“Nope! Strip!” Taylor said, snapping her fingers.
I groaned yet again, annoyed, nervous, and extremely self-conscious. I turned my back to them and slowly pulled my shirt over my shoulders, keeping my arms close to my chest as I scrambled to put the other top on.
Once I had it over my head, I heard Taylor’s voice again.
“Bra needs to come off, darling.”
I carefully maneuvered my arms and unhooked my bra, pulling it from under the clothes. Once I had the top on, I took the pants and unfolded them before backing myself in a corner to shimmy out of my jeans. Taylor laughed at my nervousness.
“Hun, why’re you embarrassed? We’ve all got the same equipment.”
I still kept myself in the corner, watching Jill and Becca rifle through my shoes. I hastily pulled the black slacks on only to realize the outer seam had a large slit from the bottom hem to the knee, leaving my entire calf exposed.
“I cannot pull this off.”
“Are you kidding me? They fit you like a glove,” Becca complimented, looking me over. I fastened the belt how I thought it should be done, trying to ignore the staring of my friends.
“Perfect!” Jill gasped, pulling out a pair of red, strappy wedge heels I had to match my red formal dress.
“Oh, no…”
“Oh, yes.”
“Taylor, are you on makeup?” Becca asked.
“Yep!” She grabbed her makeup kit and bounded over, kneeling in front of me as I sat in my desk chair.
“I’m on hair!” Jill declared, walking to her bag and extracting her curling iron.
I was wringing my hands in my lap the entire time my three friends fussed over me, touching my face and pulling my hair, almost burning my ear twice and messing up on mascara when I flinched away.
Thirty minutes later, five minutes before we had to leave, my friends backed away.
“You look amazing…” Becca said strongly.
“Put your shoes on and go look,” Jill urged.
I leaned down and strapped myself into my shoes with shaking hands, thick curls of brown hair falling past my shoulders. I nervously approached my full-length mirror, not knowing what I was about to see.
I blinked in disbelief.
I did not look bad—in fact, I almost did not recognize myself. My makeup had been done to look mostly natural, apart from my red lipstick and the red tones around my eyes to match my shoes. My hair had been curled and parted on one side to frame my face in a surprisingly flattering manner.
“See what I mean?” Becca asked, causing me to break out of my trance. I turned to look the slits in the pants, sucking in my belly as I studied my reflection.
“You guys deserve a medal. You performed a miracle.”
“No,” Jill disagreed. “There was a sex goddess inside you the entire time. It’s time for her to come out.”
“Now, you’re ready for Archangel,” Taylor winked.
“We’re really going to have to keep an eye on you,” Becca said. “Otherwise, every guy in town will be hitting on you.”
Chapter Seven
My friends continuously slapped my hands away from adjusting myself, whether it was my clothes or my hair. I did not feel comfortable in the clothing or the makeup, particularly with how often the other three commented on how I looked. Even my mother complimented my appearance as I had left. Somehow, the praise made me more uncomfortable.
Jill’s father dropped us off in front of the club, which I studied intently. For what felt like a long time, I could only stare at the blue and white neon sign, listening to pulsing bass that escaped the confines of the building to flood the sidewalk as other students from my school walked through the darkened doorway into the flashing lights. The sign was intricate and mysterious, summoning everyone inside and leaving a blue glow over the entire front of the building. I felt my legs turn to jelly. I wanted nothing more than to get back in the car and leave.
Just when the urge became overwhelming, Becca had her hand on my shoulder.
“No running away,” she chided. “Don’t worry. I told you, we’ll be right here.”
Once inside Club Archangel, the sound of the music was deafening and the flashing lights were disorienting. Becca led me to the small window where we were asked to present our school IDs. The cards were scanned and our purses were checked before we were allowed inside.
