My Heart: A Collection Of Poetry And Short Stories

All About Us

"Look at them."
He pointed out the two figures twirling their way around the room. One, a redhead in a very classy tuxedo, his twin brother. The other, a brunet in a deep red dress that was prettier than he was. Apparently his attire was the consequence of a bet he should have known he wouldn't win. He tracked the pair across the floor with his eyes as they danced, and he knew from the chuckling to his right that his friend was doing the same now.
"Look at how they're positioned. Alphonse is leading, and Jon doesn't have a clue what he's doing."
This was easy to see with just a passing glance at the two young men. Alphonse was sure-footed and knew exactly where he was taking the taller male with every turn they made. He never missed a beat, even when they were on a collision course with another dancing couple and he had to steer them out of the way. He made the dance look absolutely effortless, though in truth it had taken him years to learn. Even with the slightly nervous, deer-in-the-headlights-esque look on his face, it was clear he was enjoying himself and confident in what he was doing.
Jon was another story entirely. He was an absolute mess, and the elder Entwick twin was entirely correct in his observation that he hadn't a clue what he was doing. He'd been glancing down at his feet for most of the night, trying to avoid stepping on Alphonse's toes. It hadn't helped. His time was off and he kept stumbling and nearly every time he did, you could see Alphonse grimace as his foot was crushed yet again. He'd gotten better as the night progressed, but not by much. At least he hadn't knocked into anyone else. He'd done that earlier in the evening and accidentally knocked a girl to the floor. That was the point when Alphonse had decided they were better off with him leading. The only thing Jon hadn't done yet, it seemed, was fall over himself.
Spoke too soon.
Archimedes had taken his eyes off of the two for mere seconds, only to look up at his own companion for the evening. In that time, Jon and Alphonse had ended up sprawled out on the ballroom floor, Jon on top of Al. If this had been a Disney production, everyone else on the dance floor would have tripped over them and caused a catastrophe. Thankfully, this was not a Disney Channel movie.
Archimedes heard more laughter from the young man sitting to his right. He shook his head, both at him and the scene unfolding before him. Jon looked absolutely mortified. His face had gone bright red and he was apologizing profusely as he helped his partner to his feet. For his part, Alphonse just laughed. Well, giggled more of. A high-pitched giggle that was mostly amusement but tinged with nervousness. Clearly, he was just as embarrassed as Jon.
The two made their way from the center of the room over to where Archimedes and Kazimir had been sitting. As the two approached, Ace heard his brother tell Jon, "You're about as coordinated as a tap-dancing octopus." God knows what that's supposed to mean.
At least they'd had a good time.