Beautiful Chaos/A Jordan Knight FanFic/ Book One in the Beautiful series. ✔️

07

Jordan

LET THE RECORD SHOW I TRIED.

After that warning look Grady basically fired at me before we left the house, I was determined to keep Dallas at arm's length. Not to go any further with whatever this thing is that keeps flaring up between us. I was downright rude in the car. Completely silent. She started talking to me. She was the one who shared personal, adorable things that only served to increase her desirability rating.

I mean, come on. Kai Pepper , she said. Like the pepper. You can't make this shit up. M

So it's basically her fault that I faked a piss so I could see her in action. I'm actually not to be held responsible for the fact that I'm hovering outside the small studio where she's teaching, just beyond her line of vision, barely keeping her in mine. She's definitely to blame for my semi-stalkerish behavior. Talk about the irony. I'm hiding behind sunglasses and a hat so I'm not recognized as a celebrity while trailing a girl who no one would know from Adam.

She stands in front of about ten girls. She changed from the cargo shorts and T-shirt she wore earlier and now wears some leotard thing that shows the lean muscles of her thighs and the ridiculous curve of her ass. A tiny YOLO T-shirt looks like it's been cut in half, hitting just below her high, pert breasts and hanging off one shoulder. She's built like a cheerleader or a gymnast. A dancer. She has an athlete's graceful body, one that has obviously been disciplined into delicate strength.

Over the giggles and squeals of the girls, her voice reaches me in the hallway.

"Okay, chicas." Dallas claps a few times. "The majority has spoken, and we'll be doing a routine inspired by Beyoncé's '711' video for the talent contest."

More squealing. Laughing. High-fiving. Thank God I'm not in high school anymore. I fought so hard to go to school with "normal" kids my age. It was a great experience, but once was more than enough. I figured out pretty quickly that I wasn't missing much.

"I've choreographed a routine that I think you'll like. I know a lot of you are interested in cheering. The video has some of that, and I've included those elements." She walks over to a music system against the wall and plugs her phone in. "I'll show you the whole thing once all the way through in real time. Then we'll start breaking it down piece by piece."

Beyoncé's voice invades the room. I've heard the song on the radio. Then I forget about Beyoncé. I forget about the girls. I forget that at any moment someone could realize who I am and ask me to sign a boob or take a selfie. All I see is Dallas.

I realized something pretty early in life. When we're doing that thing we're made to do, it transforms us. Elevates us. The high I get from creating and performing has a lot less to do with the applause and fame or money, and so much more to do with me feeling like I'm doing exactly what I was put on this earth to do. That's what I see when Dallas dances. A confidence shines from her eyes. Even her posture changes, straightens. Her movements are crisp and then mellifluous. One moment tight and controlled, but the next, as fluid as water. The routine melds ballet, hip-hop, modern dance so seamlessly, moving from swan to swagger in heartbeats.

When she's done, the girls run forward and cluster around her, laughing and mimicking the snippets of the routine they caught on to. Dallas laughs with them for a moment, her face glowing and alive. Then she claps twice, shooing them back to their positions. For the next hour they slice this elephant of a routine into manageable bites. Manageable for them, at least. All my rhythm is in my fingers. I couldn't dance my way out of a paper bag.

As class breaks, I don't think about all the things I could have done with the last hour and a half I forfeited to spend more time with Dallas. There's pressure to write my next album. I'm producing tracks for a few artists. Not to mention needing to check on my investment into Wood, the studio one of my buddies opened not too long ago. All of that seems pretty pale next to this girl's vivid presence.