~ Hey guys, for this chapter look up "Fake I. D" and the video should be from Footloose. I realize how confusing this must be, and I'll give some hints on where to look if it helps. :) ~
By the end of second period, the practice and workout from Roxas' practice this morning started to kick in. He soon became very sore and extremely tired. By the end of fourth period, his espresso buzz from that morning's venti latte had long since worn off.
Roxas yawned, fast approaching crash-and-burn territory and shifted in his seat as Professor Vexen droned on and on about the chemical properties of the Noble gases. He traced and retraced the looping spiral designs he'd all but ground into the front of his blue notebook.
He sneaked a peek of his partner next to him, and he's already lost in another world of Playboy Magazine. Roxas snarled and rolled his eyes, annoyed. The chemistry room had large tables lined in rows in place of individual desks, and pairs of students were put together, and in turn, whoever you sat with was your partner.
Roxas' partner was anything but helpful, or smart for that matter. While Roxas hates stereotyping people, his partner was your typical jarhead jock. He rarely paid attention in class, he always had whispered conversations with one of his many friends in the class. And most of all, he smuggled dirty magazines into class whenever he was bored.
He tried to let Roxas see, so they'd have something in common to talk about, but even if it seemed he was being a kiss-up, he didn't like those things. He thought that it just objectified women.
Another reason why so many girls found him attractive.
Don't get him wrong, the boy was nice, and overall had a great personality, but those were rarely seen, like only on the full moon nights.
"And with that," Professor Vexen said, finally snapping closed his ultra-thick teacher's copy of their text, cueing the rest f the class to follow suit with a unanimous thunk, "we'll leap into further discussion about the nonmetal gases tomorrow."
Roxas straightened in his seat, brushed a few strands of blond bangs out of his eyes, and shut his own notebook with relish.
"But hold on, hold on," he said above the rustling and scraping of chairs. He raised both hands and lowered them through the air, as if such a motion somehow held the power to still the room and reinstate the stupor he'd managed to cast over all.
Kids jonesing for lunch and already halfway out of their seats sank back down again, their butts reconnecting with their chairs like magnets snapping together. All around backpacks slipped from shoulders and chins returned to hands.
They should've known better, Roxas thought wryly. Vexen never let them out early. Never.
"Just a reminder about the Quiz on all of this is on Friday. We'll learn the rest of the unit tomorrow and we'll review Thursday. This will count for twenty-five points, and I'm still debating on even having re-takes." He called, licking a finger and leafing through the first few. Then, rewetting his fingertips, he sent out the next stack, and the next.
Groans arose from key points around the room, Roxas' own buried in the back of his throat. Roxas blanched as he watched the papers make their way toward him, and he hoped he'd be lucky enough to snag one relatively free of Vexen saliva.
Roxas quickly flipped through the entire four-paged packet. There was a vocabulary matching sheet on the front and for half the next, and then there were simple questions, and finally four short-answer questions. Roxas sighs in annoyance.
Even if he had good grades, he despised short-answer questions; and they counted for the most points. Roxas looked up as Vexen picked up a packet of his own and explained it to the class and how it would look on the quiz for the rest of the period.
Once the bell rang, students practically ejected from their seats to exit into the hall. Roxas lazily gathered his binder and notebook and sauntered his way over to the door and into the hall. He thanked god he had lunch next period, he just literally wanted to collapse.
His lunch try in hand, Roxas managed to snag the last piece of chocolate cake and made his way to his friends usually spot, a table near the long wall of big windows overlooking the courtyard.
Sora was chowing down on a sandwich while Riku calmly and quietly chewed on a burger. Kairi was poking at her salad while Namine bit into her cheese pizza while Olette was talking. Hayner and Sora were in an apparent deep conversation about something and Pence was simply looking through his ipod.
Sometimes during the week, the staff let the school's radio station play during lunch periods. Most of the music wasn't good since the popular songs nowadays weren't the appropriate for school. Right now, a simply 9o's song played over the speakers, the weak bass thumping and vibrating the floor.
Sora was the first to notice Roxas and he waved him over. Roxas took his place next to Pence and Pence looked up and shut off his ipod. Obviously he wanted someone to talk to. Roxas decided to open up his fruit cup first.
