Follow My Lead

Follow my Lead

"Terra, I need you to break my ankle."

If anyone else had said that to her, Terra would have at least been surprised. But she'd known Lacy since they were kids, and by now her best friend and roommate's overdramatics were as normal as the weather changing. The girl had spent her entire life treating any minor inconvenience as a portent of doom, and storming through the door of their dorm ready to vent was how she'd gone about it for all 4 years at boarding school. It was so routine that, as she lay back on her bed, Terra didn't even bother looking up from her phone when she replied.

"Sure thing. You bring the baseball bat, I'll get the wooden block and strap you down to the bed."

"I'm serious!" Lacy huffed, dropping her school bag on the ground and dropping face first into her bed on the other side of the room. "It's the only way I'm getting out of this stupid gala."

"Wait, you're going to the gala?" Terra sat up and put her phone to the side. "With who?"

That took Terra by surprise. Well, not Lacy wanting to avoid a party. The end-of-term Gala at Fellerton Private Academy was the biggest social event of the year in their secluded, academic corner of the world, and Lacy was practically a shut-in. Just getting her to leave campus on the weekend for some shopping or a movie was a total hassle. It also wasn't shocking somebody might ask her. Despite being a bookworm with an exhausting personality, Lacy was a total cutie, with the kind of petite and graceful body that high school guys loved to have sat on their laps, let alone joining them on the dance floor.

What threw Terra was the idea that Lacy would have said "yes" to anyone who might ask.

"I'm not going with anyone!" Lacy answered, eyebrows knit together in a scowl. "I'm being forced to go and embarrass myself!"

"What, like blackmail? Did somebody find your old photos from middle school?"

"Dean Straussbard called me into his office today," Lacy continued, ignoring her friend's lame joke. "He told me that with our final grades coming in, I'm basically guaranteed to be valedictorian."

"Dude. Congrats." Neither girl was surprised. Lacy had been busting her ass for the top GPA since Freshman year, and nobody had ever come close to competing. With most students coming from wealthy families, all they really needed to do was keep C averages and not get arrested. "But what's that got to do with the dance?"

"That's the thing! She tells me that as part of the school's stupid tradition, the top male and female students are supposed to perform the opening dance at the gala. As in, alone, in front of everyone at the school."

Terra couldn't help herself at that -- she burst out giggling even as her best friend looked ready to kill her. But it was great! Just the thought of the antisocial ice queen of their school having to waltz with some other nerd was a brilliant mental image.

"It's not funny! What in the hell does dancing have to do with studying?"

"Oh come on, it's not that bad. So you get up under the spotlight and shuffle your feet for a minute. Then everyone else'll get out there and you can excuse yourself to go read in a corner or whatever."

"It's just...stupid! And you only think it's no big deal because you don't know who I'm dancing with."

"What, ya scared about being seen with the captain of the chess team?"

"No," Lacy huffed, before burying her face in a pillow. "It's Aaron Denvers."

"You're kidding!" Terra couldn't laugh that one off. Instead, her eyes went wide, and she stood up from her bed, beginning to pace across their small dorm as she spoke. "You scored a date with the hottest single guy in our year? No fucking way. Every girl at that dance is going to want to murder you!"

"That's exactly what I thought," Lacy mumbled into her pillow muzzle. "It's bad enough everyone's going to be looking at me, but I really do not want to deal with a bunch of jealous high school crap right before graduation."

"Sucks for him too. Wound up with the one chick who doesn't want to ride his dick. You could probably make a killing if you raffled off your spot."

"Would you believe I tried that? But Dean said that would 'besmirch the hallowed tradition of our institution.' Like this is any kind of reward."

"Hold on a sec, can you even dance?"

"No. It's stupid and pointless."

"Then just tell her that, and you're scott free."

"Tried that too. He promised he'd find me a tutor from the performing arts department to teach me a waltz for the opener, and that I could use the week after finals to practice before the real thing."

"Well, sucks for you I guess. You'll just have to suck it up and share a slow dance with the hottest hunk in school. Woe is you. Unless the whole ankle-breaking thing's still on the table?"

Lacy could only groan into her pillow.

* * *

"Excuse me, you're Lacy Evergreen, right?"

