After the game, Jessi waited outside of the door where Raymond had told her that he would meet her. There were a number of other girls there, waiting for their dates to get dressed as well. Jessi stood off to the side as they spoke among themselves, glancing at her from time to time with unfriendly looks. After a short wait, players started coming out of the locker room, showered and dressed for the dance. As they came out many of them were greeted by their dates, frequently they kissed and then went into the dance. Eventually Raymond came out, saw Jessi and went over to her. Jessi looked at him awkwardly and he smiled "Hi, Jessi. Let's go dancing." He held out his arm and she took it, relaxing and he led her toward the dance.
"You won," she said. "28 to 21. There were a lot of random factors, I couldn't figure out how it was going to come out."
"Neither could I," he laughed. "We used your new play. It worked. I think that got us thirty yards when we needed them."
"Thirty two," Jessi said. "Fredrick changed direction a yard too late or he would have gotten farther."
"Well, I though it was great," Raymond said, "sometimes you have to take what you can get and be happy." Jessi glanced at him and tilted her head, perhaps looking at him differently. As they went through the door, he guided them toward the refreshments. He said, "I'm always thirsty after a game."
"Dehydration, you need to replenish your electrolytes, you also need a source of glucose," Jessi observed.
"Which is why God made sports drinks," Raymond said. "Do you want one of these or something else?"
"I think the sports drinks are made by a local company," Jessi frowned. She smiled at him, "I'd like a soda, though."
As they stood watching the dancers and drinking their drinks, Raymond asked her, "So do you go to dances a lot?"
"No, this is my second one," Jessi said. "I don't think I'll be able to dance very well."
"That's all right," Raymond assured her. "Just move with the music and it will be fine." The song ended and the next one began. "I really like this song," Raymond said. "Let's put these down and get out there." They set their drinks down and he took her hand, leading her to the floor. They began dancing, Jessi began uncertain and stiff but was watching the other girls dance and copying them, improving as the dance progressed.
On the other side of the dance floor, Mark and Lori were dancing, or at least struggling to dance. Lori was relaxed and completely comfortable but Mark was stiff and self conscious.
"I warned you I don't dance very well," Mark said self consciously.
"Your performance isn't graded," Lori assured him. "You and I are just having fun moving together. It doesn't matter what you do, get into the spirit of the music. You know music."
"But all these high school kids are much better at it than I am," Mark said. "It makes me feel inadequate."
"They're high school kids," Lori shrugged. "They live to dance. You live for science. Of course they dance better than you do. But you're not trying to impress anyone. It's just a form of non-verbal communications. So communicate with me."
"I score well in communications skills," Mark protested, and then admitted, "at least written ones."
"You don't have any trouble with non-verbal communications when we are at Jessi's apartment," Lori observed.
Mark blushed, "That's different. This is dancing."
"It's kind of the same thing," Lori said, "only we have our clothes on, and are a little farther apart. Dance with me."
Mark smiled at the idea and began to relax and started to move more smoothly.
The song ended and Raymond took Jessi by the hand and led her from the back to where they had left their drinks. He moved his shoulder slightly trying to ease some stiffness. Jessi asked, "Are you injured? Your shoulder seems stiff."
"Yeah," he admitted, "they drove me into the turf hard a couple of times. Throwing a lot of passes is rough on the shoulder too. I should really be icing it, but sitting in a tub on a Friday night is not my idea of fun."
Jessi's smile faded for a moment but then recovered. She looked around the room and pointed to a corner, "Let me massage it for you. We should go over there away from the sound system, it's quieter there and it will help you relax."
"It will be fine," Raymond protested. "I'm used to it. A little pain is part of the game."
"Your arm is important to playing football," Jessi objected. "Let me see what I can do." She took his hand and led him to the spot she had seen away from the electronics. He followed, reluctantly. "Sit here," she said, indicating a chair.