"So Roxas," Hayner started. "Heard you got into a bit of a scruff with Seifer." He said with an amused grin.
"What?" Namine said in shock, and Roxas only smiled in return. "What happened?"
Roxas finished drinking the juice in the cup before answering. "I was just getting my stuff and then Seifer just came over and just started annoying me."
"Well, don't look now, but I think he's about to do it again." Sora said as he finished his sandwich. Then he pointed a shy finger behind Roxas' shoulder.
Roxas wiped his mouth with his napkin and pushed out his chair and got up just as Seifer had walked up.
"Well, chicken wuss, nice to see you know what's coming." Seifer said as he placed a fist on his hip.
"I know what's coming, and it's five feet tall and smells like cheap cologne." Roxas snapped.
Sefier's face turned into an immediate scowl and as he reached for Roxas' collar again Roxas' had him as he brought his fists to a ninety degree angle and blocked Seifer's oncoming fingers. Then he whips them to the side, swiping Seifer's hands away.
"Not today." Roxas said.
"Roxas . . ." Namine said hesitantly.
Roxas doesn't looks to her, instead he stares down Seifer and fists his hands for control.
"What you think you're all bad that you can dance?" Seifer taunts.
"I know that I can kick your ass with style." Roxas retorts.
By now the cafeteria has reduced to hushed conversations and murmurs. Eyes stare at them with intensity and eagerness.
"Demo." Fuu suddenly says.
Sefier turns to her and then back to Roxas in two quick motions. And suddenly his face curled into a smirk.
"Yeah." He said. "Show us what you've got, Chicken Wuss. Let's see those moves."
As he spoke, he lifted a level hand and hardly poked at Roxas in the chest. Roxas' heartbeat thumped in his ears as he tried to fight back the anger.
"What'll that prove?" Roxas asks.
"I just want to see everyone 'boo' you off and watch your humiliation." Seifer spits to him.
"Roxas you don't have to do this." Riku interrogated.
"Like I'd ever give him the satisfaction." Roxas growled.
"Then let's see it." Seifer provokes.
Roxas looks around the cafeteria and manages to find a few people he recognized from dance class. They're looking to him, waiting for him to do something. He looks to them and raises his eyebrows, as if telepathically asking them for help. One girl, a beautiful ginger, her eyes flick to Seifer then to Roxas; and she answers with an inexplicable nod of her head.
Roxas looks back to Seifer and smiles. "Very well then, challenge accepted."
He then pushes Seifer aside and walks down the three step stairs to the floor level and walks up to the Dj for today's music. It was a hipster boy, wearing a gray v-neck under a red, black and green plaid shirt. Black skinny jeans covered his legs and finished with a pair of Vans and a mahogany-colored beanie. He leans over and whispers in the boy's ear and the boy smiles.
The boy then grabs the microphone resting near the control panel and flips the switch. His voice booms across the cafeteria, getting everyone who wasn't already paying attention to look over.
"All right everybody!" he started, his voice loud and yet smooth when he spoke. "We just got an amazing request by one of our own and not only that, but he's planning on dancing along. All are free to join if you feel the rhythm. And believe me, you will."
The music that was playing stopped abruptly, and another, quick, banjo tone took its place. He then turns a thin gray knob on the panel and Roxas' requested song comes on. The ultimate in country swag.
"I give you, 'Fake I. D'!" the guy said.
Roxas made his way to the middle of the open floor as the music began to pick up. students on the upper level got out of their chairs and shifted to the front to get a better view.
Roxas let the music flow before he initiated his first foot stomp. He imagined himself back at the dude ranch he and his family went to on a vacation. In the karaoke club, which seemed more like a modern day club than country, had thumping music and a killer live band.
Cowboy boots were stomping against the wood floor, and long hair was flipping in all directions as the women turned in time with the rest of the group. Men with cowboy hats were waving them in the air as they turned and stomped. They were whooping and cheering in time with the music.
A girl with blonde beach waves, dressed in a plaid crop top and denim shorts, came over in her cowgirl boots and just took Roxas' hand; as if his parents weren't even there. She seemed nice enough and it looked as if she was just trying to get people out on the floor.