Lacy was not in the mood to be interrupted. She had her final exam for AP Calc in less then an hour, and had camped out a study spot in the central courtyard to run through her notes one more time. The voice was a boy's, and a stranger's at that, which meant she was triply uninterested in talking to its owner.

"I'm busy, right now. Please bother somebody else," she huffed without looking up from her books.

"Sorry, I know you're prepping, but I was hoping to talk to you about the whole, uh, opening dance thing. Dean said you were looking for a dance tutor before the whole shebang."

Lacy tried her hardest to keep from groaning at the thought of that odious obligation. She'd been trying her hardest to forget about it. With a quick, calming breath she put on her best poker face and turned around...to see Aaron Denvers himself standing over her.

"Oh, um, that's right," she stammered as she collected herself. She'd never been great at talking to boys at the best of times, but being face to face with one of the hottest guys in school -- not to mention one of the wealthiest -- was practically terrifying. She stood up hastily, straightening her uniform skirt to keep her hands occupied. "Sorry, I was just, uh, well, you know. I'm Lacy."

"Totally understandable. I just wanted to get your contact info, so we could arrange a time for our lessons." Aaron gave her a genial smile, offering a handshake. Lacy took it, then had to double take at what he was saying.

"Our lessons? But the Dean said I'd be working with-"

"A dance instructor, yeah. Except I was thinking it'd be easier for me to teach you myself."

"You know how to dance?" Lacy felt silly the moment she asked, but she was still feeling off kilter. She vaguely noted Aaron still had her hand clasped in his, but wasn't sure if it would be rude to take it away.

"Yep," he answered, a glint in his eye betraying an easy confidence. "My parents had me take private ballroom lessons for a few years. When I heard you needed a tutor, I thought it might be easiest to cut out the middle man, since we'll be partners at the gala."

"I..." Lacy hesitated. His idea made sense. Yet every alarm in her brain was saying she couldn't possibly spend hours alone with the "hottest single guy" in school. What would people think? Her entire high school life was about avoiding unnecessary attention and focusing on her grades, and the last thing she needed was rumors. What if some of the popular girls found out? There were horror stories about bullying and harassment over relationship drama. What would some mean girl do if they erroneously thought she was invading their territory?

"The Dean mentioned you were uh, a little unsure about the whole arrangement," Aaron interrupted her panic spiral. "I figured if we practice together, you can learn a quick and simple waltz, and that'll let you get the dance over with fast and easy."

"Oh!" He was actually being considerate? That certainly wasn't something she was used to from boys. "I...I guess that makes sense. If you're sure, and it um, wouldn't be a bother, then I suppose-"

"Perfect, let me get your number so we can figure out a good time, and I'll arrange for a practice space." He fished out his phone.

"Alright," Lacy did the same, if a bit reluctantly. She'd never given her phone number to a boy before, for any reason!

"Great," Aaron said, once they'd exchanged info. "It's a date."

* * *

"Ugggh," Lacy sighed, stamping her foot on the floor. "This is SUCH a waste of time. I'm never going to get these stupid steps down!"

It had been nearly two hours since their first practice session started. Nearly two hours of Lacy trying to wrap her head and feet around the stupid steps to this stupid ceremonial dance that this stupid school insisted on opening their stupid, stupid, stupid little celebration with. Nearly two hours of rising frustration as she tripped over her own feet. Her toes were killing her, she'd been grimacing so long she had a headache, and the sweater of her uniform felt like it was smothering her with heat. All that, and she felt no closer to figuring any of it out than when she'd first stepped into this empty classroom Aaron had arranged as their training spot.

"Hey now, it's way too early to say that," he commented, leaning against the teacher's desk with a sympathetic smile on his face. Aaron, for his part, had been unerringly patient as she failed over and over (and over and over) again. He'd initially offered to lead her through the steps together, but Lacy insisted on trying on her own first. Maybe it was pride, or maybe she just wanted to avoid being that close with a teenage boy -- even a seemingly sweet one like Aaron -- while they were alone. Ever the gentlemen, he'd sat back and offered encouragement the whole time.

"I just don't...get it. I have a perfect memory. I even watched videos of last year's Gala for reference. But every time I try to replicate it I just...blah!" Lacy threw her head back, wanting to scream but wanting more to avoid drawing attention from anyone who might walk by.

