18

Chapter Two: Greed

It was the next day, a Friday. I was so excited to see Anthony again. As soon as we pulled up to the Dance Studio, I ran outside, rushing indoors and taking the stairs four at a time. I reached the top, and Anthony was sitting there again with his mom. He gave me a smile, and I waved, smiling back at him. I walked around the half wall, and then sat next to him, smelling his scent in the air. He smelled like Hollister cologne and strawberries. I looked at him.

"Did you find any bruises from yesterday? I'm really sorry about that, really. I feel terrible about it." I say, and he looks over at me.

"Oh, yeah, I found a couple. One is on my hip, another on my inner thigh. There's one on my stomach, and one on my back."

"Oh my God, I'm sorry!" I say hugging him from the side. He pats my head, and I let go.

"Really, it's okay. How about yourself? I'm not the only one that fell, remember." He said, scanning my body up and down.

"Oh, um. Well, I saw a couple, but I can't look at my back..."

"Oh, well, I could feel mine." He said, and I nodded.

"Mine, that I have found, are on my hip as well, on my arm, on my leg, and I can't tell about my back..." I said, pointing them all out. Then he does the same. What he does that I didn't do is when he pointed out the one on his hip, he lifted his shirt, and lowered his pant-line. I saw the bruise, and I reached out. Then I snapped my hand back when I realised what I was doing.

What was I doing?!

"Oh, um. Sorry..." I said, blushing, and looking down at my hands in my lap.

"That's fine. You really say sorry a lot..." He says. "Hey, if you want to know if you have any on your back, I can check." He says.

"Oh, well. I didn't really want the world to notice if I have bruises or not..." I say, looking up at him again.

"We can go look in the changing room."

Oh my Gods, who killed me and sent me to heaven?

"Um, okay. I guess that's alright." I say, and I set my bag down. By the time I turn around, he's standing in the doorway, holding the door open.

"After you." He says.

"Quite the gentleman, I see." I say, as I pass him. While my back is to him, he mouths something to his mom, and she replies with a facial look. As Anthony closes the door, my mom and Jordan enter the lobby.

We stand in the middle of a small, empty room that is lined with benches. Anthony looks at me, and I look at the ground.

"So, how about them bruises..." He says, and I look up at him.

"Oh, right. Sure..." I say, and I turn away from him, lifting my shirt up and over my head, but still on my arms. He examines my back, and he eventually, gently, touches my back, caressing it softly with his pale finger. I shudder at his touch, a wave of goosebumps flowing through me. He outlines a single bruise. Then another. Then another. Then another. He outlines three more.

"Rusty..."

"Is it that bad? I... I'm sorry...." I say, and spin around, slipping my shirt back on. Once it's over my head, I see Anthony sneaking a peak at my stomach and abs. I blush at his stare, and then he looks at my face.

"For?"

"Huh?" I ask. I was totally zoning, and forgot everything from earlier.

"What are you sorry for?" He replies. Oh, right.

"I guess... making you come in here, and look at my battlefield of a back..." I say, looking at the ground.

"No, that's not what's bad." He said. I look back up at him quickly, and he takes a step closer, my mouth at his neck.

"Rusty, they are all hearts..."

The two of us step out of the changing room, me first, then Anthony behind me, closing the door. Larry starts up the stairs, and looked at the five of us in the room.

"Ready to start class?" He said. Jordan, Anthony and I all nodded, the parents telling us to have fun. We walked in, and closed the door. We did basic warm-ups- pushups, curl-ups, jumping jacks, jogs- and then we started dance practice. We'd all learn a sequence, and then we'd all go, one by one, and Larry would evaluate where we were lacking, and help us individually with that. It was a more complex than usual. He must have thought Jordan and I were doing better, but Anthony was having a hard time catching on. Jordan offered to go first once we finished. Anthony watched, trying to do it as well. When he messed up, I'd help him with it. Once we finished, and Larry was helping Jordan with improvements, Anthony and I started practicing splits.

"So, how are you?" Anthony asked, breaking the awkward silence between us.

"I'm alright, I guess. How about yourself?"

"I'm fine. My thigh hurts though."

"Oh, sorry. I... I didn't mean to..." I said, looking at the ground, my ponytail falling over my head. I could still feel his breath on my hair from earlier.

"Rusty, they are all hearts..."

I couldn't shake the words from my head. I could still feel him tracing the bruises with his cold, pale finger, gliding gently across my skin. I wanted more of it. I want him to be mine, only mine.

"Rusty, will you look at me?" Anthony said, and I looked up. "I said it was alright..."

"I know... but I still feel bad about it happening in the first place."

"Well don't. It's not like you did it on purpose."

"True, but..."

"But what?" Anthony asked, but I wasn't able to answer, because I had to go next.

"Rusty! Your turn!" Larry yelled, waving. I stood out of my split, and walked over to Larry. Anthony sighed, and when Jordan walked over he looked at him.

I was busy doing my routine, when in the mirror, I could see Anthony and Jordan laughing together.

'What are they laughing at? Why are they laughing? Are they... flirting? But... but...'

A loud thud filled the room.

Everyone looked up, Jordan and Anthony, my mom and Anthony's, and saw Larry kneeling by my side.

"Rusty!" My mom yelled, sliding off her shoes before entering the studio. I was clutching my right knee, and my mom looked devastated. "Oh, not his legs!"

"Rusty, are you alright?" Larry asked. Jordan and Anthony walked over and looked down at me. Jordan then knelt by my head. My eyes were closed, my eyes watering. Anthony looked down at me sadly, wondering if I was alright.

Obviously not.

I started to stand back up, a couple of tears sliding down my face.

"I'll be alright. Just need to walk it off, that's all."

"What happened, anyways?" Larry asked.

"I... I must have lost my train of thought." I said, and with that, I started to walk around the room. My mom went out to the lobby again with a sigh, Anthony's mom looking worried. Jordan and Anthony went back to the other side of the room. I walked to the door, and turned around, walking only near the front of the room. I didn't want to go near my brother right now. Anthony was all mine. Nobody else could have him. I walked from one door, leading to the lobby, to the other, leading to an outdoor metal staircase, and back. I repeated this until my knee felt better, the pain dulling. Then I proceeded with repeating the dance. Once I finished, Larry said my form was good, and that I didn't need to fix anything. I nodded, and sat back down, in the opposite corner than Jordan. I still didn't want to talk to him. I didn't even want to look at him. Which was hard, seeing as the room was covered in mirrors. I kept stretching my splits, until Anthony finished. Anthony then sat by my brother, without even looking at me.

'Why not me...'

On the ride home, I didn't say anything to anyone. My mom tried starting conversation, but I ignored it. She sighed, and we got home. Before Jordan could enter the door behind me, I whispered.

"Anthony is mine. Only mine."