Whatever Remains - T. Richardosn (best ebook reader .TXT) 📗

me to a spin. “Now,” my teacher said looking in her book. “Romeo steals a kiss,” my eyes widen, “but we’ll save that for the real show. Juliet look like he just kissed you and be surprised!” she was yelling these orders all so quickly. I backed away as I was supposed to. Glytherin came back now, it was time for the jump, and I saw it coming. “Romeo stay away but Juliet comes back with a leap and a spin.” The music was going. I began to run but then I stopped and so did the music.
“Juliet!” she yelled. “Orphelia!” she corrected herself. “May I call you by the names you’re playing? It gets kind of frustrating trying to say your real ones.” She ignored our answer. “Juliet, you are supposed to run into his arms, spin and lift, can we try this again but with a bit more courage?” I couldn’t do anything but nod now. It was five now and in an hour, the rest of the class would be coming. She was only being hard on us because she knew all the things we had to learn in this amount of time. We got back at the part of the song and she rewinded it a couple of seconds. “Go!” she yelled forcefully. There he was, Glytherin waiting for my approach. I ran I leapt and twisted and he caught me and spun me around as I stayed in the correct position. I was finally proud of myself. “Now spin her Romeo! Juliet puts leg around, hand on stomach, action!”
Glytherin began twirling me helplessly but laughing. “She’s way too into this.” He murmured in my ear. I wrapped my right leg around him as he put a hand over my stomach. My breathing was unusual to being this close to anyone. It was uncomfortable. “Hold in air Romeo! Juliet stays steady in stanza and Romeo kisses hand! Understand?!” She yelled. The music sounded a bit faster so we went along with it. He lifts me up steadying me against him and I stay still. He puts his hand near my lips but doesn’t actually touch at all. “Juliet, run away! But Romeo, you know this is your true love, stop her now!”
I began gracefully running away but Glytherin stops in front of me. He takes me by hand again and lifts me ahead farther. This was becoming stupid to me but it was probably better to my teacher. She was crying in a handkerchief. “So beautiful!” she yelled. “Now smile! Romeo lifts Juliet onto your shoulders and as you spin, your mask falls off revealing your true identity! Your shocked Romeo! Juliet runs away but becomes close again as you lift she and Juliet touch his face!” We did exactly that. Then the music stopped. I slammed down tothe ground with Glytherin right beside me, me tired, and he exhausted. “That was beautiful!” our teacher yelled. “I could definitely see the connection between Romeo’s love for Juliet! Juliet’s sadness that she knows she shouldn’t be doing what she was.” She clapped her hands now. “Brava!” she yelled.
What connection? There was no connection! I felt nothing at all except a stupid act that wasn’t playing right for me. “I’ve never in my life,” she said, “have met two people that can perfect Romeo and Juliet!” I didn’t feel that I perfected it. “Glytherin, you are so strong!” she yelled. I slipped away for a moment. I gasped for air.
“I don’t like this one!” I yelled. “Perhaps you have a different one?” There was a kiss in the beginning, one in the middle, two at the end or maybe even more, I wasn’t sure but I wasn't comfortable kissing someone who was getting married. It’s the weirdest thing you’ll ever do in your life, even if it’s only a sixteen year old guy. I didn’t care. “But the connection,” she said. “You both were playing your parts perfectly, I was completely in love with it, and you’ve already done the hard moves, the most of the work isn’t done a lot.”
“That makes no sense!” I yelled. I have never been this way before. “Come on Juliet- Orphelia, it’s a puny dance, it doesn’t take much effort.”
“Much effort?” I said trying to calm myself down. “I can’t do this.” I said. The unusualness of being close to someone rushed over me. This was not the position I wanted to be in. Maybe Sleeping Beauty would’ve been better, less kissing, less lifts, more extension but at a moment that my heart beat so fast, I couldn’t control myself.
“Orphelia, don’t be stubborn, I can’t give you anything else, we have to make progress, maybe you’d like to come tomorrow? I think that’d be the best idea for you. Take a break, you were home sick, come tomorrow, I don’t think I can take anymore either.” She laughed. I felt apologetic now. I tried to step forward but fell. Being lifted in the air was too much for me. On the other hand, Glytherin looked wiped out and blank. “I’m sorry Glytherin.” I apologized. “I just,” I couldn’t get up when I wanted to. “I just feel, a little bit- these dances are done by older professionals, you know anyway that I’m too young for this class, but I don't feel comfortable doing this type of ballet.” She smiled.