"I think you might be going about this the wrong way," Aaron said, not quite managing to stifle a chuckle as he waved her over and urged her to sit down for a moment. "Memorization is important, but dancing's something you, y'know, you feel more thank you think, right?"

"Sentences like that are exactly why I'm going into STEM in college," Lacy grumbled.

"It's true though," Aaron chuckled. "That's what practice is for -- you take what you know and do it again and again until it's second nature. Like locking your door when you leave in the morning."

"You mean you don't constantly worry that you forgot to lock up?"

"See, that's the problem. You're thinking too much."

"Ah, just like a man to say that," Lacy shot back, sighing again. She was being unfair, she knew, but she was frustrated and had no patience for being told to turn her brain off.

"Sorry, that came out wrong," he responded with a slightly sheepish grin. "I meant you're over-thinking things, trying to move three steps ahead of where you're at. With dancing, you've got to be in the moment to really get it."

"Well that's just how I am. I study, plan, then execute. It's how I've always worked, and it's what got me to be valedictorian."

"Meaning it's what got you into this mess in the first place."

"Well, yes, but, er-"

"Joking, joking," Aaron said, raising his hands and grinning like a fool. It was stupid, but it was enough to make Lacy laugh and the tension just a bit. He was good at that. The day before she'd barely been able to string two sentences together in front of him, but his humor was infectious, and after one (terrible) training session she felt right at home talking with him.

"Trust me," she answered, her face softening just a little. "If I could get my own brain to shut up for a few minutes I'd be happy to. It'd be nice to not have forty things on my mind all at once. And it would certainly make this whole thing easier to handle."

Aaron looked at her oddly for a moment when he heard that, but didn't say anything at first. Instead he sat down in the desk chair beside her and rubbed his chin for a moment. His eyes avoided hers while he seemed lost in thought.

"What is it?" Lacy asked.

"Nothing, really. It's just...," he paused for a moment, looking hesitant. "Well, I don't know if it'd work, exactly, but there's one way I know that might be able to do that."

"Make my brain shut up? How?"

Once again Aaron sheepishly looked away from her eyes before answering.

"Have you ever heard of hypnosis?"

To Lacy's credit, she didn't laugh. Against her credit, that was only because she was too surprised to react at all. Instead she sat there, staring at him with mild confusion for a few excruciatingly awkward seconds. After getting her mind kick-started again, she tried to reply as politely as possible.

"Yes? I mean, I've heard of it before. But you're not really suggesting..."

"I...am." Aaron looked so embarrassed that Lacy wondered if he was about to run straight out of the room.

"You can't be serious, surely? You think waving a watch in front me will somehow turn me into a proper dancer?"

"Yes! Or, no, not a watch," he flustered. Fleeing was definitely looking like a possibility. "But yeah, I could hypnotize you to help you focus on the dancing. I studied it over last summer break, as prep for my finals project in Psychology. Even practiced inductions and all sorts of, um...stuff."

Lacy wanted to laugh again, or gawk at his suggestion. But underneath his ever-deepening blush she saw a boyish excitement in his expression. She didn't want to be rude -- if he'd learned about this in class, it must not be total nonsense. But still, the thought of being hypnotized like some B-movie character was...

"Um, but isn't hypnosis like, the sort of thing that only works on gullible people?"

"The exact opposite, really," Aaron said as he finally met her eyes again. In his gaze was a glint of enthusiasm she only saw when boys had the chance to prattle on about something they'd been dying to share. "It's all about having the diligence to focus, listen to instructions, and understand them quickly enough that you don't have to think about them. The best subjects are actually people who are intelligent and imaginative. I think you'd take to it wonderfully."

"Oh." It was Lacy's turn to blush and look away. She knew she was smart, but having an attractive boy acknowledge that was a different matter altogether. "I suppose that makes sense. You really think it could work?"

"Absolutely. I actually used some self-hypnosis files this year to help me with studying. That's the only reason I made Salutatorian. I'm certain we can do the same for you and dancing!"

"Files?"

"Like, videos and MP3s. I'd set them on my phone to play on loop while I slept, and they'd reaffirm things like keeping my attention on taking notes in class, or not getting distracted while cramming for tests. Worked like a charm."

