by C. C. Ekeke
Hugo shook with laughter. “Grace gets that a lot,” he remarked, taking the front passenger’s seat.
The car buzzed with anticipation as they neared school. In the backseats, Grace and Presley were becoming fast friends.
“Soooo. Are you guys a casual good time?” Grace probed with zero subtlety. “Or a new serious?”
Hugo stiffened, uncomfortable with her questioning. “Grace—”
“Hugo and I are fucking,” Presley admitted lazily. “He’s a serious good time.”
Hugo’s cheeks warmed. He ignored Simon’s smirking ridicule.
Grace gaped then nodded at the rearview mirror. “This one’s a keeper,” she said with her usual panache.
Burnt red painted the skies once the foursome reached Paso High. Fall Fling posters decorated the halls on the way to the admission desk to show tickets. A hip-hop track thudded within the auditorium, like some monstrous heartbeat.
A collage of blue, purple, and red lights flashed above an auditorium packed with grooving freshmen and sophomores. Tables and bleachers filled the opposing wall for those not dancing.
Hugo spied several teachers around the auditorium, keeping watch.
“Welcome to Paso Robles High,” he declared with sweeping hand motions. “Home to the Bearcats!”
Presley scanned the area with a smirk. “I could do some serious damage here.”
Hugo gulped, unsure if that worried or aroused him.
“I like how Presley thinks,” Grace cooed. “Simon, about switching dates—”
“Hush, woman!” Simon snapped.
Familiar chuckles through the crowd grabbed Hugo’s attention. Raphael and Brent lumbered up with high-fives and hugs. One whiff might’ve given Hugo a contact high if weed still affected him. He introduced Raphael and Brent to Presley, both excited to meet her.
“Already got my GED,” Presley lied when asked where she attended. Nice…
“Flying high tonight, boys?” Grace remarked.
“Like a kite.” Brent chuckled, slapping an unamused Simon’s back.
“No bragging if you aren’t sharing,” the Korean boy griped.
Raphael pulled Hugo aside. “Don’t hate me for bouncing occasionally to be with my date.”
Hugo frowned in surprise. “Why?” His eyes followed where Raphael pointed. “Oh geez.”
The Sinister Six congregated in the dancefloor epicenter. Brie looked extra glamorous in her leggy and clingy sky-blue tube dress, sipping an undoubtedly alcoholic beverage. Her sleek auburn locks, slung high and half-up, whipped about with fist-sized hoop earrings as she danced about sloppily.
Jordana moved like a girl possessed, rattling her trunk, body looking insane. With her hair in tight double buns, Jodie’s red-checked blazer over a matching crop top and miniskirt barely contained her voluptuous curves. Spencer, J-Tom, Natalie, and Lia were all glammed up and grooving around the duo—pausing to snap kissy-face selfies. The girls were grabbing glances from countless boys like storefront displays.
“Good luck,” Hugo told Raphael, wincing.
Across the auditorium, Baz Martinez sat on the bleachers, the collar of his polo popped. Socializing only with his basketball lackeys, he watched Brie with creepy possessiveness.
“Jordana’s my date!” Brent sounded like a lottery winner. “Can you believe it?”
Hugo really couldn’t. He liked Brent. But watching Jordana shaking those hips so sensually, Hugo knew she was too much woman for Brent. All that chocolate would make him diabetic, he marveled.
Jordana spotted Hugo and waved. He smiled, nodding back. She considered Presley with questioning eyes.
Hugo nodded again, taking Presley’s hand.
The confirmation visibly upset Jodie. But her displeasure was brief, replaced by sincere happiness and two thumbs-up. That touched Hugo more than expected.
Unfortunately, Briseis noticed. “Seriously?!” She reared up like a cobra, so loud that Hugo didn’t need superhearing. “He brought that anorexic freakshow skankbag?”
Hugo instinctively moved to shield Presley from the Sinister Six’s expected barrage of cruelty. What had he ever loved about that horrible girl?
Natalie drew first blood. “Who’s that? And did she do her makeup in the dark?”
“Is she a Continuation kid?” Lia mocked, eager to please Brie.
“Probably some bitch from Atascadero,” Spencer remarked as if Presley was diseased.
“She’s hot,” J-Tom praised, drawing glares. “In an Asian punk rock princess sorta way.” Her kindness remained rare among these vipers. But with friends like them, Hugo doubted if J-Tom was really so nice.
