Valhalla High (A Magnus Chase Fanfic)

Jack Chastises the DJ

September 30

Classes were fairly laid back on Friday. We had a couple exams, but not much homework. My teachers all encouraged us to go to the game and dance tonight and Odin wasn't the only one who said we'd get extra credit for going. I had only some math homework and I finished that before Blitzen picked me up at the library.

I got into the back of the car and was surprised to see Blitzen was sitting in the driver's seat. I had a driver's license, but I never really drive because of my mother's car insurance and the fact that I didn't have my own car. Hearthstone was sitting shotgun and he waved at me via the mirror. Having a conversation in ASL in a moving car when you're not next to each other is hard, so we resorted to texting.

Hearthstone: You good, Magnus?
Me: as good as as elf
Hearthstone: that doesn't bode well
Me: I'm a little nervous about the dance, tbh
Hearthstone: Why???
Me: I've avoided school dances because of bullies

Hearthstone texted me a meme about his favorite rune. Apparently, it was an empty cup.

Hearthstone: We're all empty cups here.

I'm not going to lie, that made me tear up a bit. We arrived at Blitzen's house and snacked on some trail mix before getting ready. We changed into our outfits and then Blitzen examines us. He was in his element as he slathered moisturizer with SPF over our faces and coiffed our hair. He even showed me how to tie my tie correctly, so I was feeling fairly spiffy as we drove to the dance.

It was 8:04 PM when we arrived, but the place was already jammed packed. I could hear the music playing on the cafeteria as I handed my ticket to the doorkeeper, Heimdall. He grinned at us. "We won tonight," he said.

      We smiled and entered the school, heading towards the cafeteria. All of the tables and chairs had been put away and the place looked insanely different. Iridescent streamers were hanging from the ceiling and there was even a pale disco ball. A DJ was seated in the far right corner.

   Almost immediately, we bumped into Jack and Riptide. "Hey guys!" Jack said.

    Riptide had rose gold hair that almost perfectly matched her metallic dress and heels. "Come on, Jack," she said. "This music is trash."

   He nodded in agreement. "We better go talk to the DJ."

   And like that, they were gone. "Wow," I said.

   The music was insanely loud and it was hard to hear anyone talking unless you were close to them. I grinned; these ASL lessons were coming in handy. I signed to ask my friends if they wanted to go to the punch table and we all agreed that was a good idea.

     It took forever to get to the punch table. It lay on the other side of the cafeteria and people kept pressing against us. Despite the assembly, I saw some people dancing in ways that were explicitly prohibited. I didn't care, though, because the spread before me was fit for the finest people in the world: my friends and I.

There were punch and cookies, yes, but there were also falafels, pita bread, cut up vegetables, nine types of hummus, roasted artichokes, gyro, yogurt dipping sauces, tabouli, goat cheeses, and tzatziki sauce. I grabbed a paper plate and filled it. I sampled all nine types of hummus (the roasted red pepper was my favorite though the pine nut was a close second). Hearthstone really liked the gyro and Blitzen commented on the falafel. "You really do have a good taste, Magnus."

I nodded. "These are the best falafels in all of Boston."

One summer when I was 14 while my mother was working, I'd spent a lot of time at the library. I read books most of the day and went to the mall food court to eat at Fadlan's Falafels everyday at noon. I was such a regular that summer that Amir and his father started giving me free meals — the leftovers they couldn't legally sell that still tasted great. I'd eat what I could and gave the rest to hungry people.

I was just finishing the last bite of my pita sandwich (hummus, falafel, lettuce, onion, and tomato) when I saw Alex. She was wearing a hot pink strapless dress and she looked amazing. Blitzen followed my gaze and then laughed. "You're smitten, boy."

"I am not," I insisted. "I'm just admiring her dress."

Alex caught sight of me and I tried to act suave, but I was pretty sure there was some hummus on my left cheek and my tie was askew again. "Magnus," Alex said. "What do you think?"

She spun around and then laughed at my mortified cheeks. "Would you like to dance?"

My brain stopped working. "Uhhh—"

"That's a yes," Blitzen said, helping me stand up and taking my plate.

He wiped the hummus off my face with a silk handkerchief and then patted me on the back. "You'll do good, kid."

I somehow managed to follow Alex into the crowd. She led me to the middle of the dance floor. Jack must've had a long chat with the DJ because Taylor Swift songs were now blasting out of the speakers. Alex took my hands. "Would you like to dance?"

I nodded and we began dancing. Now, Alex was a great dancer, but I was trying to focus on not stepping on her toes. I couldn't believe, though, that my left hand was on her waist and our other hands were touching. This, I decided, was even better than falafels.

I thought we'd stop after the first song, but we didn't. Eventually, we met up with Blitzen and Hearthstone who were dancing together, as well as TJ, Jack, Riptide, Mallory, Halfborn, Sam, and Amir. Jack was voted Homecoming King, Sam was Homecoming Queen. We all danced as a group and when the DJ announced the last song, we all were a bit sad.