She placed Roxas in the middle of the floor and Roxas did as she said, following her footsteps slowly, and he thanked god that dancing taught him a thing or two about picking up dance moves at a fast pace, otherwise, he'd be screwed.
The music picked up, echoing around the cafeteria. Before he started, Roxas bolted up the steps and snatched the ginger-haired girl before the dance officially started. She smiled and let down her hair which was in a tight ponytail.
She found herself smiling and laughing along with Roxas as they danced [0:43]. He smiled at the she moved easily with the beat.
People, including Seifer and his gang watch as they danced in perfect sync. The music thumped and after the chorus, she quickly ran up and grabbed one of her friends. They were hesitant, but she just pulled them along and they joined in.
After a few wrong turns and clapping at the wrong time, they finally got the hang of it, and everyone soon started dancing around Roxas, and he saw several more people join in with the step.
The cafeteria was soon laughing and clapping to the beat and cheering Roxas on. Sefier clearly did not intend for this to happen. And Roxas rubbed it in his face with every smile, clap and turn. Roxas took the ginger's hand and the two danced together in a circle that formed naturally.
One of the ginger's friend stepped in and Roxas just spun her into him and laughed with joy. Roxas made his way around the circle, body rolling and clicking his heels as the music went on. The music itself giving him an adrenaline rush.
As he lost himself in the music, the Dj pointed at him sending an invisible spotlight on Roxas. The ginger wound up in the middle seconds later, completely oblivious to Roxas. Just flipping her hair side to side in time with the music. Thank god they at least knew each other or this would've been awkward, and it gave them something to talk about at practice tonight.
Roxas made his way over to her and slid his hand along her hip and the kids 'woo'd. As the chorus repeated, the girl nabbed his shirt and just started body rolling. Girls and guys went wild and Roxas and the girl laughed.
Dancers had to pretend to have chemistry all the time when performing, and this was no different, just a lot more fun in front of hormonal students.
Their noses touched and she wrapped her arms around his neck. As she swayed her hips, Roxas lowered down until he was eye-level with her midriff. She swayed her hips and he made his way back up and at the hit of the drums, they broke crazy and danced for the rest of the song.
The minute the guitar struck the last chord, everyone cheered, and almost the entire cafeteria students had joined in the dance and were applaud the Dj and were smiling and laughing. Roxas looked to Seifer and only got a quick glance at his defeated face as the ginger-haired girl came up and hugged him.
Roxas turned his attention to her, not even giving Seifer another glance. But he knew how much Seifer was feeling defeated after what had happened.
Don't pick battles you can't win, Roxas thought to himself.
The girl's name was Autumn and he thanked her so much for helping him out with the dancing. She said it wasn't a big deal, and she mentioned how funny the look on Sefier's face was when he saw Roxas grind along her body. Roxas laughed as the bell rang, ending the lunch.
He went back up to the upper level and retrieved his books and remains of his uneaten lunch.
"Wow." Sora said, and Roxas looked to him. "That was totally wicked!" he said.
Everyone laughed and followed Roxas out through the double doors. Several students swarmed around him and asked him all kinds of questions and followed him like his own little paparazzi.
The rest of the day went by in a whirl as he prepped for dance practice tonight. He pulled into the parking lot of the studio and grabbed his bag from the backseat. He walks in and finds Charlotte instantly. He drops his bag by her by the window and tells her all about what happened at school. He manages to find Autumn and the two explain everything to her.
As their talking, the door to the studio gets pulled open and in walks . . . him.
Roxas froze as he made his way over to Coach Katie's desk. He was still wearing the same gray sweatpants and a white loose tank top. The black jacket slung over the strap of his gym bag and the adidas sneakers squeaking across the tile floor.
Several of the girls in the class, including Charlotte turned a 180 to get a look at him.
"Hello students." He said as he tosses his gym bag aside. It slid across the tile and landed just at the leg of the desk. And clapped his hands together.
"All right guys, I'm your new teacher for the day, and the next few weeks. My name is Axel,"
He looks up to Roxas and Roxas can feel his cheeks flare.
"Well hello again." He said with a cheeky smile.
"Uh, hey." Roxas replied. "So y-your our new instructor?"
Axel nodded.
"W-what happened to Katie?" he asks.
"Who cares?" Charlotte interjects, and Roxas elbows her while there's hushed giggling among the girls of the class.