“She’s Hugo’s ‘girlfriend’,” Brie scoffed, overtly skeptical. “What dumpster did he dive in to find her?”
“If Hugo wanted something different,” Spencer sneered, “he could’ve just switched hands.”
The others sniggered. “Ewww, Spence!” Brie managed through cackles. “You’re so bad!”
“Why do you care?” Jordana questioned.
Brie stopped laughing. “I don’t!” she snapped, infuriated by the question.
Jordana made a rude noise. “Clearly.”
Barking laughter escaped Hugo’s mouth. Presley eyed him curiously. “What?”
He shook his head, grinning. “Nothing.” Hugo nodded at Grace and Simon. “Let’s dance.”
The quartet weaved through the packed auditorium, exchanging hellos with acquaintances. Upon reaching the dancefloor, sudden panic gripped Hugo amid so many gyrating students. One careless arm swing might break someone’s spine. Really bad idea...
But as Hugo focused on the gorgeous girl in his arms, he relaxed and flowed to the beat. Presley moved with her own sexy rhythm, pressing flesh with Hugo. Their hands wandered and fondled, Hugo getting drunk off her touch. He heard Presley’s heartbeat spike whenever she gazed up with come-hither eyes—wanting him. Under a sea of flashing strobe lights, the entire auditorium was grooving. Students became enslaved to the seductive synthpop, lost in the rapture.
Hugo glimpsed at Simon bouncing with his unique two-step. Grace…Goddamn. She could seduce a mannequin with her moves. Grace and Simon danced exuberantly, enjoying the hell out of each other. Hugo hoped they coupled up.
Presley quickly regained his attention, grinding on him with excessive gusto. Can tonight never end? Only when teachers made flustered squawks from the sidelines did Hugo and Presley tone down the dirty dancing.
“I’d watch ‘em fuck,” one student stated from across the auditorium, winning laughter from Hugo.
Not everyone was amused.
“All that slut needs is a pole,” Brie derided from her table. That and other insults drew titters from her lemmings.
Hugo smoldered, fighting the urge to march over and shut her up.
Jordana beat him to it. “Briseis. Enough!”
Brie looked stunned. The other girls gasped. “Relax, Jodie,” Brie chided patronizingly. “I’m joking.”
“Which stopped being funny ten minutes ago,” Jordana threw back. “Grow up!” She stormed off to join Brent on the dancefloor, leaving Brie and the other squad members slack-jawed.
For that defiance, Hugo truly loved Jordana.
“Need an AirBnB much?” someone exclaimed nearby. Hugo turned to see five newcomers surrounding them. The speaker was his same class year, a solemn-looking black boy with longish braids. So focused on Presley, Hugo hadn’t noticed their approach.
“Wale,” he stated, astonished. Months had passed since he’d spoken with any of his former dance crew.
Wale blushed. “Hey, man.”
Hugo exchanged a high-five/side hug with him, then the other four. John “JT” Torres, a burly kid with oily curls, grinned ear to ear. Ephraim Klein, aka Groban, a scrawny kid who could’ve been singer Josh Groban’s clone. The Stanley Twins Karin and Marin, slender with matching strawberry-blonde locks. Both simultaneously hugged Hugo long enough to make him somewhat emotional.
“A Fab P
henoms reunion!” Grace crowed, grasping Wale’s shoulders.
“Thought you stopped attending dances,” JT remarked.
“Well…” Hugo recovered and gestured to Presley. “I wanted to take my girlfriend.” Presley introduced herself to everyone, much to Hugo’s surreal amazement.
“I saw one of your dance videos!” Presley stated, shaking Groban’s hand.
Wale grew wary. “Did Hugo have cornrows?”
Presley eyed Hugo fiendishly. “Yup.”
The Fab Phenoms collectively groaned.
“The cornrows weren’t that bad,” Hugo protested.
“Justin and Britney in matching denim bad!” Karin and Marin refuted.
“Opinions,” Hugo grumbled.
“Speaking of dancing,” Presley said. “How about a Fab Phenoms performance?”
Hugo gulped. While glad to see old friends, asking them to help impress his girlfriend? But how could he deny Presley’s hopeful grin? “What do you guys think?”
Wale turned to the other Phenoms, who all looked enthusiastic. “We planned a performance tonight to promote our next competition. Something new.”
