September 21st, 2016

Kinsky, California, USA

The Dance

Rodrigo woke up, and checked his clock. It was 10:13am.

Usually he would be running out the door, but in this case he had plenty of time. He grabbed some fresh clothes from his closet, including a nice dress shirt and pants which he rolled up into his backpack. He unplugged his old smartphone, checking his new messages on a cracked screen. He smiled as he read some of them, writing something else in response. Then he grabbed his backpack and walked out the room.

At the front of the house, there was an old hispanic woman — roughly in her 50s — who sat down watching an old CRT television.

Rodrigo spoke Spanish to her: I’m heading out! Love you!

The woman waved her hand in response, eyes fixated on the television. Rodrigo went out the door.

There were a seemingly uncountable number of trailer homes in the area, alongside the one Rodrigo just left. Most of them looked like they were in the same downtrodden condition. Rodrigo headed down to the park entrance, then took a left to the nearby bus stop.

…

Lukas, Russell, and Maurice sat together in a booth at Koko’s. In particular, Lukas watched with awe at the speed in which Russell cleaned out the chicken on his plate.

“Jesus man, pace yourself!”

Russell looked up at the boy, still chewing the chicken in his mouth. “Irm thimk I know how much I kern eat!” he declared authoritatively. 

The restaurant door opened, causing its bell to ring. Lukas looked over, and waved Rodrigo over to the table. The teen scooted himself into the booth with the others, looking around as he did so.

“Where’s Cole?” he asked.

Lukas leaned back in the booth seat. “He’s with Maria. It’ll just be us four.”

Rodrigo nodded, leaning his arms forward, onto the table. Russell continued eating.

“So, what’s the plan?” Rodrigo asked Lukas.

“After this, we’ll head down to Rus’ place and grab the stuff. We’ll take it down to Rose’s house, hang there for a bit. Then we’ll head off to the dance, be there for the first part of the night, and head back to Rose’s for the after party.”

Rodrigo looked interested. “We partyin’ at Rose’s place?”

“Yeah, I guess her parents are going to… Toh-yo, or something? For their anniversary.”

Russell swallowed his food, and interjected. “Tahoe, you racist ass.”

“Tahoe, whatever. The point is that her parents are gonna be gone all weekend.”

The group chatted for a little longer, until they finished their meal. Then they drove off towards their first destination.

…

When Russell entered the house, Mahalo and Billy poked their heads out from behind the couch. Russell and Maurice went to go grab the goods, while Lukas and Rodrigo waited by the entrance.

“Yo, Mahalo.” Lukas stuck his hand out. Mahalo smiled, running out from the couch and giving him a high five. 

Billy got up from his spot as well. “How you boys doin’?” he asked. 

Rodrigo shrugged. “Doing as good as usual.”

“Fighting the good fight?”

Lukas nodded. “You know it.”

Russell and Maurice walked back out into the living room, six packs of alcohol in each of their hands, following Lukas and Rodrigo out the door. Billy came last, watching from the porch as they packed the items into the back of the car. He looked at them skeptically. 

“Y’all niggas takin’ the Hellcat to a school dance?”

Russell waved his hand, walking away towards the driver’s seat. “Of course we’re taking the Hellcat.”

As the rest of the boys got in the vehicle, the older brother pointed to them. “Alright, don’t mess up my dad’s car or I’ll make sure you going to jail.”

Lukas turned towards him, bowing. “I’ve got the angel’s touch, Billy!”

Lukas packed himself into the passenger seat. Rodrigo and Maurice sat in the back. The car drove off once more.

…

It was night, and the Kinsky High gym was lit up. The Hellcat parked out in front, roaring as it made its entrance. Two girls who passed by the car giggled as they saw it. Not far behind, Aaron’s sedan pulled up next to them.

The boys got out of the Hellcat, each wearing a suit – with the exception of Rodrigo, who now wore his dress shirt. Russell, still in his signature shades, strutted up to the entrance, the crew in tow. Not far behind, Aaron and Rose held hands, walking towards the others.

Cole stood at the entrance, leaning against the wall. He wore a suit himself, but without a tie. He smiled as he saw the boys approach. “You guys are a bunch of fuckin’ show offs, you know that?”

The group acknowledged him, and walked inside. Rose and Aaron came up next.

“Hey, Maria here?” Rose asked. 

Cole nodded towards the entrance. “She’s with Kat and the others.”

Rose smiled at him, and went with Aaron inside. Cole followed soon after.

