"Hey Chris," Mark yelled, waving his hand so Chris could see him in the sea of people swarming over the terminal. Chris nodded and pulled his knapsack over his shoulder again, heading toward him.
"Hey buddy, how ya doin?"
"Great, now that you're here."
"Awww.... I�m touched." Chris put his hand over his heart and grinned. Mark just shook his head and clapped him on the back. They headed for the car, Mark asking if he had a good flight. Chris assured him it was fine and they started for the hotel.
"So, tell me more about this wonder that you have found out here in suburbia."
"I really don't know what to say. She's exceptional. You'll just have to see for yourself. We're going to head over to her studio tonight. She has an adult class at six and she's agreed for us to come and watch."
Chris nodded and looked out the windshield again. "This had better be worth coming clear out here. We're pressed for time as it is, getting ready for the awards shows. We should have already started with choreographing."
"I know Chris, that's why I'm positive that this one will work."
"I sure hope so. We're screwed if she doesn't."
~*~
"C'mon Chaz," Ash called impatiently, "We're gonna be late."
She heard a muffled reply, then teenage feet were pounding down the stairs. He slid to a stop in front of her, his grin and the twinkle in his eyes making her laugh.
"Ok slick, let's go."
She'd agreed to let him join the adult class tonight. She knew he was just as good as they were and since Mark and his mystery guest were going to be there, she figured it wouldn't hurt. Chaz had been nagging her to put him with the adults for some time now and, not wanting to argue, she'd told him tonight he could have his chance.
They pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. When they entered the studio, half of the class was already there and warming up. Chaz strolled over to the floor and tossed his bag on the bench. The dancers greeted him warmly and he began stretching with them. Aprille waved at her from in front of the office and Ash waved back. Mark was there and she assumed that the shorter, stocky man in the baseball cap was the guy he'd been talking about at dinner. Ash quickly threw her bag underneath the table and went to the front of the class. By this time, all but two had arrived so she decided to get started. She quickly went through some warm-ups and started working on basics. They went through these every class so they wouldn't forget them. When she was ready to start the music, everyone had already worked up a thin sheen of sweat. She let them get a drink and walked over to the cd player. She had a remix that she'd been working on with them and popped in the cd, smiling. She didn't worry about Chaz knowing it. He had helped her come up with some of the steps. When everyone was back in place, she took her place again in front and pushed play on the remote, setting it down.
"Wow."
"Didn't I tell you?"
Chris and Mark watched Ash lead the class. As Mark had said, the students were good, but no one really stood out until you looked at the instructor. She was amazing. Chris watched her, his lips pursed and brow, furrowed. He'd never seen anyone move like that and he'd seen hundreds of dancers. The description Mark had given had not done her justice. Her agile, lithe frame moved constantly, confident and relaxed. Her students followed her well, but she completely captivated his attention. As the song finished, it slid right into another and he chuckled when he heard the beginning strains of "Dirty Pop". What surprised him though was that the dance she did was the exact one that they had done on their tour. He shook his head in amazement. Chris never even noticed the look between Mark and Aprille. They smiled and winked at each other, knowing he was hooked.
~*~
Ash was breathing hard and droplets of sweat ran down her face, neck and back. Her clothing was stuck to her and her hair was plastered to her face and neck. Taking a few deep breaths, she led the class in their cool down. Everyone was panting and sweating more than usual. She had picked the most difficult routine to do and even though they knew it, it was a demanding one. Once they finished their stretching again so their muscles wouldn't cramp up, Ash thanked the class and they gathered their things. Tonight's class was a short one, but very high impact. Ash had watched Chaz through the routine and he had improved dramatically. She was surprised that she hadn't noticed it before and she walked over to him now to congratulate him. She was moving him to the adult class permanently. To say he was happy was an understatement. For a few minutes he forgot he wasn't supposed to like dancing and grabbed her in a bear hug, thanking her over and over. She hugged him back and told him to go wait in the other room while she talked to Aprille's brother, smiling at him as he trotted off. He said something about practicing and soon she heard the distant thrum of the bass and recognized it as the new routine she was putting together. She smiled to herself, proud that he enjoyed this so much.
"Ash?"
She turned around at Aprille's voice and found herself face to face with Mark's friend. A smile covered his face and he stuck out his hand, gripping hers warmly. His dark eyes sparkled and his easy smile made Ash instantly relax.
"Hi Ash, I'm Chris and it is very nice to meet you."
"Hi Chris. What did you think of the class?"
"I have to say that I'm absolutely blown away. Mark raved about you, but I thought it was going to be a mediocre dancer who was just interested in the money and fame. I can clearly see I was wrong."
"Well, thank you. I suppose we should go in the office now. I'm sure you have questions for me and I have plenty for you two." Ash nodded in the direction of her office and they turned, all talking together as they walked to it. When they went inside, Ash sat behind her desk and Aprille perched on the corner, her swinging foot giving away her excitement. Mark and Chris sat down in the plush chairs she kept in there and Ash decided to begin.
"I do want to say, first and foremost that I did read through the material you gave me Mark. I don't want to sound pessimistic," Ash shot Aprille a look and Aprille tightened her jaw, but didn't say a word, "But, I still don't see how all this is possible for me."
"What do you mean?"
"The first problem is my studio. I can't just close it down. That wouldn't be fair to my students. Some of them rely on this place." At this, Aprille piped up.
