Chapter 3 Joining a dance group

Inside the canteen, everyone was surprised to see Jade and Mark so close with each other. Everyone was murmuring and gossiping around the two of them. Mark sensed that everyone was looking at them and he gave an evil glare to all of them. They continued walking towards the food counter when suddenly....

" Look whose here! The bad boy is with the little princess!" A little boy named Wayne, rich yet naughty, spoke out loud in the canteen. " Why do a princess like to be with the bad boy?"

Hearing the unexpected announcement, Jade bit her lower lips and bowed her head before firmly answering his question. " Don't misjudge someone without knowing him first! Aren't you ashamed of yourself! Who do you think you are?"

Wayne frowned upon hearing her words. " I guess the princess was influenced already by this bad person! What do you think everyone?"

Everyone nodded in agreement to what he just said.

" All of you! Don't you all have weaknesses and problems too in your own family? Why do you think ill mannered to Mark? Stop talking nonsense about him! He's better of a person than all of you!" Jade looked at them fiercely.

Astonished by how Jade defended him, Mark held her hand firmly and looked at her seriously. " Don't bother yourself with them. I'm sorry if I dragged you into this mess."

" What do you mean, Mark?" Jade was confused.

" It's better for you if you just leave me alone." Mark undeniably said to her.

Shaking her head in disagreement, Jade looked at Mark seriously. " I made a promise to you just a while ago and I'm not backing out on my words. You must show them what you are capable of, Mark. Stop running away!"

Mark forcibly took off her hand on his arm." I'm not running away! I just don't want you to be involved in my troubles. "

"NO!" Jade shouted and held his both arms, facing him. "A promise is a promise! I want to be your friend. "

Is she really a kid? Why does she spoke like an elderly. All her words are like coming from a wise man. Is it possible that she was given to me by God? She has a willed spirit. Mark thought and he looked again on the crowd.

" Yeah! Go on! Leave Jade alone! She's too good to be influenced only by a bad person like you!" Another boy shouted which was Zed, an intelligent boy but also a naughty one.

Then a little chubby yet cute girl stood up from her sit as well and spoke. Her name was Aira. " I believe that he isn't bad at all. He once save me from a dog who was chasing me before. I believe he is a good person too!"

Looking towards the little girl, Jade smiled at Aira graciously.

" I believe his a good person too because he helped me once when I was bullied by other students from other school." Stefanie, a girl slim but has many pimples on her face stood up and stated it to everyone.

The other students felt confused on whom to believe and then another boy spoke. " I believe he is a good person because he once helped me when I was about to be hit by a motorbike along my way to school. I'm not here today if I wasn't saved by him." He testified.

"Wow! Is he a super hero now! Come on, guys! Don't be fooled so easily by what they said. Who knows if they are his puppets." Wayne insisted and looked on all of the people inside the place.

" Yeah! He came from a rich family and can buy some alibis just for him to be safe." Clark demanded too.

The crowd was now subdivided into two. But then Jade pull off Mark's sleeves and said haistily.

" I'm so thirsty! Can we just ignore them and buy some water now!"

Mark was dumbfounded for a while and he smiled and went to the counter. He bought one slice strawberry cake and burger with two large bottles of water. After paying it, they left without finishing the arguments inside the canteen.

Finally, they were sitting beside each other under the mango tree.

" Here!" Mark gave her the strawberry cake and a bottle of water.

Looking satisfied and thirsty, Jade hurriedly took it from him and drank first some water.

She drank almost half of the bottle to quench her thirst and dry throat. " Thank you!"

" No! I should be the one saying thank you! I thought that you will leave me back there but you didn't. Thanks a lot!" Mark glanced at her side after he drank water too.

" I told you that I won't leave you, right? We're friends!" Jade gladly announced.

Mark simply nodded.

From time to time, Jade would go to Mark's place to learn more steps in how to dance in different types of music. More often they would dance as a pair.

In a Sunday morning, they went to the park near to the town. They were wandering around, seeking for a private place to where they could practice by themselves without being noticed by anyone.

Finally, they came into a part of the park near a lake. There was large bushes around it with a clear space for them to occupy.

" Wow! These place is so peaceful and very calming. What do you think of it, Mark?" Jade was looking around the place which has a magnificent scenery indeed.

Mark was captivated by the place as well and he nodded. He placed his backpack on the ground and took out his portable dvd player. " We can practice here. Is it okay if we dance on a KPop song for today?"

" It's okay! I don't mind!" Jade answered energetically. She stretched her arms upward and made a little body exercise before practicing their dance.

Mark find it cute when he saw her eagerness to do some dance steps. He prepared the cd and put it on the dcd player. He started playing the song and jade felt that she somehow knew the dance steps. She swayed her arms like the song was touching her body and she began to dance to the rhythm of it.

Again, Mark was astonished by what he had not expected from her. He smiled and his eyes sparkled like he was so mesmerized by what he was watching.

" Wow! You're doing great! You're a natural dancer now, Jade!" He said while clapping his two hands.

Suddenly, Jade stopped dancing. " Don't just stand there! Come on and join me!"