The song used for this chapter is Uptown Funk by Uptown Funk. You can find it attached it this chapter.
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Dancing is something that comes naturally to me; but socializing? Not so. So when I was literally forced by my parents to attend my brother's friend's graduation party, I had little choice but to go, and my brother, Nick, had little choice but reluctantly to take me.
So here I was, entering an "adult supervised party" which I was sure would suck, with my brother and his girlfriend, trying to "socialize".
The first thing I saw upon entering was that the party was not like the ones my brother always told me about (being an eighth grader I had little notion about parties). Nick, my brother, always told me that parties were wild with people madly dancing and making out. Here people were calmly sitting and chatting their time away. There was a stage where my brother's high school band was singing. Nothing wild in sight.
"Hey," Rick, my brother's friend, says as he nears us. He first hugs my brother and shakes hands with Sam then turns to me, "You are one grown girl, Nichole."
"I am?" I shrug and he picks me up, twirling me in an air embrace.
"You are and beautiful too," he concludes as he puts me back on ground.
I just smile at him. To clear things up, Rick has known me since I was a child, courtesy of my brother.
"Ryan's back, guys," Rick announces to the three of us.
"Must be a grown up lad." Nick smirks while Sam and I smile at this piece of information.
You see, Ryan is Rick's younger brother, who left for America with his grandma at the age of five, when I was four, so of course I don't remember him. But my brother adored that guy, probably more than he does me, as I've heard, and Ryan returns his adoration with the same capacity. They have been in touch all through the ten years that had passed. And now finally he had returned back to his parents.
"Take a seat." Rick motions me and leaves with my brother and Sam, leaving me alone.
Having nothing to do, I do what I am told and take a seat, gazing at all the couples dancing in the platform. I wished I could have been there dancing, but oh well. Rather absentmindedly I start swaying my feet to the rhythm of music, and I think that's what attracted his attention.
He was moving along the way where I was sitting, probably to a table, when he stopped and turned to me. He had light brown disheveled hair with streaks of gold. His eyes were the same color as his hair, only deeper and contained a certain sparkle. He had tanned skin, which was an unlikely thing for someone living in Bradford. He was wearing a blue jeans and a white shirt, which when combined with his rest of the attire gave him a kind of edge. He looked a year or two older than me. It seemed like I had seen him somewhere, only I couldn't place where.
"May I?" he asks, pushing out the opposite to me. I just nod. He sits himself down and gazes at me, as if examining me. "You are Nichole?"
His voice was husky and different. Different like he had a Bradford British accent, perfectly common here, but had an American edge to it. Like he was born in America and raised in Bradford or vice versa.
His question took me off guard, "How do you-"
He cuts me off before I can finish speaking. "You are Nichole then. Rick told me about you. I'm Ryan."
So that's why he seems familiar. Now that I look at him, he looks quite similar to Rick except for his tan.
"You like to dance, don't you?" How is it that he knows so much about me, when I know zero things about him?
"Yes, how-"
I"You were swaying your feet to the music. Anyone who does that probably likes dancing."
At this point, he seemed a cutting-someone's-speech-off master and sounded like a detective from an old novel to me. I guess the surprise I felt inside gave off my face also, because he started to laugh.
In between laughs he managed to get out, "You should have seen your face."
I don't know what he found humorous, because I didn't find anything remotely humorous here.
"Now now, don't disturb my little sister so much." That was my brother, and for once I was glad he interfered.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. It was just funny how oblivious you were."
Well let's just say, he didn't look apologetic at all. But saying this gained him a nice and hard smack on his head from Rick.
"Sorry, Nichole," he said, this time looking more apologetic. I just nod to him.
"First day here and you start disturbing others," Rick remarked and all of us including Sam and Monica, Rick's girlfriend, who just joined us, start laughing.
"You know Nichole, Ryan is as interested in dancing as are you," my brother whispered, loud enough for everyone present there to hear.
"So you can dance?" I ask Ryan.
"Better than you."
"Really?"
"Face-off?"
"Let's end this here. I don't like where this is going." Rick tries to draw a peace treaty but he doesn't realize that it has already been passed. First of all, Nichole May Adams doesn't let go of a face-off, whoever it is with.
"No let's do it," I announce.
"Let's have it then," he declares, and we both stand up.
Half an hour later we both are standing opposite each other, ready for our face-off.
"You can still back-off, before you lose," Ryan says loud enough for the whole room to hear.
"You should be afraid of that." I wasn't going to back off of this. If someone should back off, it's him.
