Up Jump the Boogie – Five Things that Never happened at a Party in Neptune III
"Don't worry, V, you look fantastic," Wallace smiled encouragingly at his friend as the two stepped into the large foyer of the Casablancas mansion. The petite blonde on his arm returned the smile, about to reply when she noticed the boy's gaze suddenly slide past her.
Standing a few feet away, beckoning him over, was her companion's girlfriend, Jackie, unmistakable even with her eyes masked for the Halloween party. Wallace loosened his tie slightly as his eyes traveled down her body, and Veronica Mars grinned as she pushed him towards her.
"Behave," came her only comment, before slipping off into the crowd.
The blonde herself hadn't been all that keen to come, not looking forward to a night of stuck-up 09ers in fancy dresses who ignored everybody else and tried to get into the adults' party upstairs.She only let herself become convinced because she knew her father wanted to cook a meal for his 'special lady friend' (as he so eloquently put it) and probably wouldn't want her hanging about the house. Practically everyone she knew would be at the party, so she'd be bound to find someone to hang about with for the evening. At the moment, her main aim was to get lost in the crowd for the night, and then apologize to Wallace in the morning. She wouldn't feel guilty about it, because she knew he'd have more fun without her.
Veronica shook her head to herself, feeling her hair bounce with the movement as she pushed past yet another group of milling teenagers. After finally managing to get into the main room, she had to admit that the Casablancas certainly knew what they were doing when it came to Halloween. The small lights lining the walls twinkled, the erratic flashes of light providing the only glittering illumination in the darkness. The walls were covered in black drapery, lending the room an even darker appearance, but not to the extent that one could not make out the other teens dancing inside.
The biggest surprise, that hit her, however, was that Veronica could not distinguish the 09ers from any of the other adolescents. The vast array of costumes transfigured the room from just another bash to a gathering of strangers, resplendent in gowns and suits fit for royalty.
The teen made her way round the side of the room, stepping through the mist that trailed eerie fingers across the floor as she tried to make out one of her friends – anyone she knew at all would be good, really.
Failing to accomplish this, the blonde chose to just sit down at a table in the corner, smoothing her dress and fiddling with her mask as she watched pretty girls twirl by. Upon the appearance of a waiter, Veronica gratefully accepted a glass of champagne, raising it to her lips and downing it quickly, before reaching for another. At this rate, she'd end up decisively drunk before the night was over.
Three glasses later, Cassidy was the first person to ask her to dance, easily identifiable as he had pushed his mask to the top of his head in order so as to see better. Veronica took his hand as soon as he stretched it out to her, glad to have something to do besides sit and feel gloomy.
She followed the brunette out onto the floor, smiling as he pulled his mask back down over his face and bowed with a flourish. Mock-curtsying, she took the hand he offered her, resting her chin on his shoulder as they swayed to the slow music. Over his back she could see other happy couples, spinning and laughing beneath the flashing lights.
Everything seemed so magical and yet, Veronica couldn't help but feel miserable. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, but the blonde felt below them all, as though she was grounded on Earth, watching everyone else have a good time above her. Since Lilly's death, 09er parties all seemed to have the same effect on her, as though everybody was spinning away, and she was getting left behind, caught up in the memories.
Cassidy pushed her out gently and twirled her under his arm. Her hair framed her face as she spun around, styled and dyed with one of those one-night color packets, making her look like a completely different person just for Halloween. For one night, she wasn't obviously Veronica Mars. Between her new hair, dress and mask, the teen wasn't quite sure whether Cassidy knew just who he was dancing with, but she wasn't complaining. The boy was quite a good dancer and, as she was pulled back to him, Veronica made a silent promise to try to forget about her best friend's murder for the night and to try to enjoy being at a party for once.
As the last few chords of the song died away, a quicker beat started up. A stranger's hand pulled her away from Cassidy, pulling her body up against its. With a mental sigh of relief, Veronica noted that the person dancing with her was, indeed, a male. Nowadays you can never be completely sure, she mused to herself, smiling slightly. She didn't recognize her partner through the mask, but that wasn't surprising as anonymity was the whole purpose of the masquerade. This person, however, felt oddly familiar to her. He wasn't as completely alien as some of the people she had passed in the hallway, and for a moment she couldn't help but fear the worst.