Axel does a small chuckle himself as he shifts on his feet. He then claps his hands together and rubs them as if he's applying lotion to them. "All right, well Coach Katie, from what I was told, had to deal with some personal issues and won't have the time to coach for a while."
"Is she okay?" some male dancer asks from the back.
"You'll have to ask yourself." Axel said, then took a glance at the blonde boy and smiled. "Oh and Roxas,"
Roxas' head jerks up. Cheeks flaring as red as a beet as all eyes burned stares at him.
"She wanted me to tell to call her about babysitting Danny tonight." He said.
Roxas relaxed at the mention of babysitting Danny tonight. The focus on hi dwindling as Axel prepped the music in the equipment.
Several familiar songs played through the speakers before he found the right one. He then paused it, grabbed the remote and made his way back up to the front of the studio. The reflection of everyone readying themselves behind him initiated.
Roxas tried to control his flaming cheeks as Axel was only a mere foot in front of him and a couple feet to his right. He tried to calm down knowing his evidence would be seen in the reflection of the mirrors.
Tossing the remote from the left hand to his right, he clicked the play button. The introduction to the music blared through the speakers. "Like a G6" came on and memory of the steps flooded into his mind and Roxas made his focus on doing the dance, which seemed to help calm his nerves.
"All right everyone!" Axel shouted. "Five, six, seven, eight!"
He felt a slight flash of nostalgia as he remembered that this was one of the first dances Coach Katie taught them. Looking back at it now, it was the most basic dance they learned and back when he was first learning it, he thought it was impossible.
It came as a surprise to Roxas as Axel followed along with the moves perfectly. Roxas had expected him to just run off a list of dances as a way to keep everyone busy, but he followed along as if he'd been in the class the entire time, teaching it even.
The dance was over too quickly and only a few people had broken a sweat. So Axel went through some of the older dances just like that one and soon everyone had themselves a workout.
It wasn't until they had gotten to "Hey Daddy" by Usher that Axel stopped for a moment.
"Hey Roxas," he said.
"Yeah?" he replies. Thanking god his cheeks were already red from the dancing and heat in the studio.
"Come on up front here with me for a moment, everyone else stand to the side." He said.
Roxas' turned to look at Charlotte, who seemed just as bewildered as him. She only shrugged her shoulders and just urged him on while mouthing, 'Go on.' Roxas cleared his throat as he went to join Axel in the middle of the now complete open floor.
Axel looked to the left and cued a girl working the music to cue the song. Roxas closed his eyes, and took a deep breath as Usher's vocals echoed in the room. {0:29} There were several 'hoots' from the other dancers watching.
Roxas tried to be oblivious to the reflection of Axel in the mirror and just tried to watch himself. And he could do it to, if he didn't have a problem looking at himself. One of his mysterious issues, he could never look at himself directly into the mirror when dancing. Something about watching himself made him nervous and he messed up the moves every time.
He would always watch Coach Katie, but she's not here, and he couldn't bear to look at Axel for some reason. So he just looked at an open space above the mirror and went through the dance.
But it didn't stop when the music did.
After that, Axel went through "Me & You" by Cassie, then Usher's "DJ got Us Falling in Love Again". All of which Roxas nailed, but he still didn't understand why he was doing this. In all honesty, he hated the attention. He liked to dance with a group of people and do freestyle when it was required.
Axel would have other specific, dancers come out and join the floor, but Roxas still didn't know what exactly Axel was getting at.
When the clock finally rang eight o'clock, Roxas and Axel had just finished "Judas" by Lady Gaga. And Roxas has been the most out of breath than he had ever before in the class.
"All right everyone. That's it. See you all tomorrow." Axel said and he waved off the class with a smile.
Everyone grabbed their bags and as Roxas gratefully took a water bottle from Charlotte, he grabbed his bag and was about to head out the door when Axel called him. Roxas turned and saw him just toss the remote onto Coach Katie's desk.
"Stay behind for a minute?" he asks as he leans on the desk.
Roxas turns to Charlotte and asks. "Uh, Charlotte, why don't you do on ahead. I'll catch up later."
"Are you gonna be okay?" she asks.
Roxas' eyes flick to the side and back to her, and he says, "Yeah."
