Brady caught on to the dance movements and shadowed. “What was his problem?”
“Talked too much. Thought he was God’s greatest gift to women, yadda, yadda, yadda.”
“Oh, I see. And what am I?”
“Brady.” Freedom smiled. She knew that would get to him. She was tired of the games they played and was ready to start something. She just wanted Brady to open the invitation to her. She definitely wasn’t going to be the first one to say anything.
Court slid onto the dance floor next to Brady and Freedom. “So, how’s the scenery?”
“Dull. Haven’t found a decent prospect all night,” Freedom remarked.
“Once again, what am I?” Brady asked.
“Look at her, man. She’s icing ya,” Court said nodding toward Freedom.
“Huh?” Brady looked confused.
“We’ll be right back, Freedom. I need to have a word with my blond friend.”
Freedom threw her hands in the air. “Whatever.” She backed up and started dancing with the guy behind her.
Court drug Brady off the dance floor and to a barstool.
“What the heck is wrong with you? I saw the way she was dancing when you walked over to her.”
“Court, it is not going to work. She’s just a tease. I’ve known that since the day we met.”
“She wants you, man. Look at her. Why won’t you go after that?” He pointed to the dance floor.
Brady looked over and saw Freedom. She wasn’t paying any attention to the music, but she sure knew how to catch a guy’s eye if she wanted his attention.
“I’m not doing it, man. I don’t want to ruin the friendship.”
“Ohmigosh, you sound like such a girl.”
Brady shoved him. “Hey, what happened to Sam?”
“Dunno. Probably dancing with a hot chick.”
“He’s not that lucky.”
“Well, at least he isn’t standing around moping about some girl and avoiding the subject.”
“Fine, Court, you want me to go make a fool of myself, I’ll go do it. I hope this makes you happy.” Brady jumped up from the barstool and walked back to the dance floor.
***
“Kelso, should we be doing this?” Ashleigh pulled away from him with a perplexed look on his face.
“There’s nothing wrong with a kiss,” Kelso said. “It won’t hurt you.”
Ashleigh stood up and scratched her head. “I mean, you know what this leads to and I know that I’m not supposed to walk on eggshells, but I’m not really comfortable with this right now.”
Kelso heaved a sigh. “Ashleigh, I wouldn’t do anything to make you feel uncomfortable. We’ll take things slow.” He looked at his watch. “I need to go. I’ve got early rehearsals.” He got up from the chair and walked towards the door. He was going to go for a kiss, but got a hug instead. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow. In the meantime, don’t worry about me.”
“Okay, I won’t. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Bye.” Ashleigh shut the door quickly when he left. She sat down on her bed with her head in her hands and sobbed.
CHAPTER 15
Heidi and J.T. left the community center after they had finished working with the girls. J.T. seemed to have a lot of fun working with them, but Heidi treated it more like a daunting task. She stressed out and still had a disgruntled look on her face.
“Why the long face, babe?” J.T. asked.
“Too much stuff to do, that’s all,” Heidi remarked.
“Well, don’t worry about it. We’ve got some celebrating to do.”
“What are we going to celebrate?”
“The fact that we’re together. Let’s go to the Nocturnal and see what’s going on,” J.T. suggested.
Heidi looked at her watch. “We don’t have much time.”
J.T. stopped in his tracks. “Heidi, quit living by the clock. If we want to go out, then we go out. Quit stressing. Everything will be okay in the long run.”
“But, what if we—“
“We won’t.”
“What happens if—“
J.T put his finger to her lips. “It won’t. Trust me. Can you do that?”
“We got caught last time.”
“Heidi, you have to trust me.”
“J.T., I’ve got work to do. Quite frankly, I don’t see why you are going out when you’ve been having rehearsals and classes stacked on top of each other. I don’t have time to play games and I can’t risk getting stuck in the dean’s office again.”
“Heidi, what’s going on? You used to jump at the chance to go out. Now, you’re little Miss Suzy Study.”
