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“Sure as fuck is,” I respond.
“Leo this is Pen. Pen this is Leo,” Clancy introduces us, even though we know each other.
“Alright?” I ask him.
“Yep. I’m good. You?”
“Better now I’ve clocked off. I haven’t seen you around for a while.”
“Oh, you know each other already. I’m such a tool!” Clancy exclaims, her cheeks flushing.
“Pen is pretty well-known around these parts,” Leo explains, giving me a look.
“She is?”
“No more than anyone else who works here,” I interrupt before Leo can drop me in it. He’s a regular, or at least he was until a couple weeks ago. I’m fairly sure he was there the night my world imploded, but that’s a conversation I don’t want to have right now. Leo seems to catch my hint and drops the subject. Definitely a good guy then.
“What have you been doing lately?” I ask him, forcing the conversation into safer territory.
“Keeping my head down mainly. I haven’t got as much time for dancing with my nine-to-five job.”
“Sorry to hear that,” I say. He’s a good dancer, but that means shit when you’ve got responsibilities. I’m fairly sure his mum’s disabled and his dad ran off with a younger model.
He shrugs. “Ain’t got time to dwell. I’m happy enough. So, Clancy tells me you both got into Stardom Academy. That’s pretty fucking impressive,” he says.
“We did, and thanks...” My gaze flicks to the dance floor. I’m over the small talk.
“Come on, let’s dance,” Leo says, sensing my reluctance.
We don’t need to be told twice.
Just like every night at Rocks, the dance floor is heaving, and the place is lit. I’ve been working here most weekends since I was seventeen and sneaking into the club for a few years before that as well. This place holds a lot of memories. Good and bad ones.
Boysis still pumping through the speakers and its funky atmosphere has everyone grinning and letting loose. The air is a heady mixture of booze, sweat and perfume. There’s an interesting kind of energy here tonight. It’s a fun vibe, but with an edge of something else, like everyone’s waiting for shit to go down. Or maybe that’s just me who’s feeling on edge. Whatever.
If the Breakers turn up, then they turn up. There’s nothing I can do about that. I’ll just have to deal with the fallout.
“This place is insane!” Clancy shouts over the pounding music and the appreciation of the crowd who are throwing their hands in the air and busting moves left, right and centre.
The best time is when the battles start, usually between one and two am, just before the club shuts down at three. I’ve entered many battles over the years with the Breakers, but only accepted one-on-one challenges in the last six months. More often than not someone offers me out whenever I’m on shift. It’s no skin off my nose, I like to dance, I love to battle, and I never lose.
Tonight though, I’m going to give it a miss. It’s been way too much of an emotional day, and I’m drained. I’ll dance for an hour, then head off home before the battles start because I will be challenged. There’s always someone who wants to take the crown. Tonight they can have it. I’m fully aware that if you forfeit a challenge you have to start at the bottom again. Prior to getting into Stardom Academy I would’ve done anything to hold onto first place, now I feel differently about it. It doesn’t seem so important somehow.
Clancy follows Leo into the centre of the dance floor, pulling me along behind her. By the way they’re eyeing each other up, it looks like they’ll be getting their freak on tonight. The crowd parts, and I get a few nods of acknowledgment from various regulars and fist bumps from others.
“Are you some kind of star here?” Clancy asks, as people move back to give us room to dance.
“Not really…”
“Don’t listen to her, Clancy. She’s the reigning champion. No one’s beaten her in a dance battle since she took on the first challenge six months ago.”
Clancy grins, bumping my shoulder with her fist. “You go girl!”
“It’s no big deal,” I grin.
“Sure, it’s not.”
Clancy starts dancing, grooving to the beat. Her specialism might be tap, but she’s got rhythm, and perfect timing. Madame Tuillard was right to choose her as one of the most promising students because the girl can move. When she starts a complicated series of tap steps, interspersing them with shit-hot street moves, Leo’s mouth drops open and I swear I can see little love hearts floating out of his eyes.
