"The Lounge: King of Oregon Country" follows Hunter Draper, a teenage male model whose arrival in the city of Portland disrupts its tranquility, sparking a rivalry between the affluent "Lounge Elites" and the independent "Outsiders." Torn between lo...
As In the Ashes from Late Night Alumni serenades me through the stereo, I sing my own mix of the lyrics. It is the war anthem I drive with toward the battles that lay ahead at the red school. I cruise in a shiny red chariot, a brand new Mustang convertible my father gifted me. A stallion of a vehicle rightful for a goddess.
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The early stages of the fight begin today. However, more than one battle calls me to action. There is the Gauntlet, where my boyfriend and his selected champions will risk their lives to raise our school's standing and ensure the next three years of our future. As Keeper of Ceremony, my duty to my peers and constituents is to run and fulfill all rituals surrounding the year-long affair. I have been trained to do this over the past two years. Naturally, I would fulfill my duties with no issue. However, this year brings with it a certain complication.
Two months ago, MTV announced a competition to find the best dance crew in the entire world. Throughout the year, they will pose themes to the global dance community and challenge them to make a music video associated with it. Any dance team can submit their videos to be judged, and points will be tallied in real-time through social media, where the videos will also be shared. The challenge itself has garnered massive attention in the global dance community. But the grand prize is what is calling dancers to war: a feature for the winning dance crew in a Britney Spears music video.
Britney—the living dance legend, the goddess of fierce, the woman who showed us all how to be fearless, rock, roll, and set the world on fire. A prize of such prestige calls for battle the likes of which the dance world has never seen. For such a prize, sacrifices must be made, blood will be spilled, and one victor will emerge.
I may be Keeper, but I am a warrior first. The dance floor has always been my battlefield, the music my challenger, and my body the weapon. There's no flagrant chance in hell that I will let anything keep me from ascending the throne to international dance royalty. There is but one crown, and it for damn sure is going to be placed upon my pretty little head.
Fulfilling my ritualistic duties is one thing, but participating in the actual Gauntlet is another. I know Justen is banking on me to be one of his champions. I am, after all, a literal trained killer. I have more experience with it than anyone in the school. But there is no way I can lay my life on the line in this war when I have been called to another that is much greater. I haven't broken the news to Justen yet, but I will have to after our opening words in the Lounge today.
