Lee Dennis Owens. 17. A sophomore. Friends with Kyle. Half Korean from the mother's side. Born and raised in Chestnut. A dance prodigy had been dancing since he was 6 years old.
"How do you know all that? I didn't know you were friends with him?" Hazel felt betrayed that she didn't know things about Jan when they were practically always together.
"I didn't, I knew that from Kyle ... anyway, you'd know a lot of stuff about other people too if you weren't so cooped up with Green Eyed Hottie at the soccer field."
But lately, Jan had been ditching her to be with Kyle a lot, hence, she was stranded by herself trying to smoke a cigarette with Max's other friends, Joey and Stanley who were quick enough to run away leaving her behind and eventually sent to detention by Coach Garry.
Jan didn't know about that either. She felt somewhat better about not knowing what Jan's been up to when she was with Kyle. Knowing they were soon to be boyfriend and girlfriend gave her the pressure to find someone to hang out with. She didn't want to be everyone's third wheel because Max had also started seeing Mia for the past couple of weeks.
Lee was putting on his hooded jacket and was talking to Kyle. He glanced at her a few times from the court while she too was watching him from her seat. Apparently, it was a one-song performance, even though she was hoping there would be more.
When the two boys walked towards them, her heart was pulsating. She turned to Jan wanting to pretend she was having a conversation, but Jan stood up with both arms up, "Heeyyy!!! That was a great performance, Lee, you were awesome!"
Lee was so much different from a few minutes earlier. He tucked both hands in his pocket, he was looking down and smiled shyly, "Thanks," he shrugged, avoiding eye contact.
"This is my best friend, Hazel," Jan said pointing at Hazel.
He quickly got his hand out and extended it to her, "I know," he said half looking down, "Hi ... I'm Lee."
She shook his hand, it was moist. "Hi ... Hazel ... you were incredible back there." She got a hint of his face under the hoodie.
"You think so?" he finally pulled down his hoodie and showed his wonderful sweet looking face. He pulled his hand back and realized it was sweaty, "Sorry." He wiped it on the back of his pants.
"It was amazing ... I've never seen anything like it before."
He blushed, "Thanks," and nodded.
She would never have guessed from his solid performance that Lee was incredibly shy. At one point their eyes met, and they both looked away again.
"Well ..." Jan clapped her hands, "Now that we all know each other," she jumped off one step. She rested her hands on Hazel's and Lee's shoulder and pushed them closer together, "I'm gonna leave you two alone 'cause I have something to do with Kyle."
Hazel's eyes widened, "What? Where are you going? What do you need to do?"
"Something private ... you don't wanna know," she grimaced, "But ... Lee's here ... he's going to keep you company, right Lee?"
Lee pressed his lips together, his eyes were searching Kyle for help, his dimple was deeply carved on his cheek but then he tilted his head to one side, "Sure."
"Great! So I'll see you guys later, 'kay?" Jan was already walking away with Kyle. "Have fun!" she waved her hand up high.
Hazel and Lee looked at each other and realized they were left alone by their friends and now they have to start making conversations.
"So ... Lee ... where do you live?"
**********Chestnut is a family-friendly town. If you go to school at Pinehurst Valley High, chances are, you live close by, your siblings and neighbors go to the same school and your parents work within a 10 KM radius from where you live.
Lee's house was 5 minutes away from hers, 15 minutes by foot. So were Jan's and Theo's. Everyone lived in close proximity with each other, their parents probably know each other too.
"Do you like dancing?" Lee asked when they went to the schoolyard and bought milkshakes at the cafeteria.
"I do ... I can't dance but I love watching people dance."
"I thought you were more of a sports fan ... like soccer? I've seen you at the soccer field all the time."
"Oh ... my brother plays soccer, Max Williams, do you know him?"
Lee nodded and smiled, "Who doesn't? And TJ Shanley, Joey Randall, Stanley Yorke? They're pretty famous around here."