Raymond sat down and Jessi placed her hands on both sides of his shoulder, massaging gently as she concentrated. "Your hands feel really warm," Raymond observed. After a moment he looked surprised, "That feels amazing." Jessi massaged for about a minute, her eyes unfocused as she concentrated, then she took her hands away and looked at Raymond questioningly. He moved his shoulder in a variety of directions testing his range of movement. "This is terrific," he said. "I don't think my arm has ever felt this good after a game. Thank you." He stood up and they walked back to where they had left their drinks. He smiled at her, "You are a girl of amazing talents."
Elsewhere on the floor, Josh and Katie were dancing. Josh was dancing with his normal exhibitionism and Katie was trying to follow along, laughing at his enthusiasm.
"You dance really well," Katie said admiringly.
"I could dance better if there wasn't so much static in the music," Josh complained. "It's distracting."
Katie said, "It sounds better now, I think it's stopped." After a few more beats, the song ended and Katie said, "Let's sit down for a moment, I need to breathe. I don't get to go dancing very often and dancing with you is high energy." She took Josh's hand and led him toward some chairs. As they sat down she turned to him and said, "I'm having a great time, thank you for bringing me."
"I'm having fun too," Josh said with just a hint of surprise. Katie leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Josh put his arm around her and she leaned on his shoulder.
Next came a few more active dances, then the music shifted to a slower, more romantic form. Across the dance floor, couples moved closer together. As Raymond pulled Jessi close she was initially hesitant but seeing the other couples she relaxed into his arms. They swayed with the music. As they danced, Raymond slid his hand down her back and rested it at the top of her hip. Jessi mimicked him. Encouraged he moved his hand farther down and Jessi did as well.
Lori and Mark were likewise in an embrace. Mark said, "I like this kind of dancing more."
Lori smiled, "That's because we're just holding each other, you're not thinking about dancing – Oh, my God!'
"What?" Mark started to pull away.
Lori pulled him close again, "It's Raymond and Jessi, they're almost pasted together with their hands on each other's butts. That's really moving along faster than I thought it would."
"You know, that sounds like a really good idea," Mark said, moving his hand down. Lori looked at him as if to complain and then leaned into him enjoying being close.
Josh and Katie were holding each other and dancing to the music as well, but not as closely as either of the other two couples. Katie had her head on Josh's shoulder and a happy smile on her face. Josh's smile was more tentative. The dance ended and as they moved apart, Katie placed her hands on either side of Josh's head and kissed him. Josh returned the kiss with a little hesitation. They separated and Katie's spirits drooped slightly. "I guess that's our 'thing', again," she said.
"What's that?" Josh asked, recovering from the kiss.
"I'm not Andy."
"I'm sorry, Katie," Josh said.
As the dance ended, Raymond kissed Jessi and she, with a slight hesitation returned the kiss. It went on for a while and then they finally broke. "I think we need to get something more to drink," Raymond said, catching a breath. As they walked to the drinks Jessi looked at him smiling and he bent over and gave her a small kiss. "I'm glad I asked you to the dance," he said.
"I'm glad Lori told me to come," Jessi said.
"We can thank Lori," Raymond said.
Jessi looked around, "I think she's over there." She looked at Raymond, noticing the look on his face, "That was just an expression, right?" He nodded, smiling a bemused smile.
After a few more dances, including a couple that Raymond and Jessi danced with similar entanglements the dance came to an end. As Raymond and Jessi left the hall, with her on his arm, he said, "Can I give you a ride home?"
"I drove my own car," Jessi said.
"Ok, then I'll walk you to your car," Raymond said and they started in that direction. As they were walking he said, "I had a good time with you, tonight. We have a bye next week and I don't have to play. Would you like to go to the movies then?"
"Another date," Jessi smiled. "I'd like that."
"Good," Raymond said. They reached her car, "Here's your car. I guess I'll say goodnight here." He took her in his arms and gave her a passionate kiss which she returned. Then he held the door for her as she got in and watched her drive away. "Definitely fire inside that geeky exterior," he said to himself.