I had never seen anything like Club Archangel. It was dark in most areas and it was difficult to see just how large the place was. There were circular platforms raised from the floor throughout the room where groups of friends were dancing above the others as the pulsing music rattled my chest. The lights flashed different colors as the strobe light kicked on and off. To one side there was a bar—likely only serving non-alcoholic drinks—and over the bar was a large, metal grate balcony, where other students were chatting and bobbing their heads to the music. Across from the bar and balcony was a stage. The curtains were pulled shut and a large banner hung across the space, reading “Welcome Back!” covered with streamers and balloons.
“Hey! C’mon, Lily!” Taylor laughed, yanking me from my position by the door. I had been so entranced looking around the loud, disorienting club that I had not noticed my group of friends moving away. I followed Taylor’s guide toward the bar, where we sat at a tall table near one of the two metal staircases to the balcony.
“So, what’d’ya think?!” Taylor asked over the pulsing music.
I took a deep breath. “I don’t know.”
“It’ll be overwhelming at first, but you’ll get used to it,” Jill assured. “The most important thing is to just have fun, and only dance with guys we have told you are okay.”
“Oh, and don’t ever go on the balcony,” Taylor added, pointing at the grate metal above our heads. Confused, I asked why.
“That’s for the Commish Kids,” Jill explained. “You can’t go up there unless you’re part of the Commission of the People.”
“Why?”
“It’s an unwritten rule.” Taylor shrugged. “They can come down here and dance, but if anyone who’s not in the Commission goes up there, they get real quiet and stare at you until you leave.”
“They’re their own little society, then?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Hello, ladies…” a voice cooed as a boy our age leaned against the table.
“Hey, Todd,” Becca greeted brightly.
I saw two other boys behind Todd, though it was difficult to discern their features in the constantly-flashing lights, so I just assumed the three boys were the other friends Becca had mentioned.
“Hey, baby!” Taylor squealed, kissing Todd. Todd kissed back and stood straight, placing his arm around his girlfriend and turning to look around the table once more. When his eyes settled on me, I could feel my blood run cold. I hated being pegged as the new girl, particularly as far as boys were concerned.
“Who’s the hottie?”
“I am!” Taylor pouted playfully.
“I know,” Todd laughed, kissing her forehead. “Who’s this hottie?” He pointed at me.
“This is Lily Sandover,” Becca introduced. “Lily this is Todd Douglas.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Lily’s new here,” Jill explained. “So be nice to her.”
“I’m always nice!” Todd defended with a smile. He turned to me. “Well, Lily, I guess I better introduce you to these weirdos over here.” He turned to the two boys behind him. “This is Devon,” he introduced the taller one. “And that’s Clark,” he jerked his thumb to the shorter boy.
Devon was very handsome and looked older than seventeen. He had dark brown hair and light green eyes. He was tall and well-built for his age and had a perfect smile. Clark, on the other hand, was small and feeble-looking with dark hair and eyes. He wore thick glasses and looked as nervous as I felt. He did not make eye contact with me, though I could feel his eyes looking me over whenever I turned away.
“C’mon, Clark!” Todd laughed
, grabbing the smaller boy’s shoulder and pulling him closer. “Be social! Say hello to the ladies.”
“Hello,” he mumbled.
“How are you doing, Clark?” Becca asked gently, smiling at the nervous teen.
“I-I’m alright, thank you, Becca. How are you?”
“I’m alright.”
“Do you wanna dance?” she asked, walking toward Clark.
“N-no, thank you,” he said quickly. “I actually…I need to go…”
“Aw, c’mon, one dance!” Becca insisted, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the floor as another song started. I watched them leave before turning to the rest of the group.
“Is he okay?”
“Clark? Oh, yeah, he’s fine,” Todd answered before kissing Taylor again.
“Clark is a Commish Kid,” Devon explained, his voice strong and very fitting to his disposition. I, admittedly, found myself interested in getting to know him better, which was a new feeling for me. “Most Commish Kids are like that around us common folk,” he teased.