“Then an old one?” Hugo pressed, trying to not sound thirsty. “The Cambria Rec Center performance.”
Groban perked up. “That was fun!”
“You remember that?” Grace asked in disbelief.
“Like it was yesterday,” Hugo boasted. Maybe it was part of his powers, but he could remember things with near-perfect clarity. Craziness.
Everyone looked to Wale, the leader. “Alright!” he acquiesced. The group cheered, Presley especially.
Ten minutes later, Groban and Hugo cleared the middle of the dancefloor. Students gathered around the circle, curious or annoyed. Brie and her squad stood up front.
With Simon commandeering the DJ booth, a thunderous hip-hop beat dropped. Grace came sashaying from the left, flanked by the Stanleys. Wale stomp-danced from the right, flanked by JT and Groban. Hugo cringed and belly-laughed. Wale, the king of angry dancing. The two trios were having a dance-off, battling in sync for supremacy.
The crowd loved it, making serious noise. Then both groups merged into a six-person performance, dancing as one. Hugo watched in awe behind them, nervously awaiting his cue... The Phenoms were still so good, one fluid organism. Could Hugo still be part of that? I’m about to find out. Grace and Wale parted as Hugo swaggered up between them from behind. The audience looked baffled.
Everyone except Brie, who lit up and murmured to her friends.
Hugo shut out all doubts, loosening his tie. Wale stretched a knee and Grace stretched an arm. Another booming beat dropped, and the world fell away. Only the Phenoms, the dancing, and the music mattered. It was like Hugo had never left. Every movement, spin, side shuffle, hip shake, and leg switch-up flowed like water. Whenever Hugo danced backward or forward, synchronized with his crew, he almost felt…normal again. But you’re not.
Suddenly, the performance ended, followed by an eruption of applause. The only applause Hugo cared about was Presley’s.
The Fab Phenoms quickly swarmed Hugo, but Grace waved them off.
“You’re not done!” She got in Hugo’s face, blowing a gum bubble, hands raised in challenge.
Hugo tried acting serious, until Grace popped her bubble. “You’re on!” he accepted.
Simon selected another track from the DJ booth. Grace went first, her dance moves like another language. Hugo’s response was a hip-thrusting back step sequence bookmarked with a curt spin. Then Grace. Then Hugo. Back and forth. A ferocious dance-off. For each of Grace’s insane hip-hop combos, Hugo answered with an unorthodox freestyle rebuttal.
“I’m super baked,” Brent told Jordana, “But this is actually happening, right?”
“Yep,” she answered, glued to the dance-off.
“Just making sure,” Brent replied.
Back to Grace, holding her head and shimmying those sexy hips up-down, up and down, precise and rhythmic. Hugo was enthralled. Back to him, moonwalking sideways instead of backwards. Electricity jolted the crowd. Then Hugo glided sideways back to the same spot. He halted, beckoning a slack-jawed Grace with two fingers. She skated right up, and they grooved together until the song ended.
The ensuing ovation shook the auditorium.
Grace bearhugged him, all smiles. “Bogie!” She grabbed his cheeks. “You still got it times ten!”
“Yep!” Hugo gushed, relieved and exhilarated. He faced the roaring crowds with an exaggerated bow before straightening to salute them.
A sea of familiar faces cheered. Brent was fist-pumping, Raphael stating that was some “Top-tier dance shit.” Natalie and Jordana eyed each other, super-hormonal, fanning themselves suggestively below the waist. Hugo chuckled. Even Spencer, who despised him, seemed unable to insult the performance. And under flashing overhead lights, her dark eyes were hollow with lust.
Yikes. Hugo instantly looked away and locked eyes with Brie.
Except she appeared ecstatic, her smile radiating joy—for him. Brie’s affection locked Hugo in place, crackled through him.
The moment passed. Brie quickly averted her teary gaze before anyone else saw, reverting to her usual haughtiness. “Take a deep breath and put the pregnancy tests away, ladies,” she scolded her still-cheering friends.
Hugo was swept away by Simon grabbing his shoulders from behind, followed by the Fab Phenoms and Presley mobbing him. Brushing aside his daze, he basked in their praise.
“I blushed. A lot,” Presley admitted in his ear. “Thanks for the show, babe.”
“You gotta come back!” Groban pleaded.