“J.T., I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I have to work hard at whatever I need to do. I can’t just let everything sink in and it’ll all come in the morning. Being at Julliard is a big deal for me and my family. If I don’t make it here, I’m failing.” Tears were welling up in Heidi’s eyes.
“Heidi, I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t think we are going to work right now.”
J.T. waited for a response. He wasn’t getting one. “Heidi?”
Heidi opened her eyes wide, so J.T. could see the tears. “I need some time to think. I’m going to go back to my dorm and work. If you want to join me, I’ll be there. If not, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
J.T. was torn. He didn’t want to leave Heidi this way. She wasn’t in any condition to walk alone, but he didn’t want to be with her right now. He also needed time to vent and think. He stood on the sidewalk thinking. Heidi’s muted sobs would break his thoughts.
“I guess I’ll see you later.”
Heidi walked away. J.T. didn’t follow. He walked a few more feet into the door of the Nocturnal. He walked up to the bar and ordered a beer.
Court spotted him and walked over. “I thought you were out with Heidi.”
“Um, I don’t think I’ll be doing that for awhile,” J.T. remarked. He took a slug of his drink.
“What happened?”
“She’s wound too tight right now. I don’t know what’s going on with her.”
“Girl problems, probably,” Court mumbled.
J.T. glared. “Seriously, Court.”
“Hey, man. I’m just trying to help.”
“So, what have you tried to fix lately?” J.T. asked.
“That.” He pointed to Brady who was dancing with Freedom.
“Good luck. Brady doesn’t go for the obvious.”
“Well, I think I scared it out of him.”
“This I’ve got to see.” Court laid money down on the bar and walked over to the dance floor with Court.
Brady did a double take. “Where’s Heidi?”
“Not here,” J.T. snapped.
“Problems in relationship land?” Freedom asked. She danced over to J.T. and he followed her lead.
“Yeah, I guess,” J.T. grumbled. “So, how’s the action around here?”
Freedom whispered something in J.T.’s ear. He guffawed. “That good, huh?”
“I’m gonna go check it out for myself. Court, why don’t you come with me?” He looked over. Court had found some of his own action, so J.T. looked around for himself. When he didn’t see any good prospects, he went back to the bar for another drink. To his surprise, he saw Ashleigh nursing a Corona. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was tear stained. He went to sit next to her.
“So, how did your date go?” J.T. asked.
Ashleigh jumped. She didn’t realize J.T. was sitting next to her. “Oh, hi.”
“Well, how was it?”
“I’d rather not talk to you about it. I just want to sit here and drown my sorrows if you don’t mind,” Ashleigh remarked.
“At least tell me why you’re crying. I’ve already made one girl cry tonight. I don’t need another.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, J.T.? Why didn’t you tell me he has HIV?” Ashleigh questioned.
J.T. took a deep
breath. He knew he was going to have to face this eventually. Tonight wasn’t the night for it, though. But, he put himself in this situation. “He wanted to tell you, Ashleigh. He wouldn’t let me. I knew the first day I met him. That’s why I didn’t want you to go after him.”
“I don’t know what to do. On one hand, I like him and I like spending time with him. On the other hand, I don’t want to get too attached because he might not be around much longer. I made him feel bad, J.T. I didn’t mean, too.”
“What happened?”
“I told him I didn’t feel comfortable, so he left. I shouldn’t have opened my mouth.”
“Why don’t you feel comfortable?”
“I don’t know what I should do or what I shouldn’t do. Should we kiss, should we um . . . y’know. I’m just confused.”
“Did you ask him anything about what he’s going through?”
Ashleigh shook her head. “I’m scared I’ll say something I’ll regret. I don’t know how to handle this.”
“Well, do you like him?”
“I did—I mean I do. Knowing what I know now shouldn’t change things, but it does.” Ashleigh shook her head and took another drink. “I’ve got to stop thinking about this. Wanna dance?”
“Yeah. Sounds good to me after the night I’ve had.”
They made their way to the dance floor. A swing song was on which reminded J.T. of Heidi. It also reminded Ashleigh of Heidi.
