Touching the Heart of Ace novel Chapter 18

??Daym son, where dya find dis??? Hell slapped Vanya??s butt, making her scream.

I cracked up. ??That... was... so bad.??

Our street performance was a blast. I was so pumped up. My dance was well received, there was enough audience and they applauded really well.

But Hell, Vanya, Jing, Liam and Manu did a piece on domestic abuse and stole the lime light. Everyone was in tears, including me. I saw a man clutching his sleeping child watching this dance slash drama and crying soundlessly.

It was touching.

The dance was about a family where domestic abuse was a normal thing and a child growing up in that family finally fell in the hands of a paedophile when she searched for attention, love and care outside her home. It was tragic, magnificent, haunting, there were no enough words.

I hated the dance and loved it, the same time. It was more amazing because we dancers did not know about what others were playing. Hell was one awesome choreographer.

We were on our way back to our homes and Hell decided we should walk because we needed our bodies to stretch and taking a cab this tired would only make us fall asleep.

I was staying at the apartment Jason got under one of his office friend??s name. It was tiring to schedule where I would be spending the night.

I sighed.

Was he still looking for me?

Was he really sad?

If he was here would he like my dancing?

He was going to be a father too. Would he be hurt by the drama?

None of your business, Ace. Robbie said it himself. Stuff happening in his life had nothing to do with me.

??Is your knee okay, David? It was one hell of a split.?? Jing looped her hands on my neck.

??Yeah. Hell had put my knees on a safety belt. I had been practising on it for days.??

??Only for days? You did it so perfectly.??

??Yo, dawg, stap d school shit. Groove wid us.?? Liam did a swirl and walked in a very hip hop fashion. He was the only one who could pull that walk off, and make it cool.

??I could help with your ??school shit??, you know. I can find you a tutor for free. Get your high school certificate and groove all you want.??

??We don??t need no education.?? There they went singing on my face. I slapped Vanya??s face off me.

It was different with everyone else.

Hell was loaded, she had a college degree and even worked of a MNC before turning to her passion. Vanya was doing online college courses along with her modelling and acting. This dance lessons were for her resume and better roles in films. Jing was an accountant and Manu was a student himself though dancing was his call.

But Liam? He had a very tough childhood. One of those really talented, kind and amazing black kid who was stabbed on his back and ended up in wrong crowd. I really did not know his whole story, but he ticked every stereotypical ghetto upbringing.

I pulled Liam closer and trapped his elbow with both of my hands.

??Yo, homie, I ain??t into dat!??

??Yeah, I ain??t into you either!?? I laughed at his horrified look.

??Da hell not? I ain??t nigga for you??? There he went all defensive and all. I sighed.

??No, I have no idea what you even meant but I am not into you. You have nothing to worry. I am serious about what I said. I could get you a tutor.??

??Am serious too. I??m done wid all dat shit, bruh. Not for me. I no need end up like dose ass licking men-in-black doggos. Will my homie, with same name as me, he went all shit with suit an all. Not for me. I groove.?? Then he stared at me for second in horror. ??No offence. I no mind if lickin is...??

??No offense taken.?? I cleared my throat. ??Thanks for accepting though. Education is not for getting high end jobs, Liam, though it is a nice outcome. Basic education helps you a lot with your life. Helps you understand the world a bit better. You can groove all you want, would not stop someone to make a fool out of you.??

I had not bored him to death... yet. Thank God!

??Remember your friend made fun of you by saying you are HIV negative and to get it positive you need to pay fifty dollars? You paid him, Liam. It might be funny for a lot of people. But not for me and certainly not for you. All the people who are with you claiming they do not need education have at least high school diploma. That is all I am asking. Please agree.??

My mom was funding ??Education for everyone?? programme for people like him. I was not going to put him in that because the students under that scheme were kids who really wanted to study and their financial status was hindering them. Liam was afraid of studying, I thought he had very bad experiences with teachers or figures of authority.

I patted his back and took the turn to my dorm forgetting I was supposed to go the other way.

??Will it hurt???