“Go on ahead honey, we’ll speak more tomorrow. I got a headache off of all the yelling,” I nodded. My head ached too. “Do you want to get changed?” she asked, “or want to wear it with you home. I didn’t mean to upset you today.” All of a sudden, through the doors, all of the other dancers spilled in. I saw Amanda who looked directly at Glytherin. I saw the look on her face saying, "why isn’t he mine yet?" I had no reply at the moment although I wish I could say at least something.
She pulled Glytherin’s arms. “Why don’t you want to be my partner!?” I heard her say loudly only in his ears, to me, it was a whisper. Glytherin stepped back.
“Tell me why we should be partners.” He said.
Amanda stood cross armed. “Because,” she began. “I’m pretty,” I gasped at this. She thought I was ugly?
“And Orphelia’s pretty too.” Glytherin said mocking her voice.
“Well, I’m not losing my hearing and my voice.”
“Neither is she.” Glytherin objected.
“I’m attractive to men.” She said. “More feminine than Orphelia can ever be, of course you’ll love a feminine girl. Orphelia is still such a child.”
Did she think I could not hear this?
“How old are you?” Glytherin asked at last.
“Seventeen.” She answered.
Glytherin nodded. “Well isn’t that sad, I guess I’m the only guy who doesn’t fall for older woman.” She echoed him now. Glytherin walked past me. I followed him. I put a hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you,” I said.
“I thought she was your friend.” He said.
I nodded.
“That’s what I thought too.”
He nodded.
“The Romeo and Juliet thing,” he said. “To heck with it, I’m not doing that.”
I nodded. “I completely understand, now that I have a voice, I can get into special art schools, thanks for that as well.” He smiled. “Good, cause I’m ready to go home.” He looked on his wrist for his watch that would bring him back. It was gone. “Where’d it go?” he said. He looked around on the ground where there was nothing there.
“I don’t recall seeing you have it on since after the bus, maybe you dropped it while we were dancing.” He checked his pockets and reached in mine. I jumped back. “What are you doing!?” I yelled. He ignored me as he ran back to the ballet studio. He came back to me now. What was he doing? “It’s no where near here.” He announced. “But I don’t exactly know where.”
“Should we find it?” I asked. He shook his head. “It’ll be there in the morning wherever it is. It potentially burns human hands.” I nodded trying not to look surprised.
“Well, I’m going home then.” I said. I turned around but his arm tugged back at me. What did he want?
“I’m supposed to do ballet till eight o’clock, what will I do with all the spare time? Watch movies with my grandmother?” I laughed at that.
“Are you hungry?” I asked.
“Finally,” he said. “I was waiting for you to buy me something.” A smile spread all over his face. Buying him stuff? That couldn’t be. “Do you have any money on you?” I asked. He checked in his back pockets and handed me a ten dollar bill. “What are you going to do with it?” he asked.
The Older, The Wiser

I stuffed a piece of garlic bread in my mouth as I looked over at the guy seated across from us. He was wearing a high tie and wore long hair and rainbow sunglasses like a hippy and was showing his date how many meatballs he could stuff into his mouth at once. That was very attractive, and the most that he could put was five.
“That’s disgusting.” Glytherin murmured to me. As the guy was having a hard time, drool began spilling from his mouth. I looked away now. “No, Orphelia, his hot date’s walking away. Look, she’s embarrassed, she’s blushing!”
I laughed. Of course this lady was blushing! The man came to our table now.
“Hello?” he said. “Are you guys impressed?” I smelt his meatball breath approaching from twenty feet away. I flinched back. Glytherin pushed him away with a finger steadying the guy back. “Is this your job?” he asked. “To scare off costumers?” I laughed to myself. The guy was mad and embarrassed. “Am I scaring you?” he asked, “Huh tubby? Huh softie, am I scaring you?” Glytherin smiled softly. No one called anyone tubby these days.
“No,” he said. “My friend here is afraid to look at you.” He gave the man a napkin as I slimy knot of drool hug off of his lip.
“Sir, you have something... just hanging there.” I said. The man was breathing right over us.
“Please go away,” Glytherin said. The man began walking sadly. I felt like laughing but I didn’t.
Glytherin looked down at his food. We were only eating some stuff from Subway and I didn’t get to go out any places or order my own food, today I had the chance to. I stared at him as he sat there silently. I couldn’t let an awkwardness between us begin. Not now, I couldn’t take the silence. We had nothing much to say since we didn’t know a lot about each other. “What school do you go to?” I asked.
“Yours,” he answered.
“Since when?”
“Yesterday, I