Before we both can fight anymore, the band starts playing the song. I instantly recognize it as "Uptown Funk" and judging from the gleam in his eyes it seems that he knows it as well. Who the heck choose this song? I would have liked if it was some more flowy song, salsa even. But this was too darn easy. This was plain hip-hop.
As the first notes of the song start playing, I mentally calculate my moves. He is the one who is going first, so he has a disadvantage there. He lets the music pass before he starts his steps.
This hit
That ice cold
Michelle Pfeiffer
That white gold
This one, for them hood girls
Them good girls
Straight masterpieces
He takes a quick sweep and places himself directly in front of me, challenging me in a way. He claps his hands twice, both with the music. He then pushes himself back, with the force and throws himself at the ground, his legs in the air, his hands supporting his weight. He does two jumps on his hand then lands on his feet then he does the same with his other hand and other side. He stretches his moments, deliberately, to take more time and more song. After he finishes, he clears the ground for me.
Stylin', while in
Livin' it up in the city
Got Chucks on with Saint Laurent
Got kiss myself I'm so pretty
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Called a police and a fireman
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Make a dragon wanna retire man
I move forward, taking the complete space, and he forced to move backwards. For the next two lines, I do two straight back flips, which leaves the audience clapping vigorously. As he tries to take the platform I go ahead and stop him, walking backwards, flowing with the music, first from the left, then from the right. I then place myself in the center and move to one side then retracing me hand with the same flow, I push it back and walk backwards, pretending to fan myself. I then repeat the same flow with my left side. He then takes my place.
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Say my name you know who I am
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Am I bad 'bout that money
Break it down
He moves in front of me, and then goes back then does a counterclockwise downward spiral on his elbow. He squints up, still facing me, and goes back and lies on the ground, right from his standing position, and then he does a spiral wave and gets up. He gives me a smirk and leaves the platform for me.
Girls hit your hallelujah (whuoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah (whuoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah (whuoo)
'Cause Uptown Funk gon' give it to you
'Cause Uptown Funk gon' give it to you
'Cause Uptown Funk gon' give it to you
Saturday night and we in the spot
I take the stage and go down on one hand, feet straight up, and do a couple of jumps on my hand. After the jumps, I do three straight cartwheels and stand straight in front of Ryan. He looked awestruck at that. Then I retrace my steps backwards. The thing I don't see is that Ryan does the same and stands directly in front of me.
Don't believe me just watch (come on)
Don't believe me just watch
Don't believe me just watch
Hey, hey, hey, oh!
He takes me by surprise when he catches me by the waist and flings me upwards, my hands resting on his shoulders and my legs up in the air. He keeps me still like that for one moment, then turns in a round spiral and places me down on my legs. Next, he turns both of us so that my back is sticking to his chest, and then bows, taking me down with him, as the beat of the music finishes.
As we end our face-off, I'm confused as to what happened and why it happened. It was supposed to be a face-off, not an ending couple dance. The crowd gathered there seems oblivious to it as they clap, shout, and whistles.
"You thought I would actually have a face-off with you? Of course I won't have a face-off with you, silly." That comes from the mouth of Ryan, and I am left with even more questions than I began with.
"That was great, sis," my brother says and hugs me.
"I was better than her," says the arrogant jerk.
"Drop it. Let's go and eat," Rick, the all-time peacemaker says.
So we do. And that's how the night ends, with all of us eating and recollecting ort past memories and Ryan recollecting his time in America. All of us were forgetting what went on earlier in the party except me, and I suspect, Ryan.
XDITDX
Hey, so April First and the first chapter of Dancing in the Dark.
This chapter took a good three hours for me write, so now my hand is literally paining so I can't even write a proper author's note. Reason it took so much time. That dance sequence. I literally had to think every step then jolt it down then write it nicely, so it took it a lot of time. So I hope you enjoyed it. Also you would see that I didn't use the full song. Its because they danced in only that part, not the rest. And if you don't understand any part let me know through PM or just comment and I'll help you out.
I'm having really fun writing this, so I hope you are enjoying it too. This story is really close to my heart. Do comment and vote if you like it.
Dedicated to @Simply_Milli.
Thanks to @eatingtacoswithharry for making the banner.
Fun Fact:The dance was supposed to be a salsa, but it wasn't fitting the mode so I changed it to hip-hop.
Question Of The Day:What's your favorite song to dance to?
My Answer: Love Story by Taylor Swift
Suggestion:Suggest me some songs for using here.
Elena