Dance Camp with the Football Camp

1

ELLIE

"Ellie!!' My brother shouts, waking me. I groggily get up and dress in black leggings, coral sandals and a tank top that says 'shut your' and then it has the treble clef space notes, which spell 'face' I put on my makeup and contacts, checking one last time that I have my phone and charger, along with a few books, thrown into my purse. I grab my duffle bag that's sitting by my door. I walk downstairs to eat breakfast. I make pancakes and bacon, leaving just enough for my mom and brother. I scribble a note on the counter  Mom, Zander- I left for dance camp this morning. Zander, have fun at football camp later in the summer, and don't get too many concussions. ;). Mom- have a good summer, and don't go crazy without kids to feed. You can feed me all you want when I get back. Miss you both already, Love, Ellie<3.  I step outside, and it's warm. Not too warm for leggings, as there is no existing temperature too warm for leggings. The bus to dance camp rolls to a stop, before opening its doors as a person steps off to take by bags. I hand him my suitcase and duffle, keeping my purse. I sit next to Jessica and Elaina. I sit down, plugging my earbuds in and taking a book out of my purse. I'm in my own little world for about three hours, or so the girls say. Apparently I fell asleep reading. We got to the camp site, and everyone filed out of the bus. We stepped off and grabbed our luggage. Elaina and Jessi and I already know that we'll be in the same cabin. We walk to our cabin, just having been handed our keys. I set my stuff on the twin bed separate from the bunks, which Jessi and Elaina had already called dibs on. I was fine with that, I hated bunk beds ever since I was six. My dad used to make Zander and I share one, with me on top and he got the bottom, given he was younger. My dad found it especially fun to give Zander to my mom while he got to whip me from above the top bunk. There was no protection there. I don't think I ever told anyone that story. "Lanie! Jessi! How have you been? Oh, my God! It's been forever!" I exclaim, giggling. We end up giggling for a half hour before regaining composure. One of the staff here knocks on our door a few minutes later. I, being the most mature, open the door and ask her to step in if she liked. She came bearing news. Good and bad news. Good-bad news. We were sharing the camp site with football players. Not my brother's camp-that was the first thing I checked- but a high school one. There's a dance at the end of the camp, and you have to go with someone from the other camp. "God, why does life have to be so fricking hard?" I ask, apparently out loud.  Elaina and Jessi are the most comforting people ever. I swear. I end up curling up into a ball, not crying, though. About five minutes later, there's another knock on the door. This time, Jessi gets it. I shield my face from the door. Elaina and I go to the door seconds later, wanting to know who it is. It's three football players. One of them is cute. I mentally kick myself for that. "I'm Zack," the cute one says, and I make a mental note of that. "Ellie," I reply, looking at the floor. He tilts my chin up, and upon seeing me a little upset still from earlier, he hugs me. God, does he smell good. Vanilla and old Pine. Interesting combo, but, damn, could he make it work. I glance at the other two as they walk away. Zack smiles at me as they grow smaller and fainter. "EEK!" Lanie giggles. She's always been boy crazy. After a few minutes of giggling, I check my phone. 1:30. "Girls! We have a half hour before the first class! Change!" I demand. Jessi changes into bright white tights, an emerald green leotard with gold embroidery and silver sparkles, and she grabs her DANCE FOREVER~~JESSI dance bag. Elaina, on the other hand, is wearing a sparkling black leotard with a raspberry skirt. She grabs her  I love dance more than people. Elaina Claire bag. I can see her slip into black flats, as Jessi does the same with brown flats. I change into a teal leotard with purple and green flowers flowing down. I slip into a white skirt with it, and grab my Dance over brothers~~  Ellie Marie  bag. I step into my white flats and we walk over to the studio. We are the first ones there, no shock. We sit in the front row of the auditorium, talking. Just then, the football boys walk up to us. "well, couldn't live without us?" Zack asks. "Ugh," I groan. I wanted nothing to do with any of them. I came here to dance, not to meet annoying football boys. I could do that at home with Zander's friends. I just wanted to dance, but apparently life couldn't make it that easy, could it? No, there had to be boys thrown in, and a dance with them, on top of everything else. Jessi could see I was irritated with them and promptly kicked them away. Not literally. After an hour of boring talking, we got our teams. On mine was Jessi, Elaina, and a few girls I didn't know. Kelley, Hazel, and Marissa. We got to pick our song and choreograph it, but we only had the summer to make and perfect it. That would be hard. Jessi and Elaina got Kelley, Hazel, and Marissa's attention. "Girls, Ellie, Jessi, and I have the perfect song. We have some of the basic choreography already, too," Elaina started, with Jessi piping in "meet us in studio E in half hour, ok?" I walked back to the cabin with Elaina and Jessi. The second we got there, I started crying. Elaina came over and rubbed my back. "What's wrong?" Jessi asked, as someone knocked on the door. Jessi opened it, only to reveal Zack and Michael.  