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Apr 6, 2014

Title: I Owe It All To You

That summer everyone called me "Tommy Baby", and I minded. But I danced, and it was amazing.

Dirty Dancing!AU: Alan and Mr. Perry are still in the picture

The resort was by the lake, and mom and Alan were the only ones who really wanted to go. Dad was still sitting in the front seat of our outrageously expensive car and telling the guy it couldn’t be parked too far into the sun. I figured when you’re an oil tycoon you can do anything you like; he’d rather be in Bali but Mom wanted the lake resort.

“Come on Tommy.” Dad called once he’d wrangled the best parking spot for our car. Mom hooked her arm in his like he was going to leave if she turned her back. “Baby come on.”

Both names I disliked, but I followed anyway, out of the car and into the glaring sunlight. It reminded me of so many family get together where I was the only one wearing black. At least I had a collared shirt this time. Mom would have kittens if she saw me in anything but. I’d try to have fun for her, but this being my last blow out before college I wondered if it’d be worth it.

“Hey Tommy Baby,” it was Rachel, the hotel manager’s daughter. Prim and proper, she had her arms around me before Alan could even snicker.

“Hi Rachel.” Our parents were already talking about setting us up I could tell. I met Alan’s eyes before he ducked away from a playful hit. Something about tennis was where he went, and something about ballroom dancing was what Rachel dragged me to.

And it was only lunchtime.

---

Truth be told I didn’t know how to lead a dance. Why Mom insisted this was somehow vital to my enjoyment here I didn’t know. If I was a girl it’d be easier, Rachel would be able to lead and chatter and I’d just nod along and pretend to listen. But I had to pay attention and not step on her toes, I feel like her feet were black and blue before she simply started leading anyway.

The band was loud and swinging, not my type of music but it wasn’t bad. As long as Dad didn’t insist I join them for a few measures. The only excitement I had was saving a kid from a tennis racquet to the face earlier when I went to pick up Alan. I can’t do anything when we’re practically in bubble wrap.

Rachel started giggling at something, fingering her pearl earrings and turning towards the centre of the dance floor. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do that Tommy Baby?”

I glanced where she was looking and there was a tall guy, spinning a blonde girl around the floor like they were born to move together. I could hear noises from the guys around me, disappointed her neon green dress wasn’t holding much up, but when she dipped to the ground and spun nothing really mattered. She was holding her own, more than just a follower in the dance, and it was mesmerizing.

“Maybe when my Baby isn’t such a vampire.” Mom came up behind us smiling, Dad looking around anywhere but his wife.

“Mom.” My complaining wasn’t really heard. Rachel just sniffed haughtily and proudly announced, “Well Mr and Mrs Perry, it’s not like he’s a show off like those two. They’re amazing, but they’re supposed to be dancing with the guests, not each other.”

“Then why don’t you dance with that guy?” I said altogether too quickly. Everyone looked at me shocked before I recovered, “and I’ll dance with the girl so we can both get better…. and then dance together again?”

I didn’t think anyone really bought it but thankfully the blonde girl was already partnered with someone else. Rachel did end up with the tall guy, I don’t know what she’s planning but it better not involve me and my two left feet later. I just elected to find a quiet place to finish my application letter to the Bluehelmets, but I don’t know if I’ll send it or not.

I do remember the girl, with her neon green dress and blonde ponytail catching my eye. I think she winked. But I don’t remember.

---

“Hey Tommy Boy!”

I’ve noticed the boys don’t call me baby, but everyone calls me Tommy. It’s really annoying. I answered though; it was one of the guys from the entertainment crew I helped when he fell from his lifeguard chair. He was also the guy who dancing with the blonde girl. I brought him to the medical tent on the lakefront and he told me his name.

“What’s happenin’ Danny?” I asked. He was a nice enough guy, I heard he did swimming lessons in the daytime and dance class in the evening. He wasn’t the best, but he was a nice guy. Better than hanging around Rachel and her stuffed shirt brother and friends. Alan’d almost gotten roped into their games before I set him up with the prop kids for the Talent Show.

“I need some help with these watermelons, but that fall almost did me in today. Doctor says I need to rest my arms for a bit.” Danny said, visibly straining with the bunch in his arms.

“Sure.” It wasn’t like I had anything else to do. We walked along the path until we got to the stairs for the employee fun house.

“I thought guests weren’t allowed up here.” I said, as we climbed the stair. Danny looked bashful, “Um no, but I didn’t want to go get one of the guys and admit I fell off the lifeguard chair today. They’ll tease me for being clumsy.”

“But aren’t you a dancer too?” I asked.

“Exactly.” It wasn’t much of an explanation but I wasn’t going to complain. “Besides, you’re a cool guy Tommy Boy, you aren’t going rat us out for having more fun than we ought to.”

