A Story In As Many Parts As It Takes, The Finale

Ada's Dance

Almost the End In the Middle Near the Beginning In the Beginning


“No worries,” said Chip, picking himself up and dusting himself off.

Ada couldn’t look away. She had run into Chip? How? Why? Was this supposed to be funny? She looked through the haze, but couldn’t see, what she was sure was, Derrick’s smiling--probably laughing--face. What a jerk. She couldn’t believe he would do something like this. She couldn’t believe she had come to this dance with him. How did that jackass convince her to come with him? Never again, she thought. She’d never, ever, do something like this for Derrick.

“Need some help?”

Ada blinked, “What?”

“Do you need some help up?” Chip asked, offering his hand to her.

“Uh... sure.” She took his hand--his firm, calloused, manly hand--and felt him pull her up. A chill ran though her body. This was it, her moment. Time to make him hers. “Thanks.”

“That was pretty wild, huh?” When she was almost to her feet, he grabbed her other hand.

“Sure.” She started to feel sweaty.

“The way you came crashing into, out of no where, you know?” His hands squeezed hers.

“Yeah.” Her stomach folded into itself.

“What happened? Did you trip?” He put one of his hands on her waist.

The music changed to a faster song. Ada’s heart beat was faster than the beat of the song. Three things were going through her mind: touching Chip; not blowing chunks on perfection in a black shirt; and how it was too dark to get a look at his eyes. She didn’t know what color his eyes were and wanted to know.

“Well, my friend, sort of--”

“There you go, back on your feet, right?” he asked, taking his hands off her. “Don’t I know you?”

“Yeah, we’re in, uh, math together.” She wanted to pull his hands back to her body.

“Right. You’re the smart one, right?”

“Not really. I’m more of a music--”

He eyed her in a way that made her knees wiggle and said, “You don’t look as fat here, you know? More pudgy than whaley, right?”

“Really?” She felt her whole body flush. “I didn’t think that you ever noticed me in class.”

“Sure, you always have your hand up and sit in front of me, don’t you? How could I have not noticed?” He started looking around the room.

“Actually, I sit behind you and to the--”

“Yeah, did you seen where Debbie went?” he asked, still scanning the room.

Debbie? Why was he asking about Debbie? Ada thought he should be focused on her, not some slut who only like him for his looks. He need some one who could look beyond his perfect hair, wide shoulders, and rippled stomach. He need someone like her. She knew she could look beyond those things, in time, and learn to lust after the rest of him as much as she lusted for what she could see.

“I don’t think she went down in the crash, do you? She’d have been under me, right?”

“You mean she hasn’t been under you?” Ada asked.

“What?”

“Nothing. I, uh, I don’t see her anywhere.” She admired the silhouette of his jaw as the lights from the DJ booth lowered.

“Your name, it’s like that song, right?”

“Uh--”

“Yeah, that song barbershops sing.” He started to sing, “Sweet Adeline, my Adeline. Right?”

Ada grimaced, “Right, but I go by Ada.” Because she hated that song. That song was the number one thing she hated most because people had been singing to her since her birth. Every new teacher she’d had sang it. Every person her parent’s introduced her to sang it. Every friend she’d ever made sang it to her when they first met, except for Derrick. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if people actually knew what came after the line with her name. Maybe.

“Sure. Yeah, I remember. Yeah. Where is she?”

“Were you dancing close?”

“Huh? No, she said she’s not big on slow dances. She likes the stuff where she can move, you know? She says it’s the way dancing should be.”

If I tits like hers,thought Ada, I’d be afraid of falling out of my dress. Of course, that may be just what she wants.

“That’s probably why she didn’t get knocked over.”

“I guess.”

“I’m surprised you weren’t dancing close together. It seemed to me that she liked to push her body up against yours.” Ada took a small step toward Chip.

“Yeah, sure.”

“So, would you, um, like to, uh, dance with me?” She took another small step.

“What?”

“Just until she gets back?”

“Okay, sure,” he said and started to move.

To Ada, it looked like he was trying not to vomit while holding in an enormous crap. She was a bit scared, but wanted to dance with him. She started to move. Who cared what other people thought, she was dancing with Chip, every girl’s dream. This girl’s reality.

“Chip!” A shrill voice came from the darkness behind Ada. “Where are you? CHIP!”

She stopped moving and turned around. Debbie. Shit. Debbie, with her carefully mussed blonde hair and a Wonder Bra, walking to where she and Chip were dancing together. The only person who could ruin the moment short of Jesus coming back and bringing the end of the world with him.

Ada stepped back, trying to hide in the darkness as Debbie strode up to Chip.

“Where were you?” she asked, shoving him.

“What?” he asked as he stopped dancing. “I’ve been right here.”

“‘Right here’?” She shoved him again. “You should have been with me.” She stepped close to him. “Some geek in a Garfield tie pulled me away and danced with me. With me! Without asking!” She put her arm around his neck. “Don’t let that happen again!” And she kissed him, hard, on the mouth.

“I won’t.” He kissed her.

“Promise.”

“I promise, alright?” They kissed again.

Debbie started to grind her hips into his. Chip started to grind back.

Ada’s eyes felt heavy, but she wasn’t going to cry. Not over him. Not over the guy who picked her up from the floor. Not over the guy who wanted to dance with her. Not over perfection. She breathed in a ragged breath. She wouldn’t cry. Not her.

She wanted out. Her vision was blurry, she couldn’t see where she was going, but started to walk anyway. She bumped into a couple, stumbled through a circle of people, and got a full on blast of fake smoke before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Ada?”

“Derrick?”

“H-here,” he said, putting her coat over her shoulders. “L-let’s get out of h-here.”