Dance Steps

[sage]

Baby I’ve got plans tonight
You don’t know nothin’ about
I’ve been sitting around way too long
Trying to figure you out
But you say that you’ll call and you don’t
And I’m spinning my wheels
So I’m going out tonight
In my red high heels

It was a very obviously country song, and yes, it was by Kellie Pickler, the girl who got voted off of American Idol, but the girl listening to it really didn't care. Brad Pitt himself could walk in, say he hated country music, and Sage would only say one thing, "bite me." Ah yes, the impressive vocabulary of one of the schools new students, Sage Joassen. Sage wasn't one to care what others thought about her, her motto in fact was, "I'm all that I've got, so why should i change to please you?"

This room, it was the only place Sage wanted to be, ever, period. Of course, going to class and maintaining at least a 3.8 GPA got in her way. It was her deal with her grandmother, Sage had to be doing well in school to be on the dance team, though Sage had yet to try out for it. Well, in the meantime, she could use the time to practice.

Well you can watch me walk if you want to, want to
I’ll bet you want me back now don’t you, don’t you
I’m about to show you just how missin’ me feels
In my red high heels

Her moves were free form, nothing that would impress a real dance expert, but Sage was here for fun today also, and this was really only conditioning work, not real steps work. Her head moved with the beat of the song, her eyes closed. Strands of dark hair stuck to Sage's face as they escaped from the high pony tail she had placed the locks in. A black sports bra was her top of choice, along with black spandex shorts. Sage looked like a cross between a volleyball player and a gymnast, though she was both. However, Dance was first, then Gymnastics, then Volleyball, and whatever other sports she liked, it was a long list. Sage's all time favorite sport, horseback riding, was unattainable for her family though, so Sage never told anyone how much she loved it.

The song gently played to an end and Sage opened her eyes, the dark, chocolate tones deep and the inner pupil surrounded by a lighter ring of golden-brown. Grabbing a bottle of water from her dark blue dance bag in one corner, SAge took a long drink and leaned against one of the long mirrors, feeling the cool glass against her hot skin. It was pleasant and Sage felt like she could spend her whole life in this room, doing what she loved.

[Daphne Hayes]

Daphne walked up the halls listening to her heels click and clack against the marble floors as she made her way past the gym. She peeked through the glass windows. There were some kids in there running around. What fun...not.

So far, school wasn't that bad to her yet. It was fun. She had gotten some great teachers and her fashion desgin classes were looking great. But now she was going to meet a friend, a guy friend, teach her the salsa. It was her free period so why not? Clad in black gauchos and a turquiouse v-neck shirt she was ready for some dance lessons. It would be fun. Soon, the academy would start every year with some mixers, and dances. Might as well learn some cool moves.

She brushed her brown hair out of her light blue eyes and tossed it behind her. She reached the dance gym and swung it open.

Her hand flew to her heart and she gasped as she saw someone in their as well. "Oh, gosh! I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was in here," she surprised at the girl lying up against the wall. She hadn't seen her before. Was she new?

[sage]

Sage's dark eyes popped open and she looked up at the girl who had come into the room. Slowly making her way to her feet, Sage was intensely aware that she probably looked like a loser. However, this didn't bother her, in fact, Sage thought it was the perfect way for her to look, it was the real her after all.
"Not a problem, I was just doing some free form." Sage said, a smile tilting on the corners of her lips. She'd seen this girl around before, wasn't she some kind of Queen around here?

Grabbing at the dark blue dance bag she carried all her stuff in, Sage looked over at the girl. She debated on whether or not to introduce herself, finally settling on the fact that it would be polite.
"I'm Sage, Sage Joassen. I'm new here." there was the unspoken question, the one people wanted to know. Either you were new, or not popular enough to be noticed.

[Daphne Hayes]

'Free form? What the hell is that?' Daphne thought but pushed it aside. She needed to brush up on her dance terms.

She watched the girl pick up her bag. "Oh no. Don't leave because of me. I'm just waiting for someone." she looked at her non exsistent watch. "He's always late."
She walked closer to the girl and out strenched her hand, "I'm Daphne Hayes. I would have assumed that you were new. I know almost everyone here..."

She stopped for a moment. Was she rambling on? "So, you like Valkyrie?"[/size]

[sage]

Sage took Daphne's hand and shook it, pressing back a laugh at how the girl babbled on. Was this what guys thought girls were supposed to be like? Sage would never figure out why popularity, fashion, and shopping were all so important.
"Yeah, it's better then my old school. It's kinda posh for my taste though." Sage said, glancing around at the dance room.

The wooden floors were gleaming, polished to perfection. The mirrors were like liquid silver, floor to ceiling, nothing like her old dance studio. However, Sage didn't want her world to be about what things looked like. Materialism was so stupid, after all, who cared what brand you wore in thirty years? Pulling her dance bag higher up, she wondered who could be teaching Daphne.
"So, are you on dance team?" Sage asked, her attention back on the girl before her.

[Daphne Hayes]

"One of the best in the counrty..." Daphne said, sounding like one of her teachers who always reminded the students who so lucky they were.

Daphne caught her eyes wandering around the dance studio. Was it amazement? Daphne knew that look. She wore it before. Did Sage go from having nothing to...this? Valkyrie Academy? Daphne knew it wasn't her business to push something like that. Hell, everyone thougt she lived up in the Valks, were the rich live. And she, well, didn't.

Daphne giggled at Sage's assumption at her and the dance team. "Oh no, I don't think I'd be that good at that. But, the dance team always shows wonerful performances. Some of them even head out to Salsa every Friday for the competitions," she said with a nod of her head, Wait, did Sage even know what Salsa was?[/size]

[sage]

Sage nodded, she'd heard that this was one of the top schools in the country. All the more reason she didn't feel like she belonged here. After all, she'd had the bare minimum all her life and here was upper class living in her face If only Cole was here, there was someone she could always talk to.