Loud pop music blared from the speakers, as various cliques and collectives lingered in different sections of the gym. Rose pulled on her boyfriend’s arm, and he shot to attention.

“I’m gonna go find the girls, okay?”

Aaron nodded. “I’ll go over and grab you something to drink.”

Rose looked at him sweetly. “Thanks, baby.” The two kissed, then went their separate ways.

It wasn’t hard for Rose to spot Maria. Her red dress was a brilliant contrast to the rest of the dance, and her hair was done up in a way that only further brightened her image. She was surrounded by the other girls, and turned when she saw Rose out of the corner of her eye.

The two hugged each other. “Oh Maria, you look beautiful!” Rose exclaimed. 

“Thanks, you too!” Maria seemed more cheerful than she had in the past few weeks.

As the girls mingled with one another, Lukas and Cole sat on a bench on the opposite corner of the room. Lukas swirled his cup in his hand, watching the punch whirlpool inside.

“So, you feeling any better?” Cole asked.

“Well… no. But, I think I’m becoming more aware that it’s due to circumstances outside my control.”

Cole smiled, and patted Lukas on the back. “Baby steps.”

The two continued sipping their drinks, when Sadja came up to them. She wore a long dark green dress, with a choker strapped to her neck.

“Hey, either of you boys wanna dance for a bit?” She reached her hand out to the two.

Cole shook his head. “Nah, I’m… I’m good. Thanks, though.”

Sadja turned towards Lukas.

“Oh, uh… thanks, but, I’m not really interested in dancing right now. Not yet, at least.”

Sadja began to look slightly irritated. “Well jeez, don’t fight over me.”

Cole thought for a few moments, a smile beginning to form on his face. “Alright, alright.” He got up from the seat, taking Sadja’s hand. “I’ll dance with you. Just so you don’t feel lonely.”

The two went off to the dancefloor, and Lukas went back to looking down at his drink. All alone now, the pain began to set in again. It took only a few moments, however, for another person to approach.

“Man… you sittin’ here, lookin’ like shit.”

Lukas looked up. It was Rodrigo, who sat next to him.

“Is it really that obvious?” Lukas replied, taking another sip.

“Oh yeah. Don’t worry, though – I know how you’re feeling. Love can be a cruel mistress sometimes, homes.”

“When the hell did you get so poetic?”

Rodrigo leaned back onto the benches, smiling. “Point is, you see someone. Someone you love. You want to go up to them, tell them how you feel. But they’re just out of reach. And it hurts you… it hurts you a lot.”

Lukas’ expression changed, and he looked away towards the crowd. “Shit, maybe you do get it.”

Rodrigo repositioned himself again, leaning forward, looking in the same direction as Lukas. “You know, the funny thing about my case is… mine knows I love them. And I know they love me back. But I still can’t touch them.” Rodrigo took a sip of punch. “I don’t know if that hurts less, or it hurts more. But I still feel it, all the same.”

Lukas looked back to the boy. “What’s that mean?”

Rodrigo kept looking into the crowd. “Maybe, if you’re lucky… someday you’ll find out.”

There was a pause in the conversation. Lukas thought to himself, then took a sip from his drink. “Hey, Rod… I never thought I’d say this, but thanks.”

Rodrigo nodded. “Any time, amigo.” 

The two continued to sit on the sidelines, watching the party go by.

…

The Homecoming dance was nearing its end now, and the students were beginning to exit out of the building. Among them were Isaac and Kat.

The two hopped into Isaac’s blue sedan. As Isaac reached to turn on the car, Kat stopped him.

“Hey, Isaac… can we just, talk for a sec?”

Isaac put his hand away from the ignition. “Yeah, about what?”

Kat looked down at her dress. “I just… I’ve been thinking, and… I feel like you don’t pay that much attention to me anymore, you know?”

Isaac turned his head. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, whenever we’re out — whether it’s the game, or the dance, or something like that — you have no problem being next to me. And that’s fine. But whenever it’s just the weekend, and I want to do something with you, you always say you’re busy doing something.” Kat turned to look at him in the eyes. “And it doesn’t feel good to me. It makes me feel like I’m just… I don’t know, some publicity stunt.”

“Hey, listen…” Isaac whispered, putting his hand on Kat’s bare knee, rubbing his thumb softly on her skin. “I love you, okay? I don’t want you to feel like that. If you want to do something with me, I want to be open to you.”

“You promise you’ll pay more attention?”

