When asked where he went every night, Kid wasn't sure what to say. So, he usually just shrugged and said he spent a lot of time at the roller rink or home, which wasn't completely a lie, since the roller rink had become like home. A few more socially involved individuals would sometimes gasp, and ask if that wasn't where that gang of ruffians always hung out, as if they didn't know. Kid would frown and say that he never noticed any ruffians or gang wars, or he'd say that yeah, but they never bothered him. He was just a kid.
When people would ask him why his toe continued to tap and his thoughts were jittery and distant all week long, he'd shrug the blame on some upcoming test, or that he was feeling homesick. Both of which were very true, but for very different reasons than his audience could ever imagine. But it did make him wonder: could you miss living at a place before you even left it?
He practically ran all the way to the Moonlight after school. It was Friday night, and as he had learned, Friday was usually the most exciting night of the week when the Cool Patrol was involved. At least for the 18-years-old and younger skaters. Sure enough, the place was crowded, but significantly more than usual. As he bumped his way through the crowd, Kid was caught by Bud in passing, the goon asking if he was excited.
"Excited for what?" Kid asked back, muffled by the crowd around him.
"Just get to the table and hang on to your socks!" Bud smiled, quickly weaving back into the crowd. Kid tried to call after him, but he was gone. With a sigh, the teen readjusted the shoulder straps to his backpack and moved to the table, which was currently empty of Cool Patrol members, but covered in pizzas. He flung his bag and himself into the booth and grabbed a warm slice of his favorite specialty pizza, suddenly hungrier than he realized.
The rink, he noticed with a frown, was empty. The guys had to be planning something. He wondered if it had anything to do with the Gators. He didn't see any of those sausage brains around, but the place was packed beyond reason tonight. It would have been easy to miss them. Then, a presence was at his side, and Kid flinched, realizing Ninja Brian was beside him.
"Geez!" the boy grumbled, Brian's blue eyes flashing down at him quickly in confusion. Kid shook his head and ignored the ninja, reaching for another slice of pizza. Brian was suddenly swatting his shoulder with the back of his hand, Kid looking up quickly. He followed Brian's motion to the rink, noticing for the first time that the lights were dimming and the crowd growing quiet.
Then, the neon lights that stretched around the room lit up, piecing the blue darkness with their pink, green, and violet glow. Everyone remained quiet as the disco ball was illuminated suddenly from all sides, sending pinpricks of light all around the room. Lasers flashed into place, and for several agonizing seconds, all was still.
"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice boomed over the sound system, "dudes and babes, the Moonlight Rollerway proudly presents, dancing to 'Jump' by Van Halen, challenged by the Gator Skaters in a Skate Off ... THE COOL PATROL!"
Everyone lost their minds, and the music rumbled through the room, vibrating the floor and shaking the walls. Past the smoke and flashing lasers, Kid thought he recognized four figures begin to quickly circle the rink in an intricate bobbing and weaving pattern.
"What's going on?" He asked Brian over the noise, who stooped to hear him. Catching Kid's eyes with a flash of excitement in his own, Brian pounded one fist into his open palm. Kid turned back around, nodding. It was a duel then. And if the timed lights and perfected acoustics hadn't given it away, Kid figure that the Cool Patrol was going all out.
Finally, as the music picked up, the four returned to the center, spinning in a tight circle, their arms on each other's shoulders, lowering themselves to the floor as they spun. With an explosion of lights and blue glitter, Danny thrusted up into the air from the center of the ring, right on cue with the lyrics.
Kid let himself smile, knowing he probably looked foolish, but he didn't care. That son of a gun was singing every word while skating among his goons.
Their dance was spectacular. As his eyes adjusted to the strobe lights, Kid could start to discern their outfits. Danny, of course, was in a brand new sequined royal blue unitard, complete with flare leg pants and a small cape that was pinned to his shoulders. The red and white Jewish Star emblem on his core was like a beacon on his chest in the dark lights, and his elbow and knee pads and protective gloves all glittered with traces of the sequins. The other three, Guy, Mac, and Bud, were not wearing their leather, or the flashy pastel skins they usually wore during a dance number. Instead, they wore uniforms that matched nearly every detail of Danny's, without the cape or Jewish Star, but complete with plunging necklines, long sleeves that flared out over their wrists, and shorts that stopped at the so called "bikini line." Their unitards, surprisingly enough, were just as glittery as their leader's, and each goon sported his own color. Guy wore brilliant red, Mac wore deep gold, and Bud wore a fiery violet, complimenting Danny's blue in a whirl of color.
