Blue (The Spectrum Series: #3)

Chapter Six

The rest of the week flies by uneventfully. My first week of college went a lot better than I expected. I arrive to every class early and put my all in dance class. Since I got my classes syllabuses the first day of classes, I've completed most of the assignments, leaving time to focus more on dance. The classes are all advanced but aren't too difficult to understand, and I don't run out of dance class with tears running down my face. The girl who did at the start of the week claimed she was overwhelmed by getting accepted to the school, but we all know better.

It's finally, which I plan to do every second I can get. We're still slowly starting this school year's dance course, but my feet have begun to swell and ache. I ice them every morning and do thorough stretches, as usual, but they never lessen the constant thrum underneath the skin... thankfully it doesn't bother me after seventeen years of dancing. I'll take the weekend to rest, but not too much. I don't want to get lazy and forget my main goal.

I'm on my way back to the dorms, when I decide to check up on my father. He picks up on the third ring. "Hey, dad."

"Hey, butterfly." He sounds concentrated elsewhere. "What's crackalackin?"

I chuckle. "No one says that, dad... I don't think anyone's ever said that."

"Then TM — mine. Don't go around stealing it," he says, masking a focused hum with a 'got that?'

"Don't worry, I won't be using it," I promise, grinning until my face physically hurts. I missed hearing his voice. I miss him and Lyra and even Mr. Tran, our grouchy neighbor that constantly complained about our apple tree dropping leaves in his yard — everyone, the whole damn state of Georgia, and it's only been a week. I am such a sap.

I listen to a few humming noises and uttered curses for a minute before realizing what he's doing. "Working on a car?" I ask him. He works as a mechanic but enjoys fixing cars in his free time. It's because of him that I know how to change a tire in under five minutes.

"Maybe," he hums again.

I bite on my lip. "Isn't it around seventy degrees down there?"

He doesn't respond, just hums.

I sigh. "Dad, the point is: you should be outside of the garage. It's nice out, I'm sure of it. Take advantage of it. Go on a walk through the park. Grab an ice-cream cone. Heck, go fishing with Larry and Jim —" two of his friends from the auto shop "— just get out of the house." He never knew when to take a breather. But I got it. He worked his butt off day and night to make sure I had food in my mouth and tutus around my waist.

He lets out a sigh and I know he's paused diddling with whatever car he's working on now. "Do you miss your papa? Is that it? If so, I will gladly drive down there and give you a nice, long bear hug. Won't stop till your chilled out and not nagging me."

"I'm not nagging, just worried," I tell him.

"Either way, you should be enjoying yourself. Do crazy shit you younglings are made to do..." he says, and I scoff without thinking. He sighs again, and it's resigned. He knows how I am; I rather work on a dancing technique until I'm blue in the face than waste my time getting drunk at some party.

"Nice try, dad," I say with a smile.

I can hear his smile through the phone as he says, "I'll go outside and spin around in a circle if you promise to go out tonight." I squirm uncomfortably, stepping to the side as a couple of guys walk past me. The small quad is basically buzzing with excitement of the promises the weekend holds.

"Fine," I say. He wants me to go out? I will... to a Barnes & Noble, I need to buy a new release book anyway.

"And I don't mean go straight to a bookstore or a dance studio either, you sly butterfly." He squashes my underhanded plan. I both hate and admire how easy he can read my mind; always had the ability when mom left. I guess he needed to know what I was thinking when I didn't speak, because of how distraught I was when she vanished. He used to find me holed up inside of their closet, clutching a satin red shawl she left behind in her haste to 'find something new, better,' or at least that's what dad told a five year old me.