Hearing about something called Salsa, Sage tilted her head to one side, suddenly feeling very much like a dog. Her eyes narrowed a bit in confusion as she thought about it. Her grandmother wasn't one to keep track of social places, so that was what Sage assumed it was.
"Never heard of it. Is it like a club?" she asked, not wanting to sound dumb and pretend she knew what it was.

[Daphne Hayes]

Daphne nodded, "One of the three main-streamed ones. Bare, Nonsense, and Salsa. Salsa is the Mexican -themed one. A lot of dancers go their since most of them take salsa classes here. Bare is a hollywood type, and Nonsense is on the punkish side. They play live music."

Daphne thought back. She hadn't been to them in a while. Maybe she should go sooner or later. "So, I'm guessing you are here for dancing?"

[sage]

Sage shrugged and nodded.
"Dance is the main reason, I can also do gymnastics fairly well and I play volleyball, but that's not why I'm here. I also applied to get some new scenery." that was only a half truth, Sage did want new scenery even if it was only about an hour away from her Dad. Thinking about him made Sage feel cold inside, so she thought of something else.

"What are you here for?" Sage asked, actually enjoying the little conversation she was having. It was cool to actually know someone at the school now, even though Sage was sure they probably wouldn't hang in the same crowds. Daphne was obviously popular nd rich, she just seemed the part, though Sage didn't dislike her for it.

[Daphne Hayes]

"I'm here for fashion design. I'm planning to open my own shop in L.A once I graduate from here. I think I'll just go to UCLA. Reason why I'm taking all these business classes this year on top of the design and the required curriculum. Full schedule. I'm a junior. What are you?"

Daphne never really talked about her classes. They made her head hurt. She just wanted to be done with Valkyrie. Sooner then, the sooner she would have to quit lying. Everyone just thought she as pretty and popular, and rich. Two of those three were right. And she still had two more years left here.

[sage]

Sage stiffened as Daphne casually mentioned she was going to UCLA. Sage would kill to be able to go to a collage like that, but she knew she'd probably end up working two jobs to pay for night classes at the community collage. Sage knew it would happen, but it still hurt. Her Spanish/Italian backgrounds didn't give her enough to go even on race scholarships.

"I'm a junior too, that's cool." Sage said, her voice not betraying the emotion going on inside her. Sage was good at that, never let anyone see what was going on inside. God, she'd learned that at age six, it was sad. Looking at her life from a different position, Sage knew she should be a child welfare poster girl, but she didn't see it that way. She lived her life as normally as possible, she wasn't the one with the problems.

[Daphne Hayes]

Daphne noticed Sage stiffen at the mention of college. Was college not in her future? Another topic not to push at.

She was a junior too. That was cool. “Maybe we’ll have some classes together,” she said. She was silent for a moment. What else could they talk about? They just met, and Daphne was afraid that some topics Sage would not want to answer. “So, you move here over the summer?” she asked.[/size]

[sage]

Sage nodded, more bits of her hair falling out to curl around her face. She knew what the kids called where she lived, but she really liked it. And so, of course, she said it.
“Yeah, I live with my Grandma and twin brother Cole. It’s in the Shacks. The view is awesome though, my window faces the beach.” Sage’s eyes brightened at the thought of the beautiful white sand. She was sure that Daphne was from the Valks, but Sage didn’t care, they were only labels.

Thinking about the Valks, Sage wondered what it was like to live there. Those huge house, gated yards. True, they were cramped together like puppies in a cheap pet store, but they had the money. They had power, and most of the time, they had the looks. Sage had seen some of the kids from the Valks over the summer, they had it, and they knew it. And those who didn’t have it from birth had it from Daddy’s credit card.

[Daphne Hayes]

So, Sage lived where she did. And both their rooms faced the beach. Daphne wasn’t about to admit that in front of someone she barely knew. Sage probably believed that she lived in the Valks. Just let her believe that, she didn’t have to know.

“Oh, yes. I love the beach and a few kids I know live down there, the view is amazing. You’ve been to the beach lately? It’s getting colder but that makes it even prettier at night,” she asked and leaned against the wall. Her eyes widened, “Are you going to the “Back to School party at the beach this weekend? Since you’re new it is a sin to miss it. Everything happens at this party. It’s one of those parties /not/ to miss.”

Daphne wondered if Sage had been to any parties where she use to live. She wasn’t going to doubt it. She did look like she loved having a good time, especially if there was music. Maybe she though that Valkyrie parties were like...too posh. But, they weren’t. At least the school ones weren’t. The Valk parties are just that. Sitting around and soaking up each other’s posh-ness. Honestly though, Daphne thought those were so boring. She loved sneaking to Shak parties. They had it. Very hardcore though. So when you go to a Valkyrie Party, a blend of both Valks and Shaks. You have one hell of a party. [/size]

[sage]

Sage smiled, so Daphne knew people in the Shacks. Maybe she wasn't like all those other filthy rich girls who only cared about themselves. That and their precious thousand dollar shoes and bags. Hearing about the beach party, Sage remembered seeing some kind of flyer or something. She wouldn't miss a party where she could see people make asses of themselves because of some girl or guy.

"Oh yeah, I'll be there. Heard the school parties are kick ass." Sage said, not catching her language before it slipped. Oh well, no better time then the present to find out if Daphne was a priss about language or laid back. Of course, somewhere in between was good. You didn't have to accept the F word every few seconds, but to be a jerk about a "swear" every once in a while was stupid.