Chapter 4 Lee Dennis

• 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.