The four never broke sync. While Danny sang, he kept more of the stunts to the other three, joining them and dancing to his body's limit during the musical bridge. They kicked in a line and spun in partnered circles, mapping complex geometry on the rink as they crossed it back and forth in quadrupled patterns. On every "Jump" command, they did so, sometimes spinning in the air, sometimes kicking, sometimes free styling their explosions of energy, but it was always on cue.
When the final chorus began winding down, the four gathered in the top of the rink, taking a quick second to back against the wall, and then charged forward. In one step they turned, skating backwards, and in the next they planted both feet and leaped, spring boarding off their skates. Kid suddenly understand their gloves, as they landed in a brief handstand first before launching up into a full backflip. Touching the floor, the four skaters slid down onto their knees, Danny kneeling on just one, and spun on their kneepads to face forward again. On the final beat they threw their arms outward, stopping on the spot.
The crowd went ballistic, leaping onto their feet and cheering and praising. Kid jumped up as well, clapping and shouting for the goons. Danny was radiant with pride and dropped his arms first, motioning for the three behind him to stand, who did obediently. Blushing and waving, the goons soaked up the praise, skating suddenly for Danny. After two steps, they slid to their knees and spun around, arms outstretched and framing their leader. Laughing, Danny smiled and stood, stacking his skates one behind the other and giving another sweeping bow before straightening and waving energetically to the crowd. After turning so he addressed each side fairly, Danny dropped the pose and joined in line with the others while they stood, bowing in unison. Kid was shouting so hard his throat was beginning to hurt.
Breaking formation, the four swarmed each other with congratulatory pats and hugs, moving smoothly to the wall, where Kid had rushed to greet them. He stretched his hands out for high fives, Guy and Mac excitedly realizing he was there and returning the gesture. While Danny climbed over the wall, Kid stood on his toes and threw his arms around the leader's shoulders, who held him back loosely, asking how they did.
"How you did?!" Kid cried, pulling back and aiming Danny's brown eyes at him, his hands on the much larger man's shoulders. "Do you even hear these people! You were insane! And you guys look great!" The others laughed and thanked him while untying their skates, Brian handing out water cups, Kid quickly moving to help.
Brian neared Danny and offered him one, Danny thanking him and dropping the cup to his lap, looking at the competitors across the rink. Brian took his strong shoulder with one hand, squeezing. Danny smiled bashfully at the praise and nodded his thanks, finally hauling himself completely off the wall while he splashed the cold water into his mouth.
"You save us any pizza?" Bud asked, sitting next to Kid in the booth. The boy scooted over, quickly finding himself caught against Guy's legs, Mac sitting just past them. Danny perked on the edge next to Bud, who stretched his arms over the back of the booth. Danny balanced his cup on his hands and his elbows on his knees, focused entirely on the gang that assembled on the other side of the rink.
"And now, the challengers, the opposing gang … The Gator Skaters!"
Where the crowd went mad for the Cool Patrol, they went primal when the Gators entered the rink. Boos and jeers caved in on Kid from every side, and he flinched, the men around him unfazed. They had, however, almost completely stilled, and watched the rink with sharp eyes.
Kid looked that way too, trying to relax his shoulders. He hoped this wouldn't be like in the movies, where the second team always does better.
Whether it was or not, Kid couldn't tell, and all too quickly, the routine was over.
"How'd they do?" Kid asked Bud next to him, applauding with the Cool Patrol.
"Not bad," Bud shrugged, "technically speaking. But you tell me, did they have all this magic?" Kid giggled as Bud motioned over himself seductively. Even Danny cracked a small grin, taking another drink from his cup.
"No, guess not," Kid smiled.
"And that's where we beat them," Mac smiled. "Nobody can choreograph like Danny. And singing and skating at the same time? We got them beat for sure."
Kid nodded confidently and looked to Danny to catch his reaction, but the leader had suddenly stood, slipping out of the booth without another word.
