Party like it's 1999
Murphy's Law states, "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."
From the moment I had received the mums with the wrong name, to the massive pimple from this morning, I felt deep inside that this whole homecoming date was going to be one of those situations.
It may not be over yet, but I'm still trying to remain optimistic.
The drive after the restaurant had me in such a flustered mood. I would tell you how great the dinner date went, but I'd just be lying to you.
We'll just skip that awkward mess, shall we?
All I got to say is that my Dad and Mando sat with us the whole time, and Lilly was bombarded by all kinds of awkward questions from my little brother. To top it all off, I had a meatball fall off my fork, making spaghetti sauce splatter onto my white shirt. It didn't help that Mando was laughing about it the entire time. It was beyond embarrassing.
It's moments like these that I wish I knew how to drive and I had my own vehicle.
On a good note, Lilly did enjoy the meal.
————
This year's homecoming dance was being held at the new gymnasium they just finished building before the start of the school year. Everything was fresh and updated, unlike the rest of the school.
There was a line of students still waiting to get in. Many of the girls wore beautiful dresses, and the boys were looking very sharp in their suits and ties.
The entryway of the gymnasium had been covered with all kinds of vibrant, fluorescent colored decorations. The greeters in the lobby were passing out glow sticks and bracelets for everyone passing through the doors.
Lilly and I were both puzzled by these. She tore open her packets and cracked the lights to turn them on. I shrugged and did the same.
Inside the gymnasium, it had been arranged so that the majority of the basketball court was the dance floor itself. Tables were set up along the sidelines— each with its very own table runner and centerpieces.
The DJ booth was at the very back with these massive speakers booming some type of Electronic music. Definitely a genre I wasn't familiar with yet.
Aside from the flash of disposable cameras and the location of where a photo studio was set up, the only lights visible in the arena were those being projected by the DJ booth, the glow of the decorations, and all the accessories given to the attendees. It was giving a neon, futuristic-looking theme.
Probably what people in the 80s thought the future would look like.
"We should get our pictures taken while we still look clean and well-kept," I suggested, pointing over to where the photo studio was.
"Yeah. That's probably a good idea." Lilly nodded. "I'm sure our relatives are going to want some of these."
Dear Lord.
I didn't even think about pictures for all the relatives. That's a lot of pictures I will need to purchase.
The improvised photo studio was decorated with a beautiful archway of brown and gold balloons (our school colors) and a black glittering backdrop. Plastic Greek pillars with fake ivy wrapped around them were set up at the sides. A banner stretched across that said 'AHS Homecoming', and underneath it were glittering gold letters arranged that said 'Party like it's 1999'.
After all, it is 1999— and we're all here to party like there's no tomorrow.
Our turn had come up, and the photographer had us arranged close in a classic couple's pose. She had placed Lilly's hand on my chest and my hands at Lilly's waist. This was the first time we had any kind of close contact like that. It felt awkward. We didn't even pose this close for the pictures we took for our parents.
The whole time the photographer was framing us and adjusting her camera, I kept yelling "Hurry up, hurry up!" in my head.
My cheeks were turning red, and sweat beads were forming on my forehead. Lilly was trying her best to keep a straight face while the photographer snapped the portrait.
FLASH
After that intense white flash of light, all I was seeing was a floating green dot. "God. I hope I didn't blink." I said frozen in place.
"Whoa." Lilly blinked rapidly as she stepped back, breaking away from the pose.
The worst thing about getting photos taken back then was that we had to wait to get these prints in. We were left guessing and hoping the pictures turned out well.
Lilly and I began to scout the area to find a table to place our belongings. On our way there, we ran into a few familiar faces from Lilly's friend group and my friend group. Cherise, one of the girls from the Island, waved us over to join her.
Cherise scurried to give us both hugs. She was a sweetheart with a very flirtatious nature. What drew her to the Island was that she found us to be entertaining with our little shenanigans and different personalities.
"You two look amazing, "She said gleefully.
"Thanks. You too. Who'd you come with?" I asked curiously.