"I...guess it's worth a shot?" Lacy tried to make her smile as noncommittal as possible. "How would we start?"

"Tell you what, let's call it a day for now," Aaron proposed as he stood up. He offered his hand for her to do the same. Whatever embarrassment hat been clouding over him was gone, and he was back to the effortlessly charming boy of before. "I've got your number, so I'll send a file for you to listen to while you sleep tonight. By tomorrow you'll be ready for the ballroom."

Lacy had an entire ballroom full of doubts about this idea, but she didn't want to be rude. Besides, it wasn't like she had any better ideas. If by some miracle this whole hypnosis thing worked, it would save her a week of headaches and sore ankles. With one last hesitant agreement, she made her way out to the halls.

She was in such a hurry, she never noticed the wistful, hungry way Aaron looked at her as she left.

* * *

- Here's the file! Put it on before you lay down to sleep tonight. Set it to repeat. Be sure to use headphones!

So read the text from Aaron that evening, with an MP3 file attached. Lacy was sorely tempted to just delete the thing from her phone and tell him it didn't work the next day. But as she changed into her sleep clothes and turned the lights off on her side of the dorm, she decided that would be too mean, even if she thought this whole thing was ridiculous. Listening to something a teenager recorded in his own dorm room wasn't going to magically make her a great dancer, but it wouldn't hurt to humor her partner. Aaron was trying to be supportive, in his own way, and if all she had to do was sleep then it was a minor inconvenience.

Lacy glanced over at Terra, who was already fast asleep with her own headphones in, presumably blasting her "chill vibes" playlist. Lacy was grateful for that -- the last thing she wanted was to have to explain what she was doing -- and quickly set an alarm so she'd be up before her roommate. With that handled she put in her earphones, set the file to play, and closed her eyes.

The first thing she heard was a soft, ambient hum. It played alone for a few seconds, before some equally soft bell chimes tinkled in. They sounded in concert for several seconds, before a voice began to speak. It was Aaron's, she could tell, but it was noticeably deeper and calmer than in person.

"Hello. I'm glad you're listening to this. I know it might seem strange, or unbelievable, but I want you to know that you can trust me."

Lacy idly wondered what kind of microphone he had. His voice was crisp and clear, as if he were speaking right next who her. Her scalp tingled a little as the sound entered her ears, and made her feel lightheaded -- just a little.

"I want you to know you can trust me, and trust hypnosis. I want you to know that even if this seems unreal, or your better sense insists it won't work, that it will -- so long as you trust me enough to follow my words. Trust that I am here to help you, that I will lead you to where you want to be, and follow me lead.

"Make sure you're in a comfortable position, ready to fall asleep for the night, and keep your eyes closed. Let your muscles relax. Un-clench your hands. In a moment I'm going to count down from five, and I want you to breathe in a nice, deep breath as I do. Then hold that breath until you hear me say zero.

"Five...four...three...two...one...hold for me...and zero. Let out that deep, relaxing breath and feel yourself sinking deeper into relaxation."

Lacy did as she was told, and felt her muscles unwind softly as she exhaled. The instruction repeated several times, and with each breath she felt herself drifting further off to sleep. Between the comforting sound of Aaron's voice, the tingling in her head, and the growing calm in her body, the waking world began to fade away without her notice. But even as her consciousness faded, her mind heard each pleasing word, focused on it, and let them take her deeper and deeper.

* * *

Lacy was humming softly, a smile plastered on her face, as she got dressed the next morning. She'd woken up feeling absolutely wonderful, with the soft murmur of Aaron's voice still playing in her earbuds. The file had replayed several times during her asleep, and while she felt a bit guilty about not remembering any of it, she at least had to compliment her dance partner on his voice. It had soothed her right into dreamland, so well that she didn't even mind getting up early on a Sunday.

She stood in front of her closet mirror, trying to decide what to wear to her second lesson. Usually fashion was the last thing on her mind, and she simply went out in her frumpy school uniform, oversized sweater and all. Yet today, that just didn't feel right. For one, she remembered just how smothering that sweater got while she practiced. But more importantly, going with the same old look just seemed...wrong. Maybe she was just buzzing from a wonderful night's sleep. Either way, she wanted to look at least a bit cuter.