Isaac nodded. “I promise.”

Kat gave him a small smile. “Okay, thank you.”

Isaac smiled back. “We’re good?”

“Yeah, of course we’re good.”

Kat leaned back in the seat. Isaac, still looking at her, kept smiling. His hand softly glided away from the knee, and down towards her thigh. Isaac watched Kat’s own smile continue to grow, even though she tried her best to hide it. His hand eventually reached the border of her dress, then moved under it, continuing down.

Kat let out a little gasp, reaching down and grabbing Isaac’s wrist. “Don’t you think… we should wait, until we get to your place?”

Isaac withdrew his hand, leaning back against the car door. “Well, we could. But…” He knocked his hand against the window. “These windows are tinted.”

Kat thought for a moment. “Shit. You’re right, aren’t you?”

“Yup. And the seats recline all the way back, in case you want to go stargazing out the sunroof.”

Kat looked at him. “Stargazing,” she repeated, mockingly. Isaac nodded.

Kat turned back to the gym’s entrance. Most of the other teens were walking away in the opposite direction of the car, and the illumination of the gym was safely far away from the sedan.

“Oh, fuck it,” she declared.

Kat unbuckled her seatbelt, and got out of her seat. She climbed over to the driver side, getting on top of Isaac. Her hand reached into his hair, bringing his head close, and the two engaged in a kiss.

…

The rest of the group walked out of the gym together. Aaron led the pack, already slightly intoxicated from a successfully smuggled package.

“Alright, now we can have real fun.” He spoke, sauntering along back to his sedan. Sadja whistled behind him.

“Yo, Aaron! Might wanna, you know… give the keys to Rose?”

Aaron stopped his hand on the car door handle, looking around him. “Shit, you’re right! Where is my beautiful Rose, anyway?”

Rose, who had taken off her heels, ran forward to the front of the group. “Right here, babe!”

Aaron tossed the keys back towards her, and she caught them and went over to the driver’s side. Next to the sedan, Russell snapped his fingers and pointed at the Hellcat. The boys who came along with him nodded and entered their seats.

“This is for the party at Rose’s, right?” Emily asked.

Sadja nodded, walking towards her ride. “You two coming?” She included Ash as well.

“Yeah, sure. We came here on the bus, though.”

“No problem,” Cole interjected. “I got two seats.”

Emily looked back at her blue-haired companion. Ash gave her an indifferent look. Emily turned back.

“Sure, let’s hit it.”

As Sadja walked off and the three others came to Cole’s car, Cole turned around. “You coming too?”

Maria had lagged behind the group, not saying too much. But when Cole had asked her, she looked up and her face brightened in a way that was now uncharacteristic, yet wholly welcomed by the others.

“Yeah,” she answered softly. “I think I will.”

Sadja seemed excited. Cole gave her a smile, and went over to the driver’s seat. Maria got in the passenger.

…

The bass of the party could be clearly heard throughout the two-story house as Cole pulled into the driveway. As he, Maria, Emily, and Ash entered through the front door, they saw that the others were already there.

Russell and Lukas stood at the kitchen booth, pouring out drinks. Russell looked over as they came in.

“You guys want some?” He pointed to the array of cups on the table.

Ash shook her head. “None for me, thanks.”

Emily nodded. “Yeah, thanks Rus.”

Russell’s eyes glanced over at the girl in the red dress. “Maria?”

Maria smiled. “Just a little bit.”

Russell poured her just a little bit. Cole, looking down into her drink, tapped her on the shoulder. “You mind driving back?”

Maria gave him a sly look. “As long as you aren’t afraid of your car getting totaled.”

Cole winked at her, then turned to Russell. “That’s what insurance is for.”

Russell poured him a full cup.

The newly arrived group moved into the living room, where the others were waiting. As Maria walked over, her eyes caught a picture on a wall. It was of a large group of people, posing together for a photo. A caption at the bottom read:

THE KAWAKAMIS, 2011

                            Toshigue               Edward              Mary               Anaka      

                   Kim                   Danny                  Minato            Rose                Al     

The names lined up with the people in the picture. Maria looked up to see Rose, and saw a much younger version of her, smiling brightly in the front row. 

Cole sat down on the Ottoman in front of the couch, where Rose, Aaron, Maurice, Rodrigo, and Sadja all sat. “Kat and Isaac aren’t coming?” He asked, noticing the obvious missing persons. 

