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notice the way her eyes were shining up at
him.
    “Guess so…so, what do you say we really
shock the heck outta every body, and you come back to the dance with me?”
    At that, Tessa missed a step in their
dance.  “Oh, well, I don’t –“
    “What’s the matter, Tess?  Chicken?”
    She frowned at him.  “I’m not
chicken.”
    “Oh yeah?  Prove it.  Put your
arm thru mine, walk back down there at my side and dance with me out in the
open in front of everyone.”
    “All right.  Who are you and what
have you done with Shane McCanton?”
    “I’m serious.  Come dance with
me.  Out in front of everyone.  Lets really give them a show and keep
them guessing.  What d’ya say?”
    After a couple moments of silence, Tessa
sighed and shrugged her shoulder.  “Why the hell not?”
    He winked at her.  “Let’s go rock
everybody’s world.”
    Tessa slipped her arm through his and
together they walked back to the main square to rejoin the street dance. 
Shane led her directly out onto the dance floor and expertly spun her into his
arms, causing her to squeal and laugh, drawing all sorts of eyes to them. 
Shane smiled and found that she was an easy dance partner, super light on her
feet and easy to stunt with.  He knew that all eyes were on them but at
that point, he really didn’t care.  He hadn’t been enjoying the dance prior
to excusing himself to use the restroom at his dad’s office. Now, he couldn’t
remember ever having such a good time at a dance.
    When the band began another slow song,
Shane pulled her close and led her in a two-step, squeezing her hand when she
looked up into his eyes.
    “Now, aren’t you glad you came back with
me?” he asked, keeping his voice low so she had to lean into him to hear him.
    “This has been fun, I gotta admit. 
And I gotta give you Props…you got some serious moves, McCanton.”
    “Amazing what six years of cotillion will
do for a guy, huh?”  
    “This is more than just dance lessons, my
friend.  I’d say you’re a natural.”
    Before he could respond, they were bumped
from the side.  They each looked up to see Shane’s best friend Steve
Sinclair and his girlfriend Stacy Bennett dancing beside them.
    “Did Hell freeze over and we missed it?”
Stacy asked, eyeing Shane and Tessa skeptically.
    “Yeah, man, what the hell?” Steve said.
    Shane felt Tessa stiffen in his arms and
wanted to curse at his best friend for putting a damper on their mood.
    “We’re just enjoying the dance, man,”
Shane replied.
    “Be sure you keep your hands above her
waist, there, Bud.  She’s got a mean left hook,” Lane Reynolds laughed.
    Tessa stopped dancing and flashed a
bright but completely false smile at Lane, putting Shane instantly on alert.
    “Would you like another demonstration,
Lane?” she asked sweetly.  She’d punched him their Freshman year when he’d
taken one liberty too many at the Back-to-School dance.
    “Relax, Tess,” Shane told her, twirling
her away from them, “it’s just you and me out here, OK?  Look at me,” he
coaxed when she was still glaring over at the group they’d just left.  He
waited until she complied and then gave her hand a squeeze,  “just you and
me here.”
    She closed her eyes a moment then nodded
and looked back up into his deep blue eyes.  It was a jolt, seeing them
this close to her after all these years of them pretending the other didn’t
exist. 
    “Why are you being so nice to me, Shane?”
she asked, genuinely puzzled.  “I’ve certainly never deserved your
kindness.”
    “Not when we were kids, no, but that was
a long time ago.  People change.  I know I’m not the same person as I
was back then.”
    She watched him cradle their joined hands
close to his heart again, still extremely puzzled by his actions.
    “So…are we friends now, Shane?  Is
that what you’re saying here.”
    He squeezed her hand.  “I thought we
already were, after being lab partners and hanging out with the