Chapter 45 – Rest Day 5 (Part 7)
Cody shook his hair like he'd just survived an emotional storm, though in reality, he'd simply orchestrated a bachata that left the entire camp breathing like it was a season finale.
He held the microphone in one hand and raised it in the air like an invisible trophy.
"Well, well, well…" Cody said, smiling. "If you thought this had already peaked… I've got news for you."
Owen raised his eyebrows from the improvised sound booth.
"Are we talking good news or the kind that comes with phrases like 'we're gonna need you for another dance number'?" Owen asked, half serious, half trembling.
"Good! Great news!" Cody replied, spinning on his heels like he was hosting an award show. "Because if an improvised bachata ended in a kiss… imagine what a well-executed polka could do."
Lindsay gasped.
"There's going to be polka?!" Lindsay said, excited. "That's like a waltz but with more bouncing!"
"Easy, Lindsay," Leshawna said, laughing. "Don't summon rhythms Owen can't pronounce."
"What if it's breakdance?" DJ murmured from the back. "I'm mentally prepared… but my spine isn't."
Bridgette turned to Gwen.
"You think he's got it all planned?" Bridgette asked.
Gwen raised an eyebrow, eyes still fixed on Cody.
"He's enjoying this. That's already suspicious," Gwen said.
"Campers!" Cody interrupted with his professional presenter voice. "Love has bloomed, hips have spoken, and the audience has witnessed… but this is just the beginning!"
Laughter and soft applause followed.
"What's next? A trio with hats and 80s hip hop?" Courtney asked sarcastically.
"A salsa solo by Izzy on a table?" Katie said, still blushing.
"A remix of cumbia and death metal!" Izzy shouted. No one knew if she was joking.
"Anything can happen…" Cody replied, walking toward the Box of Destiny like he was carrying the weight of a prophecy.
He paused.
Sighed dramatically.
"…And now, brace yourselves," Cody said.
The campers leaned forward, some with excitement, others with dread.
Cody lifted the lid of the box and slowly slid his hand inside, like touching an ancient artifact.
He waved his hands over the box as if preparing to pull out a live dove… or a social bomb. The campers leaned in, half fearful, half thrilled.
"Let's see how many bodies the dance floor demands this time," Cody said as he stirred the slips. "Another duo? Solo? Eighteen campers dancing cumbia at once? Let's find out!"
He pulled out a card.
"Trio!" he announced with triumphant lottery voice.
Owen screamed before the first name was even read.
"YES, TRIO! I HOPE I'M ON THAT CARD! PREFERABLY WITH DJ AND… DJ AGAIN!" Owen shouted.
Cody raised the first card with a lifted brow.
"Owen," Cody read in a dry tone.
"YEEESSS!" Owen shouted, raising his arms like he'd just won a lifetime barbecue.
"Geoff," Cody said with a restrained smile.
"Party time, bro!" Geoff shouted, immediately high-fiving Owen.
Cody pulled the third.
"And… DJ."
DJ just sighed.
"I knew this was my punishment for laughing at Noah," DJ murmured as he stood up.
But he didn't walk slowly.
He walked with dignity.
Like someone who knows they're about to make a fool of themselves—but wants it to be spectacular.
The three positioned themselves on the dance floor like they'd rehearsed for years. Owen gave a thumbs-up. Geoff turned his cap backward. DJ just breathed.
Cody watched the scene from atop his presenter's throne and pulled another slip.
His expression changed. His eyebrows shot up like rockets.
"Campers… today the universe wants a show," Cody said.
He paused. Lowered his tone.
"Because our three titans will be blessed with…" Cody said.
He raised the paper like revealing a royal decree.
"Disco!" Cody announced.
A collective roar erupted. Lindsay squealed. Leshawna covered her face laughing. Gwen's eyes widened—just a little.
DJ shook his head.
"I… don't own bell-bottoms," DJ said.
"Doesn't matter!" Owen shouted. "You've got bell-bottom spirit!"
Geoff was already rolling his shoulders in circles.
"This is gonna be glorious, bro. You know what disco means? Synchronized choreography and hip movements with no logical explanation!" Geoff said.
"And mental glitter," Owen added. "Lots of mental glitter!"
Cody stepped down from his throne with determined stride.
"Well then, my dear rhythm addicts," Cody said, taking off his jacket like stepping into the octagon. "Since Owen will be shining on the dance floor, it's only fair someone covers his spot in the sound booth… and that'll be me."
He climbed behind the speaker, put on a pair of sunglasses that were clearly props, and raised a finger to the sky.
"From now on, call me DJ Code… because this dance floor runs on comedy," Cody said.
"If he gives rhythm to this too, I'm retreating to the mountains," Gwen said.
"Gentlemen of bodily sparkle, prepare yourselves," Cody declared from the booth. "Because this dance floor is about to ignite with invisible sequins, emotionally platformed shoes… and an energy not even Chef can ruin."
