamed and giggled, and she looked at me with a knowing grin.

"He's got you," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"You've never acted this way towards any guy. You talk about him like he's the most interesting thing, and it seems like you could go on and on about him."

"Yeah, he's something else. You know what?" I laid my head on her lap.

"What?"

"You know how much I love my romance books and think no man on earth can compare to the ones in books?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I'm starting to think he has a bit of every fictional character I love. It's like he was pulled right out of a romance novel. I always find myself smiling around him."

"That's a massive compliment."

"Yeah, it really is. I mean, when do I ever say such things?"

"Never?" she laughed softly.

After a moment of silence, I contemplated telling her who this boy really was.

"You know, I haven't told you his name yet, right?"

"No, you haven't."

"Well, it's Grayson."

"I know," she said, making me narrow my eyes.

"How?"

"I've known since your dad brought his team over. I saw the way you two looked at each other. The exchanges between you two."

"Of course you saw that. You're like a detective or something."