Football and Ballet - Jason Collins Page 0,23

It’s hard for me to focus when there’s someone standing there watching me.”

“Fine. I’ll go,” I relented, turning around to leave. For a moment, I thought about turning back around and telling Patrick what was really on my mind, telling him that if he pushed himself too hard he wasn’t going to have a career at all, that he needed to find just the right balance between going the extra mile and burning himself out.

But since I knew Patrick wasn’t interested in having that conversation, I continued down the hall, soon walking out his front door.

8

Patrick

Where the hell did Hunter get off? Telling me how I was supposed to work out while in my own home?

He needed to focus on his own life and stay the hell out of mine, especially since he was currently a benched athlete.

I was still stewing about our conversation a few hours later, even while I taught a class of younger students how to perfect their turns. I managed to hide my annoyance as I beamed back at the students, their faces returning my expression as they tried their best on the dance floor.

Despite having a million things on my plate, I genuinely enjoyed volunteering at the youth center. It was like getting the chance to relive a part of my life that wasn’t complicated by performance schedules or being concerned about memorizing each and every step before the next show.

There was a freedom that existed at the youth center, a freedom I yearned for, even if I was only able to grasp at it during these afternoon sessions.

“Did I do that last part right?” One of my students, Adam, was looking at me expectantly. Adam was a sophomore in high school and he reminded me so much of myself at that age that it was overwhelming to look at him sometimes.

It felt too much like looking right into a mirror.

“Yeah, you got it right.” Another one of my students, Wanda, playfully nudged him in the arm. Wanda was one of Adam’s friends from school, only accompanying him every so often to dance classes. “I don’t know why you’re so hard on yourself, Adam. You looked great.”

I smiled at them both before I chimed in. “She’s right, Adam. You did great. Everyone did.”

“See?” Wanda stuck out her tongue in Adam’s direction.

And he offered her a light grin in response.

“All right, that’s enough for today, I think?” I said like I was unsure if that was the case, even though I knew it was time for the class to end. “I’ll see everyone back here for our next session, right?”

“Not me,” Wanda answered as she shot her hand up in the air. “I have a thing to go to.”

“Wanda’s going out with her girlfriend from out of state,” Adam announced to the rest of the class, the announcement soon met with chorus of curious oohs.

“It’s not that big of a deal! She’s just coming to see me while she visits her cousin.”

“I smell wedding bells,” Adam teased before going into a flawless pique turn.

“Whatever!” Wanda blushed deeply, her face slowly breaking into a grin.

“Class dismissed,” I stated as I brought my hands to my waist, amused by the situation. Although, when the last of my students left, I realized that I wasn’t just amused by the banter between Adam and Wanda.

I was a little saddened, too.

What would things have been like for me at Adam’s age if I could’ve been open like Wanda was about who I’d been dating, about who I was with? While I was happy for society’s progress, I couldn’t help the sting of bitterness that pricked right at the back of my head.

“You’re in the news! You’re in the news!” Elana’s words were singsong as she skipped across the studio’s floor.

Surprised by her presence, I shot her a curious look. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in Hunter’s back pocket?”

“Very funny, Patrick,” Elana spoke, now standing right beside me. “Seriously, though. You should check out this article Esther wrote about you. She makes you sound like you’re a Dance God.” Elana handed me her cell. “She’s not going to post the live version until tomorrow, so no one’s able to see it unless they’re approved to see the page. Anyway, scroll through. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty damn close.”

“Hunter Perry Hunts For Better PR, Finds Romance Instead?” I read through the title of the article, my eyes going wide with surprise. “Elana, what the hell?”

“Just keep going.” She motioned