“Of course not.” I heard myself say as we entered the smoky room full of the latest chart toppers which I’d only heard from the guys at school before now. I went to a private school so radios were usually confiscated, and we only had cotillions for the local girl school, so well… I’m ashamed to say but my jaw kind of dropped.

The watermelons didn’t. A girl called Merril greeted us, “Danny, you brought Tommy Baby. How sweet of you to help the help.”

I recognized her as one of the crafts girls, great with a needle and she was in charge of all the costumes for the talent show.

“Uh, um no problem,” I sputtered as the dancers around us gyrated to the music, practically panting into one another’s ears. I felt my face go red as the couple nearest to us flipped back, joined at the hips. I gulped and Merril laughed. But not a moment before she’d smiled at me before she was swept off into the arms of one of the other dancers, Spencer, and they were dancing like two dogs in heat. Never thought such a sweet girl would know such moves.

That was when I saw her, the blonde girl from the dance floor last night. She was with another guy, and yet again the best dancer in the room. Her hips didn’t look like much but how she moved them, she moved them so well it was hypnotizing.

“You’re drooling Tommy Boy.” Danny said, laughing.

I wiped the corner of my mouth and hid my face embarrassed and nearly shrieked when Danny called her over.

“Hey Laura, this is Tom-“

“Tommy Baby, I know. What are you doing bringing guests along to our secret parties man?” She asked. I could see bright blue glitter on her eyelids, painting her eyes like butterflies. When she spoke it sounded like she was annoyed with Danny, but the smile on her face said otherwise.

The guy with her was called Wes, and I was almost jealous before it was Danny who was the one turning red as they disappeared out the backdoor together. My eyebrows raised and Laura shot me a look. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those tools? IF you are I’ll bring you back to Mum and Dad and you can push off your high horse straight the bottom of the ocean.”

I didn’t notice her accent before now. “No! No, I mean no, I was just surprised that’s all.”

“Don’t worry, as long as you don’t rat them out to management we’re cool.” She said. “Now you going to dance with me Tommy Baby or what?”

“Dance?” I sounded like I’d just started high school again, my voice was so high.

She only laughed and pulled him close, looking up at me as she put her hands on my hips. “Yeah, dance. Like this.”

I could feel blood rushing everywhere when she touched me, moving her hips against mine and rolling her shoulders around. I was shaky, but she just guided me along until it was more fluid.

“Yeah you’re getting it Baby.” She smiled, hooking her arms around my neck. “Try a step forward.”

The music was loud around us, and in the haze I got more caught up in crazy movements and fluid hip rocking that I didn’t notice when she left I was dancing by myself. There was enough smoke I wasn’t the dork at the end, but as I clapped I saw her talking to the other dancers from across the room and felt alone; alone and much too warm to handle.

---

“So Tommy my boy, how have you been doing? Not lazing around all day like a layabout right?” Dad asked me at dinner the next night. The morning I spent floating in the lake, making sure that kids didn’t go too far into the deep end so Danny could keep his arm from too much stress. Then I’d sat on a hill watching Wes and Laura leading blue haired women in spins and happy waltzes with one another. It looked silly, but to have her correct me wouldn’t be too bad.

“No, keeping busy.” I said, picking at my food. The pastel coloured dining room felt so bland compared to the fun house, pink lights and blue windows and neon green dresses. I took another bite of my potatoes before excusing myself.

Alan walked with me for a bit, insisting I should join him for billiards with some of the other guys and their big brothers. He even sounded excited when they mentioned that some of the waitresses would be there, so I tagged along.

“Alan my little man how are you?” I should have known Rachel was never far from this crowd. I thought I’d kept him away from her cronies but the giggling girls in their sundresses and flowered Mary Janes seemed to be unavoidable. They hung to the arms of the big brothers of Alan’s friends, and some of the little sisters hung to him. A game was already started and the waitress- Hope, one of Danny’s friends- was looking worried despite the lemon slices and water she offered to the underage players.

“Hope what’s wrong?” I asked.

“Merril and Wes are missing.” She said. “They were all planning a new routine but Merril stepped out one minute and we haven’t heard from either since he went to find her.” I opened my mouth to say I’d help but then Rachel came up behind me, flashing daggers in her eyes at Hope.

“Well what do we have here?” She asked venom in her voice.

“Nothing Miss,” Hope said quickly before Rachel clutched my arm almost painfully with her sharp nails.

“Good.” She looked up to me when Hope hurried off, “Would you escort me on a walk please? It’s such a nice night.” Rachel’s eyelashes fluttered but it had no effect on me.

I had no choice but to accept, despite the fact I couldn’t help but think of Wes and Merril being in some kind of grave trouble. I let her take my arm away and took her on the path around the boathouse.

“It’s so lovely Baby,” She said longingly when we stood on the docks together, snuggling into my arm. I felt like a statue, stone cold when she snuck her hand around my waist reaching up to hold my face. Panicking I ducked away and it was then that I saw a flash of white in the shadow of the boathouse. “Uh, Rachel, yes, I’m not feeling well so I’m going to go back to my room. Goodnight!”

