AUTHORS NOTE: A million thank yous to everyone who reviewed; it means a ton to me. Special thanks to Zer0 Touma for pointing out a few of the errors in my previous chapters and coaxed me into editing them more carefully. This is an interesting write for me, because I'm able to draw lots from my experiences as a DDRer, then stretch the hell out of them. It's fun, and if you guys like it, even better. I still don't own Dance Dance Revolution or any of the songs/lyrics, though I might like to. Hope ya'll like it. (K)

Chapitre 2


 I was kicking a rock down the street towards my subdivision, when the rhythm of quick footsteps reached my ears. I stopped walking, but there was no need to turn around. Hands landed on my shoulders.

"What's up, Kris?"

She skipped out around me, walking backwards. "The question is what's up, Lani? It's Thursday, and yet it seems you've gotten off the bus at the wrong stop. What, no arcade today?"

I shrugged. I usually met Kris and Carter at the arcade on Thursdays after school for DDR and karaoke (I'd never been huge into karaoke, but Kris loved it). The bus we took home from school everyday also had a stop half a block away from our favorite arcade, so it was a pretty good deal for us. School was painful, but Thursdays weren't so bad.

Today I just didn't really feel like it.

"One of those days, eh?" She smiled a hesitant, lopsided smile. I continued kicking my rock.

"Think she'll be there?"

"God Kris, shut up about her!"

Darcy, Darcy, Darcy. It had been a week since we met her, but Kris talked about her constantly. Not in admiration, though that was only natural of a beginner like Kris, mostly just questions that I didn't know the answer to. Where did she come from? How long has she been playing? Do you think she has every song memorized? She didn't seem to be looking at the arrows at all when she played MaxX. Maybe she's a robot.

I wouldn't have minded so much if she were a robot. Geez, she'd humiliated me, even with my home-team advantage. As much as I tried not to think about her, Darcy irked me, big time. I prayed never to run into her again, and so far I'd been lucky – but then again, I'd only been out to the arcade twice since that day.

Come to think of it, I hadn't heard from Carter since that day either. He and I did go to the same school, and usually I ran into him all the time. It was like he was MIA.

Kris had been silent since my outburst, so I used this as an opportunity to start up conversation again. "I wonder what Carter's been up to lately."

"I haven't heard from him. You think he'll be there today?"

I shook my head. "I doubt it. He wasn't in any of his classes. Maybe he's sick or something." I hoped. I found it hard to believe that Carter could still be able to DDR after the events a week ago. Sure, he didn't get hit with embarrassment quite as badly as I had, but normally after something like this – or even something less serious than this – Carter would take a break from arrows for awhile, before I coaxed him back to the arcade.

Kris smirked. "Or what if –"

"Shut up!"

So she'd been thinking what I had. Chances were, Carter was at the arcade that very minute, in the middle of a very serious training session à la Darcy. That was just like him.

We'd reached my house and made our way up the vacant driveway. Guess Mom was out again. I fumbled with the lock on the front door and swung it open, bracing the screen door and stepping gingerly inside. Kris stood on the outside porch, firmly planted.

"What? You're not coming in?"

"I haven't been invited in."

"Shut up, Kris. Just come inside."

She obeyed, sliding her tote bag off her shoulder. "You know you always have to invite a vampire inside," she mumbled. I paid little attention to her; it was the same routine whenever she came over.

I could hear the PS2 on, music drifting down the stairs from my room. I bolted up the stairs. "You kids better not be screwing around with my…"

I came to the doorway of my room, where my two younger brothers were sprawled across my bed, eyes glued to the screen. I studied the patterns; Hysteria, trick – Zach, the older, must've had shuffle on. They were both doing reasonably well, though Matt seemed to be struggling without vivid arrows to follow.

"Why the hell are you guys playing Konamix?" My voice cost Matt a pair of goods, and he swore.

"All the PS2 versions are out on loan," Zach answered. Kris came up behind me, leaning out from around me to catch sight of their scores.

