Two Steps Right

Penny Ling sat cross-legged on the floor of the clubhouse shared by herself and her friends. She was resting her head in her hands, looking glum. It was late afternoon, and she was alone, the lights of the clubhouse switched off.

As the door to the clubhouse opened, Penny looked up, startled. "Hey there," a deep, surprised voice said as her close friend Vinnie was revealed. He stepped into the room. "I just came back for my pencil. You seen it?"

"It's right there," Penny Ling said, pointing to the spot on the floor where the pencil had fallen earlier.

"Thanks," Vinnie said, picking it up. "Hey, what are you doing here?" His voice had a rare touch of concern for his generally uncaring attitude.

"Oh, I'm sure you don't want to hear about it," Penny dismissed, looking away. What did he care about her silly problems?

"Sure I do," Vinnie said encouragingly, sitting down next to her. "What's the matter?"

"Zoe's friend Madame Pom is hosting a ball tomorrow night, and Zoe wants Minka, Pepper, and me to come," Penny explained. "I agreed, but now I'm regretting it. I mean...I like dancing. But I don't know anything about ballroom dancing."

"Oh, well, you know I'm good at all kinds of dancing," Vinnie bragged, tilting his chin proudly. "I could totally teach you. Come on." He stood up and offered her his hand.

Penny blushed and took it, pulling herself up. "Okay," she agreed.

"Great!" Vinnie smiled, taking her other hand as well.

He then began to lead her in a slow, rhythmical dance. "This is a waltz. You'll probably have to know it."

As Penny was learning the steps, she noticed something rather interesting. Normally Vinnie was dangerously clumsy. But this time, while she fumbled a lot, the green-haired boy never missed a step. He didn't seem aware of this change, either.

Vinnie was a great teacher, too. Penny was amazed at his patience with her. She was gradually getting the hang of the dance moves, and she was having fun, too.

When they had finished practicing, Penny Ling felt more relaxed, and she was a little more confident in her ability to go to the ball without making a fool of herself. "Thanks," she said to Vinnie, smiling. "You really helped me."

"No problem," he replied and turned to leave.

"Wait," Penny called, as he was about to open the clubhouse door. "I'm not sure I've got everything right yet. Would you come to the ball and be my partner?" she asked shyly. There was something she had liked about dancing with him, a warm feeling it had given her, and she wanted to experience it again.

Vinnie blinked, looking startled. His face flushed a little. Finally, he grinned and replied, "Sure, I'd love to. And don't worry; you'll be fine."