“Well then I could walk with you-“

“No no, better you don’t catch it. Tell everyone I said goodnight.” I hurried before ducking out of her hold and running off.

I left her standing on the docks, waiting until she went back to the Billiards room to investigate behind the boathouse.

“Hello?”

The docks came out this far: lifeboats, motorboats, and small speedboats all nestled together. The flash of white was there again, accompanied by wheezing and crying.

“Hello?” I repeated before hearing a gasp from one of the speed boats. I looked in and felt my heard grow weak.

“Tommy Boy?” Wes asked, covered in blood, and lying on the floor of the speedboat with his eye half shut from a growing bruise.

Merril didn’t look better, but her white dress was clean besides smudges of dirt. She was crying, cradling his head in her lap. “They came after me, and Wes was scared for me, he-” She started crying again.

I clambered into the boat, trying to help however I could. “Who did this?”

“Some of the rich kids, they must have heard because they came after me yelling such awful things. If Wes hadn’t found me and stepped in…” Merril wiped her eyes. I noticed the sheer scarf she wore around her neck was torn, and that was when I noticed the Adam’s apple.

“Please don’t report me, they’ll fire me for being unnatural and sorts. I finally found a job after mom and dad kicked me out, please just help me get Wes to a doctor. Please.” She pleaded.

“Whatever you need.” I promised.

“Oh Tommy Baby you’re a saint.” Wes said hazily, humour turning bleak when he coughed and it was red. My heard clenched and we wasted no time picking him up and carrying him out.

---

We had to keep it a secret from the administration. We couldn’t say Wes got into a fight because he’d get fired, because we couldn’t say he was defending Merril because then she’d get fired, and we couldn’t pay the hospital cause Wes didn’t have insurance so even after I begged my dad for the car and some money to pay for the hospital stay, we knew we wouldn’t see Wes until after Thursday.

“This is a disaster.” Laura said pacing in the quiet fun house, Spencer and Danny and Merril and I all seated on counters or chair. “The rich kids not only have blackmail material on Merril but they’ve also put our best dancer in the hospital. He’s going to dance again but not until after the show!”

“What show?” I heard myself ask, my voice surer as I found this place amongst friends.

Laura sighed, the head dance instructor to the core but barely more than a slip of a girl in a touch spot. “It’s the renewal performance. We’ve got this contract see, and we entertain the stuffed shirts well enough and they renew it for next summer, but if we don’t put on a show then they cut us and hire someone who can. I just lost my leading man and I can’t just get anyone. He may be in hospital but we’re all going to be in the poorhouse before the winter even comes if we don’t have something to look forward to.”

“What about Spencer and I?” Merril suggested, “We can do it.”

Spencer shook his head, “No, you’ve been beaten badly too doll, no amount of makeup with cover that limp by Thursday.” She hid her face in his shoulder because she knew it was true.

“Why don’t you just dance with Danny or Spencer instead?” I asked Laura, feeling like hope wasn’t lost.

“Danny has swimming instruction at lunchtime, he’s the only instructor. And Spencer and I, well sorry Spence’ but you don’t have the moves with me. Only with your lady.” Laura said. She fell back into a chair, her feet propped up on the table. “We’re doomed.”

“Why not Tommy Boy?” Danny asked. Merril and Spencer sat up excited, “Yeah why not?”

“I’m not a dancer.” I protested.

“You do have the moves, I watched you with Laura.” Danny insisted. I sputtered, excuses flying but Laura’d already locked on.

“You are a quick learner…” She considered it for a minute before striding across the room to me. “Baby, will you be my dance partner?”

I gulped, her eyes meeting mine and that spark flying down my spine like when she’d touched me. “Well, I can’t just say no…”

I almost burst when they hugged me.

---

“Tommy, where are you going every night?” Alan asked. I sat up on my elbows, “I can’t tell you Alan, I’m sorry.”

“I thought you said we’d never have secrets from each other.” He had his knees tucked up to his chest and despite going into high school soon he looked all the world like my baby brother still asking to play trains or cars or whatever toy we had that week.

“We don’t, it’s just...” I said, scratching my neck. Merril and Wes needed these jobs, and so did Spencer, Danny, and Laura. I can’t tell mom and dad, they’d skin me and get them all fired.

“Please?” Alan pleaded.

I looked at my brother and I figured it wouldn’t be too bad if I lied, lied a little. “I’m dancing.”

He looked shocked, “Since when do you like dancing?”

I paused, “I don’t really, but there’s…” I thought of Laura. “A girl.”

“It’s Rachel isn’t it?” He asked, a dry frown on his face.

“I thought you liked her.” I asked surprised.

“Whatever you want Tommy.”

