When the Prat and the Blondie Dance

“Five, six, seven, eight, twirl the girl and dip!” Isabel instructed, circling the various pairs who dipped their partners neatly. “Alright, that was better than the last round of practice. Take ten, you guys, that was great!” Isabel smiled and was immediately approached by her own partner, while Arzen and her own partner drank from their own water bottles.

“You didn’t step on my toes this time, darling,” the guy commented with a smirk. This made Arzen blush and glare at the same time, she smacking him on the arm with the ice-cold bottle. “I was kidding! Pour some on my head, won’t you?”

“You’re ridiculous,” she muttered under her breath, opening her bottle and pouring a generous amount on the male’s head. “This is the third time you told me to pour water on you – if you finish this bottle, I’ll make you buy me another this lunch.” The male ran a hand through his ginger hair, sighing in relief as the cold water hit his flushed skin.

“I’ll get you two bottles, sweetheart. Now, can I have that?” Arzen Venura begrudgingly handed hers over, and watched with a blank face as Mathias Angelo poured the remaining contents over himself, ignoring the fact that his shirt would be drenched as well. Even after getting water in his eyes, he grinned at her and was pleased to see a slight smile reflected back at him.

At the other side of the room, Elaine Rivers kept a determined face as Daniel Edevane smoothly switched her from his left side to his right, the twosome moving forward and backward in unison as Anne watched them with a sharp eye. “One, two, three, four – infinity, and then back into his arms!” Daniel, right after doing the infinity move, quickly pulled her back into his arms, spinning her smoothly. “Okay, we’re consistent. Take the rest of the period off – except for Stephan and Marian, I’ll show you the right footwork.”

Elaine stretched, bending down after to tie her shoelaces. Daniel watched her quietly with his golden eyes, a small smile crawling up to his lips as she rose back up. “…what?”

“Nothing. I never knew you were a good dancer, Rivers,” he teased, making her roll her eyes in exasperation.

“That was just practice luck. I’ll mess up in the actual assessment,” she replied with a dull tone, spotting Arzen and Mathias making their way to the pair. Daniel frowned at her words.

“If you mess up, I’ll mess up with you.”

She shot him a look.

“Don’t be such a British gentleman, you Brit.”

“It’s in my veins,” he replied smoothly, giving Mathias a short nod and Arzen a polite smile. “How was your practice?” Daniel asked, brows quirking at the sight of Mathias’ damp, red hair.

“It was alright,” Arzen answered, sitting next to Elaine and hugging her knees. “We were given the rest of the period off. Isabel just asked us to keep practicing and told us to bring costumes by Friday.” She quickly looked at the other groups, two of which practiced the boogie, and the other two swing. She and Elaine’s groups had drawn the papers with ‘swing’ written on with Ms. Jocelyn’s – their PE teacher – straight and neat handwriting. The handwriting that could put Beatrice Mora’s to shame. “Is Ms. Jackie going to be present by tomorrow?” Mathias shook his head.

“I don’t think so. We might have another free period tomorrow, depending if she sends some seatwork or whatever.” Elaine undid her braid, reaching for her orange hairbrush which lay on top of her chair, and began to brush her hair. “That, or we get Ms. De Los Reyes again – and, no offense to her, but she just keeps her lessons into Economics.”

“She’s an Economics teacher, what else can she do? I’m surprised that Ride and the others are able to comprehend their lessons.” The long-haired girl spoke up. “I’d rather practice. I can just catch up on the Minoan and Mycenaean people with the help of the book, anyway.”

“That’s because you’re good in World History,” Arzen put in. Elaine gave her a deadpan look.

“Says Ms. Chemistry.”

“Oi, I just got fourteen mistakes on that test. I don’t think I’ll be able to forgive Sir Joseph for putting in those stupid conversions.”

“Are you really forgetting Geometry, Arzen?” Daniel interrupted. This made Mathias blink.

“Geometry isn’t that bad. English is the killer.”

