Young Writers Society

Elisabeth Canario

When we were free from the different sounds in the dance, we walked outside. It wasn't as cold as I'd expect it to be, so I took extra time to feel the warm wind against my face.

"You cold?" He asks after a while.

"No, it's a nice night out," I reply without hesitation. Alaska looked disappointed with my answer. After, he laughed. We stopped walking for a minute.

"Well, thing is, I have two dads, and, well, they make me watch a lot of stupid movies. So after I say that, you're supposed to say 'yes,I'm freezing!'" he said the last part in some adorable way.

"then I say, 'oh let me help you with that' and I take off my jacket and give it to you. Then when the night ends, you forget to give it back, so we're forced to meet again," he continued.

"Ah, sounds like someone wants to see me again," I say laughing. Alaska smiles sheepishly.

"Here's my cell if you want it," I say holding out a piece of paper. Mother always says to be prepared for anything when it comes to meeting a guy you want to keep contact with, and this is one guy that I would definitely want o keep in contact with.

Alaska

"Ah, sounds like someone wants to see me again," Elisabeth said laughing.

A blush crept across my face and I gave a sheepish smile.

"Here's my cell if you want it," She said, holding out a piece of paper to me.

Accepting the paper, I countered, "Hmm, looks like we got a playah right here! You've got your number written down adn everything!"

The two of us laughed, and I folded the paper, putting it into the pocket of my silver pants, then putting on my purple hat, which I'd been holding since we stopped dancing and I'd retrieved it from my friend.

Taking off the silver jacket, I draped it over her shoulders, saying, "Wow, it's so cold out! You look like you could use a jacket!"

Her sweet laughter echoed through the courtyard, causing me to smile widely and laugh along. We continued to walk, and we came across a wooden bench. Taking Elisabeth's hand, I sat on the bench, as did she.

"So, tell me about yourself."

Elisabeth Canario

When I offered my number to Alaska, he smiled and laughed. While accepting the piece of paper, he said,"hmm, looks like we got a playah right here, you've got your number written down and everything!" I blush, a little embarrassed, but I laughed.Alaska took off his jacket and drapes it over my shoulders.

"Wow, it's so cold out, you look like you could use a jacket!" he exclaimed. I laugh, accepting the jacket.

We continued to walk until we encountered a wooden bench. He led me to the bench and we sat down.

"so, tell me about yourself," he said. Clutching the jacket, I think of something to say.

"Well, I started ballet when I was really young, and my mother has always wanted someone in the family to be involved in ballet. But, lately, I haven't been wanting to dance, I love it, but I feel that my mother is pushing me to ballet," I say.

Alaska nodded like he understood, but I doubt it. He loves to swim, and I don't think he want to give it up.

Alaska:

"Well, I started ballet when I was really young, and my mother has always wanted someone in the family to be involved in ballet. But, lately, I haven't been wanting to dance, I love it, but I feel that my mother is pushing me to ballet," She said.

I nodded understandingly, and when I did, Elisabeth gave me a look that showed she doubted me.

"For a long while I was made fun of. Between my british and Texan accent, my dads, my name, and just who I am, I haven't been accepted." I took a deep breath, let it out, then continued, "And for a long while, I tried to fit in. Fit myself into everyone elses mold. Meanwhile, my dads told me to be myself."

I stopped and laughed, "It got to the point where I just gave up and started being myself. I got into fights daily defending my dads. That only made it worse."

Looking up at the stars in the sky, I continued, "Water was the only safe place for me. The feel of it running across me soothed me, cleared my mind. I pushed myself towards it. Spent as much time as I could swimming laps. I pushed myself to love it so much that I hated it. Then, one day, my dad came to the pool, pulled me out, and he took me home. From that day on I swam for myself, not to forget. I'd pushed myself too hard, I just needed someone to teach myself to love it again."

Basil

"Ummm....ya!" Sam said

Just then, the song ended and a more upbeat one began to play. Everyone around us began to dance. I spotted a guy and a girl leaving the dance, a girl with blonde hair covered in paint talking to a red head boy, and a girl in a wheelchair drinking punch with a guy who stood there awkwardly.

Looking back at Same, I yelled over the music, "Would you like to dance again?"

Tracy Joan

"So what's your major?" The guy asked.

"Football!" I answered proudly.

He nodded, either impressed, shocked, or just being polite. He kept his red hair over his eyes, and I wondered what he was hiding. It dawned on me then: this school is for disabled kids, too. This guy's been standing around this area all night. Maybe he was blind.

Unaffected by my discovery, I asked him, "What's yours?"

Nick,

"Can't you tell? I'm a theater geek, through and through!" I say proudly, and grin. I'd noticed a slight change in her voice, and I knew she had come to the realization that I was blind. Still, if she wasn't going to mention it, neither was I.

"So, don't like dancing?" I ask, raising my voice over the music. There's a pause, and I figure that she's either shaking her head or nodding or doing something visual.

"Oh, sorry. No, it's not that. I was just...resting," she says evenly. I can tell that that's not everything, but I decide not to pursue the topic.

"Well, wanna dance, then?" I say, smiling again.

Elisabeth Canario

I told Alaska about my dancing, and how I feel that I'm being pushed to do something I don't really feel like doing most of the time. He told me his backstory, which pretty much involved how he started swimming with the love of it.