I didn’t get much sleep that night.

---

“One, two, three- come on Tommy Baby you can’t keep doing this. You’re leading, so step back and let me follow. Put more effort into it, I know you can move those legs,” Laura ordered, her hair sticking to her face with sweat in the second hour of their practice.

I threw my hands down, “I’m sorry, but it’s not like it’s exactly the easiest thing trying to lead a girl who won’t stop ordering me around.”

“Only because you’re not relaxing, you’re only fussing and fretting. This isn’t some cotillion waltz, it’s a mambo. You just gotta nail the steps and then we can worry about your nerves.” Laura said, taking her hair down and redoing it into a curled ponytail, her fringe loosing its bounce as she got more and more sweaty and frustrated.

I didn’t really know what she wanted me to do, so I just let her rant some more. “The strength comes from your core, right here-” she put her hands on my stomach, moving down to right above the waistband of my shorts. “to here.” Pausing she looked up at me, “You need to keep yourself firm and come at me with all you’ve got, got it?”

I felt breathless; did she know how she sounded? “Got it.”

The next few hours were better.

---

I spent all my time with Laura for the next few days, Thursday creeping up so quickly it was almost the night of before Danny cornered me to thank me for what I was doing. It was nice, but considering I was practicing lifting chairs alone in my room it started to feel more farcical than helpful. Danny suggested I take a break but I couldn’t afford it.

Rachel tried to talk to me on the way to Laura, but I ducked around her, disappearing to the dance studio again.

Laura tapped her foot, already waiting for me. “I see you’ve been practicing on your own.”

“How can you tell?” I asked, curious as I strip into my undershirt for dancing. I didn’t catch her eyes lingering on me when she answered.

“You move softer, it’s nice.” She said, smiling. “A little practical application of the lift and we’ll be good to go.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?”

“Follow me.”

---

And that is how we ended up in a tree, her laughing as she bounced on the branch to teach me balance or something stupid. We did that until her sides were sore with laughter, jumping down into the water afterwards to practice the lift. I dropped her a couple times, but in the end we got it. Kind of. I was still nervous.

Laura looked at me as we dried our hair off, my shirt covering her white dance clothes. It was like a tent on her.

“You know, we need to nail this lift. They’ll never take us seriously if we don’t.” She said.

“Really? What if I drop you?” I asked.

She put her hand on my shoulder. “Okay stop that, cause I’m trusting you with my ankles and basically everything, so you simply won’t but you can’t mess it up.”

“No pressure right?” I smiled.

She smiled freckles brighter on her red face. “None at all Tommy Baby, now go get dressed before your rich folks start asking about where the hell you’ll be tonight.”

I was left feeling weird after that, seeing her wander away with my shirt around her thighs. It was a nice feeling. I wish I knew more about her though, she was so tough but cared about her friends like nobody’s business. She was magnificent.

---

“That was abysmal.” I said as Laura changed in the backseat. “If you hadn’t been as good as you were we’d have tanked so hard the bottom of the ocean would know us by name.”

“The two from Indiana were worse, don’t worry. We did it, even if you didn’t do the lift right.” She said.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know why they agreed Laura.” I kept my hands on the wheel cursing myself. “I’m so sorry.”

She put her hand on my shoulder, climbing into the front seat in her casual clothes. “It’s okay Tommy Baby. It’s okay.”

“You were beautiful though, all the twizzling or whatever you call it,” I smiled, putting my hand on hers. I almost saw a flush on her cheeks as she looked away.

“Twizzles yeah.” She smiled. “You know you need to give yourself more credit, you’re not awful. We’re getting our contract cause of you filling in.”

“Yeah, but we were supposed to be amazing.”

She held my hand tighter. She wanted to say something but we pulled up before she could. I stepped out and opened her door, just to be greeted by bad news.

The hospital had called my room, because I was the one who had paid for Wes’ bill with the loan my dad gave me. They’d said Wes had a blood infection and needed another $50 for medication or else he’d die. I could have lied about who it was on the line, but I had to tell dad I was helping him. We got the money transferred, but not before the rest of the gang saw my father’s steely looks across the dance hall that night, and I was forbidden from seeing them.

“That’s all they want from us Tommy Boy, money. Those dirty poor folk don’t see anything in you other than your family and what it can do for them. They’re lazy layabouts who want to get by dancing, and then probably drinking and getting into fights. Is that what this Wes kid did? Probably piss drunk off his ass. I don’t want you going anywhere near them.” He ordered me, raging at our table with his quietest tone. Mother sipped her wine and pretended not to notice.

“But I actually like hanging out with them. They have never asked for money, I offered it.”

“Offering help is just waiting for the dog to bite Tommy Boy, you need to know that. Especially with those women folk. I bet it was them who put you up to it, paying for their drunk boyfriend’s problems in exchange for who knows what.”