"I'm flying solo. I'm just here to have fun." She smirked.
"Speaking of fun, c'mon," Lilly said enthusiastically. She was ready to have fun and led the way to the dance floor. I found myself struggling and overwhelmed by it all. The music that Boss and Victor had me learn to dance to did not have this level of intensity.
I didn't even know what this genre was called or how it was danced, but everyone was into it.
They went from some just casually swaying side to side with their arms in the air, to some really dipping low in a promiscuous way. There were even some couples that were bumping and grinding against each other.
"Holy fuck!" I exclaimed, pointing them out to Lilly. "Are they dancing or making babies?"
"Oooh. Yeah. They're definitely getting freaky on the dance floor." She laughed.
Lilly closed her eyes and threw her hands into the air, waving the glow sticks around while her hips swayed to the beat. She wasn't just dancing to the music; she was feeling it. I took a deep breath and joined her.
Whatever it was we were doing, we weren't making fools of ourselves. We were dancing like nobody was watching.
After a few songs, the DJ switched the tempo to something faster, more intense, and everyone was getting into it. Glowsticks were twirling around wildly, the crowd was cheering and jumping, laughing, enjoying themselves, and having a good time.
During one of the tracks being played in the mix, I noticed Lilly doing a little dance while mouthing the lyrics in the loop—
Hey girls
Hey boys
Superstar DJs
Here we go!
She...clearly knows this song.
"Who is this by?" I shouted.
Lilly raised her eyebrows and leaned in. "What?!"
The music almost drowned out our voices, even when shouting at each other at close distance. I leaned in closer. "I was asking who this is by?"
"Oh." She shouted back. "Chemical Brothers."
I was bobbing my head in approval.
Lilly tapped my shoulder and pointed over to someone who was swinging the glowsticks around wildly like he was fighting a bunch of invisible Ninjas. I laughed the moment I spotted it.
"Hey! It's Tito." I shouted over to her. "I know him. He's a character."
"Is his name really Tito?" She looked confused.
I shook my head. "Nah. We just call him that."
"Why?"
I started laughing. "Look at him. Doesn't he look like Michael Jackson's brother, Tito?"
Lilly looked over and studied him for a moment.
He was wearing a red jacket, a pair of black jeans, and a button-up denim shirt with a black tie. He had light brown skin and tried to have his curly hair slicked back, which made it resemble Jheri Curls.
"Oh my God." She laughed. "He really does."
"C'mon. Let's go join him." I led the way enthusiastically.
Tito was one of the freshmen who started hanging out with the Island of Misfits. He was like the little brother we all looked after. He was a bit eccentric, possibly on the spectrum, and very quirky. Because of that, he would be teased a lot by the other students. Many of us stood up for him and actually welcomed his uniqueness.
He hadn't realized we showed up until Lilly and I started chanting—
"GO TITO! GO TITO! IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY! GET BUSY!"
I jumped in and joined his little dance by doing some kung fu moves like he was.
Next thing we knew, others started joining in the chanting and forming a crowd around us. Others jumped in and took turns doing their own little dance while joining Tito. The look on his face showed that he was having one of the best times of his life.
As a matter of fact, I was having just as much fun. This homecoming dance was better than I had anticipated.
-----
The DJ cycled through a few different genres, from Latin dance, hip-hop, pop, and eventually brought out the slow and soft music of R&B. I looked around and realized how many couples were slow dancing. Arms around each other. Cheeks pressed close.
It was the kind of moment I wanted—Just…not yet. Not like this. Not when I was still sweating like a busted faucet.
I was getting nervous, remembering how awkward it felt being close to Lilly during the photos. "Umm..." I scratched at my arm. "We can sit these out. I don't really know how to slow dance."
Lilly had a sigh of relief. "That's good. Me neither." Her cheeks looked red and flushed after all that dancing.
"Is it getting too hot in here, or is that just me?" I asked while loosening up my tie.
"It's hot. I feel like I'm melting away." She fanned herself with her hands.
I couldn't blame her. The fabric of her dress didn't look light enough to catch a breeze.
