Outcome

'I don’t dance.' She stared at me, then a slow smile spread across her face, as she reached for me again, tugging at me. 'No, Haley, no, no, ugh!'

'Okay, now just follow my lead.' Haley began to really move as Linda sang higher and higher, the music coming to an absolutely insane pitch, which actually made me want to move, to glide, to follow Haley in a world all of my own making. But, I still didn’t know how. So, I watched her. She wore her flannel pants that she’d basically lived in over the last week, and a tank. I was converting her to the joys of the tank. The way they left you so free to do whatever, while still covering the finer points.

As she danced, it rode up showing her stomach, the smooth skin twisting and turning with the muscles underneath.

'Come on, stud. Eyes up here.' I looked up to see Haley grinning at me, her hands behind her back as she wiggled her shoulders. I think I must have to turned the shade of red that matched her pants perfectly at being caught staring at her.

Damnit, Andi. You moron. That had been happening a lot, lately, and I couldn’t stop or explain it. But, in my defense, Haley didn’t seem to mind. The hell with it. I wanted to let go.

I jumped up in the air, letting the sudden burst of energy take me over, and flow through my body. I felt good, damn good. I was young, and didn’t need to act like I was too good for this.

'Yeah, go, girl!' Haley twirled, her feet tapping out the beat as she worked it, and worked it good. Her hips began to thrust out, her hands running up her sides, and on up to the air. I kept my body a little more compact, but still had a hell of a good time. 'Tell me this isn’t fun?' she panted between moves. I nodded vigorously.

'I admit it. It’s a blast. Good workout, too.' Haley rolled her eyes.

'Only you.'

The song came to an end, and we both fell to the floor, a pair of tired, panting bodies.

'Wow. I love doing that.' Haley rolled over to lie next to me, her head on my shoulder. I had never known someone who was so affectionate before. Even more so than my mother, and I just didn’t think that was possible. Before Haley, I had never hugged anyone outside my family before.

She pushed herself up and looked down at me. 'Ready to play?' I nodded, an instant smile coming to my face. She hopped up, and helped me to my feet as we both headed to the piano. Early in the year, true to our word, we both had begun to teach the other our own special little talent. 'Did you want to try and play that piece again?' She turned to look at me as she put the cover up on the piano as I grabbed the remote to turn off the stereo. Linda Eder was fun, but there was no way I was going to let her shake my already thin maestro confidence with her talent. 'Sit.' Haley patted the piano bench, and I obeyed, finding a comfy spot on the hard, smooth wood.

'No laughing this time, huh?' I looked up at Haley, who stood next to me. She smiled down at me.

'Okay. Fair enough. That means you can’t laugh when I try and flip you, either.' She pointed a finger in my face, which I quickly batted away.

'Yeah, but,'

'No buts about it, missy. Fair is fair.'

'Okay, okay.' I stretched my fingers, shaking my hands to loosen them. Haley put the music in front of me.

'You remember the beginning, right?' I nodded.

'I think so. God, I suck at this.'

'No, you don’t. You’ve actually learned faster than any other student I’ve ever had.' I looked at her.

'You’ve taught before?' She nodded.

'For a little while I would go to the elementary school and teach the third graders. Unfortunately, it got to where I just didn’t have time for it anymore. You know, soccer and track, and everything.'

'Oh.' Learn something new everyday. Part of me was slightly bummed that I wasn’t the first person she had ever taught. It was stupid and irrational, but still in my head.

I studied the music for a moment, trying to get everything clear in my head, get into my head what all the notes were, and where they were on the keyboard, and then began to play. The song was easy enough, but I still hadn’t mastered the art of playing the piano quite enough to play at normal speed on some songs. Well, usually the first go-round. Haley was a wonderful teacher, patient and kind.

Sometimes during the time we spent together, I wondered how she was so popular, yet I totally understood. I mean, she was sweet, genuine, and gorgeous. Well, the gorgeous, yeah, I mean those pompous asses would pick her up in a heartbeat, but what about the rest? She wasn’t like her friends, wasn’t mean or got off on other people’s pain. Though to be honest and fair, I had yet to see anyone really do anything that shitty, other than Jimmy. And, well, we’d already established what a horse’s ass he was. One day at school Heather had even come up to me to thank me for driving her home those couple of times, and she had even remembered, or someone had told her, when I had helped her out on the side of the road when she’d been sick after Brad’s party.

That had meant a lot, though at the time I played it off. Perhaps there was a bit of snobbery in me too; after all, I hadn’t wanted anyone to see me talking with her. I wonder why that was? I had decided against giving it any serious thought, just in case I didn’t like what I would come up with.

Either way, Haley had come to mean a great deal to me in the months since we’d first become friends, and for the first time in my life, I cared about what someone else thought of me. If she didn’t like something about me, or that I had on, or that I did, I nearly killed myself to try and rectify it.

It scared me.

I closed my eyes as my fingers made their steady, yet slow, way across the keyboard. Even though the song wasn’t being played at full speed, I was really letting the sound get inside, fill me with a peace that nothing, other than Tae Kwon Do, had ever been able to do. Even my work at the lab failed to fill me with such a feeling of accomplishment. I was creating that music, it came from my work, my fingers.

That was a cool feeling. Totally satisfying.

I finished the song, my eyes slowly opening to find Haley leaning against the top of the piano, her cheek being held up by her hand, staring at me.

'What?' I suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable for some reason. I felt like I was being dissected where I sat. She shook her head.

'That was beautiful, Andi. I think you got it.' She stood, that soft, gentle smile still on her lips. She almost looked wistful.

'Thanks. But I’m still not up to par, or speed, for that matter.' I rubbed my hands together, my fingers not near used to that sort of workout, yet. Haley shook her head.

'Oh, no, I mean, yeah, you started off kind of slow, but you caught up in no time. You did a wonderful job.' I could see the sincerity on her face, and hear it in her voice, and I was suddenly filled with joy. I had pleased her.

I smiled.

She glanced at the clock above the TV. 'Well, want to start heading on over to your place? That storm is supposed to come in tonight, and I don’t want to get stuck in it.'

'Haley, I live like ten minutes away.' She looked at me, and shrugged.

'I know. But I want to get settled into your place for the weekend.'

'Okay.' I closed the piano cover, and stood, following Haley toward the basement stairs.

'Oh,' she reached over to the stereo speaker, and grabbed the stack of CDs there. 'I really want you to hear more of Linda’s stuff.' I rolled my eyes.

'Sigh.'

Haley quickly stuffed clothes into her overnight bag so it bulged.

'My god, Haley. How long do you plan on staying?' I grinned, sitting on her bed.

'Well, you know, I figured I’d just move in with you.' She glanced at me over her shoulder. 'I mean, hell, we’ve been together every day for the last two months anyway, right?' She smiled with a wink. 'I figure it’s going to be really, really cold this weekend, and if you’re mom is anything like mine, keeping the damn heat so low you feel like you’re about to freeze to death, I’d be prepared.'

'Okay.' I stood, and walked over to her dresser, seeing my Christmas gift to her displayed proudly on a little mirror. The blown glass piano with gold-tipped feet and bench, was beautiful, the lid of the grand held up by a tiny