I couldn’t do much but sit there in silence. Merril wasn’t like that, or Wes, or Spencer, or Danny, or even Laura who had such a determination if it had been her in trouble she’d have stormed a bank before she accepted anything from anyone. He was wrong, but like a coward I couldn’t say a word.

---

It was midnight, and I don’t know why but I went to see her, whispering to Alan to cover for me. I don’t know if he did, but Dad never burst in on us.

I felt myself knocking on her door, and the nerves were eating me alive when she opened it, only in a little dance top and tights. I covered my eyes but she started talking like she hadn’t noticed, “Tommy Baby, why you here so late?”

“Sorry I’ll come back.” I went to leave but then she pulled me back.

“I’m sorry its so messy in here,” she apologized, picking things off the floor and leaving me to wander about.

“No, no it’s nice.” I said honestly. It was open and clean mostly, she had some good music playing and it smelled like her… well, I was getting too creepy but I felt I needed to say some things to her.

She was about to turn the radio off but I told her keep it on; she looked contemplative as she sat down.

“I’m sorry about my dad, sending you guys all these dirty looks and acting like you did something wrong. You didn’t, I’m just sorry about all that,” I started.

Laura shrugged, “it’s okay Tommy Baby, people treat me like that more than you think. It’s cause I’m kind of a nothing if you haven’t noticed.”

I could feel something in me surging, wanting to track down whoever said these things to her and hurt them bad. As it was she looked like she’d believed that for a while.

“No you’re not, you’re everything Laura.” I heard myself say.

She smiled sadly, “No I’m not, you don’t get it. We’re a whole bunch of messed up shmucks around here but they never ran away, it was me who knew from the time I was a little girl that there wasn’t nothing for me in this world so I just started running, and running, and dancing, and I landed here. But still for someone like me I’m bouncing job to job, trying to figure how to live to the next month but then there’s nothing but tin cans in the winter and then big guys with big hands making fun of me while they shove dollars down my jeans.”

“I doesn’t have to be like that Laura, it doesn’t have to be.” I repeated, leaning towards her but she just gets up to pace.

“How can you even say that?” Laura asked in wonder, “You really believe it. It’s like the world is some kind of oyster to you isn’t it? Full of pretty things that don’t need fixing- or rather if they do you just run to them with a hammer, nails, and-”

“My dad’s money.” I answered sarcastically. “Real heroic. Can’t even save a kid from a papercut without dad’s okay. It’s not brave.”

“It is brave though.” Laura said. “Ain’t never met a guy who would stand up for a friend like you; your dad isn’t exactly a nice guy but you\re not scared are you?”

She was so wrong then, I felt the words bubbling out of me like a fountain as I said them. “I a, scared though. Scared of me, scared of him, scared of my future and where I’ll go, scared for the people out there, and I’m so scared that if I walk outta here without saying something I’m never gonna feel the way I do when I’m with you ever again.”

She was silent, so quiet I felt everything had gone wrong. I was right to be scared. I got up to leave but she touched my hand and I felt that fire crackle as the music crooned. “Dance with me?” She asked.

“Here?” I paused, her hands coming up to meet mine, hands sliding into one another until our elbows touched. “Okay.”

It was soft, her touch. I held my breath as she let our arms fall, her hands sliding into my pockets from my hands. She was pressed all up against me like that night in the fun house; but now it was only us here.

It was surreal, the music in the back slow as we rocked against each other, her back arching before coming back up to ghost her lips against mine. I surprised myself, being the first one to kiss; her neck warm to my mouth and my arm pulling her chest to mine when I leaned down to make her gasp.

The night was quiet, you’d only know if you were listening through the wall or at the door. I said her name too many times, and she couldn’t say much.

We woke up in each other’s arms, curled together in bed like we’d been born for this. I never wanted this to end.

---

Rachel bounced up to our table the next morning. “So, who’s excited to see me perform in the talent show? Aren’t you Baby?”

I gulped my orange juice too fast and sputtered, leaving time for someone else to take the question.

“I’m sorry Rachel but we’re leaving today. My boys can’t be stuck in Weekend traffic like a couple of middle class nobodies.” Dad said. The commotion that remark caused was awful.

“But dear, we can’t leave. Alan did all the prop work, and of course we need to watch Rachel’s performance. She’s so dear to our boys.”

I felt odd when I saw Alan scowling, but neither of us denied it so mom went on talking until Dad had to relent.

“You won’t regret it Mr and Mrs Perry. I’m singing “I Feel Pretty”, it’s the perfect song to go with my vocal range.” Her chattering continued until lunch when I excused myself and went to find Wes, who’d come home today from hospital.

It didn’t take long to end up at the foot of his bed, answering questions about how Danny’d “really” been, and if the jerks had come after Merril again. It was “Fine” and “no”, and when he asked about the performance that was when Laura walked in looking like sunshine hitting the glass just right.

