"Alright girls, one more time! I want lots of energy!"
Namine breathed deeply as Miss Stella went back to the stereo, her long blonde hair flowing behind her in a high ponytail. She liked to push the group hard, but Namine had noticed immense improvement since she'd moved up to Stella's class. She guessed that she'd be an amazing teacher, being the owner of Stella Nox Dance Studios.
The jazzy number started up again and Stella clapped her hands together in time. "Five, six, seven, eight!"
Namine joined the quick movements of her class mates as they danced in unison to the fast-paced tune. Outstretched arms, flicking heads, precise turns and clever maneuvers all made the jazz dance look fantastic. Namine especially loved the leaps, and pushed herself hard to straighten her legs.
"Back leg, Selphie!" Stella called out, making her critiques as she watched the girls intently. "Straighten that back, Serah!"
The girls came together in the centre of the room for their coordinated routine, and each girl in turn pulled a move of their choice to their allotted beat. As Namine pulled up, hips rolling and hand arching over, she looked in the mirror and smiled at their ensemble. It was really coming together well.
"Yes, great job girls! Keep it up! Good, Namine!"
The blonde girl swelled with pride as she began a turn from fifth position, one, two, then three spins before leaping out of it and rolling onto the ground, into the final position. The music ended and the girls puffed and panted in their poses.
"Excellent!" Stella clapped, and the girls looked to one another with bright smiles. "That's what I want to see! So much energy! I'm so proud of you guys. We've been back two weeks and you've nailed that piece." She turned off the player and returned to the centre of the room, where she curtsied to the girls. The class stood and curtsied back, as was customary at the end of class. "Alright ladies, don't forget to work on your exam theory for next week."
The class dispersed and Namine drank deeply from her water bottle, completely exhausted. The first few lessons back after summer were always the hardest and her muscles ached something fierce.
"Ohhhh my gosh," Selphie collapsed next to her, a bead of sweat falling down her temple. "I really regret not exercising during the summer. I mean, sparring with Tidus and Wakka doesn't really count, does it?"
Namine giggled. "Sure it does, it just doesn't use quite as many muscles as jazz does." The girls giggled as they put on their sneakers and walked out of class.
"I can't wait for tomorrow. We'll finally see if we're in the same class!" Selphie gushed as they made their way down the stairs.
"I know! And we find out if we got the subjects we wanted!"
"Of course we have to get into dance."
"If we don't get into dance I'll be so upset."
Namine felt a genuine sting at the thought. She and Selphie and all their other friends were entering Year 9, the very first year they'd get to pick their own subjects. Of course, they only got two subjects each, but it was still an exciting transition from compulsory subjects. Namine had thought she'd be nervous at the prospect, but she found the joy of doing subjects she loved far outweighed the fear of doing them alone. Besides, she was sure she and Selphie would both be put into dance, and Olette was going to sign up for art with her too. She was so excited for the year to come.
x-x-x
Namine arrived early at Destiny High School the next morning, which was not unusual. Every year, she got so nervous about the new school year that she couldn't sleep. She blamed the receding heat of summer, but in truth the new students, teachers and classes gave her a wave of nausea and social anxiety. But as soon as she saw Kairi waving her over, she felt the queasiness subside and the excitement begin to swell.
"Hey Nam!" Her red-headed best friend called out to her, hugging her as she approached. "I'm so so excited about our new classes, I just can't wait!"
"Oh gosh, I know! I hope we're in the same class!"
"I'm kinda worried about the new class system they're coming up with though." Kairi frowned as they made their way to the middle school area, reserved just for the year 9's and 10's. This area was completely new to them and the buildings were fresh and foreign. "I feel like we're guinea pigs or something."
"Yeah, but I think bigger class sizes will be good. Plus we get two teachers!"
"I guess it gives us a higher chance of being together. I wonder what teachers we'll get?"
They stepped into the Year 9 study hall, where everyone seemed to be gathering. There were teachers lining the corridor and holding bright yellow slips.
Before the girls could suss out their new school environment, a flash of brown obscured their vision. "Ohmigosh you guys, finally!" Selphie bounded over to the two, her brunette hair bouncing up and down as she ran. She grabbed their hands and dragged them towards the teachers.
"'Finally'? I thought we were early?" Namine asked, but Selphie stopped short and pointed to the teachers.
"They're handing out our new timetables! Come on!"
"Oh!" The girls quickly followed suite and lined up with the other early students. As they waited, more students entered the fray, their bulging schoolbags making the room feel smaller. Namine saw some familiar faces enter the building; Olette, Hayner and Pence.
"Thank you!" She heard Selphie cry, and saw the girl holding her timetable with vigour. "YES! I got into dance! Namine, did you get in!?"
"Hold on, Selph!" Namine giggled, then turned to the teacher to receive her slip. She skimmed over it quickly and her eyes fell to the word 'dance'. "I got in!"