"On loan? Why are you loaning out my games again? Who?"

"Carter still has Extreme and Max2. I lent Max1 to this Vietnamese guy in my class who never heard of DDR."

"Whatever." I snuck in front of the TV to grab a pillbox container, earning a couple more swears from Matt. Ruffling his hair, I left the room, Kris following close behind.

"You better get my Max1 back before Monday!" I shouted to Zach from the hallway.

I heard the game audience cheer, indicating the end of the song. "You never would've noticed if I hadn't told you!" Zach shouted back at me.

I hopped down the first stair, back toward the landing. Kris had her hands on my shoulders, conga line-style. "It's not like you even play Max1 anymore, Lan," she pointed out, hopping down behind me. I kicked her in the knee, and she winced.

I stuffed my feet into my sneakers, not bothering to untie them. My hand twisted the doorknob open, and I looked over my shoulder for Kris.

"So what, we're going now?" she asked, not yet down the last two steps.

"Of course we are."

"You got tokens?"

I shook the pillbox container in my hand. It jingled with clinks. "Of course I do."

"Fine. Your treat then." I stuck out my tongue at her; she returned the compliment. "And I'm not dropping everything to go cry with you if your lover boy is there with the Red-Haired Dancing Queen."

"I don't expect you to." I held the screen door back for her as she stepped out, so it wouldn't slap her.

I tried my best to sound confident. Carter wasn't going to be there. Lover boy or not, he had more respect for me than that.

And even if he was there, it was a fifteen minute walk to the arcade. He'd have plenty of time to finish and get out of there before we arrived. I hoped.

Kris' legs are shorter than mine, and I could hear her breathing hard to keep up with my pace, which was fast, even for my long strides. Good girl – no complaints; she was learning. I had a habit of thinking of Kris as an apprentice rather than a best friend. I broke into an easy jog, then speeding slightly.

An exasperated whine resounded throughout the air. So much for not complaining.

"Lani! What the hell! It's not like we're under any…time constraints, here!" Alright, the girl could jump over her own head, no problem. I'd seen her tumble back and forth for hours with a pop can in her hand, never spilling a drop. And I was never much of a runner; yet she was huffing and puffing to keep up with me. Go figure.

Well what if we are?

She caught up to me at the last traffic light, at the intersection right in front of the arcade. By then we were both out of breath – warmed up, was the way I thought of it. Kris slapped me on the back.

"Thanks a lot, buddy. You know severe stomach cramps is exactly what I need before an afternoon of DDRing with you." I ignored her and speed-walked down the crosswalk, inching towards the arcade, now only a parking lot away.

"Lani." My walk became a run.

"Lani!"

I jumped up the step to the huge glass doors, heaving them open with all the weight of my weak, pink tee shirt-adorned body.

Kris' yell reached my ears just as I stepped inside. "He's not in there!"

My head was a swirl of flashing red-yellow-blue lights, going off like firecrackers in the black-lit darkness of the arcade. I spun on my heels, past the prize counter, past a row of high roller coin action games, to where the Extreme machine belched the closing notes of Can't Stop Falling In Love Speed Mix.

I heard the cheering of the game audience, and loud, obnoxious whoops of joy from within the arcade. Two of them; one that had been burned into my memory for the last year.

There were Carter and Darcy, hugging each other and jumping up and down wildly, for he had SDG'd. She was no longer red-haired, but had twin braids of jet black streaming from the back of her head. Not unlike my own.

An almost-breeze swept past me as Kris came to a skidding stop beside me. "Oh shit…Six greats. Are you kidding me? The old Carter could never…" The words died in the air.

"Oh shit," Kris repeated. "Lani…" She placed a hand on my back and turned me around. "Hey, you know what? I changed my mind about wanting to stay here. Let's go home. You wanna go home now, Lan?"

I turned sharply around, away from her. "Of course not," I said bitterly.

And with that, I ripped the elastics from my hair, letting my naturally black locks swim loose.