"I told you, I'll take care of things here. You can check back from time to time when you're not busy or on break. You know I can handle it." Ash glared at Aprille and looked again at Mark and Chris, making sure she had their attention.
"There is also the matter of my son."
"I saw him out there tonight. How old is he?"
"Thirteen."
"I can see where he gets his talent and love of dancing. Give him a few years and he'll be as good as, if not better than his mother." Ash smiled and nodded, knowing this was true, but that wasn't the point.
"What I'm getting at is that he's at an age where it's getting harder and harder for him to adjust to changes. If I took this job, I'd be taking him away from his school, his friends, family, and the only place he's ever known as home. He's already had to adjust to his father dying. I don't want to make things harder on him than they already are."
"Mark told me what happened," Chris said softly, "I'm sorry to hear about it."
"It's ok," Ash raised her hand, stopping him, "You couldn't have known and it's been three years." Through all this, Chris had been quiet, listening to Ash and leaning his chin on his fist.
"All I can say," said Chris, "Is that I know how difficult it is to adjust, but he can. We would make sure he had everything he needed to make the adjustment easier. That includes you also. Trust me, that's all my life has been is adjusting and sometimes it'll wear you down, but we're here to make that easier on you and your family."
"I'm still not sure. I mean.... there are no guarantees and what if we move out there and it doesn't work for some reason?"
"How about this," Mark offered, "Come out, work on a trial basis, no contract, no signatures. If, within a month's time, you don't like it or it's wrong for any of us, you can come back and you've made no commitments."
Ash thought about it. She leaned back in her chair, staring at the desk. Mark and Chris looked at each other, nervously. She was their last hope at having a great choreographer. Aprille was even quiet, letting Ash mull over the new option they had just given her. It was almost twenty minutes before Ash raised her head, looking at each one of them before she spoke.
"I'm going to have to talk to Chaz about all this. Can you give me a couple of days?" A wide smile breaking across his face, Mark nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course," he said, handing her a small card, "This is my cell number and the number of the hotel I'm staying at. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to call me. I'll be in town until Sunday, that gives you three days to decide."
"Fair enough," Ash took the card and shook his hand, then Chris's, "I'll let you know by Sunday morning." They all said their goodbyes and Mark and Chris left for the hotel while Aprille and Ash stayed to clean up a little and lock up. Ash knew that Aprille was just dying to say something so she blew out a breath, put her hand on her hip and stared at Aprille.
"Alright, spill it. I know it's driving you insane." Aprille smirked and shook her head at how well her friend knew her.
"I still say you ought to go for it. I think Chaz will understand more than you know. You're scared and I understand that," Aprille walked up to Ash and put her arm around her shoulder, "Sometimes you've gotta just grab life by the balls and hang on tight."
Ash burst out laughing, which caused Aprille to sink into a fit of giggles. Chaz came out of the other studio to see what was going on and rolled his eyes when he saw them, sitting on the floor, tears streaming down their faces. He rolled his eyes and snorted. They were so weird. When they were finally done with the studio, almost an hour later, Ash turned off the lights, locked the door and they all got in their cars. She waved a quick goodbye to Aprille and turned the opposite way, toward home. Ash glanced over at Chaz who was staring out the window, bobbing his head along with the song that was playing on the radio. She knew she had to talk to him about this.
"Chaz honey, I've got something to discuss with you."
"What's that?" He asked, indifferently. Ash took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. It was so long before she answered that Chaz looked at her curiously now. She looked at him again, bracing herself.
"How would you feel about moving to Los Angeles?" Chaz's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He just stared at her, not saying a word and Ash didn't know what to make of this response. She'd expected him to either jump for joy or throw a fit. She never expected stunned silence and didn't know what to make of it.
"How come?" His soft voice almost didn't register.
"Well, Aprille's brother has offered me a job teaching and choreographing there. We'd have to move out there. I don't know for how long, it could be permanent."
"Seriously?" Ash looked over at him again and the smile that started to tug at the corners of his mouth showed that this wasn't something that he was upset about. She nodded.
"I told him I'd have to talk to you first."
"Why would you do that," he asked, "I'm just a kid."
"But you're my kid and I don't want to do it if it's going to make you miserable."
Chaz sat there, staring out the window again, but this time, Ash could tell he was thinking about what she'd just said. He was only thirteen, but his mom wanted his opinion on an adult decision. This was something he didn't want to screw up. She didn't know though that he had the same dreams she did. She didn't know that he put in extra practice when she wasn't around and worked harder than anyone in his class. She didn't know that he had wanted to whoop and holler when she'd asked him that. Los Angeles was where he wanted to be.
"I think we should do it."
"Really, and why's that?"
"Oh c'mon mom," he rolled his eyes at her, "You and I both know that this would be perfect. There are more opportunities for dancers there than some small town in Ohio."
"That's true," Ash agreed as she pulled into the driveway and shut off the car, "Are you sure this is okay with you?"
"Absolutely, in fact, I'm gonna go call Nick right now," a mischievous grin played across his lips, "He's gonna be sooo jealous." At that, he grabbed her keys and jumped out of the car. She watched him as he ran up and unlocked the front door, bursting through it to go call his best friend with the news. Well, thought Ash, getting out of the car, I guess we're going to California.