“Where’s your better half?”
“Separated at the moment. Don’t know how it happened, so don’t ask.”
“Okay.” Ashleigh let it go. J.T. led her in spins and throws to the music. When the song was over, they dived right into hip hop.
Court, Sam, Parker and Dashelle came over to the two of them. “We’re getting ready to head out. Just wanted to know if you wanted to come along?” Court yelled over the thumping sounds of the dance floor.
“Yeah.” J.T. stopped dancing. “You coming Ashleigh?”
She looked at J.T. and then at Dashelle. “Um, I think I’m gonna hang out a little longer.”
“Ashleigh, it’s close to curfew and it’s dark. Come with us,” Court said.
“Are you going to protect me?” Ashleigh questioned.
“Well, there is safety in numbers,” Dashelle said. She noticed the tear stains on Ashleigh’s face. “C’mon, we’ll talk and the boys can puff out their chests and pretend they’re important.”
Ashleigh smiled. “Fine. I’ll go.”
“What about Freedom and Brady?” J.T. asked.
“They left already,” Court said. “Things happen when you put a wager on it.”
J.T. shook his head. “Why don’t you pay for Julliard by being a bookie?”
“The thought has crossed my mind,” Court remarked.
The group walked outside and toward the dorms. Ashleigh walked slowly behind the rest of them. Dashelle lagged behind until she was walking with Ashleigh.
“Anything you want to talk about?” Dashelle asked.
“Not with you,” Ashleigh snapped.
“Ash, I’m sorry about earlier. I said some things that I didn’t mean. It just that sometimes, I wish you would do something for you and not worry about what everyone else thinks or does.”
“Don’t try to apologize right now, Dashelle. I’ve got some things on my mind which isn’t going to help the situation. Just let me walk in silence. We can talk later.”
Dashelle shrugged. “Ok. I just wanted to say I was sorry.” She walked up to the rest of the crew. “What’s going on with Ashleigh?”
“Guy problems,” J.T. remarked.
“I thought things were going good with Kelso?” Dashelle remarked.
“Things are fine with Kelso,” Ashleigh said overhearing the conversation. “He just told me something that I’m not sure about handling.”
“What?” Court asked.
J.T. shook his head and made a motion like he was cutting his throat.
“It’s okay, J.T. Kelso has HIV and he just told me tonight,” Ashleigh choked out.
“Oh,” Dashelle whispered.
“That’s a lot to put on a person on a third date,” Court replied.
“You’re telling me,” Ashleigh said. “I told J.T. that it shouldn’t change things, but in the back of my mind I’m debating on what to do.” Ashleigh paused for a moment. “What would you do?” she asked no one in particular.
“Ashleigh, I thought we talked about this,” Dashelle said remembering their earlier fight.
“I know. I just want an opinion. I mean, I want to be with him, but I don’t want to watch him slowly deteriorate. I can’t watch a person slowly die and still be attached emotionally. I can’t do that again. I just want some advice.”
The crew had made it to the girl’s dorm. “You guys wanna come in?” Dashelle asked.
“No. If I go through that door, I’m going to have to go talk to Heidi and I’m not ready to do that right now.”
“Great. We’ve got two star crossed lovers in the mist,” Sam remarked. “I’m sure you and Mario will have a lovely evening together.”
“Bite me,” J.T. grumbled.
“Whoa. I think I better step away before he blows up,” Sam said.
“We need to get this guy back into the world of bachelorhood,” Court said. “We’ll see you girls later,” Court said.
The guys waited until the girls walked inside the dormitory. Then, they walked over to Court’s dorm. Luka was sitting in the lobby letting his aroma seep through the entire building.
“Uh, maybe we should go to J.T.’s,” Sam suggested.
“Good call, Sam.”
“Guys, I need to get back and do some work. I’ve got to run lines and then I’ve got some homework to finish up, so I can skip class tomorrow.”
“What? You can’t skip class,” Sam remarked.
“Watch me. Then, watch what the dean does.” J.T. smiled.