“You’re friends with a Commish Kid?” I asked as he sat in Becca’s recently-vacated seat.
“He’s a good guy,” Devon said. “We’ve had honors classes together for years, so we ended up becoming friends. The guy was always alone in the back of the class. I just wanted to make sure he had a friend.”
“If he’s a Commish Kid, why is he down here? Shouldn’t he be up there?” I motioned to the balcony above.
“It’s a system they have worked out,” Jill explained. “The Commish Kids have rounds. A few will come down at a time and will circle the room to pick up gossip.”
“That’s creepy…”
“Yeah, but that’s the way it is.”
“Do you girls want anything?” Devon asked, standing. “I’ll get us some drinks.”
“I’d love an iced tea,” Jill chimed. Devon reached across the table, smacking Todd in the shoulder.
“Hey, will you stop eating her face for a second?” he groaned playfully. “Do you two want anything to drink?”
“No, thanks,” they both said before resuming their previous task.
“What about you, Lily?”
“I didn’t bring any money.”
“That’s okay,” Devon assured. “It’s free.”
“Just water, please.”
“Alright, I’ll be right back.” Devon walked to the bar and I could not help but watch him until he returned and set the glass in front of me and the tea in front of Jill, resuming his seat with his own iced tea.
“So, Lily, who do you have in Central?”
“My dad,” I answered. “He’s the Regulator for the Western Region.”
“Impressive, the biggest region.” He smiled. “What are you interested in? Do you want to do what your dad does?”
“Not really,” I admitted hesitantly.
“Yeah, I don’t blame you. I’m the same way,” Devon laughed. He turned to look at the dance floor and nodded to Becca and Clark. “That’s why I feel bad for Clark. He doesn’t have a choice even though he doesn’t want to be in the government.”
“What do you mean he doesn’t have a choice?”
“Well, once you’re in the Commission, that’s it,” Jill elaborated. “You don’t get out. Clark has it really tough. He grew up a Commish Kid. His mom is head advisor to Dana Christenson.”
“No way,” I hissed, my eyes shooting wide.
“Oh, yeah,” Taylor interjected. “Mr. Christenson already has his sights set on Clark to take over as advisor one day. At least, that’s what Clark’s mom says.”
“I thought they weren’t allowed to talk about what happens in the Commission,” I said.
“Not what goes on inside the Commission,” Todd agreed. “But they have to release information about who is taking over. And when you have someone like Dana Christenson saying that your kid has potential, wouldn’t you brag?”
“Man, it seems like the Commission runs everything…” I murmured, taking a sip of my water.
“No,” Jill corrected. “Leader Simon is technically the head of the Commission of the People and Mr. Christenson’s boss.”
Becca reappeared at the table as the song ended, smiling at Devon.
“You are in my seat!” she declared, playfully pushing him.
“That’s what happens when you leave it unattended,” he teased back.
“Fine!” She sat on his legs, wiggling her hips. “I hope my bony ass doesn’t hurt too much.” When he just shrugged, Becca picked up his drink, taking large gulps of iced tea with a smug glint in her eyes.
“Hey! Stop that, I just got it!” he laughed, trying to snatch the drink back. “You’re going to drink all of it!”
“That’s the idea!” Becca smiled triumphantly when she pulled the almost-empty glass away from her mouth.
“Thanks, Becca…” he groaned through his smile. “Would you like a refill?” he asked sarcastically.
“Yes, please!” she beamed. She got off of his lap as he grabbed the glass and walked back to the bar. When he was gone, Becca resumed her seat victoriously.
I looked around the club, my senses overwhelmed. I knew a few of the songs, though most I had never heard before. The noise reverberated in my chest and rattled my eardrums. The flashing lights made me dizzy, and while part of it was unpleasant, another part was thrilling and I found myself bobbing my head in time with the beat as if by instinct.