“It was good.” Laura said, “You mind Tommy Baby?”

I knew our eyes lingered longer than normal, and before I left I’d heard Wes asking if Laura was serious, “-getting mixed up with a rich guy again? Are you crazy?”

But when she left Wes and nudged me as she walked by, I knew it hadn’t made her reconsider.

---

It was the next day when I found out why Wes’d been so worried for her. The rain was pouring hard and everyone was complaining. I made some excuse about cards with Rachel, and Alan shot me a glare. I didn’t know why but Dad seemed placated. I couldn’t run fast enough to Laura’s room to catch her and spin her about before having her push me back onto the bed again, and again, and again.

It was the afterwards, I in my undershirt and nothing else and her with a terrycloth robe wrapped around her. It was warm in bed, and she was playing with the longer bits of hair at the crown of my head. It felt nice.

“You been with a woman before Tommy Baby?” She asked. I was startled by the question and the words, “No, never,” flew out.

“You ain’t jossing me Baby? Cause I don’t like being lied to.” She drew her finger in circles on my collarbone.

“No, I’ve never been with anyone before you. Not anyone.” I knew people expect boys to have gotten three girls a week on vacation, but I had never even been kissed before Laura. Never had the time, never met the right girl. “Why are you asking this Laura?”

She looked distraught, “Promise me you ain’t lying. Cause you’re so nice to me, and you kiss me and tell me I’m beautiful, and I’ve had nice guys before. They told me I was pretty and gave me gifts and kisses, and made me feel real special you know, but ain’t none of them meant it. Not a one. Every rich guy who slips their room key in my pocket is the same and I slept with them cause they made me feel so nice but then…”

“You were just looking for someone, it’s okay.”

“No, no no. You don’t get it Baby. They were using me, nothing more than a throwaway trinket.” She hid the tears in her eyes, gulping as she spoke. “I had one guy, he was the sweetest thing you’d ever know. I thought I was gonna have his baby, so I told him I wanted to keep it. I though I could get off the dance circuit for a bit, we might be a family- but well, he threw the money for the doctor at me so fast I swore he’d had it in his pocket for just in cases.”

I couldn’t do anything but pull her close and kiss her slow. “I would never do that to you Laura, never.”

She wasn’t crying anymore, looped around my like she belonged there. “What’s your name Baby?”

“Thomas.” I said.

“No, the name you actually like.” She whispered into my neck.

I paused, no one’s ever asked me that. “Dwight, like my uncle.”

“Dwight.” She said quietly, “I like it.”

“Me too.” We kissed again until the sky was full of stars.

---

I lay awake, listening to the storm the next night. It was too bad to pretend to go see Laura, so I just listened to the power out there.

“Are you sleeping with Rachel?”

I sat up abruptly. “No, are you crazy Alan?”

“She’s awful you know.”

“Why are you saying this?”

“If you’re not sleeping with her than who are you sleeping with?”

“I can’t say.”

“You are sleeping with her aren’t you. You can’t say, you never say, all you care about are those jerks.”

“Alan…”

He’d already rolled away from me and I didn’t even get to ask what was wrong.

---

“Oh come on Dwight, give me a little more energy.” Laura teased, stepping just out of my reach as we danced, catching me one moment and gone the next.

I took her hands and grinned, “You’re too tense you need to loosen up, give me a little more switch up.” I spun her before she got off my hip and right out of my reach again.

“I think you need a little more tension, all limp noodle arms dear. I’d rather a hard man than this wibble wobble you’ve got.” Her tongue flicked out between her lips and the shimmy was all I could do from kissing up her neck before she danced away again.

“You can cha cha better than that, or do I need a new lover boy?” She let me fall to the ground, grinning up as she flew about the room, mouthing the words to the duet on the radio. Her feet were nimble and my hands were roaming, wanting to keep up to even a fraction of her speed.

Her legs were between mine as I started to kiss down- but the shrill voice from the stairs had us springing apart like startled rabbits, her rushing to shut off the music.

Rachel’s smile too bright when she came up, unwelcome in all ways. “Oh Tommy Baby I didn’t know you were taking dance classes. Oh I could teach you a few steps- oh yes Laura I have to tell you we’d like you to switch it up this year for the end number at the talent show.”

Laura looked elated. “Oh really, I have so many ideas! There’s this British move we could just, like this-” she thrust her hips to the side and had her arms up- but Rachel merely looked scandalized.

“Oh my god no, I meant like instead of your tired Mambo year after year, a Pachenga would be just the ticket.” She paused, “Unless you’d like to be the same old and then be the same out? My Daddy can be quite accommodating in your desires on employment.”

Laura stood there fuming. I gulped.

“Oh and Tommy Baby?” She asked. “Make sure you get the whole half hour you’re paying for with this… girl.”

