“There he is!” Jayden exclaims a moment later and changes direction, veering through the crowd to the opposite wall, where Alexander stands tapping away on his phone next to a group of people stretching and talking.
He looks up and breaks into a smile, throwing his arms open as we approach. “You came!”
“Of course,” Jayden says, stopping in front of him. “How are you feeling?”
“Oh my god,terrified,” Alexander says, pulling a face. “I’m definitely the youngest person here.”
“And just as deserving,” says a girl from the group next to him. She’s Asian, wearing big jeans and a baggy shirt.
“Oh my goddddd!” Alexander turns to her, hands pressed to his face. “Thank youuu.” He twirls back to us, gesturing toward the group. “This is my crew.”
A jumble of hellos echoes back and forth, all of the crew members shifting to smile and wave back at us. Alexander squeals and darts around the three of us, and we turn to see him tackle Stef in a hug, Forrest following behind her. His eyes find mine, and the corner of his mouth lifts. I smile without even thinking about it, then feel myself blush, and look away quickly, at the stage. He’s here, and I’m here, and we’re both here together. For the whole day. Ohmygodohmygodohmy-god. This is terrible, and wonderful, and I don’t know what to do about it.
“What’s up?”
I look back, and there Forrest is, right in front of me. He’s traded the hoodie for a dark green parka over a flannel over a T-shirt, and the color of the jacket makes his eyes look like moss, soft and inviting.
“Hey!” I say.
“You excited?” he says, just as the speakers boom to life and everyone in the gym flinches at once. The volume dropsinstantly and someone calls out an apology through a microphone, to scattered laughs and applause. Forrest and I widen our eyes at each other, smiling.
“Welcome dancers, welcome guests!” the emcee continues. Forrest winks at me,winks at me,and looks toward the stage. I half listen to the speaker introducing the event and the first few crews, replaying that wink in my mind. Why did he wink?! Was it flirtatious? Does he like me back? Was it just a fun wink, like ahey here we go the event is startingwink? Did he even know he winked? Do people wink without knowing it?
“Oh my god,” Jayden whispers excitedly, grabbing my arm, yanking me back into the present.
“Aaaaaand representing Seattle...” the emcee shouts at the same time, “206 Maverix!”
The crew’s name incorporates the area code for Seattle, showing their pride in their hometown. They take the stage and we all cheer as they throw their hands up, urging the crowd louder, and Alexander is right there in the middle, posing, clapping, smiling from ear to ear. 206 Maverix are third in the tournament, up against a crew from Tacoma, and they bound back to our station by the wall to watch the competition begin.
Third. That’s an odd number, a safe number, and I relax a little.Everything is going to be fine,I tell myself.
Everything is going to be fine.
Everything is going to be fine.
As the crews battle, my thoughts fade below the boom of the bass, and I’m swept up in the breakers’ flow. Jayden narratesthe dancing from beside me, pointing out different moves, and I start to see how the dancers put them together into unique combinations all their own. They drop to the floor, legs spinning around their heads as they balance on their hands, then back up, feet moving in patterns I can’t follow, bodies twirling and twisting like tornadoes to the scratch of the DJ’s track.
When it’s time for Alexander’s crew to take the stage, Jayden heads toward the front of the crowd, and Anna takes his place next to me, checking her phone. Forrest is at my other side, where he’s been the whole time, talking to Stef and Makayla.
“This is so cool,” I say over the music, and Forrest half tilts his head to me, grinning, still watching Alexander.
“Right?” he says. “Wait ’til you see him. It’s going to blow your mind.”
I watch the stage as the crews take their positions, waiting for the music as the DJ transitions from the previous track. I’m glad Jayden has been going to breakdancing club, and it seems like he and Alexander are really good friends. I just don’t know what that means for our group. Will Jayden leave us for Forrest’s friends, or will our friend groups merge? I don’t want to lose Jayden, don’t want us to change, but the other option means hanging out with Forrest all the time. And if I tell him I like him, and he doesn’t feel the same ...I squeeze my eyes shut.
A hand touches the small of my back, and my eyes fly open. “You OK?” Forrest murmurs in my ear. His breath makes the skin on my neck prickle.
I shake my head, not daring to look at him. “I’m fine!” His hand is still on my back, right above the waistband of my jeans, and his touch zaps my whole body to life.
“OK,” he says, and pulls his hand away, leaving me buzzing. I stare at the stage and try to focus on what the emcee is saying, on the beat of the music behind his words, on anything but the way my heart is pounding, the way I’m drawn to Forrest like he’s a magnet and I’m helpless metal.
“Look at Jayden,” Anna murmurs in my other ear. I do, and see him standing right in front, eyes fixed on Alexander, rocking back and forth from toe to heel. “They need to just get together already.”
Wait.
What?
I squint at her. “What are you talking about?”