"Yay! We're in dance together!" Selphie grabbed the blonde's hands and they jumped up and down together in excitement.
"Isn't it a little too early for this?" Hayner sighed as he rubbed his eyes, clearly too sleepy to take in the girls' excitement.
Soon, most of the group had received their slips and were excited to see they were in the same class - 9C. Olette and Namine had both been enrolled in art, and it seemed everyone had gotten into their elective subjects. They fervently waited for the rest of their friends to arrive.
The next person to arrive was Sora, whose hair was absolutely abysmal. He had clearly slept in and hadn't brushed it. Still, his perky smile and bright eyes shone beyond his gravity-defying hair. Namine felt her cheeks heat up as he drew closer. She'd seen him enough over the summer, but she couldn't get over how cute he looked. Kairi had been right all those years ago, high school really was different... Namine had only ever had minor crushes, but when she met Sora in year 7, his warm nature and big blue eyes just drew her in. She's never done anything about it, but she hoped one day that he'd realise how she felt.
He took his timetable enthusiastically and announced he too was in 9C. Namine smiled, but inside she was positively beaming. Sora was in their class too! They'd been in the same class the last two years, and Namine was so thankful for another. What better way to grow close than to spend every day together? Now all that was left was...
"Hey, you guys look excited. What'd I miss?"
"Roxas!" Namine turned to see his familiar smile. She couldn't believe that that fateful day two years ago had led to one of the greatest friendships she'd ever forged. She was sure Roxas would hate her for the rest of the school year, but he ended up joining their friend group along with Sora and now they were the best of friends. His shirt was disheveled and his hair was also a dramatic mess - all signs of the first-day sleep in.
"Quick! Get your timetable!" Selphie pushed Roxas towards the teachers, and Namine decided to follow.
"Roxas, guess what! I got into dance!"
"You did? That's great!" Roxas managed while trying to resist Selphie's pushing, but she only pushed harder. Not that it mattered, because Roxas was the last student to arrive and his was the only timetable left. The teacher handed him the yellow slip with a look that screamed "You were five seconds away from getting a late pass".
"Alright, let's see..." Roxas started, but Selphie was already reading over his shoulder.
"9C! We're all in the same class!" Selphie shouted, and the rest of the group crowded around in excitement. Roxas was being jostled by Sora and Hayner and could barely read the rest of his timetable. "Wait, wait you guys!" He chuckled, holding the paper steady.
"Did you get into music?" Namine asked fervently. Roxas still hadn't stopped playing the drums, and even though he still interrupted study time, his playing was getting excellent.
"I did!" Roxas smiled up at Namine, and was so lost in the happiness of it all he didn't see Selphie's highly shocked expression over his shoulder. She gasped, long and loud. Everyone turned to her.
"Oh. My. GOSH. You got into dance!?"
The excitement ebbed away. The guys scoffed. The girls looked confused. Namine was the most confused of all.
"No way." She said, pulling his hand closer to inspect his timetable. "There's no way-"
But there it was. Dance. Dance!? How... when... what?
Roxas' face was white and ashen. He read the words over three times before they sunk in. "Why am I in dance!?"
"I didn't know you had it in ya, Roxas," Kairi teased, but Roxas just shook his head in confusion.
"But I reserved music and I.T. How could this happen!?" He looked frantic suddenly, and realised that he didn't know this building at all and wouldn't be able to find the coordinator in a hurry. "What do I do!?"
"Relax Roxas, we don't have dance today," Namine pointed out, "we can ask before the first class."
"Can't we ask now!?"
But the school bell chimed and it was time to head to class. Everyone looked at Roxas with sympathetic expressions and patted his back.
"Don't worry Rox, you'll sort it out." Sora assured.
"Yeah, or you can admit you really just wanna try out wearing a leotard."
"Not. Helping. Hayner."
x-x-x
The excitement of being in their first homeroom class ebbed away at Roxas' worries, and everyone was chatting loudly. Namine was so happy that everyone was in the same class. Herself and Kairi, Roxas and Sora, Selphie, Hayner Pence and Olette... Even Tidus and Wakka were in the same class, as well as a few other kids they'd gotten to know over the years. Ufortunately for Roxas, Seifer was in the class too, along with Fuu and Rai. They never got along the greatest, but Namine liked to think that she was good at distracting Roxas from them. However, the class size was truly huge, and there were lots of kids they didn't know, too.
Selphie whispered excitedly to the others. "Look who we got, guys! Look!" Everyone turned to the new teacher, Mr. Caelum. He was a rather young and handsome teacher, with stark black hair and piercing eyes. The girls began giggling and swooning, but the boys rolled their eyes and groaned. The other teacher was Miss Gainsborough, whom Namine and Kairi had had before and absolutely loved. She was sweet and kind but stern when she had to be, and her innate playfulness brought out the best in all her students.