"Want to go by the doors for some fresh air? I'll grab us some drinks."
"That sounds perfect." Lilly panted. She started to make her way towards the front doors, and I went to the refreshments table. They had many cups already filled with ice water or fruit punch laid out. I grabbed a few cups of punch for Lilly and me.
While there, I spotted CC dancing with Kenny. Their eyes were closed, dancing cheek to cheek, and they were just holding on to each other as the music swayed them around.
My heart began to sink, yet I was happy to see them like that.
I wanted that kind of connection like they had.
I wanted to know what that felt like.
*Sigh*
————
Lilly was standing right outside the doorway getting some of that soft, nightly breeze that was blowing through. She wasn't alone. She was chatting with Cherise, who had joined her while I was away getting the punch.
I joined them and handed Lilly her cup and raised mine in a small toast. "Cheers."
"Cheers." Lilly giggled as we clanged the plastic cups together. "Goofball."
Cherise raised her hand like she had an invisible cup.
I took a big gulp absentmindedly. I hadn't realized how cold the punch was until I felt a sudden surge of pain shoot from the roof of my mouth to my temples.
"Hnng—holy fuck!" I coughed.
Lilly was laughing and struggling to take a sip from her cup, which was shaking harder the more she laughed.
"Brainfreeze?" Cherise asked in amusement.
I just nodded quickly, still pressing into my head. "I swear to God! All day I've been getting these random ass mishaps."
Cherise sighed and shook her head. "It couldn't be as bad as what happened to Tito just a bit ago."
Lilly and I paused our laughing for a moment of curiosity.
"What do you mean?"
Cherise stayed quiet and shook her head with a smirk on her face. "It's pretty bad."
"Oh?" Lilly finally took a sip of her punch. "Do tell."
"Well..." Cherise tried her best to keep a straight face. "I tried slow dancing with him and he just—froze"
"Froze!?" Lilly and I exclaimed.
"Yes. Froze!" Cherise giggled and blushed through her chocolate complexion. She placed her hand up to her face to hide her embarrassment. "Then he just...ran straight toward the restroom."
"WHAT! Oh my god. Is he ok?" I was getting concerned for Tito. "Do I need to go and check on him?"
Lilly blushed and snickered uncontrollably. "You might want to give him a few." She said. Before Cherise ran into her, Lilly had witnessed Tito run to the restroom in such a strange manner. Until that very moment, she figured it out.
"Oh yeah. I'm pretty sure he's more than ok." Cherise nodded and couldn't keep a straight face anymore. "He just got a bit—excited."
"Boi-oi-oing!" Lilly joked as she and Cherise erupted into hard laughter.
"Oh...fuck!" My eyes widened, finally realizing what Cherise hinted at.
As bad as I felt for Tito, the situation had become too funny. I couldn't contain the laughter and joined in.
The 3 of us rushed all the way outside, dying from laughter. My sides were hurting, and I struggled to catch my breath.
Lilly had found herself sitting on the stairs and hanging onto the handrail for dear life. Her eye makeup was starting to get ruined by her watering eyes.
Cherise was coughing so hard, I thought she was going to pass out. She was even fanning her face to cool off and hoping it would help. "Wooooo! Oh my God. Oh my God." She sniffled.
"Oh my God. Poor Tito." I said, almost breathless.
As embarrassing as it was for him, this was a top-tier embarrassing moment that's funny. That part of a boy's body sometimes has a mind of its own, and we can't control it. It just happens.
Once our laughing fit calmed down, I ended up going to the restroom to check up on him. Tito looked like he wanted to cry, but I comforted him and let him know that everything was ok. It's perfectly normal to have those little surprises pop up.
Tito did end up going back out there to enjoy the rest of the dance with us, but will probably avoid slow dances from now on.
Even as the music faded and the glowsticks dimmed, the feeling stayed with me after we took Lilly back home for the night. All the mishaps, the fun, the laughs, and more importantly, the memories that were made. Maybe this wasn't just a good night — I was hoping it was the beginning of something bigger.