She chuckled. They were popular, most of the students know who they are and some of them might even know her as 'Max Williams' sister', not that she was happy with the status. She looked up to her brother, she wanted to be one of the cool kids but all she ever get was known for being the cool guy's little sister.
"Yeup ... those are the lot ... my cool brother and his friends ... what about you? I bet you're pretty popular too with your dancing?"
He looked down and hid a smile, "Oh ... no ... I rarely hang out ... Kyle is pretty much my only friend, if I'm not at school, I'm at the dance class or babysit my siblings ... I have a 9-year-old brother and a 2-year-old sister ... both of my parents are working, so ... I don't really have time to socialize."
"Oh wow, so you're the responsible older brother? That's admirable ... must be nice to have siblings that are so much younger, I'm the youngest in the family and Max is only 2 years older than me ... we used to fight a lot when we were kids but then it got better as we grow older."
"They're my half-siblings, actually, my mom died when I was 6 and my dad remarried, that's why they're much younger than me." There was a hint of sadness in his smile.
"I'm sorry to hear that ... must be hard for you to lose your mom at that age."
Lee nodded again and shrugged, it was too intimate for him to discuss in a first meeting. "But I'm pretty popular on Tik-Tok," he diverted the conversation to a very different note. He heard it as soon as he said it, he cringed. "I mean ... I sometimes post my dance routine on Tik-Tok and people seemed to like it."
"Oh ... that's nice." She took out her phone, "What's your Tik-Tok account? I'm gonna follow you there ... I don't post anything on my Tik-Tok, I just ... stalk people," she grimaced, "Okay ... that sounds creepy ... I mean ... I like to ..."
He laughed softly, "I know what you mean ... here, let me search it up for you, my nickname is not exactly easy to remember." He took her phone and followed his own account from her phone.
They arrived at the soccer field, she could see the team were practicing. She sat on one of the benches.
"I really like to stay but ... I have to pick up my sister at the daycare."
"Oh ..." she was a little disappointed. She thought it would be nice to sit there with a friend rather than looking stupid by herself.
"Can I ask for your ... phone number?"
The question surprised her.
"You know ... maybe you'd like to hang out sometime? When you can? Or just ... chat?" he stammered.
"Sure ... of course ... give me your phone," she opened her palm.
She typed in her number to his phone book and gave it back, "Text me to let me know it's you?"
"Okay ... I will ... I really have to go now ... I'm so sorry ... I was supposed to be at the daycare 15 minutes ago."
"Don't worry about it ... go ... go ... we don't want your sister crying or anything."
He didn't even have the time to reply to that as he ran towards the parking lot and waved at her.
She sat back and sighed. She rested her face on her palm and gazed across the field. Theo was taking a break and drank from his bottle. He poured some water over his head and shook his hair. What a sight it was. Then her phone beeped.
"Hi ... It's me, Lee."
She typed, "Hi ... it's me, Hazel."
"It was nice meeting you."
"It was nice meeting you too."
"Would you like to see me practice tomorrow after school?"
She got all jittery inside, she smiled when she texted back, "I thought you'd never ask."
"See you tomorrow, Hazel."
When she lowered her phone, she realized she was grinning and her eyes went back to where Theo was. He was staring at her. She quickly pretends to browse her phone again, she was embarrassed to be caught smiling by herself. But what she saw on her phone was the text from Lee, she read it again and giggled.
