New York • Sean & Kaycee

The Move

“Mom, you don’t have to stay and help me unpack. I’ve got this!” Kaycee said, gently nudging her mom off her suitcase. Laura pouted at her, and opened her arms for a hug.

“I know, sweetie. I’m just going to miss you so much!” Her mom said, giving her a tight squeeze. Kaycee squeezed back just as hard, trying not to cry.

“I’m going to miss you too, Mom.” All her life, her mom had been her constant companion - her first dance coach, her cheerleader through her competition days, their chauffeur to and from classes. She had been away from home before, but never like this. Now, she was going to be on the other side of the country.

“But don’t miss us too much, okay? We’ll be flying over in two months to visit. And of course, Sean is just here. We’re counting on you two to be there for each other, okay?” Laura started to remind her, but then caught herself. “Oh, how could I forget? You chose your schools for each other.”

Kaycee laughed, going in for another hug. Then all too soon, her mom left, and she was alone in her room.

Her roommate arrived the next day - a friendly girl named Tahani. They were both taking Dance, so Kaycee figured she might be her new best friend on campus.

The first week of school flew by in a blur. She easily made friends with her classmates, and made a good impression on several of her teachers.

Some of them watched World of Dance, and were vaguely familiar with her. But because she and Sean did hip-hop fusion while Juilliard specializes in ballet, Kaycee felt like she had a lot to prove.

Right off the bat, the freshmen were slapped with a heavy class schedule and rehearsal rotation, so she didn’t have a lot of time to call home, nor Sean.

But she didn’t worry so much about Sean because they had already made plans to see each other on the weekends. He would come pick her up after her rehearsals, and maybe grab a bite to eat on her side of the neighborhood.

That Saturday, Kaycee exited the rehearsal hall with the troupe, laughing and making small talk. She had on a fresh shirt but was still in her leggings, and her hair was up in a tight bun. Remembering her plans with Sean, she pulled out her phone to message him that rehearsals were done.

“Oooooh, who’s that? He’s cute.” She overheard one girl say.

“Yeah, he’s got that dorky innocent vibe because of the dimples, but also like a bad boy vibe because he’s in all black.” Another girl replied.

“Do you think he goes here?”

Kaycee looked up to check who they were talking about, but her attention was immediately caught by the boy standing a few feet away, looking down at his phone.

Sean.

Clad in a black hoodie, black jeans, and the black Nike sneakers she designed, he stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the polished Juilliard crowd. Unaware of her presence, he was typing on his phone. Sure enough, just seconds later, her phone dinged.

Not bothering to look at what he sent, her body instinctively rushed to him.

“Sean!” She yelled out, breaking into a sprint. He looked up with a giant grin at the sound of her voice.

He immediately pocketed his phone, and dropped the duffel bag on his shoulder, freeing his hands just in time to catch her. She jumped, locking her legs around his waist, as he held her tight against him.

“We’re in New York! Can you believe it?!” She said in his ear.

“You’re only realizing this now?” He laughed, and set her down. They took a good look at each other, with Kaycee holding his face in her hands, and Sean’s hands on waist.