Born to Perform

Chapter 34

I sit at the back of the school gym and watch all the couples swaying gently in time to the soft music being played. The lights switch to a deep blue with twirling silver spotlights dancing about from person to person. I let out a sigh as I realise that I’m the only girl here without a date  - no one to slow dance with, no one to tell me I look pretty in my dress, no one to make me feel wanted or special. 

I start to consider fleeing this embarrassing scene when I feel someone’s gaze on me. I look up to find that the crowd has parted and Sam is standing right in the middle of the room, just looking at me. He slowly starts to walk across the floor and I feel my heartbeat get faster and faster until he’s right in front of me. 

“Why aren’t you dancing?” he asks me. 

“I don’t have anyone to dance with,” I reply, looking down at my hands in my lap with embarrassment and shame. 

“Well, I’m here,” he says as a smile spreads across his face. He extends his hand out towards me. “Would you do me the honour of dancing with me?” 

Words fail me so I just nod my head and take his hand. He leads me right into the centre of the dance floor and looks at me like I’m the most beautiful girl in the world. He puts one hand on my waist and holds the other as I rest my head on his shoulder. A few seconds pass in comfortable silence. I still can’t seem to speak I’m so shocked but an overwhelming happiness fills my heart that I’m dancing with the guy of my dreams. 

“I feel like the luckiest guy in the world right now,” Sam murmurs in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. 

“Why?” I manage to say in a voice barely above a whisper. 

“Because I’m dancing with the most beautiful and amazing girl in the whole room,” he tells me, tipping my chin up with his finger so that I’m looking into his eyes. I almost forget how to breathe in that moment. 

“I love you, Melody.”

“I love you too, Sam.” 

He starts to lean in closer to me just as Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ starts to play in the background…

I open my eyes with a start and find myself in my bed, surrounded by my familiar playbills and theatre posters. I slowly prop myself up on my elbow before I wake up enough to realise that dancing with Sam and him saying he loved me was all just a vivid dream. I let out a groan and fall back on my bed again. Nice one, brain. You just had to taunt me, didn’t you. 

I roll out of bed and stumble over to my dressing table to check my phone. 11am, Saturday 31st May it reads. Then my heart sinks with dread as I remember that prom is today. I take a deep breath but that doesn’t stop me from feeling sick when I imagine spending the whole evening watching all the other couples enjoying themselves while I am painfully aware that I have no one because the guy I like is there with someone else. 

As I walk towards the bathroom, I see my dress hanging on the wardrobe door with all its beading glittering, even in the dim light. I remember Jenna saying that prom is all about expressing who you are and I think about how it felt in the dress store when I tried it on. I felt amazing, like I could do anything, and I felt fearless, just like Fanny Brice. With this in mind, I feel uplifted and driven so while I’m in the shower, I belt out ‘Don’t Rain on my Parade’ and try to make myself believe the words I’m singing. 

A few hours later, I walk over to Cassie’s house carrying a huge bag containing my dress, my shoes and all the makeup I could find. A few seconds after ringing the bell, the door is flung open by my two best friends who immediately starting jumping up down and screaming a chorus of “It’s prom day! It’s prom day!”. I can’t help laughing at them as they drag me into the house excitedly still squealing. At least I’ll have two of my favourite people beside me all night and that should count for something, I tell myself.