Chapter 9 – The Dance Off.

I found some excellent inspiration for this chapter in my music. I couldn't look it up while I was out of the country, but when I came back I found these excellent clips on Youtube. The first dance Rochelle performs is to 'Beaumont' by 3OH3! and the second is to "We No Speak Americano" by Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup. Please take a minute and look at these videos. It might help your imagination. : - )

1) www. youtube. com /watch?v=mlmkw9NLE5M

2 ) www. youtube. com /watch?v=hvuhezQN3Gg

The following day, Rochelle sought out Jessie. She found her under the bed, curled up in a little ball.

"Jess?" She asked, not daring to go too near.

"It's Jessie, and what the hell do you want?" Jessie sniffled, not turning.

"Uh, well, it's kind of late, and I have a performance to do...and you did kind of challenge me to do a dance thing for you."

Jessie groaned and sat up. "Fine! If only to get you off my back for the rest of my life." She muttered, as she stood and stormed over to Rochelle.

"I took the liberty of asking Woody to referee," Rochelle pointed up to the stereo and Jessie could see Woody sitting on the bedside table waiting. She turned her attention back to Rochelle.

"So you want to see me dance or what?" Rochelle put her hands on her hips and glared confrontationally at Jessie.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do," Jessie responded, warming to the challenge. "And I don't just wanna see one dance. I want to see two, maybe even three." She folded her arms and stepped around behind the blonde. "And I pick what you dance."

"Fine, three it is," Rochelle threw back over her shoulder. She flipped her hair haughtily.

"Okay. Electro."

Rochelle blinked for a moment, then recovered. "Got just the thing. Woody, track nine, please," she called, and Woody jumped up to jab at some of the buttons on the stereo's front panel.

An electro beat filled the room as Rochelle took up her position, grounding herself as the beginning of the track played out. After about twenty seconds the underbeat was replaced with a harder groove and the doll sprang into life, shaking her hips to begin with. Then she was punching and kicking the air in what appeared to be a true gymnastics display. She paused as the music kicked up a notch, and suddenly she did a full cartwheel across her space, and almost immediately after this she did another perfect cartwheel back the way she had come. Then she began body popping for the end of the track, before freezing in place with her arms flung in the air and her head tipped back.

Jessie pursed her lips, kept her arms folded, and said sharply, "Now house."

Rochelle turned to look over her shoulder at Jessie, regarding her for a moment, before turning her attention to Woody.

"Woody, try track 7 for that one, please," she called. As Woody fiddled with the buttons, Rochelle shook her long hair out. The track started off slowly, and as the main beat finally kicked in, she stepped and twirled to the beat, clapping her hands. She sashayed, jumped and kicked, really getting into the music as it repeated over and over.

When she was done she turned from her final position and raised a eyebrow at Jessie. "Any further requests?" She said, confidently.

The cowgirl was seemingly unimpressed despite a full ten minutes of Rochelle's exertions. "Now do western," she stated.

"Do what now?" Rochelle appeared confused, and Jessie sighed. "Western. Cowboys?" When Rochelle still appeared blank, Jessie added, " you know, line dancing?"

Rochelle's frown disappeared. "Oh! Oh. Right. Line dancing. Sure...but I'm not sure I have a track for that." She said, looking downcast.

"So I'll hum a tune and you dance to it?" Jessie offered, by Rochelle shook her head. "No thanks. I don't dance to anything other than what I've been trained to dance to. Real music, you know," she added hastily. "Tell you what Jessie, I'll look for a track later, but right now I have to go get ready and practise for my performance this evening. Ciao!" She cooed, and ran to retrieve her mic from where she had left it on the floor across the room.

Jessie watched her go, a thoughtful look passing over her face as she retreated back under the bed.

The following day, Rochelle went into the next room again. It had, in a way, become her practise room for her dancing.

"Ok, you can do this," she murmured to herself, and took a deep breath. "1, 2, 3, 4, pace back, and forward, step in place, kick, repeat, 1, 2, 3, 4, pace bac- oh drat," she cursed, as the stepped forward instead. She regained composure and started again, but wound up stepping back this time instead of stepping in place. Her numerous following attempts all errored in some way. It was when she kicked too early in the process that she groaned aloud and pulled at her hair.

"You can't do a line dance, can you?" came the drawl from across the room. Rochelle looked around wildly for the owner of the voice, and spotted Jessie leaning against the wall by the door, one leg bent with her foot resting against the wall, and her thumb hooked in her belt loops. Her hat was pulled down over her face and she was watching Rochelle with one eye.

"I can so!" Rochelle retorted. "I just...I'm just out of practise, that's all."

"Practise?" Jessie scoffed. "You've been in here all morning." She leaned away from the wall putting her foot back on the floor and raised one hand to push back her hat. She strolled towards the irritated blonde, who face dropped at Jessie's words.

"I haven't been here –that- long," Rochelle protested weakly, but Jessie was in front of her, staring her down.

"I don't imagine you want anyone to find out how imperfect your dancing is, right?" She held Rochelle's scared gaze. This sounded like a threat to the quaking blonde.

"No." Rochelle stuttered, and Jessie suddenly grinned, catching Rochelle off guard completely.

"Thought not," the cowgirl doll went on, "that's why I'm gonna teach ya something a million times easier than that dance you've been trying to master so shamefully for the past few hours."