Owen, Geoff, and DJ took their positions. Geoff was already practicing a spin on one foot. Owen bent his knees like a 70s robot about to update itself. DJ… crossed himself.
"Let your hair down, this is gonna hurt good!" Cody shouted.
"Owen, lights ready!" Cody said.
"Lights ready!" Owen replied, not in the booth, but turning on his personal flashlight like an imaginary spotlight.
"Geoff, confidence at Saturn level?" Cody asked.
"Beyond, bro!" Geoff replied.
"DJ… solid as a 70s afro?" Cody asked.
DJ just smiled.
"Let's go," DJ said.
"Then, camp… get ready," Cody said, lowering his voice with intention.
And then…
the music began.
The speaker burst with bright percussion.
Funky guitar.
Dreamy strings.
A bassline that sparkled on its own.
And then… the vocals.
"Dance! Boogie Wonderland…" Cody sang.
Owen jumped onto the floor like someone had said his name three times in a mirror.
His shirt fluttered like a superhero cape.
Arms up.
Hips already telling their own stories.
"LET'S GO!" Owen shouted, spinning like a top possessed by the spirit of Studio 54. "I WAS BORN FOR THIS ERA, EVEN IF I WASN'T!"
Geoff ran in behind him, with the energy of an Olympic champion without a medal.
"Disco, baby!" Geoff said, launching into a clumsy side step that, nonetheless, had total commitment.
DJ walked to the floor more slowly.
But once in place, he extended his arms… and began to mark the beat with unexpected precision.
"Okay, DJ knows," Bridgette murmured, raising an eyebrow.
Cody, from the improvised sound booth, turned with crooked sunglasses and a radio-host voice.
"And there they are, ladies and gentlemen! The kings of the platform, the counts of sparkle, the three apostles of groove. This… is Boogie Wonderland come to life."
Katie was already clapping to the beat.
Courtney shook her head, but her lips were biting back a laugh.
Izzy had already grabbed a cardboard sign that read "Drag me into the rhythm!"
Lindsay spun around with no music of her own.
On the floor, the trio lined up.
Owen in the center.
DJ to his left.
Geoff to the right.
And without a plan, without a cue… they began.
Hip spins to the same side.
Crossed steps with stretched legs.
Hands in the air making circles that defied emotional gravity.
It was uncoordinated.
It was delirious.
And it worked.
Oh, it worked.
"THAT ELBOW SPIN! INSTANT CULTURAL HERITAGE!" Cody shouted from above, contorting behind his sound table like he himself was possessed by the groove.
Gwen looked up unintentionally.
DJ had just slid to the side with steps so smooth his body seemed to float.
"No way," Leshawna thought, raising an eyebrow. "Was that… sexy?"
"Am I the only one seeing this?" Courtney murmured.
"No! I'm seeing it with my whole body!" Izzy shouted, spinning a flashlight like a disco ball.
Owen now danced with arms like propellers, making circles around himself.
"Get ready!" Owen shouted. "THIS IS FOR EVERYONE!"
He launched backward in a spin that passed between DJ and Geoff, and the three ended in a synchronized move: knees bent, fists raised, eyes to the sky.
The beat didn't forgive.
Each measure gave them more power.
"Campers! What are you doing sitting? This groove is not optional!" Cody shouted, now without a mic, just speaking through his soul.
He jumped from his chair with a spin.
Landed with feet apart and fingers pointing forward, classic final pose style… but reversed, because Cody still had too much rhythm in his bones to stop.
Bridgette laughed.
"He can't help it," Bridgette said.
"No one can!" Katie replied, already up, marking side steps with her heels.
Gwen tried to hold back.
But the bass hit just below her sternum.
And DJ's steps were hypnotic.
And Cody was now dancing with Leshawna.
Yes.
Cody slid toward her, snapped his fingers, and spun her with a laugh full of rhythm.
"Let's go, queen!" Cody said, positioning himself beside her.
It only took a second.
She smiled.
And together… they started the booty bump.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom boom.
Right on beat with the chorus.
"THAT'S DISCO, BABY!" Geoff shouted, spinning on one foot.
"MY HIPS HAVEN'T COMPLAINED YET!" Owen shrieked, spinning with arms above his head.
Katie spun around herself.
Courtney now tapped the beat with her fingers on her leg, still crossed… but less convinced by the minute.
Gwen… didn't know what to do with her arms.
And when DJ turned for a solo move—leg extended, semicircle step, head spin—
she smiled.
"Okay. I give up," Gwen murmured.
She stood up.
Just one step.
Then another.
She was already dancing.
"And now the whole camp is in!" Cody shouted, panting between laughs. "The only one not dancing now is… Chef! And that's because he's trapped under a breakfast skillet!"
Leshawna bumped Cody with her butt so hard it made him stagger.
He pretended to faint.
They laughed.
The dance floor was no longer a competition.
