Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu by Maisie Chan

Author:Maisie Chan
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781800781849
Publisher: Bonnier Publishing Fiction
Published: 2022-04-25T09:43:15.544000+00:00

18

The Mini Orange

It was finally the Sunday we had been waiting for. The day had arrived. My phone alarm woke me at six. We weren’t leaving until eight, but I wanted everything to be perfect. I jumped out of bed and opened the curtains. I turned on the water heater. I hadn’t had a shower for a few days to save on the bill. The street below was empty apart from a refuse vehicle collecting the recycling.

I unplugged my phone from the charger. This was my last chance to practise the cha-cha-cha basics. I could hear Wai Gong moving about the flat. He was humming to himself, and I could smell toast.

I stood up tall in my pyjamas in front of my phone. Smiley Brian from New York appeared on the screen. I’d watched this video around a hundred times, I think; I stopped counting. I did the steps and for the first time I felt like I knew what I was doing. Those sneaky dance lessons in between class, chores and homework the past few weeks had paid off. Only Tyler had seen my moves as I wanted to surprise Wai Gong and Chi.

‘Thanks, Brian and Nancy!’ I told the phone screen. ‘You’ve been great.’ It’s surprising what you can learn for free from the internet! And even though the lady from Step-by-Step would never see me dance, I felt like I was getting my own kind of revenge by not giving up and letting her mean words put me off my goal.

I quickly had a shower and got dressed. I put on my black jeans and grey sweatshirt that said: ‘Not Crazy, Not Rich, Simply Asian’ and my socks that had dogs on them. I slipped a black plain top in my bag for later which I hoped would look smart but also casual.

I put the money for the trip and the four tickets for the Blackpool Tower into my wallet and had one last look in the mirror. Something was missing. I looked on my dressing table for the jade pendent that Grandma Kam had given me for my birthday. It had been my lucky charm for the past few weeks. Now I couldn’t find it. But I didn’t have time to look. We needed to get ready and on the road.

I was so excited to finally be going somewhere. Out of Glasgow, away from this flat, away from cleaning and cooking. I was going to have some fun. I knocked on Wai Gong’s door: I could hear he was humming a tune. He was dressed and putting his socks on.

‘You look brilliant, Wai Gong,’ I told him. He’d even slicked back his hair with some gel.

‘I feel good today, Lizzie,’ he told me. ‘I can’t wait to go.’

The buzzer sounded and I picked up the intercom phone.

‘Let me in!’ Chi squealed. I buzzed her into the downstairs hall. I went to our front door. When I opened it and saw Chi, my heart exploded. She was a sight to behold.

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