Outside, Danny ran from the employee exit and called sharply at the retreating figure before him. The blonde woman stopped, and sighed.
Danny stepped to her, spinning her around. "You didn't skate with them. Why didn't you skate with them?"
The woman shifted her weight, as if annoyed by the whole interrogation. "Because they aren't my team anymore."
This was the last response Danny expected to hear. "Wait… so they voted you out?"
"Not exactly…" the woman paced away, tugging at her blonde curls. Her blonde curls that almost glowed under the moonlight, framing her in a gentle halo. "I was leader, okay? Top dog of the Gators. But tonight… look I just, I couldn't skate tonight, so... I couldn't skate tonight."
"Why not?" Danny frowned, his sympathy for the woman not yet strong enough to override his suspicions.
She stopped at this and crossed her arms, back to Danny. And what a smooth, elegant back it was. Spinning suddenly, she stomped her foot. "Because you can't skate with a guilty conscious, that's what I've always known to be true."
Relaxing his shoulders, Danny released the breath he had captured. A small smile tugged at his lips as he stepped closer to the woman. "What have you got to feel guilty about?"
The woman stepped to him promptly, the sequins in his suit catching her hair. "That I pulled your… perky hair."
"'Perky' is it?" Danny laughed, a ghost of a chuckle passing his smiling lips.
"Yeah. It's got some much… bounce to it."
"Well, I feel that I should also apologize," Danny breathed.
"Why?" her breathed touched his lips. "You didn't hurt me."
"No, not to you … to my gang."
"What for?"
"For kissing you."
Her name was Kristin, and she was as good of a kisser as he was a dancer. They both shared a passion for grooving and skating, but it was unclear if they both celebrated song. Danny somehow forgot to ask.
By midnight, the crowd had left and the employees began to clean up the aftermath. Bud crumbled a napkin in his hands and lobbed it to the trashcan, making it the first try.
"Nice," Kid gave him a lopsided smirk, his cheek resting in his palm. Bud just smiled back as he threw his arms over the back of the booth. Guy looted through the pizza boxes, finding the last piece.
"Anyone?" he offered it to the group, and they denied it. As he munched on the cold slice, Guy aimed his attention at the yawning high schooler.
"Shouldn't you get to bed?" Mac asked, gathering the pizza boxes.
Kid sat up and scowled at him. "I'm in High School, it's not like I'm still in primary."
Frowning, Mac looked at Brian, who shrugged.
"Hey Danny," Bud greeted as their leader joined them, still in his glittering unitard.
"Where you been?" Guy asked, shoveling a lose pepperoni in his mouth.
Danny snatched his cup and rattled it. "Discussing things with the owners," he reported.
"The owners?" Kid frowned, half way into another yawn.
"The owners of the place judged the competition," Bud explained to the boy under his arm. "So, what they say?"
Danny, halfway in a long slurp, frowned, almost insulted. "Oh, we won, no doubt." The others sighed heavily, Danny smirking. "You meat heads were worried? We blew them out of the water tonight."
Guy motioned to Danny, licking the pizza sauce off his fingertips. "If you hadn't had thrown that whole thing together like you did, we would have had to recycle some old stuff."
"Yeah, I don't think that would have done the trick," Bud nodded.
Mac soon returned, hands empty of boxes. "Hey Danny. What I miss?"
"We won tonight," Danny reported. "That's one-to-zip, Us."
"Alright! Go team! Hold them off for one more duel and we win. So, how about we split? The kid's about to start on those forty winks of his."
"Am'not," Kid slurred, slumped against Guy's knee.
"We all good here, Brian?" Danny asked over their heads, and Brian gave him a thumbs up. "Cool. Then let's jet."
Guy gently scooted the Kid off his legs and crawled of the booth, Danny taking his spot on the seat while Bud held the kid upright. After Bud gently rested the boy against Danny's back, looping his arms around Danny's neck, Danny took careful hold of the sleeping high schooler. He eased up and turned, waiting for the rest to follow suit. His curls brushed against Kid's face and he giggled, burying his face deeper into the sequins.
"Brian," Danny summoned quietly, "remind me to get one of these things. They are super great cuddlers when they are exhausted." Brian nodded and led the group to the door, jingling the van keys.