Elaina shielded my face just as much as I did. The boys ticked me off enough already, now in the middle of me crying. God, their timing was horrible. "What happened, Ell?" Zack asked. "No one calls me 'Ell.' No one," I say, with a voice of steel and eyes to match. Apparently, I scared Jessi and Elaina. "Not even me?" Zack tests. "Not even Jessi and Elaina. And trust me, they're a hell of a lot closer to me than you are," I sneer, not wanting to talk to them at the moment, or ever for that matter. I see Jessi whisper something to Michael and he drags Zack out of the room. "What happened, Ellie?" Jessi asked. "nothing. I don't want to talk about it." I whisper. I check my phone, "we have to get to the studio," I dictate. If I didn't, no one would. As we walk into the studio, the other girls meet us there. My face is still tear stained and I have makeup all over my face. I swipe my phone on and click on my music app. I press PLAY on Let Your Tears Fall by Kelly Clarkson. Elaina, Jessi, and I start to dance to it, remembering our trio from a few years ago. We won first in nationals with that dance. Woah Watch your tears fall, let them fall, fall tonight. Make the seas calm, take you in my arms, you cry. Let your tears fall, let your tears fall, let your tears fall. It's not a crime to fall apart, sometimes. It's not a crime to ask why, to ask why. Let your tears fall, let your tears fall, let your tears fall. I will come, no I won't run. I'm not scared to care. Come to me when you're in need. Set it free, let the truth breathe.  by now, we are all so lost in the dance that we don't realize that we have an audience. Tell me all your secrets, tell me all your fears. I won't push you away, I'll only pull you near. No, I won't judge you and I'll help you through. Tell me all your secrets, sharing all your pain. Confess it all in me, no matter tell me your name. No, I won't judge you, and I'll help you through. Let your tears fall, let your, let your tears fall. Let your tears fall, let your, let your tears fall. No, I won't judge you, and I'll help you through. So give it all, give it all to me. And you can call whenever you need me. You cry (let your tears fall, let your tears fall, let your tears fall) I will come, no I won't run. I'm not scared to care. Come to me when you're in need. Set it free, let the truth breathe. Tell me all your secrets, tell me all your fears. No, I won't push you away, I'll just pull you near. No, I won't judge you and I'll help you through. Tell me all your secrets, sharing all your pain. Confess it all in me, no matter tell me your name. No, I won't judge you and I'll help you through. Let your tears fall. let your, let your tears fall. Let your tears fall. Let your, let your tears fall. No, I won't judge you, and I'll help you through. Let your tears fall. Let your, let your tears fall. Let your tears fall. Let your, let your tears fall. No, I won't judge you, and I'll help you through. I know you been on your knees, I'll run to your side, baby. I'll run to your side, baby. ooh. I know you been on your knees. I'll run to your side, baby. I'll run to your side, baby. Tell me all your secrets, tell me all your fears. I won't push you away, I'll only pull you near. No, I  won't judge you, I'll only pull you near. No, I won't judge you, and I'll help you through. Tell me all your secrets, sharing all your pain. Confess it all in me, no matter tell me your name.  No, I won't judge you, and I'll help you through. Let your tears fall. Let your, let your tears fall. Let your tears fall. Let your, let your tears fall (let your tears fall.) Let your tears fall, let your, let your tears fall. Let your tears fall. Let your, let your tears fall. Woah. Woah. By the end of our dance, and the girls trying to keep up with Elaina, Jessi, and I, Zack, Daniel, and Michael are watching, their mouths agape. "Close your mouths, you'll catch flies," Elaina and I say in unison, making all the girls giggle. Michael, Daniel, and Zack walk up to us. Michael took Jessi's hand, Daniel took Elaina's, and Zack took mine, spinning me into a hug. "Hey, Ellie," Zack said, sweetly. I smiled at him. He picked me up as if I were a feather, and then I remember that we're talking about a football player, I probably was a feather to him. In more ways than one.  "Ellie, come here," Zack said, intertwining our hands, which confused me. He led me to a breath taking beach. "Ellie, I've known you for two hours, but I love you. Will you go out with me?" Zack asked. "Oh, my God! Yes," I replied, hugging him. The next thing I know, I'm being picked up again. We walk back to the studio and say goodbye to each other. We'll see each other at dinner and at the campfire after the last session of the day. There were no 'counselors' so to speak, just the more experienced dancers in charge. I always liked that idea. No one in charge, just the more experienced ones teaching you and helping you improve. "So, what happened?" all five girls squealed as I walked back into the studio with a giddy smile plastered to my face. "Zack asked me out!!" I squeal. "EEK! You two were a match made in heaven!!" Hazel squealed, along with Marissa, Kelley, and Elaina. Jessi looked happy, but not to the extent that the other girls were. "Jess, what's wrong?" I ask, pulling her to the back of the studio. I play the song for the others to practice to, or at least get a sense of the lyrics and timing. "My parents got divorced and Nick broke up with me," Jessi replied, crying. "Jess, come here," I said, holding her. Just then, Michael appeared at the door. Elaina directed him back to us, making Jessi kick her in the shin. Dang, are they entertaining to watch at times. Just not when you're in the middle of it. Michael slipped his hand into Jessi's and twirled her out of the room. "OK, girls. Let's start with the beginning choreography. This will take all summer to perfect. Trust me, and now with the football boys. God, will this be an interesting summer." I said, not knowing half of what was in store for me. "So, the beginning of the song," I played the first fifteen seconds of the song, which is just instrumental. "double pirouette, jazz square, jazz square, single pirouette," I say, replaying the first seconds of the song. "Good, again," we do this ten more times, until it's perfectly engrained in their minds and has become muscle memory. Watch your tear fall, let them fall, falling now. Make the seas calm, take you in my arms, you cry. Let your tears fall. "flutter, jete, hold arabesque, repeat two more times, three in all," I play the next section of the song, plus the beginning, a total of fifteen times before we move on. Two hours later, we are interrupted by a knock on the door. Elaina gets it because Jessi's still out somewhere with Michael, or at least we hope with Michael. We had gotten about 2:45 minutes/seconds into the song, out of the total 3:55 minutes/seconds. So far, it was perfect. "Ellie, c' mere," Elaina demands. I walk over, my hair a mess. I hadn't taken it out of it's messy ponytail I put it in this morning before I left home. I see a sweaty looking Zack, but no Jessi or Michael. I'm greeted my a kiss from Zack, making me smile. "Hey, how's football?" I asked him. "Good, but watching you dance is better," he said, which made me giggle. "You'll see the dance soon enough. Wait just a second," I demand. He complies. "Girls, get water or something. You know what? Dinner's in 15, so just meet Elaina and I there. We'll see you in a few," I dismiss, walking back to Zack. "You were saying? Hey, while you're here, do you have any idea where Michael and Jessi went?" I ask, I thought he might know because he and Michael played football together. "No, I was going to ask you that," he said, smiling. God, his smile was perfect. "I'm going to go change for dinner, and I suggest you shower. You smell gross. I'll see you in a half hour," I declare, walking to my cabin with Elaina by my side. "Gosh, he's so perfect. Why can't Daniel ask me out already?" she whines, making me laugh. "He will, don't worry," I assure. We reach our cabin seconds later, and I immediately change into yoga pants and an old dance t-shirt. I slip back into my age-worn flip flops and redo my messy ponytail, not bothering with a brush. I see that Elaina has changed into a cute top and mini denim skirt with heel booties. "Going somewhere?" I question, smirking. I place my phone in my purse and slide it on my shoulder as Elaina and I walk to the mess hall. We run into the girls and sit with them. We set our purses and dance bags down to go get food. As we sit back down, I ask "So, how do you girls like the dance? Do you like the song?" I ask. Kelley says first, "I love the dance, and the song is gorgeous," I smile at her comment. "Marissa, Hazel, what do you think of the dance," I could tell they were shy and quiet, and I wanted to make sure that they were happy. "I like it," Hazel said, as Marissa said, "yeah, it's pretty. I like it," Before we know it, we're back in the studio. We just repeat the part we've memorized for two hours. "OK, girls, it's time for bed. Be ready to finish the song tomorrow morning, and then we'll get into the little tiny details no one likes to fix. We'll get more free time and have more relaxed practices later in the summer. We'll get to chill on the beach watching to boys play football while the other dancers work their butts off because they didn't work at the beginning of the summer. Good night, girls," I ramble. Elaina and I walk back to our cabin, fighting over the shower. "You can have it first, I want to write to home, read a little, and see where on earth Jessi is," I say. "K, thanks," Elaina replies. Zack gave me his number earlier, so I decide to call him. He picks up on the third ring. "Ellie!" he exclaims. "Hey, hey," I greet "have you seen Jessi or Michael at all, they never came back from when Michael 'borrowed' her during the first session earlier today," I ask, while carefully picking up a piece of paper and an envelope. I choose a black ball point gel pen out of my pencil bag that lives in my purse. "No, I haven't. I'll text you if I see either of them, Night, Ell," "Night, thanks. Love you," "Love you, too, Ell," is the last thing I hear before the line goes dead. I place my earbuds in my ears, clicking play on all my Carrie Underwood songs. I let them play in the background while I write to Mom.