With that, Charlotte nods, peeks around him to look at Axel and walks off waving. Roxas turns to Axel, still sitting patiently on the desk and saunters over, not even dropping his bag; hoping Axel will get the message that he doesn't plan on staying long.
Axel's quiet, and after moments of Roxas waiting for him to say something, Roxas finally shatters the silence between them.
"Haven't you slaughtered me enough today?" Roxas asks with a smile. Releasing a long breathe for emphasis.
"I'm sorry about that. Didn't mean to kill you. Frankly I thought you were handling it well." Axel retorts.
"What was that about today?" he asks, trying not to sound to accusing.
"An evaluation." Axel simply answers.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm doing an evaluation for dancers and I wanted to see what you were made of." Axel says.
"Evaluation?" Roxas asks, the word bouncing around inside his skull.
"Yeah. I'm looking for dancers for a play my friend's producing and he needed some extra, young folks who can move." Axel explains, making jazz hands around the word "young".
He pushes himself off the desk and walks around the side to fetch his bag.
"So," Roxas starts, shifting his feet. "You think I'm good?" he asks a little shy.
Axel slings the bag over his shoulder, "Oh you're amazing, but my reviews aren't due until the end of the week, so nothing's official. But I am willing to consider you." he says with a smile.
Roxas blushes as he follows Axel out. Axel let Roxas leave first before he shuts the door. Roxas could've kept walking and leave with a simple 'Goodbye' but instead he stayed and waited as Axel locked up the studio. Then the two walked down the hall together.
"So what's the play about?" Roxas asks.
"Uh, I'm not really sure. Something about a camping trip gone wrong." Axel says.
"Gone wrong?"
"They end up being transformed into squirrels, I don't know."
Roxas laughs as they walk through the first double doors leading to the parking lot.
"No offense to your friend, but that doesn't sound too creative."
"I know, that's what I said, but he said you need to really read it to experience it's 'greatness'." Axel says putting air quotes around greatness.
"And he doesn't think that giving you a copy will help?" Roxas asks.
"Yeah sometimes I wonder if he really has the brain of a human, or a monkey." Axel jokes. "But I do know one thing, and it's that he as the attention span of a squirrel."
Roxas laughs as they walked through another set of double doors, walk down three steps and push through the final doors to enter the parking lot. Roxas' car was parked on the far left of them and he looked as Axel said goodbye and walked over to his own car.
Roxas' mouth dropped when he saw Axel walk by it. A black Ford GT with a racing stripe down the middle. The headlights flickered and the car beeped as Axel opened the back door and tossed his bag in the back seat. He looked up and waved one final time to Roxas before getting in the car.
Roxas weakly waved back and made his slow trek to his own car. He got in, placing his gym bag in the passenger seat and started the engine, but didn't take off yet. He still watched as the GT smoothly flowed out of its parking space and exited the lot.
The engine to Roxas' mustang purred as he pulled on his seat belt and exited after it. When he got home, he dropped his bag in the foyer and called out for his mom.
"I'm in here honey!" she replied. And her tone was overly excited.
What now? Roxas asks himself as he enters the kitchen.
His mom was at the stove stirring a pot of spaghetti, Roxas' favorite dinner, struggling to hide a smile.
Roxas asks. "What's going on?"
"There's something in the mail for you." Is all she says, motioning her head to the table.
A single envelope saw lying on the table, right next to an old newspaper from last week. Roxas looks to his mom and she only smiles more. He smiles in return knowing something good happened.
And then it hit him.
He quickly glances at his mom before speed walking over to the table and picking up the envelope. In the upper right corner, it says, 6838 Rose Choreography Studio, Twilight Town.
Oh god.
It's here.
But he only sent his application a week ago.
He turns to his mom. "It's here?"
She nods and jumps with excitement. "Open it!"
She moves away from the stove, wipes her hands on her floral patterned apron and stands behind Roxas. Thankfully giving him room instead of breathing down his back.
Roxas breathes. He slides his finger under the seam of the envelope and rips it open slowly. He peeks inside. Only one sheet of paper.
Roxas' heart sink, but he pushes through.
"Well?" his mom goes.
Roxas scans the first sentence of the letter while turning to face his mom.
"I got in!"