Page 61 of Everything's Better With You
“I’m sorry, I’ve gotta go.”
“It’s okay,” Joe said, backing away. “I’ll catch up with you soon.” He stumbled over a football straggler and Leslie laughed.
“I…I’ll see you later.”
Leslie turned and left without looking back.
Fuck. Fucking fuck to the fuckedyth power. How the hell was he going to make Leslie understand their weekend escape was a bad idea? Without hurting his feelings?
Joe returned to clinics grateful he had something else to focus on because this whole unraveling sensation was terrifying.
“Hey, the kids all here?”
Marti startled him and he pressed a hand to his chest.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Marti said, her brow furrowed. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Fine. Yeah, I’m sorry. It’s been a morning. I just, my director forWest Side Storywants me to audition for a show. Broadway.”
“That’s…” She reached out and put her hand on his forearm. “That seems like a lot. I thought you were committed here for the year.”
He exhaled and planted his hands on his hips. “But what if I can make both work? Not during the fall, of course, but like a summer show…”
“Joe, FOMO is real, I get it. But can you give your all in both places? AndDance Machine? The kids need you here, especially since you’re teaching courses.”
Wasit fear of missing out?“Right…I know. I just…I feel like this is it, then, you know? My dance career is over.”
She gave him a sympathetic smile and then the music got louder inside the common room and Joe realized he needed to face the music, in more ways than one.
He’d taken the job because he felt obligated to the school and the kids…and Leslie. It meant finally having time and proximity with Leslie to see if their relationship would blossom, which was very important to him. He’d thought he could find a way to keep one toe in the dance world. A lot of college professors did that, right? They still played music, or had their art in gallery shows, or wrote books… Sure, Joe’s art required him to be away at times. He wasn’t ready to close the door completely, especially not if it was Broadway. If auditions were in March, rehearsals in May, maybe they could be pushed to late May for Joe, the show would open in June and run for ten weeks. It should be plenty of time. Joe could stay in shape on the off-season with his workouts with the kids. It could work. Arthur seemed to think so. He would need to discuss it with Barry, of course.
And Leslie.
Shit.His expression had seemed so confused earlier, which would make sense after the candid conversation they’d had the night before. Joe had meant everything he’d said. He reallydidwant Leslie, wanted that intimacy they had to grow, wanted that familiar comfort to be adaily part of his life. Did that necessarily have to mean giving up his career?
He was right back where he’d been the night they’d met. Running. That wasn’t fair to Leslie.
Joe stepped inside and was faced with thirty-five kids looking to him for leadership, support, and knowledge. It hit him suddenly just what he’d taken on by coming here. This job wasn’t another gig, wasn’t a notch on his belt. It was his chance to give back to the community that supported him during a tumultuous time in his life, that had given him the foundation he needed to launch a successful career.
It was a big responsibility, one that had sounded plausible over the summer as he’d pondered it, but now, with thirty-five sets of eyes—including Terrell and the daughter of the guy he’d bought his Bronco from—waiting anxiously to see what he’d do next, he was humbled. No one was expecting him to be a superstar here; they wanted tolearnfrom him. They didn’t care how his makeup and hair looked, if his body was the right size and in the best shape… They only cared that he cared about them and that he provide for them the level of support he’d had when he was a student.
He could do this. Nothing else mattered right now. This was important work, bigger than himself. Maybe that was the phase of his career he needed to ease into next. Broadway would have to take a backseat.
“All right, Jackets! Show me what you’ve got.”
The whole group lined up and ran through the three cheers Marti had taught them the day before. They looked good. Only a couple of weak links in the group and they were mostly guys. Today they would be working on some simple stunts so Joe could get a sense of their strength and dependability.
“Great job, everyone. Take a seat.”
The kids sat together, smiling eagerly up at him, hanging on every word.
“I want to share with you my philosophy. From what I can see, and from my experience, any of you can learn the cheers we have to teach you. Most of you can pick up the dance routines, and some of you will become proficient in tumbling and stunting. But what’s more important to me than any of that, is that I have to know I can trust you. Thatyour teammates can trust you. For you to make it on this team, I have to know that if I put you as a spotter, you’re not going to let one of the flyers hit the ground, not even one hair on their head touches the mat. I have to know that if we have an away game, you’re going to be there with your uniform clean, pressed, the right shoes, and even the correct bow in your hair. Ability to cheer and dance is not the end all be all. Integrity is important. Creativity is important. Attitude really is everything. I will not jeopardize any member of my team by allowing someone to compete who I can’t rely on, that the team can’t rely on. I’m asking you to put cheerleading first after your studies. I’m asking you to be willing to miss parties, and I’m absolutely asking you to be on your best behavior. You will be representing Greenvale College twenty-four seven. There is no room for bad behavior on my team. That may sound harsh, and if so, thank you for your time and there’s the door. If you need to ask what I mean about bad behavior, I’m happy to discuss it with you, but it absolutely means being sober during the season. At all times. Even if you are of age. Now…are there any questions?”
A few of the kids looked around as if they were thinking of bolting, but Joe was pleased to see that most of the kids just seemed excited to get started. They all gathered around waiting for instructions. The B-boys, however, moved away from the group and muttered to themselves.
Joe looked to Marti to start discussing stunting roles so he could head his prospects off at the pass.
“Hey,” he said to them. “Be real with me, which part of that speech did you guys have a problem with?”
