Dancing Away With My Heart (An Academy Fanfic)

Part 24

Sang’s POV

         “Remind me again why we’re here so early,” Gabe mumbled as he and Luke set some sodas and waters down on the table.

         We were sitting around a table not too far from the dance floor at Wild West. We had been there about 15 minutes.  As soon as we arrived, Gabe and Luke went to the bar for drinks, and Victor, Kota and I went to a table.

          “We’re here early because we needed to see who showed up early, and who will come late. And I wanted to make sure we had a good vantage point for surveillance,” Kota responded.

         I reached under the table and squeezed his hand. He looked a little uncomfortable here. Just a little, as if he’d rather be someplace else. He looked over and smiled, squeezing my hand before releasing it. Oh, right. We can’t do that.

         I looked around, taking in the club. It was different than the dance club I went to a few weeks ago. The lights were brighter, so I could see all around me. It was very… stereotypical country, I guess. Wood paneling on the walls with neon beer lights and old concert posters hanging every few feet.  A huge wooden dance floor in the center of the large space. What looked like a fence with a bar-height counter on it surrounded the dance floor except for 3 “gate” areas for getting on and off the floor.  Bar stools sat tucked under the “fence”… oh, a place to watch sit and watch the dancers. Great idea! Small bar tables with stools were scattered around the non-dance area.  A small stage sat at one end of the dance floor- they have live music? The three bars were decorated with some dark planks, giving them an old shed look. I could see a few pool tables in the far back, near one of the bars. Slowly, the club filled. Music played, but a man’s voice talked over it through the speakers mounted to the walls throughout the club. A man and woman stood on the dance floor, finishing up a 2-Step  lesson for a group of early arrivals.

         “I could have learned the 2-Step tonight?”

         “Sure. Most clubs have dance lessons at least one night a week,” Luke answered.

         “Then why…?”

         Gabe smirked at me. “You weren’t paying attention. Doc and Mr. Blackbourne wanted to dance with you. That’s why.”

         I felt my cheeks flame. “Oh.” I thought Sean had just been flirting with me again. “I thought he was just joking.”

         The guys all chuckled at that. I guess he wasn’t joking. I will never figure them out.

         The dance instructors and their students left the dance floor, and the DJ welcomed everyone. Soon music began playing, a little louder than during the lesson. One song ended, and another began, but no one was dancing. Kids I recognized from Ashley Waters along with others I didn’t recognize stood around or sat at tables. Many of them looked around, but there was no one on the dance floor.

         I nudged Victor to get his attention. “Why isn’t anyone dancing?”