"Dick?" she whispered, leaning closer to the masked figure and whispering the name with a hint of apprehension.
The figure pushed her away, spinning her once, then pulling her back, his free hand coming to rest on her waist and drawing her flush up against him. No, absolutely not Dick, she told herself. She could almost see this mysterious young man smile under the mask, although she couldn't know for sure. The two began to dance faster and faster, matching the beat and the pace of the other dancers surrounding them.
The stranger spun her out, pulling her in and twisting so that her back was against his chest. Veronica slid her fingers down the arms of his tux, the black a sharp contrast against the white of her dress, before wrapping her hands around his. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back, resting it on his shoulder while continuing to move with him. Pictures of the boys she knew flashed through her head – it wasn't Dick, Cassidy or Wallace. Logan was taller, Duncan held her differently, Weevil was shorter, Norris had a bigger build…the stranger behind her nipped at her left earlobe, and she blushed beneath her beaded mask.
As the song came to an end, one with an even faster pace started up. The blonde expected her companion to go dance with someone else, but to her surprise he continued to hold her hips, moving them faster to the rhythm. The heat of the room combined with the flashing lights and trailing mist were beginning to make her feel dizzy, yet her fingers refused to release their hold on his long ones and she could not get herself to stop this extraordinary dance.
They moved with the crowd, but they wouldn't blend in. The skirt of her dress swayed, the white beneath the flashing lights appearing almost ethereal. Veronica was out of breath, desperately needing to go sit down and take a break, but continuing, instead, to move with this stranger.
The song that came next was a slow one. As her partner turned her back to face him, his arms remaining on her waist, she tried to let her breathing settle, returning to looking into the eye holes of the person behind the mask and the trying task of guessing his identity. The flashing lights prevented her from seeing anything except the pupil and the bit of white that ringed the color. Once looking into those eyes, however, Veronica found she couldn't look away. They drew her to him, until her lips pressed against his and she stopped thinking how unlike her this was because no coherent thoughts remained in her head.
Veronica moaned, never wanting it to end. Reaching forward, she tugged off the mask that he hadn't taken off while undressing from his costume. The blonde hadn't been as quick to shed her clothes, namely because she couldn't remember where she was or how she got there.
Now here she was, with him hovering above her, giving her everything a teenage girl could possibly want. Curling a hand round his neck, Veronica pulled his head back down to hers. He rested his sweaty forehead on her damp one, his brown hair mixing with her blonde locks, and cool brown eyes staring into her own bright ones.
Oh God, Veronica's last thought, right as she felt ready to climax, was hardly romantic. What was I thinking…?.
Veronica Mars gasped as she bolted upright in bed. It was a dream, just a dream, nothing but a dream…. Sitting up straight in the bed, she repeated the thought over and over in her head like a mantra. It was all just a really strange dream. The blonde ran a hand through her knotted hair, shivering at the cold. She couldn't believe her father hadn't switched on the heating before turning in last night.
Then again, as the girl peered about the room, she realized that she couldn't recognize anything. With a gulp, Veronica turned her attention to the bed she'd woken up in, a thing she should have done as soon as she opened her eyes. Sprawled out on his stomach, one arm still curled round her waist, Casey Gant slept next to her. Oh no, oh no, oh no, I didn't, don't tell me I did… Veronica began to panic, scrambling to get out of the bed and searching for her deserted mask and dress. It wasn't a dream. Wasn't just some strange, twisted dream. The blonde frantically tugged on her dress, afraid her dance partner would wake up before she could get away. How the hell did I let this happen?
Veronica could remember a steamy kiss the night before at the dance, the hands with the long fingers, the smiling mouth, that muscular body pressed against hers all night long…Shaking away the mental images and pulling her hair into a messy ponytail, she managed to slip out of the room without waking him up. Shoes in hand, she slipped out of the front door and hurried away…