Sadja looked up at the ceiling, an already half-finished drink in her hand. “Oh, who knows what the hell they’re doing right now.”

Maria, Emily, and Ash sat at three armchairs circling the room. Russell and Lukas came in shortly afterwards, with Lukas taking the spot on the Ottoman next to Cole and Russell standing near the doorframe.

Ash, somewhat intimidated by the six-foot-five teen standing over her, looked up at him. “Um… you can have this seat, if you want.”

Russell shook his head. “Nah, it’s good. First come first serve.”

Sadja scooted down the couch, sitting closer to Rodrigo and causing a cascade of the rest of the kids to scoot down as well. She patted the cushion. “Ash, come sit here!”

Ash switched seats. Russell took the armchair.

“So, speaking of which…” Aaron began, referencing Kat and looking at Sadja. “How’s that concert coming along?”

“Oh, God.” Sadja took another sip. “I don’t even want to talk about it.”

“You got a solo this year?” Emily spoke curiously.

“No, thankfully. The solos are, uh… Kat, Natalie, and Sonya.”

Rodrigo turned to the girl next to him. “Then why do you think it’s a shitshow?”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it a shitshow. It’s just that…”

The conversation continued into the night, as the friends sat together and drank, and the moon rose to the open sky.

…

It was a few hours later. Lukas now was on the ground, leaning his arms up to position himself. Cole stood by the doorframe to the bathroom. Sadja, Emily, Maurice, Rodrigo and Russell now sat on the couch. Aaron was in the armchair with Rose in his lap. Ash sat in the armchair she was initially in, still sober. An unfinished board game and a box of pizza was on the Ottoman. 

“Yeah, I just… I can’t imagine it.” Emily continued her thought, clearly drunk. Maurice, also drunk, leaned back uncomfortably on the couch.

“Well, okay, then what makes… what do you not like about it?” Lukas asked from the floor.

“I dunno. Just like… gettin’ down there, looking at it, in yo face. And, lord forbid, the taste of it…”

At this last line, Maurice visibly cringed. He got up from his seat on the couch, and stumbled out of the way. 

“Alright, I’ma need to use the bathroom.”

The group broke out into laughter. Cole let Maurice through, patting him on the back, then turned back to continue listening. 

“See, see, I’m the exact opposite,” Sadja leaned forward, woozily wagging her finger around to get the attention of the others. “If I like you, and you want me to suck your dick, I’m gonna suck your dick.”

Rose broke out in a shrill scream, followed quickly by laughter. “Girl, you would!”

The others kept laughing. Cole surveyed the group, before he noticed the one person missing.

After some looking, he found her, sitting alone on the back porch. When he opened the back screen door, Maria turned her head up to face him.

Cole smiled. “Hey, cutie.”

Maria gave him a slight smile, then turned back to face the yard. Cole sat in the chair next to her.

“I meant it in like, an endearing way. You know, not like…”

“I know.”

He motioned his hands around his face. “Yeah. I mean, you know, I’m a little…”

“Don’t worry. I can tell.”

The two looked at each other. Smiles grew across their faces. They both laughed in unison.

Cole leaned back in the chair, looking out at the night sky. “So… did you have fun?”

Maria thought for a moment. “Yeah… I think I did.”

“How are you feeling right now?”

Maria thought some more. She brought her elbow up on the armrest, and used her hand to hold her head, fingers running through her hair. “I mean… you know, for a few hours, I’m able to forget things. But they always come back, and I just…”

“I get it.”

Maria shook her head. “I just feel like I should be doing something. That I’m wasting my time.”

Cole turned his head back to the porch door to make sure it was closed. It was. He leaned into Maria.

“Listen, we have time. Whoever did this is going to pay for it. But, at the same time… I don’t want this to consume your life. I want you to be the Maria you were before. To be happy.”

Maria took her head off her arm, and looked upwards, trying to stop herself from crying again. “All the others… they make it look so easy. Like they’ve already forgotten everything that’s happened.”

Cole gently put his hand over Maria’s. “There’s a difference between coping and forgetting. All of them, in there…” He motioned towards the house. “…they aren’t going to forget what happened. They care about Anita. They care about you. At the same time, we have to stay strong, and keep pushing forward. For her.”

Maria’s head fell forward. A few partial tears fell from her eye lens, but she wiped them away. “You’re right.”

Cole moved his hand back. “If anything, just focus on the funeral. This is going to be the last cheery day for a while.”

The two looked up at the night sky. Starlight shimmered down to meet their gaze.