Court shook his head. He told J.T. goodbye and walked to his dorm room with Sam. J.T. walked to his dorm room. When he got there, Mario had his “art” sprawled out on the floor, but he was nowhere to be found. He had to tiptoe around it so he could get to his desk. He took his phone out of his pocket and noticed that he had missed a call. He wasn’t surprised to see that it was Heidi.
J.T. sat the phone on his desk and got out his script. He had too much work to get done, so he opted not to call Heidi right away. He sat staring at his lines, but he couldn’t get them to sink in. He gave up and got out his Shakespeare homework. He had to interpret one of the scenes from Romeo and Juliet. In the middle of writing, Mario burst through the door in a fashion only he could muster up.
“Hey, there, J.T. Sorry about the mess. I figured since you were out, I’d work on my art portfolio. I’ll clean it up in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”
“Fine.”
“Oh by the way, your lady friend called like ten times while you were out. I wonder why she’s not with you.”
“None of your concern, Mario.”
“Just trying to make conversation. Don’t shoot the messenger.”
“I’ll call her later.” J.T. finished his assignment and packed it away in his bag. When he finished, he looked at his phone. The message light was still blinking, but he still wasn’t ready to call her. He knew that he had ruined a good friendship by turning it into a relationship. On the other hand, he knew that it wasn’t all his fault, either. Heidi wasn’t trying or giving him any time of day right now. She was too busy with petitions and studying.
In the mist of J.T.’s thinking, his phone rang. It wasn’t who he expected.
“J.T.”
“Hey, J.T., it’s Kelso.”
“Hey, man. What’s going on?”
“Not a whole lot. I thought I’d still be out with Ashleigh right now, but she cut things short tonight.”
“I’m sorry, man. She told me that you dropped
the bomb on her.”
“I wouldn’t call it a bomb. I just had to tell her the truth.”
“Well, how did it go?”
“I’m not with her right now, so you figure it out,” Kelso snapped.
“Sorry, man. I’ve got some girl problems of my own that I’m dealing with. I’d rather help you out, though. You seem to be into Ashleigh.”
“Yeah, man, I am. I haven’t felt this way since Apryll.”
“Her name was Aprylll? Sheesh, you really are bringing art to life,” J.T joked.
“Yeah, whatever. So, did I freak out Ashleigh? It seems like every girl that I’ve gone a date with since I found out has blown me off. I don’t want her to do that. She seems like a person that I want to get to know a lot better than I do now.”
“Good. You just have to get her to talk to you again.”
“Yeah, that’s what I called you about.”
“Oh, boy. I’m going to get stuck in the middle again, aren’t I?”
“No. I just want your opinion. Should I not call for a few days or should I call right away? I don’t want to seem like I’m pushing her, but I don’t want to lose her.”
“Listen to yourself, Kelso. You sound like a girl.”
“Fine. I’ll call her tomorrow. See you at rehearsal tomorrow.” Kelso hung up.
J.T. looked at his phone. The message light blinked. He had missed another call from Heidi. He threw the phone on his desk and walked out of his room.
***
Ashleigh walked into Heidi’s room. Heidi was sitting on her bed with the petition on her lap. Dashelle was at her desk looking at different signatures.
“Hey,” Ashleigh barely said.
Heidi looked up. Her eyes were swollen with tears. Her face matched Ashleigh’s all too well.
“What’s up?” Dashelle asked.
“Just wanted to talk to somebody. I’m willing to listen, though, Heidi.”
“J.T. and I decided to not see each other for awhile. He said that I wasn’t making time for him and I was too busy doing other things. He’s the one that should have these problems. He’s got ten things stacked up on his plate every day. Why am I the one getting the short end of the stick? Huh? Why am I the bad guy, here?”
“He tried, Heidi,” Dashelle said. “He made sure that he would take you out and he helped you when you needed it.”
“Yeah, well, he also got me community service,” Heidi snarled.
“And, he was right there with you, tonight, wasn’t he. He wanted to spend time with you and you blew him off,” Ashleigh said.