Page 87 of A Class Act

‘Meet me in the drama studio after school.’

‘Sorry?’ His face turned wary.

‘I want to see if you can dance.’

‘Dunno if I can or not.’

‘Well, let me be the judge of that. Sorrel will be there.’ I crossed my fingers behind my back.

‘I’ve got to get off, miss, after school. Can’t hang around.’ He turned once more.

‘Four o’clock, Joel. Be there.’ I headed for the class I’d been asked to register, but not before texting Sorrel to meet me and Joel in the studio after school.

I wasn’t convinced either of them would turn up.

‘OK,’ I breathed, delighted to see not only Sorrel but Joel as well waiting in the drama studio for me at the end of the day. ‘Hang on, I need a hit of something after double drama with 9AT.’ I reached for my can of Coke, draining the contents in one long thirsty gulp. ‘Right, I need to know if you two can dance.’

‘You must know that Sorrel can,’ Joel snapped irritably. ‘You’re her sister.’

‘Yes, I may be, Joel, but she’s not shared with me what she’s been up to for a while. I’ve been away, working in London; as far as I know she could be on a hiding to nothing.’

‘Oh, thanks very much!’ Sorrel shook her head. ‘Great confidence boost there from my big sister.’

‘Right, you know where the changing rooms are. Get yourself into whatever you wear when you dance.’

Sorrel gave me one of her looks but took her bag and headed off to get changed. Joel stayed where he was.

‘Joel?’

‘I’ve nothing with me.’

‘OK, you’re about the same height as me.’ I threw him a pair of joggers and a white T-shirt. ‘Bare feet are fine. Come on.’ I smiled, patting his arm as, scowling, he also headed off. ‘Relax, enjoy yourself. What d’you like to dance to?’

‘Kygo remixes.’

My heart missed a beat, but I kept smiling.

‘You won’t have ever heard of his stuff, miss. Techno house.’

Want a bet? I was immediately back in London at the end of the summer, Fabian and I dancing, utterly losing ourselves to Kygo’s music in a one-off concert at Gunnersbury Park. Knowing how much I absolutely adored the man’s music, Fabian had managed somehow to get tickets.

It had been one of the best evenings of my life.

I reached for my phone and scrolled to Spotify. ‘Any particular track?’ I asked. ‘Please not Selena Gomez singing “It Ain’t Me”.’

‘Selena Gomez,’ Joel said, obviously embarrassed. ‘“It Ain’t Me”. You won’t know it – Kygo’s remix.’

Five minutes later the pair were in front of me.

‘Now what?’ Sorrel asked, hands on hips.

‘Selena Gomez?’ I asked. ‘Joel says he knows it. You as well?’

‘Yeah, we’ve worked together on this at Collinson’s place.’

‘Look, pretend I’m not here.’ I smiled as they both stood there, not looking at each other. ‘Warm up, do your own thing. I’ve some tidying up to do.’

‘Oh, for God’s sake,’ Sorrel muttered as I turned my back on them and started the music, but I sensed her bending, stretching, starting to move and then, as the first evocatively soul-stirring notes of the utterly wonderful track sounded in the room, knew that Joel, too, was simply unable not to.

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