I refrained from punching her but seeing the way Laura was trembling I figured I better make sure she didn’t do it first. I reached out and held her against my side as we tried to dance again, but the rhythm was gone.

“Just tell them you want to do the number your way.” I said to her but she just shook her head.

“Like I can fight the boss, that’s insane.”

“No you can Laura, stand up for yourself!” I exclaimed, urging her to see that she could do it.

“You don’t get it do you, I need this job!” She yelled at me, “I’m alone with no one looking out for me. You can’t imagine what that’s like Baby.”

That stung. “Well just because my Dad-”

She made a rude noise, “Your dad. Talk about fighting back. You can’t even tell your dad, heck not even your stupid rich kid friends that we’re together.”

“I,” she made me pause, “I was planning to.”

“I don’t believe you Tommy. You’re just like every other boy I’ve met, I’m just some back alley floozy you can dump when it’s inconvenient. I see that now coward.” She grabbed her jacket and went down the stairs, “Don’t follow me.”

“Laura.” I tried to go after her but she was already gone. “Laura!” I’d screwed up big time.

---

Knocking on the door felt like an eternity. Danny was the one who came to the door.

“Uh Danny, do you know where Laura is?”

Laura stepped out from beside her friend, eyes watery. “Yeah?”

Danny left us alone, and again I just took her in my arms and whispered “Sorry, I’m so sorry.”

And again, like the biggest annoying damn light bulb Rachel appeared, smirking and screeching. “Oh Tommy Baby, slumming it? Well we all have our dirty little secrets.”

I didn’t even have time to grab her before Laura flew at Rachel, pulling at hanks of her hair and punching her as hard as she could.

“Laura!” I heard Danny call as I hurried off the porch to pull them apart.

Laura spat, Rachel’s sobs pathetically loud for the damage done. “You’re not worth it.”

Rachel stumbled away, sobs echoing. “I’m going to tell my father!”

I didn’t know what was going to happen, but it wasn’t good. I could see Merril and Spencer hold their breath from the cabin over, Danny just looked worried.

---

Rachel avoided us for the rest of the day. I didn’t know if she had told her father yet but she was running scales anyway for her big solo in the ending choral number. I sat a few seats down from Alan, who was watching Laura for some reason. I was watching her too as one of the old men approached her with some money, I felt sick before I saw her push it away and graciously return to chorographic work. She smiled at me; I couldn’t help beaming with pride.

---

Later we were sitting together on her porch when she kissed my cheek and said, “I had the craziest dream that we were married. And your whole family was there and they loved me, and they threw flowers and we just kept walking farther and farther away.”

“Does it mean anything?”

“I hope so.” She said kissing me again. It was a risk to be outside doing this but I couldn’t stop. I was caught in her spell, and I hoped I’d woven one around her too.

---

The whole Perry clan was sitting together for breakfast on our last morning at the resort. I was picking at my eggs again as the rest of them gossiped with the manager.

“What a shame having a thieving employee, and a sexual deviant at that.” Dad said. My ears perked up, they couldn’t be talking about Wes or Danny, or they they get Merril, oh god I hope not. None of them were thieves, they couldn’t-

“Yes, Laura was an excellent dancer but she had to be stopped. Mr Tamerlane reported his wallet stolen playing Peanuts last night, and Mr Schuster said she was hanging around the table.” Mr Berry said with a sigh. “It’s clear as day.”

“No!” I exclaimed, “It couldn’t have been Laura.”

“I’m afraid Tommy that there was a witness and several other thefts in the area.” Mom said.

“No you’re wrong, maybe it’s the Schusters, Spencer saw them with a bunch of wallets the other day! Mrs Schuster had a whole handbag full of them!”

“Defending a thief with another accomplice? I’m afraid Miss Laura’s alibi was she was in her room all night practicing, you can’t blame someone innocent when the evidence is staked against her.” Mr Berry said.

I gulped, aware of Alan’s piercing gaze on me as I stared at the adults around the table.

“Laura didn’t do it, you have to believe me.”

“On what grounds?”

I looked down at my plate, “Laura couldn’t have done it cause she was in her room all night, with me.”

Mom’s fork dropped with a clatter, and Alan’s low whistle were nothing compared to Dad’s steely glare. I would say I was disappointed in him, but I had no more words for him. I just stared back at him for the first time in months, “Laura is a good person, and I don’t need any kind of judgement from you on who I spend my time with.”

I didn’t excuse myself when I walked out of the silent dining room.

---

“Did you hear, the Schusters were caught red handed with over fifteen wallets in their room? Terri Schuster kept robbing the old ladies at the beach and they could have gotten over four thousand dollars from this summer alone!” Danny exclaimed, excitedly coming into the fun house, but stopping when he saw us all sitting around Laura and her bags.

“You’re going anyway…” He looked distraught and I didn’t blame him.

“It’s my fault,” I admit to the room.