"Welcome to year 9, everyone!" She gestured the class who hushed immediately. "I see a lot of you already know each other which is fantastic, but don't forget to mingle and make new friends. We're going to become like a family this year with the new class structure. I'll be the mum, and Mr. Caelum will be the dad!"
Mr. Caelum pulled a grimace and the class laughed. Then Miss Gainsborough waved her hands to quieten them down again. "Now, our first class assignment is a very special one. As part of the new program, we've decided that each class will get their own name. So it won't be 9C anymore. The trick is, you have to name the class after a famous person who will serve as the class inspiration!"
"This is so cool!" Selphie said excitedly. "No more 7 Leonheart or 8 Lockhart! I was getting so sick of all the 'hearts'!"
"It's like our own identity," Sora agreed, and everyone seemed excited by the idea.
"So," Miss Gainsborough continued, "I want everyone to get into groups and come up with a famous person we can name the class after. Then we'll all vote on it.
Namine and the others started to brainstorm. At first Hayner and Sora suggested some famous Struggle winners, but the girls immediately dashed their hopes. Then, Olette suggested Cid Fabool, the famous king, but Hayner said it was too historical. Finally, Namine tentatively offered her suggestion.
"How about Yen Sid, the famous magician? His magic was always about teaching kids to overcome their fears and do good things."
"Yeah, that's great, Nam!" Sora nodded. Namine giggled; she knew Yen Sid was Sora's favourite magician since he was a child. "He always pulled the coolest moves!"
"He is pretty cool," Hayner agreed, and although Selphie was disappointed they hadn't chosen a famous actor or underwear model, she too concurred.
"9 Yen Sid, then?" Kairi asked, and the group nodded in unison. After suggestions of 9 Bradford, 9 Disney and even 9 Pluto, the majority of the class voted for Namine's group.
"It's settled then," Miss Gainsborough smiled, and Mr. Caelum nodded. "We're officially 9 Yen Sid. We're looking forward to a great year with everyone!"
Namine smiled around at her group of friends. She could already tell this year was going to be great. Even if Roxas was infiltrating her dance class.
x-x-x
"This is so stupid!"
Roxas slammed his new locker shut and thrust his bag over his shoulder, brows furrowed.
"Now don't frown, you'll get wrinkles," Kairi teased, and Roxas batted her away.
"Come on, Roxas..." Namine chastised, "You did hand in your preferences really late..."
"I was, like, a day over the cut-off! Come on, it's only year 9, they gotta be more lenient!"
"The classes were all full!"
"Of course dance was the only class left. Unbelievable. I bet it was Mr. Leonheart."
"So, what are you gonna do?"
Roxas stopped in his tracks and sighed, looking back at the blonde with a futile expression. "You heard Mr. Highwind. I can't switch cause all the classes are full, and if I don't take this class, they'll take away my drumming lessons."
Namine looked down. How could she comfort him? His drumming was a huge part of his life, and his exams were getting harder but more rewarding. He couldn't give that up now. She looked back up and gave Roxas a once-over. She'd never seen him dance before, but he was pretty athletic...
"Don't worry Roxas," She said, and he looked up at her with confusion. "I'll help you. Selphie will too. We'll teach you how to dance."
Roxas shook his head. "I don't want to dance. I don't dance."
Typical Roxas. Namine shook her head, a crafty grin adorning her features. "Oh well, if that's how you want it to be... then I guess you'll just have to dance in front of the entire school without our help!"
Kairi snorted. Roxas froze and his eyes glazed at the thought of being in front of the whole school making an idiot of himself. "Alright, alright! I'll try. I guess."
Namine smiled. At first she was worried she'd have Roxas in her class flouncing about like a fool, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
"Roxas!"
She turned to see Sora and Riku walking towards them and waved. Riku was in the year level above, but he'd been friends with Sora forever and had grown close with the group. "Sora told me you got into dance. Is it true!?"
Roxas groaned. "Sora, stop goin' around telling people!"
Sora held up his hands in defense. "I didn't mean to! Riku's like a conversational wizard!"
Riku slung his arm over Roxas' shoulder and laughed. "I can just see it now. Roxas in leggings and a leotard, prancing about stage. All the girls are gonna love it."
"Shut up! I am never going to wear a leotard!" Roxas shrugged out of Riku's grasp, but immediately found himself in someone else's - Axel's.
"Roxie!" Axel slung his own arm over the blonde. Namine wondered how Axel had managed to enter the scene so swiftly - his red hair could be seen from miles away. "Heard ya got into dance!"
"Sora!"
But Sora was hiding behind Riku and the rest of the group just laughed.
"Come on, Rox, this is a dream come true! Remember when you were a kid and you pulled your pants over your shirt and danced around?"
"What!? I never did that!"
"Ya should've seen it, kids," He turned to Kairi and Namine with a flourish. "He tripped over his own feet and his pants-"
"AXEL!"
Hearing past stories about Roxas' clumsiness suddenly made Namine a little more worried about his dancing potential.