Five: Dear TheoDear Theo,I really don't know what's the point of this ... but here goes ...I love you ... I'm obsessed with you ... I'm crazy for you ...There ... I said it, and it feels really goodNow you know. Although you don't know who I am, that's beside the point.I'm doing this for me.I've been holding on to these feelings for you and I'm tired because I know nothing is ever going to happen between you and me. Ever.I realize even though we sometimes feel so deeply about someone, it doesn't mean the feelings will be returned. It sucks and I'm learnin
He doesn't speak a single word of Korean, even though he was half Korean. Ever since his mother died there was no one who speaks Korean at home. His stepmother was French, so he knew a little bit of French.He danced to the number one Korean boy band without understanding a single word of the lyrics, except for the English parts. He said dancing didn't need an understanding of words but the emotions from the music. It was true for a lot of things.They followed each other on Instagram, he has around 5000 followers there and quite actively posted his dances in there too. While she has less than 300 followers, most of them were school friends and family.Most of her posts were selfies and wefies with Jan, sometimes she posted her journal entries in a blur, and also her favorit
At the end of Valentine's day, all the letters were distributed to their recipients. Most kids received at least one. Everyone made a pact with their best friends that they would send each other something.Theo got a whole bowl to himself. The committee even let him bring home the bowl as a bonus because his letters couldn't fit the largest envelope that was available. He was cheered along the corridor holding the large bowl in his hand.She wondered if he'll even bother to read them later because there were so many.Surprisingly, she got four letters herself. She tucked them into her backpack to read them later after dinner when she usually spends the rest of the day alone in her room.Lee was already gone to rehea
"How's school today?" her mom asked at dinner time the next day.She shrugged, "Fine," she answered almost simultaneously with Max.There was nothing eventful for her except spending the whole day with Jan celebrating her new relationship status with Kyle. He finally confessed to her and asked her if she wanted to be his girlfriend on Valentine's Day. How romantic.There's not much she could say about her own Valentine's Day. That last note she received was occupying her mind, but no one was sending her signals or trying to approach her about it. It was anonymous, it will probably stay anonymous. She didn't want to think about it too much."I have a surprise for you, actually," her dad said as he wiped his mouth wit
She spent the whole day trying on outfits to go to Lee's dance party. Fixed her hair in all the ways she could think of while Jan watched from the other end of their video call."Does this look okay?" she held a pink top over a white mini skirt she had sworn to never wear only a year ago. It was the sixth set of clothes she tried to mix and match.Jan grunted, "That looks adorable ... if you were going out for ice cream in the daytime ... it's a dance studio, everyone's gonna be wearing black, you don't want to be the odd one out.""Are you sure? Black? My first choice was black?""I know, I told you it was fine but you went through your whole closet anyway ... I think black is the way to go."
They grabbed something to eat at a Burrito place not far from the studio. It all felt very casual and not at all felt like a date. They were just two friends hanging out on Saturday night because they both didn't have anything else to do, no one else to hang out with.When they arrived at the dance studio, the day was already dark. He took his large backpack from the back of the car, he brought at least three sets of clothes for changing, knee pads, elbow pads, extra socks, shoes. She never realizes that being a dancer was similar to being an athlete.The entrance of the studio was like a gym, they went through a narrow corridor all the way to the back and went into a double door where the dance hall was. It was a wide room, it was maybe half the size of the whole floor of the building, the walls were lined with mirrors.
Hazel being picked up by a boy they never heard about became a family event.Her mom asked Max to search him up on his social media and ended up spending the whole night stalking Lee's Instagram account. They watched all his stories which led them to his Tik-Tok account. Her mom downloaded Tik-Tok, created a fake account just to follow him.Her dad was still annoyed by the fact Lee was wearing hoop earrings, but then they watched BTS video clips and found out all of the members were wearing them. And from their stalking session, they concluded that Lee's favorite BTS was JungKook, which was accurate, he imitated how he dressed a lot."This is just sad," Max complained. "Leave them alone, maybe they're just friends ... she never mentioned anything about him before."
It was the opening day of The Annual Chestnut High School Sports Tournament. The day all high school students in Chestnut had been preparing for the past two months. It was held at Fairview High, the only school that had an adult size soccer field in town.The soccer team was getting ready in the locker room. Soccer was the opening match for the whole tournament that will take place in one week's time. So everyone involved was gathered in the arena that day for both the opening ceremony and the match.The marching band, the cheerleaders, the dancers, the whole lot were packed at the lower ground of the arena waiting for their turn to go out. The dance team was getting ready in the hallway in front of the locker room. They were all part of the opening ceremony and they were going first.