Laura cupped my face and leaned against my forehead, “No it’s not. Some guy would have gotten angry anyway if I turned him down and gotten my fired anyway, it was just a matter of time. At least if I leave without a fuss they’ll give me enough of a bonus to even see if I can make it all the way home after all these years.”

“It’s not fair!” I exclaim, ignoring Merril’s small gasp when I accidentally knock over a lamp.

“Life isn’t fair,” Laura replies but I’m already out the door with her after me. The group would follow but I know Wes is telling them we need to talk this out ourselves.

“I told my parents, I told my brother, the manager, everyone in that dinging hall about us and it didn’t make a goddamn difference.” I fell against the pillar on the porch, “You were right, fighting is useless. What’s the point if you still get screwed even when you tell the truth?”

“It was not useless, it was never useless. No one ever treated me so well, never believed in me so much Dwight. It was worth every moment, cause I got to see there are still people brave enough to stand up for others even when it costs them.” Laura pulled me down for a kiss. “It was so worth it Baby, so worth it.”

I couldn’t protest because what use would it be when all we had were these last few hours? I think we spent most of them kissing, a few between the covers, and then finally letting the neighbours know what was going on in Laura’s cabin without having to press your ear against the wall.

I was going to miss her so much.

---

“Tommy?” The knock at the door took me off guard.

“Yeah Alan?” I saw him hesitate before sitting down. “What is it?”

He was quiet for a moment before saying, “I’m sorry. I was so mean because I thought you were with Rachel, and she, I saw her laughing and telling some of the others guys at Billiards to go beat up that Merril girl because she was a guy and then I heard that someone went to the hospital, and I just felt awful because she was so mean, and I thought you were like her…”

“I’m not.”

“I know. You stood up for that dance girl when everyone said she was a thief. And you really like her don’t you?”

“I do.” I said, feeling my brother hug me.

“So you wouldn’t go beat up on someone just because they’re different right?” The words were so quiet I couldn’t even hear them.

“No.”

“Because I kind of… felt something looking at Wes dancing….”

I hid a laugh, “He has a boyfriend Alan.”

“Oh.” The disappointment was just enough I had to hug him.

“It’s going to be okay.”

We sat there for a while, I was glad he could trust me again.

---

I sat in the corner, watching Rachel sing nearly the whole choral number by herself as she sung over everyone else’s part. The mermaid outfit was particularly vexing as it made her look like a stuffed plum who had stolen the final song from the dancers.

Alan was sitting closer to me than normal, far away from Dad with Mom between them. I just kept to my corner, easier than trying to pay attention to whatever sappy lyrics Rachel had forced them to pen for her.

Then I saw a flurry of movement near the doors, with Merril and Spencer whispering before Wes patted someone on the back. She came right out from the side doors, dressed in the most blinding electric blue dress and orange saddle shoes but to me she couldn’t look more perfect. I felt like my face was going to tear from how wide my smile was.

She put her hand out, ignoring my dad and grinning down at me, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”

The others could only cheer when I pushed through the crowd with Laura, and it was satisfying to see Laura grab the microphone from our squat announcer and push Rachel out of the spotlight. She took a deep breath as the others left the stage and it was just us, and the eyes upon us; but her eyes were on me.

“B-Dwight, you have given all I ever wanted this summer and I have truly had the time of my life getting to know you and just… dance with me.”

“Yes.” I called out as the lights went dim and we begun.

It was the same one we did to save the contract, but this time I was not nervous, I was not unsure. I knew who I was, and she knew who she was. As we jived to the music it was almost silent between us, nothing but our hearts pounding and the music in our ears.

At the first spin her smile spread, laughter springing forth as we nailed each step. I could see Alan in the corner of my eye cheering us on. I lifted her, holding her to my waist and I knew there would be no better moment than this; she was gorgeous, flawless, amazing with a freckled face and crooked laugh and tough step I couldn’t help but love.

That was when I decided to do something for her, and I kissed her hand as she wondered what I was doing when I leapt for the stage and acted like the biggest dork. I may never dance again but I’d dance for her.

She was laughing hysterically as I danced like an idiot down the aisle of guests, and Wes, Danny, Merril, and Spencer got my jist and leaped behind me to join in.

Laura was covering her mouth as I turned to face her, holding my hands out as if to ask if she finally would dance with me. And she did, running to leap into my arms and do that one perfect lift.

The cheer was deafening as I let her down to hold her close; the music all around us bringing the people off their seats and dancing like it was some kind of family reunion where no one was too good to dance.

I saw Rachel off licking her wounds, pouting as her daddy danced without a care.

And then I saw my own dad leaving, and mom came up with Alan at her side and announced she was divorcing the guy for cheating on her with a waitress. I don’t think I could have cheered louder. Alan told us we looked awesome up there, and you know I think I believed him.

With Laura in my arms, and new friends dancing all around me, I think it may have been the perfect summer ever.

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