Fake Girlfriend

When we finally made it to the front doors, I was overwhelmed by the music and lights. We all showed the guards our IDs, and Lola started jumping up and down excitedly. I think she was scaring the guards, which made me laugh a little. She took my hand, dragged me into the building, engulfing me in its flashing colorful lights and booming music. The first thing I noticed was the massive crowd of dancers—a lot of which was grinding. I looked away from those people. Was this really going to be fun, or just really uncomfortable?

Lola, with me attached to one hand and Sam attached to the other, dragged us immediately to the dance floor, passing right by the grinders without a second glace. Lex followed holding hands with Stella who was snickering and shaking her head; I could hear her say that she was not grinding, and Lex faked disappointment. Duncan was laughing at that. He and Kyle followed the rest of us.

We stopped on the dance floor, away from most of the risqué dancers, and we made a small mass of our own. Although we were pretty safe from the grinders, I couldn’t help but notice the guys had made sure to be on the outside of our small circle, while us girls were on the inside. I was surprised to see everyone dancing right away, without a care in the world. Even Kyle and Duncan joined in.

Now, I had already known that Lex was a good dancer, and for whatever reason I wasn’t surprised to see Stella was just as good (It must be the Latin blood, I guessed). Sam, however, I was startled to see was really good, too; and Lola was following his lead. I moved a little away from the good dancers so that I wouldn’t get in their way, and I joined the other amateurs, Duncan and Kyle.

For a little, I wasn’t thinking at all, just dancing. No wonder Lola thought this was a good way to get my mind off everything. The music thumped too loud in my head to think about anything. Cole hadn’t even popped to my mind at all. It felt good. So good.

I found myself dancing goofily with Duncan. We danced fast to slow songs and slow to fast ones. We did the robot. The lawnmower. Anything, and everything. Kyle was laughing as he watched us. We got especially goofy when the chicken dance came on. People were looking at us funny, but I hardly cared.

Eventually, Duncan and I got tired, and so Duncan suggested we take a break and get something to drink. I agreed right away, suddenly dying for something to drink. There was a juice bar in one corner where we got soda and then sat at one of the tables edging the dance floor near our friends. Soon after we sat down, I saw a girl approach Kyle and start dancing rather seductively—not exactly grinding, but pretty close. And Kyle did nothing to stop it. He didn’t seem uncomfortable in the slightest.

Duncan seemed to see the surprise on my face. He snickered. “I love the dude, but you got to remember, Kyle is popular. The cheerleaders are all over him and the other jocks. He’s used to the attention, and I’m pretty sure he enjoys it. I would, too, if I were him.” And that was saying something, given Duncan’s chivalry and usual full respect of women.

“I guess,” I said. “It’s just weird, ‘cos he very quiet. I just assumed quiet guys were usually timid.”

Duncan laughed. “Nah. Kyle’s just blunt.” So I noticed, I thought to myself, recalling his questions on the way here.

I frowned. “Speaking of, I’ve been curious. How’d you guys, no offense, end up friends with one of the guys that would usually ‘swim in other circles’ than you?”

“Sam was friends with him first,” Duncan said, “but to be plainly honest, back then, none of the rest of us liked him much. We thought he was like all his other friends. Then, Cole was getting tossed around and beaten up by one of the jocks. Kyle stepped in, knocked the jock’s lights out, and then took Cole to the nurse. Ever since, we’ve all been friends with him.”

“Oh,” I said. I was about to say something else when I saw a girl come up behind Duncan seductively and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, cutie,” she said. Duncan craned his neck to cock an eyebrow at the stranger. “Wanna dance?”

Duncan frowned. It was obvious he didn’t want to dance with this girl. I stepped in almost automatically. “Um, excuse me?” I said, trying to put a little acid in my voice. I failed, but the girl fell for it, I guess. She looked at me with a scowl. “He’s taken. Sorry.”

She frowned. “Oh.” And the girl walked away.

Duncan laughed. “Nice one,” he said. “Thanks.”

I nodded with a smile. After all, I was used to faking being someone’s girlfriend…

Suddenly, Lex and Stella came over and sat down. Sam and Lola and Kyle and the girl with him were still dancing. Lex was grinning, holding Stella’s hand. With his free hand, he pushed his messy fire and black hair back away from his sweaty forehead. “Hey, you guys going to come back and time soon?” he said.

Duncan snickered. “Yeah, we are.”

Just then, the song changed to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Duncan and Lex exchanged a meaningful humored glance. I looked from one guy to the other, confused. The boys stood, Stella and I automatically did as well. “What?” I said finally.

Duncan smirked. He put a guiding hand on my shoulder blade leading me to the dance floor where I saw a huge circle forming and the grinding stop. “Come on. You gotta see this.”

And so, we joined the large, ever growing circle, setting a stage for someone who was dancing in the middle. I gasped, shocked. It was Sam, dancing effortless just like Michael Jackson. His feet seemed to just glide across the floor. Everyone was hooting and cheering at every new trick up his sleeve.

“Cool, huh?” Lola said, appearing next to me.

Stella grinned at my other side, and to my surprise, she walked into the middle of the circle, next to Sam. Our group was stunned. She was mimicking Sam’s moves and the two were moving in perfect harmony to Thriller. I felt as if I had just stepped in to a Step It Up movie. After getting over the shock, Lex started laughing and hooting at his almost-girlfriend. The rest of us joined.

“That girl just is filled with surprises, huh?” Duncan joked.

“Paintball pro and amazing dancing skill?” Kyle said.

Lex was laughing. “Yup. I lucked out, huh?”

“Sure did,” Duncan said with a chuckle.

The two’s dancing eventually turned into a competition. Sam would dance for a period, and then Stella would try to out-dance him with her own moves. This went on for a little bit, and I’m pretty sure the DJ looped the song so that the two could finish. I was cheering for neither in particular but cheering none the less, until the DJ finally ended the song. Laughing, Stella and Sam high-fived each other and walked towards us as they were applauded in a roar of clapping and cheering.

“Now that was sweet,” Lex said, hugging Stella.

She settled under his arm. “Thanks,” she said, still laughing.

Lola jumped up and hung Sam, who, shocked, caught her awkwardly in his arms. She was laughing, oblivious to his embarrassment. “Yay for Sammy!” she said, laughing. Sam was red. How could she not notice that? I wondered. He got over the embarrassment shockingly quick. After, he swung her once in a circle and set her down, laughing.

Man, there were two cute couples (well, sort of couples) in front of me. I was sort of glad De and John weren’t here. I don’t think I could handle another. I was jealous. People said love was complex, but looking at these four, I could hardly believe it. Guy likes girl, girl likes guy. Simple as that, right? So why did life chose to be hard on me? I didn’t dwell on it. I didn’t want to think about Cole.

If only I could be so lucky….

“Impressive as always, Sam,” a horribly familiar cynical voice said from behind us. Just the person’s voice was enough to make me tense—to make us all tense. I didn’t need to turn to know who it was. It was last person I ever wanted to see here (besides maybe Cole himself). We all spun around to look at the voice’s owner, who stood akimbo with her even smug look that I had seen so often though I had never personally talked to her.

Caroline stared back with her cold gorgeous blue eyes.