Dear Mom,

Hey! I miss you so much already! It's going to be an awesome summer, though. I got my first boyfriend today! It was perfect. He plays football at the camp next to ours, and he's really sweet. Jessi, Elaina, and I coach three other girls: Hazel, Marissa, and Kelley. Anyway, I met Zack this morning when he and two of his friends came to our cabin for unknown reasons. I was in a ball curled up, almost crying because I thought I forgot Minty. I walked over to the door with my face down, my eyes glued to the floor. He could sense that I was upset and he hugged me. He smelled so good. It was vanilla and pine. It was the most amazing smell I've ever smelled. It was better than your Christmas baking. Elaina, Jessi, and I were showing the dance to our new girls and he and his friends watched it. We didn't realize that they were watching until the end. After the song finished, he walked me to a beautiful beach. It was flawless. Pristine white sand, crystal teal waters, and palm trees. He asked me out there, and I was giddy the rest of the day.  It was perfect. How are you? How's life at home with nobody there?  Write back soon!

                                                                        Love, Ellie

After I finished writing to Mom, I unplugged my earbuds and grabbed my pajamas and towel. As soon as she was in the room, I was in the shower. The hot water was unwinding, which was just what I needed. I stepped out of the shower, dried off, changed into pajamas, and walked out into the bedroom. I sat on my bed and brushed my wet hair. A few minutes after I finished putting my hair in a ponytail, I was asleep.