Neon Afterlife

5

Alex and Jason rode in his old, red Volkswagen Beetle in silence. It had flared out fenders, a large subwoofer in back, and a hole in the floor that Alex could see the street through. The sound of the road droned on as the only noise and street lights flashed by hypnotically until Alex couldn't take it anymore, "What was that about? Why did you act like you met me at the school not the bus station? Why'd you suck me into your escape plan? Is this really your car or is it your Mom's from when she was a teenager?

Jason wilted under the barrage until the end when he chuckled, "It's my car." He gave her a sheepish grin.

"Watch the road." She crossed her arms and wouldn't look his way. "You can let me out now."

"Nope."

"You're kidnapping me? Is that what you're hiding from your parents? You're a kidnapper."

"I'm not hiding anything from my parents."

Alex rolled her eyes, "I'm not stupid."

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, while still watching the road.

"I knew that guy at the train station was bad news before you showed up. I was just figuring out what to do when you went all chivalrous on me."

He grinned, "You thought I was chivalrous?"

"Until you abandoned me at the diner." She folded her arms and glared at him.

"What was I supposed to do?" he asked. "Stay with you all night?"

"Maybe."

"Then you'd think I was after something," he said. "I just wanted to help a pretty girl out."

Alex blushed, "You're changing the subject."

Jason opened his mouth to protest, but no sound came out before Alex continued, "You're hiding something from your parents. And they're nice. And you shouldn't hide anything from them because you're lucky to have them. And you don't know what you've got. You should be grateful you get a family that loves you, you get to dance, you have a future-"

"My parents want me to be a professional ballet dancer," he blurted out. "I've danced since I could stand up."

"Me too."

"But you like it."

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"The magic of Miami revealed it to me," he chuckled. "You came to get into the school on your own. No one is forcing you."

"And you're being forced?"

He nodded.

"How old are you?" she mocked.

"I like dancing. Just not ballet. It's not what I want to do with my life," explained Jason.

"So, do something else."

"I am. But I have to keep up the ballet for them. They've invested too much."

"You're afraid to tell your parents that you don't like ballet? Seriously, that's your problem?" she scorned. "You're a moron."

"Like you've got it all figured out. Living out of a backpack."

"You don't know anything about me."

He smiled at her mischievously as he pulled the car into any alley and parked. "I bet I do."

Alex hadn't realized how much ground they had travelled. They were back in the city. She vaguely recognized the area, but couldn't quite place it. She should have been watching where they were going, but instead she'd let her emotions get the better of her. She spent the entire drive berating a virtual stranger. What was wrong with her? She should have been asking herself all sorts of questions, but instead she asked Jason, "What are you doing?"

He climbed out of the car, "Come on." He looked around, pulled his hood up over his head and walked off. Alex scrambled out of the car and followed him. As they exited the alley, she spotted the bus station a little ways off.

"You're taking me to the bus station?" she asks. "I'm not going back."

He kept walking and she jogged to catch up.

"Do you always just walk off and expect girls to follow you?"

"You ask too many questions," he replied. "And you don't need me to tell you what to do. You come if you want to."

"What are we doing?"

He just smiled at her and kept walking. They turned down into a different alley and approached a rusty metal door. He tugged it open and hot air mixed with the smell of sweat erupted from inside, along with a hot Latin rhythm.

He gestured for her to enter as he held the door. She hesitated, but didn't want Jason to think she was afraid. Her curiosity and pride won and she entered, feigning confidence - nose held high as she crossed the threshold. Jason chuckled and shook his head as she passed him.

Music thrummed through the space, encompassing her. Reverberations rattled her bones. As her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she could make out dancers whirling on a concrete floor. Their feet dragged and spun, kicking up dust that mixed with the light beams. Perspiration glistened on their bodies as the sight of their sensual movements enhanced the beat that penetrated her to her core.

Jason grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her into the club, deeper. Small, uninhabited tables rested near a rough bar built with concrete blocks and what looked like an old door. The bartender caught Jason's eye and they nodded at each other in greeting.

Each echo of the bass knocked Alex's breath away, "What is this place?"

"The Pendulum."

"What?" she yelled into his ear, over the music.

"It's a club, kind of," he shouted back. "Home."

He led her to a table and sat her down. Leaning in close, he spoke into her ear, "Watch." His warm breath on her neck sent electric tingles throughout her body. Her heart synchronized to the rhythm as she let the music fill her... and she watched.

She drank in the passion of the dance, anonymous limbs whipped and whirled, hair and hands blazed under the strobes. Hips gyrated as they pushed the limits of Latin tradition, combining it with street style freezes and break dance pops and locks. The fluidity of the movement mesmerized her. Intoxicated, she leaned towards the floor watching bodies and skin, everything pulled her towards the bacchanalian reverie.

Jason seized the opportunity and grabbed her out of her seat, spinning her onto the dance floor. Organically, space opened up for them as dancers parted allowing the new pair into the mix of bodies swirling and pulsating with the beat. Alex hesitated, but Jason took a firm hold of her hips and started to move her to the music.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He smiled, "Dancing." He stepped towards her so close that their bodies pressed together. She stepped back, away. Again he pressed against her. She pushed back into him this time. He shifted directions and she followed. Soon they moved as one. Bodies pressed against each other, sweating, glistening in the vortex of dust and light. Transfixed by the rhythms and each other.

They inhaled acoustic ecstasy with each breath and let it fuel their muscles until all sense of time was lost; absorbed in the moment, this moment. Their hands found each other's backs or thighs or necks, sharing their heat, tracing lightning and searing their senses. Their breathing edged against an intimate passion. Enraptured, they became one, lost together as the world vanished around them.