“Now you’re the one who’s wrong, Mathias. It just requires a lot of analysis and further reading.” The two females and the other male merely gave Daniel a look – Arzen with a frown, Elaine with a look of irritation, and Mathias with a gaping expression. “What? I’m English.”

“Yeah, yeah. Apparently if you’re not English, you’d suck at the subject. I’m living proof.” Mathias stated flatly.

“Proof number two,” Arzen sang.

“And I’m truth number three. But Mathias, aren’t you half?” Elaine questioned.

“Half-Italian, half-English. I’m guessing you need to be fully English like blondie here.”

“I appreciate the nickname, prat.”

“No problem, blondie, no problem.” He replied serenely. Arzen and Elaine exchanged glances.

“Please don’t start a testosterone war. Again.”

* * * * *

“Five, six, seven, eight, and last pose!” Group 1 stopped at the same time, the couples in different poses – Mathias had Arzen dipped, one leg raised in the air and her head hanging down. “I like that pose, Mathias – maybe the others can do that, too?” she clapped her hands twice and the other pairs settled into that pose, some of the ladies wobbling with their legs in the air. Arzen glanced up and contained a snicker, and Mathias coughed to prevent a laugh from leaving his lips. “…alright, maybe we can work on that. Arzen and Mathias, can you do that step again, from the twirl to the dip?”

Arzen pulled away from his grip and he gave her a slight nod, the two of them reenacting the steps perfectly. She ended up in his arms one more, she closing her eyes and ignoring the feeling of the blood slowly rushing to her head.

“Alright, just do that instead of your own personal poses. Mathias and Arzen, you two can go already.”

“I’m not going to get used to that feeling,” Arzen sighed, sinking down after walking a few feet away from their practice area with Mathias. He sat next to her and watched as she leaned against the lockers, she rubbing her ankles slowly. “Thank God the presentation’s going to be over by Monday.”

“You say that as if you don’t like dancing with me, Arzen.” He spoke.

This made her flush brightly.

“What the – no, I didn’t mean it that way!” she defended. “I meant the dancing – I don’t like dancing, alright?” she continued rambling and Mathias smiled slightly, listening to her rambles for a few more seconds until pressing a finger against her lips.

“Calm down, darling.” He winked and pulled her up. “I was just kidding.”

* * * * *

“Cha-cha, swing, and then we’ll be boogie partners after the presentation.” Daniel mused as Elaine collected her books from the locker. “After dance, we might have swimming for the second quarter.”

“Haha. How about a warm ‘hell no’ to that idea?” she spoke sarcastically, shuddering at the thought of swimming. At least the lessons were divided – one pool for the males and another for the females. “I’d rather take up dance for the rest of the freaking year, Daniel. Even if it means having you as my partner.”

“I’ll pretend that was a compliment and not an insult,” he muttered. “So you’d rather not swim?”

“I’d rather dance. And Arzen hates it, too. We both hate the water.”

“So if Mathias and I pushed both of you into the eight-foot part of the school’s pools-”

“We’d kill you in your sleep.” She replied stoically. “For the rest of your lives. Even if you move back to London to go to some kind of fancy college and work there as some kind of historian or scientist or whatever you want to be.”

“So, Arzen would stalk Mathias.”

“Yes.”

“And you would stalk me.”

“Ye – not in that way, you idiot!” Elaine Rivers yelled, reddening at the smirk on his face. “You perverted outer-space alien English thing. I’ll haunt you to the freaking grave.”

“I’ll be waiting,” he chimed.

“You better. I’ll have Bloody Mary and Sadako with me. To rip your hair out and then feast on your blood – ew, wait. I’m not Hannibal Lecter. He can drink your blood instead, and then Mary, Sadako and I will have some kind of girls’ night out.”

Daniel faked a horrified expression.

“I’d rather have you kill me than have Hannibal Lecter drink my blood, Elaine.”

“Sure. I’ll be River Song who kills the Doctor, who is you – but wait, she doesn’t!

“So you won’t kill me.” He smirked.

“In another world, maybe I will.”