Pirouette

7: Worth It

• Spanish-speaking people, don't come at me. (actually please do, but I don't want to hear complaints about where my eyes or attention are at, I'm only human) •

Saturday meant longer days of practice. The Dec opened at 9 and Fiona arrived by bus at exactly 9.12am. She would've been there earlier, but she slept through her first alarm. She didn't get home till 10.30 last night, and didn't get to bed till almost midnight. Showering and explaining to her mom why she missed dinner had taken quite some time as well.

But now, the next morning, Fiona felt ready for another day of dancing. She walked into the Dec in her black tights and training bra with a loose blue shirt on top. The temperatures were getting scalding hot in New York, even right from the morning. The weather forecast said the heatwave would continue to rage the city for another good week or so. No signs of rainclouds anytime soon.

Which mean boiling hot days of practicing in a poorly air-conditioned dance studio.

As Fiona stepped into the foyer of the DanceDec, she was immediately met by a lively energy. A bunch of people were sitting in the usual circle on the floor in the foyer, talking, eating their breakfast and some even doing their school homework. The Dec was a home to a lot of the people that came there, amongst them no doubt Adam. He always seemed to be there, always chatting with people or always up to something or other. That boy had a fire up his ass.

That's why, as Fiona scanned the large circle, she wasn't surprised to find Adam sitting amongst them with some of the girls, laughing and talking. There were a few guys as well, one of them talking to the girl Fiona remembered Adam comforting after her boyfriend had broken up with her. She was grinning and touching his arm, and the guy seemed happy with the attention. Adam sat a few feet away from her, next to Kalo who sat right beside him on a wooden crate. Together, they were bent over a third girl's head of hair, weaving her afro into scalp braids.

"¿Por que no usas el vestido nuevo que compraste ayer?" Adam said, glancing at Kalo. "¿No te gusto?"

"No, no, es hermoso, lo tengo en mi bolsa para más tarde," She replied in fluent Spanish. "La fiesta de compromiso es esta noche, usaré mi vestido ahí."

"¿Para un hombre en especial?" Adam enquired with a grin.

"¿Puede ser?" Kalo grinned back and then innocently looked around as Adam broke into a grin.

"¿Oyé, por que?!" He laughed, then shook his head and looked back down at the braid he was making. "¿Por que no me quieres platicar de él? Quien se supone que es él? Necesito conocerlo y aprobarlo a él."

"¡Oyé! Gringo, tú no eres mi padre, por favor."

"¿Y entonces por que me llamas papí aqui?" He smirked.

"¡Oyé! Bastardo!" Kalo slapped his arm hard and shoved him away with a roll of her eyes, making Adam break into loud laughter.

It was that moment Adam happened to look up. He noticed Fiona standing there with a confused expression, then perked up and shot her a grin. "Hey, princess! Welcome to the party! You already know Kalo, and this is Deeva," He gestured to the girl sitting in front of them, getting her hair done. She looked up from under a thick mob of fro and gave her a smile as well. "You wanna be next in line? Kalo's gonna be braiding all day."

"It's community service in this weather," Kalo stated. She shook her head and grabbed another section of Deeva's hair, parting the sections up. "We out here already poofing like a poodle, this humidity ain't making things easier. You want me to do yours next? I'll hook you up soon as I'm done here."