Devon’s return with the drinks brought my attention back to the table. He had brought another iced tea for Becca and one for himself, but when he saw that Becca had taken his seat, he pouted.
“Where am I supposed to sit?”
“You’re not,” Jill laughed. “Stand like a gentleman and let the ladies sit.”
“How about…” he turned to me, “I take you out to the dance floor, instead?”
“No.” I shook my head quickly, my heart racing in terror. “I don’t know how.”
“You don’t have to know anything fancy here,” he chuckled. “C’mon, it’ll be fun!”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my chair. I somewhat-willingly followed. Becca winked, giving me a thumbs-up when I glanced pitifully back at her.
Devon led me through the mass of people to the middle of the crowd, where he turned to me and began moving with the beat of the music. I bounced by bending my knees, but I was so nervous about dancing that it was the only movement I could manage.
“You need to relax,” he chuckled.
“I don’t know how to do this,” I said with a broken chuckle, looking at all the people around us.
“It’s easy,” he assured. “Just relax and feel the music.”
“I don’t know how…”
“No, you’re just nervous,” he corrected. “Just feel it and move however you want. There’s no skill to it and no one is watching.”
I took a deep breath and tried to relax, which was impossible. For one thing, I was way out of my element, and secondly, I did not want to screw up. The last thing I needed was to fall down and make a fool of myself. There were too many people around us and my clumsiness could end up with some people hurt—mostly me.
I bounced a little more, trying to rock my upper body as Devon moved with the crowd, naturally one with the ocean of dancing students.
“You are trying way too hard,” he laughed. “Okay, come here,” he motioned me closer. Nervously, I stepped forward.
Devon took a hold of my shoulders.
“Take a deep breath.”
I smiled awkwardly, but did so, feeling silly at having to be coached in how to relax.
“Good, now let it out.”
I found myself laughing and shaking my head.
“I’m sorry, I’m really no good at all this.”
The end of the song slowly meshed with the beginning of the next. The teens around me cheered and began dancing enthusiastically. A smile crept across Devon’s face.
“This is a good song. Turn around.”
“Just do it.”
I slowly turned, though I kept looking over my shoulder at him. When I was facing the other direction, Devon placed his hands on my arms, leaning to my ear.
“Close your eyes…” he whispered. I tried to suppress the shiver that ran down my spine, but it was something I could not control. My eyes slid shut, my attention focused on three things—his hands on my arms, his voice in my ear, and the beat that resonated through my chest.
“Do you feel it?” he asked. One of his hands moved and rested on the skin just below my collarbone. I jumped, startled, but his hand did not move. “Just relax,” he whispered. “Close your eyes again.”
I obeyed.
“Good. Do you feel the music here?” he asked. “Feel the beat rattle your chest?”
I nodded.
“Do you feel it here?” His hand move to my abdomen, resting against my exposed stomach. I nodded again with a smile, managing to keep my eyes closed. “Very good.” Both of his hands rested just above my hipbones. “Keep your eyes closed and move with the music.”
My body began to sway, my hips acting of their own accord. I felt Devon’s hands on my skin, felt his presence behind me, and smiled, moving, my eyes never opening.
“That’s it.”
I continued to dance, his hands never leaving my hips, his mouth always close to my ear. Before I knew it, I was dancing easily, feeling less self-conscious and allowing the beat to move me.
But I was not dancing only to the feel of the music, I was dancing to Devon. He was moving behind me, keeping me in rhythm. I knew I was smiling and that I must have looked ridiculous with my eyes closed and a huge grin on my face, but in those minutes, I did not care.
The song ended too soon. The next song started and I took a deep breath, finally opening my eyes to the dancing teenagers and flashing lights, turning to Devon, who was also smiling.
“I told you you could do it.”
“Thank you.”
“You need to loosen up more.”
“Yeah, I’ll work on that.”
Before I could help myself, I hugged Devon, feeling his arms wrap around my waist.
“Thanks,” I whispered sincerely.
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