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Show 24 entirely attributable to his age. It was this aspect of him-at least in part, she decided-which he attempted to cover with his loudness. Again, she felt superior to him. But again, this feeling was integrated with a deeper interest, a deeper liking for him. The dance was in the gym. It was smaller than she thought it would be, with less than fifty couples present. But there was a relaxed air about the crowd, a bright tinkling of voices carried across the hardwood floor, and when the music began-the jukebox had been wheeled in from the cafeteria-everyone danced. The music was alive, breathing with its sound, its beat, Sharon was very much in the mood for dancing. A light feeling spread throughout her. And Roger danced well, surprisingly well, for such a big man, he didn't step on her toes even during the fast dances. Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers, the Beach Boys, and of course Elvis. She knew all the songs, all of them by heart, from those long nights of dreaming beside the radio. Every step, each movement, was more than a response to the present vibration of guitar and voice and drums-it was an enactment, a physical fulfillment, a manifestation of those solitary dreams. During the breaks between songs, when the music ended and the gym filled with talking, she was impatient, her foot tapping the floor in time to the last song. She said hello to a couple classmates from Sacred Heart, recognizing a good many more-pleased that she, too, was being recognized. But Roger dominated her attention, everyone's attention. In a crowd he was very animated, with a verbal liveliness, a wit, a talent for making wisecracks which drew couples around them. He mocked the lyrics of the last song, joked about the dullness of the |