"-I just needed someone to teach myself to love it again," he finished. Someone to teach you to love it again... I tart to think about who i have. I start looking up to the stars like Alaska. I have my mother, who had me start dance. She always wanted me and Amelia to be involved in dance, but unfortunately Amelia turned out to be deaf, so my motor took her dream on me. Then there's Amelia, she always loved to watch me dance, but I don't know what would happen if I said that in would want to give it up, not like I wanted to. Then there's Alaska, the guy I've just met today, who understands me, and made me feel welcome here. I sigh and look back to Alaska.

"I guess it's your turn to tell me about yourself," I said, changing the subject while grinning.

Sam

"Would you like to dance again?" Basil asked.

"No." I said, simply and honestly, over the music. He laughed, but my face was completely serious. He took my hand and pulled me out of the room where it was quiet enough to hear each other speak.

"So how long have you been playing lacrosse?" I asked.

"Since I was 8." he replied (I'm not sure if that's right or not. You can change it in your post then I'll edit this).

"That's so cool! I've never been much of a sports person. I'm not exactly coordinated, as you probably found out from our dance." We laughed together. Then we were silent for a moment, and we just stares into each other's eyes. His beautiful brown eyes! I thought. We began to lean in closer. And closer. And closer. Until out noses were about to touch…

But then I pulled away. "I'm sorry." I said. This was just too much for me.

"Don't be." he said kindly. "Let's go dance." We both smiled and headed back into the dance floor.

(If this isn't what you wanted or isn't something Basil would do, please tell me!)

Alaska:

"I guess it's your turn to tell me about yourself," Elisabeth said with a smile.

"Well, I was actually born in Alaska, and my parents weren't very creative. When I was about three my dad, Daniel, found out he likes men. He then moved to Texas. My mom moved us to Britain for her work, and I attended boarding school until I was eight. I started swimming when I was four years old and my mother took me to the beach, and I run whenever I can't find an oppurtunity to swim. But when I was eight years old my mother met someone and decided I should go live with my father, so I came to Texas. I went by my middle name, Shawn, then. I started going by Alaska on the first day of eighth grade. And I was sent here after I was expelled from my public school for..."

I trailed off, debating whether to tell her. I decided to and said, "For hurting someone. They said something about my dads, Daniel and Michael, and I slammed him against a locker, my hands around his neck, yelling at him for what he said."

I shifted my eyes to Elisabeth, trying to see her reaction, but quickly decided I didn't want to see it, and looked down at my hands, messing with the cuff of my white dress shirt.

Elisabeth Canario

"Well, I was actually born in Alaska, and my parents weren't very creative. When I was about three my dad, Daniel, found out he likes men. He then moved to Texas. My mom moved us to Britain for her work, and I attended boarding school until I was eight. I started swimming when I was four years old and my mother took me to the beach, and I run whenever I can't find an oppurtunity to swim. But when I was eight years old my mother met someone and decided I should go live with my father, so I came to Texas. I went by my middle name, Shawn, then. I started going by Alaska on the first day of eighth grade. And I was sent here after I was expelled from my public school for..." Alaska trailed off.

"For hurting someone. They said something about my dads Daniel and Michael, and I slammed him against a locker, my hands around his neck, yelling at him for what he said," he continued . I looked at him, and find him playing with his dress shirt's cuff.

"Alaska," I said with an assuring voice.

"You were standing up for you're dads. I think that's great," I said, turning my hea to face him. He looked at me, with a surprised face and our eyes connected again.

Tracy Joan:

"Can't you tell? I'm a theater geek, through and through!" He said proudly, a grin on his face.

He turned to me and yelled something, but I couldn't really hear it. Hesitating, I wondered. Did he ask if I don't like prancing? Oooooh, he must've meant do I not like dancing!

"Oh, sorry. No, it's not that. I was just...resting," I said the last part a little unsure of myself. It's not like I was just going to come right out and say nah, guys just usually don't dance with a girl like me.

"Well, wanna dance, then?" He asked, smiling again.

"I would love to!" I yelled over the music, taking his hand in mine and going onto the dance floor.

Nick,

"I would love to!" So saying, she grabs my hand and quickly leads me onto the dance floor. In the center of all of the noise, I am completely disoriented, so much so that I actually almost lose my balance. Tracy Joan steadies me.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"Nothing," I say quickly, not wanting to mention my disability. Unthinkingly, I brush my hair out of my eyes, revealing that I am, in fact, blind. I can hear her stifle a gasp as she looks at my clouded eyes. I laugh softly.

"Yeah, I know, it shocks a lot of people...But you'd already figured me out, hadn't you?" I say nonchalantly.

Alaska:

"Alaska," Elisabeth said assuringly, "You were standing up for you're dads. I think that's great,"

From the corner of my eye, I saw her turn her head towards me, and I did the same, shock on my face. Our eyes met, and for a moment we just sat there, staring at each other.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned back to the stars and whispered, "Isn't it beautiful? All those stars, so far apart and yet they appear so close, so similar. From afar, they seem like they're all the same. But when you get closer, they're all...different."

Elisabeth Canario

"Isn't it beautiful? All those stars, so far apart yet they appear so close, so similar. From afar, they seem like they're all the same. But when you get closer, they're all...different," He said. I look at the stars again, and consider why he just said. I start to smile.

"It's definitely beautiful, but I can't really see them close up," I said. He pointed to one star then the one beside it.

"They both look the same, right? But, they look different when you see them close up or think about it," he explained. I nodded like I understood. I check my cellphone, 10:24. I immediately stand up, Alaska follows.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"I have to go, I missed the time where I have to call my mom, she's probably furious by me," I said.

"Oh," he said with disappointment.

"I'm sorry, I have to go, it's been nice being with you," I said and start running off, clutching the jacket.