“Please come back!” Grace chimed in. “Dance floors miss you!”
Even Wale’s stone face cracked. “You’re still great,” he admitted grudgingly.
The compliments warmed Hugo inside and out. He looked to Presley and the group, considering the offer. “Maybe part-time.” More applause and hugs. “See what you’ve done?” Hugo accused.
Presley smiled innocently, hands behind her back. “Who me?” She sashayed up with a passionate kiss that soon became a makeout session. Cheers thundered around them.
Hugo found himself in this weird headspace where everything was warm and happy. And this ache in his chest, he’d felt it since he and Presley first had sex. I love her.
Later, he slow-danced with Presley in a corner away from the dancefloor. He’d enjoyed the Fab Phenoms' love, but the dancefloor smells and sounds were giving him a headache.
He spotted Baz leave the auditorium, trailed by towering DeDamien and boulder-shaped TJ Kim.
“Imma get a smoke,” Presley announced and moved for the exit. “My place afterward?”
“Sure.” Hugo held on to her waist, not ready to release her. “Before that.” He looked into her eyes, woozy and joyous. “I owe you an answer to that job. And it’s yes.”
Presley gleefully bounced up and down. “I’m so happy!”
Hugo took her hand. “You make me really happy,” he admitted.
Presley gaped, and then became giggly. “Ten minutes!” She swayed, pulling away until their clasped fingers parted and fell.
Hugo then moved out into the dimly-lit hallway, sliding to a seat against the wall. He soaked in the memories and the music thudding on his bones, seeping through him. Hugo smiled, resting his head against the cool plastered wall.
Simon wandered out soon after. “Coming back in? The Phenoms are angling for another dance-off.”
Hugo laughed and shook his head. “I’m good. Just waiting for Presley before we leave.”
“Oh,” Simon said. His eyes widened in understanding. “OH!” He bumped fists with Hugo. “Kickass way to end the night.”
“Agreed.” Hugo laughed. “How are things with G-Mama?”
Simon smiled. “Awesome. I’ll stay as long as she wants.”
“Good dance. Great friends,” Hugo mused. “Amazing girlfriends. Life’s pretty sweet.”
“Very!” Simon agreed. “We�
��ll talk tomorrow.” He headed back inside.
Hugo savored the sounds and laughs from inside the auditorium. The doors swung open again.
Out stumbled Briseis, drunker than before, pushing auburn sheets from her face. “Maybe J-Tom and Spence are out here—” She froze.
Hugo stared back, not feeling his insides clench.
Brie swiftly pivoted. “Shit!” The ragged pain in her reaction illustrated her emotional state clearly.
“Briseis,” Hugo called out before he could catch himself.
Brie turned slowly. She glanced around the hall in exaggerated bewilderment. “Oh, so I exist?” Brie’s slurred words dripped with sarcasm. “I knew something felt off today.”
Hugo closed his eyes briefly. “I kinda deserved that,” he admitted.
Brie squinted in surprise, bracing for an attack. But Hugo wasn't interested in negativity tonight.
“Sorry,” Briseis sighed, the fight draining from her shoulders.
“Me too.” Hugo hadn’t planned on saying that, or even speaking to Brie. But the weight those words lifted off him felt beyond relieving.
Brie approached with hesitant steps, as if afraid of getting bitten. “Didn’t know you’re dancing again,” she said huskily.
Hugo shrugged, savoring tonight’s memories. “I didn’t either.”
“Those moves were sick after a year off, Bogie.” A flawless smile split Brie's beautiful face. “You’re so talented, it’s disgusting.”
For the first time in ages, Hugo marveled at her. “Thanks.” A curt acknowledgement. Nothing more. Months ago, his world had revolved around Brie. Like an addict. Hugo refused to welcome that mindset in again. “Why did you come by?” he asked bluntly.
Brie’s smile curdled. She parked beside him. A mix of heady fragrance and alcohol wafted off her body. She started, stopped, then restarted, staring ahead with haunted eyes. “My parents separated.”
Hugo wasn’t expecting that. “Why now?” Even Brie’s squad wasn’t as well-versed in her family history as Hugo, to his chagrin. Brie’s parents had stayed married out of convenience, tolerating each other for years. “Weren’t they comfortably miserable?”
Brie sighed. “Something happened.” She gave Hugo a pointed stare, her green eyes bewitching. “With Ramses.”