RAINSTORM

Ch. 34

The Disneyland is everything she had imagined. But it's just as crowded as everyone had warned her, too. That doesn't matter though. Rachel is with her friends and schoolmates. Which makes it even more fun.

On the day they arrive, there's not much of the day left, so Rachel and her friends decide to ride some of the low-intensity rides.

When it's evening everyone returns to the resort exhausted. Rachel is roomed with Annie, but Moira crashes in there too. After a much needed nap, the three of them go down to the restaurant. Moira's boyfriend, Nelson, joins them at the table.

"The guys have planned to head to the town for clubbing. You girls coming?" He says.

"But none of us have fake IDs," Annie says.

"No worries. The club owner is an uncle of one of the boys. We don't need IDs. We just need to get them a headcount."

Rachel, Moira and Annie exchange glances before telepathically agreeing to the clandestine night out.

"What about Mr. George?" Rachel asks, referring to their teacher.

"He'll be taken care of. The boys have a plan."

Rachel doesn't want to know what that plan is.

At the dawn of the night, the girls get ready in their cutest outfits. Outside the entrance, a row of cabs are waiting to take everyone to their destination.

At the club, Rachel looks around at the boys, wondering Hector or Ricky had come. So far, she hasn't seen either of them. Including Nelson, the four of them dance at the center floor.

Rachel is having fun. It seems like she was a little girl when she had last danced. The club is electrifying, jam packed with exuberance.

After the dance, they pick up some non-alcoholic drinks and find themselves a table.

"That was fun!," Annie says, laughing.

"We are going to be so tired tomorrow though," Moira says.

"Don't worry, I'll bring you a strong cup of coffee tomorrow to wake you up," Nelson says and they kiss.

Rachel smiles at the couple. Nelson is a sweet guy. He is perfect for her friend.

"Rachel," Ricky says appearing next to her, "So you guys came, too."

"Pretty much everyone at the trip is here man. Where are your guys?" Nelson says. 

"They are at the other side. There are no free tables here. I just came to say hi to Rachel."

"Oh," everyone dramatically says. Rachel resists the urge to shake her head. Ricky just laughs.

"Want to join me for a dance?" Ricky says to Rachel.

Rachel begins to think about what to answer, but then stops. She can let her hair down for one night. "Sure," she says.

At first Rachel had feared it would be awkward, dancing with Ricky. But by the end of the first dance number she had a great time with him.

When the DJ puts on a slow music, however, Rachel stops. "I'm thirsty," she says and takes Ricky's hand and leaves the dance floor.

"Nice escape," Ricky says. Rachel winces while grinning but doesn't respond.

"I gotta check on the guys," Ricky says, "Catch you later."

Before he leaves for a moment it seemed to Rachel like he was leaning towards her. But nothing happened and he left.

 At the table, Annie teases her, "You looked like you were having a good time on the dance floor."

Moira requests Nelson to get them drinks. After he leaves, Moira asks Rachel, "What about Hector?"

"What about him?" Rachel says, shrugging.

"I thought you liked him."

"I don't like anyone. And I was only dancing with Ricky. It wasn't anything more."

"Sure Ricky thinks the same way?" Moira asks.

Rachel begins to feel guilty.

"Let her be," Annie says to Moira, "Ricky is a big boy, he understands."

"Does Hector?" Moira says, but this time she is looking behind Rachel.

Rachel turns around and sees Hector coming to her. He says, "You are a pretty good dancer."

She doesn't know how to respond except give him a small smile. Hector looks handsome in his blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

"Let's go," he says, holding her hand and taking her to the dance floor. The slow music is still on.

"Can't we skip this one?" Rachel says, looking around. Ricky is gone.

"No. This is perfect for us," Hector says, turning to her and pulling her close by her waist.

Rachel feels her body warm up as she slowly dances with him. It feels nothing like the fun and excitement she felt when dancing with her friends and Ricky. Instead, she's anxious, nervous. She perceives every little touch deeply.

"For someone not your boyfriend, you sure hang out with Ricky a lot," Hector says.

"I'm dancing with you, too," Rachel says without meeting his eyes, "And you are not my boyfriend."

Hector doesn't respond and continues to lead her in the dance. He was upset watching her dance with Ricky. But if it wasn't for his jealously he may not have had the courage to take her to dance now.

It's the first time he's dancing with anyone. He was nervous about making a fool of himself. But now that she's in his arms, his body moves on its own in sync with hers, as if they are tied together by an invisible rope around them, not letting them stray from each other.

After the music ends, Rachel tries to leave. But Hector holds her tight in his arms. His nose touches her cheeks. Their breathing becomes heavy.

"Thanks for the dance," he says and lets go of her.

Rachel feels like her body had suddenly turned cold. She goes to her friends. Neither Moira nor Annie say anything after seeing their friend's face.

A while later they are back in their room and fall asleep immediately.