It was a celebration.
And they were only halfway through the song.
The chorus exploded again and the camp was no longer a collection of teenagers… it was a nightclub with no schedule, no rules, and more soul than technique. The song kept spinning like a floating mirror ball, and "Boogie Wonderland" pulsed in everyone's chest like the island itself was beating in four-time.
Owen spun around with his arms wide open, as if trying to embrace the sound.
"I'M FLUID!" he shouted while sliding on his knees between DJ and Geoff, miraculously stopping just before crashing into a decorative log.
DJ stretched his arms and marked a step that looked stolen from a funk movie. Every time he stepped, it was like gravity answered only to him.
Geoff shook his shoulders with that surfer style of his, trying to be part of a music video. It wasn't precise, but his enthusiasm was so contagious that Katie was already imitating him from her spot.
Cody, from the sound booth, couldn't stay still. He hit imaginary buttons, launched fake effects with wrist flicks, and dropped phrases every two seconds.
"If you have feet, you have a moral obligation to move them!" Cody said, laughing between lines. "Boogie is pure democracy!"
Leshawna spun around once more and Cody couldn't resist.
"SECOND ROUND!" Cody shouted, and before anyone could stop him, he was bumping hips with her again to the pounding bass.
"Hoo!!" they both shouted every time they bumped.
Boom.
Hoo.
Boom.
Hoo.
"This isn't regulated by the UN but it should be!" Cody said between laughs.
Gwen burst out laughing. She wasn't hiding it anymore.
"This is so ridiculous it's perfect," Gwen murmured, spinning halfway around like someone who doesn't want to give in but already has.
Courtney, still seated, tried to keep her composure.
"They're just… jumping. That's not dancing," Courtney said.
"Then why are you tapping your heels to the beat?" Katie asked, pointing at her feet.
Courtney paused for a second.
Then sighed.
"One round," she murmured. "Just one."
She stood and walked to the beat with a frown… but her knees were already following the groove before her brain approved it.
"Yes! We recruited the law enforcer!" Geoff shouted, giving a dramatic arm spin.
DJ raised an eyebrow while doing a synchronized step with Owen. Then he extended his arm toward Izzy, who jumped into the center with a "FORMATION DANCE!" and started spinning like she was born on a rotating platform.
"Campers, heads up!" Cody said from the stage. "At this emotional speed, if someone falls, the beat will lift them."
Bridgette spun with her arms in the air. Lindsay, now wearing sunglasses—no one knew where they came from—did zigzag steps while saying, "I feel like I'm in those movies where everything's shiny and there's confetti and no one has homework!"
"No one has homework!" Owen shouted. "Boogie freed me from the education system!"
Katie was already dancing with Leshawna. Noah was in a corner, moving discreetly… until DJ pointed at him, turned, and started a double step with him without asking.
"WHAT?!" Noah exclaimed.
"Don't even think about it! BOOGIE HAS CHOSEN YOU!" DJ said, spinning hard while Noah tried to keep up.
And he did. Halfway. But he did.
The song entered its bridge. That part where the strings dance above everything and it feels like the world spins on its own.
Owen, DJ, and Geoff formed a line.
One step forward.
Knee.
Spin.
And they jumped to the side with fingers pointing to the sky, synchronized for the first time in the whole song.
A roar erupted from the crowd.
Lindsay threw fake confetti made from cereal bar wrappers.
Izzy rolled across the floor like a barrel of joy.
Cody, from above, grabbed the microphone tightly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're witnessing it! Not a choreography… a religion with bell-bottoms!"
The final chorus approached.
Everyone knew it was the climax.
Bridgette approached Courtney and they spun together.
Gwen and Katie exchanged steps.
DJ launched Owen into a spin like they'd rehearsed it.
And at the center of it all, Cody raised his arms to the sky with an emotional voice:
"BOOGIE WONDERLAND! TAKE US WITH YOU!"
The music faded elegantly, as if even the beat knew it had been enough. One last echo of funky strings floated in the air and then… just heavy breathing, scattered laughter, and an atmosphere that couldn't be faked: the camp was alive.
Campers returned to their spots like survivors of a sequin war. Owen collapsed backward onto an improvised mat while saying something about "vibrating in another dimension." Geoff kept spinning slowly like he didn't know how to stop his own enthusiasm. DJ sat down carefully, wiping off sweat with a towel no one knew where he got.
Cody, from his temporary throne, caught his breath with a broken laugh. He grabbed the microphone and raised it with the dignity of a veteran.
"Officially… I think I broke my hip in seven places," Cody said between gasps.
Leshawna burst out laughing from her spot.
"You don't have hips, Cody, you've got disassembled action figure hinges!"
"And I still won that bump!" Cody replied, tossing his hair back like he was in a funky soap opera.
Gwen settled into her seat with arms crossed, still smiling out of inertia.
Katie rested her head on Noah's shoulder, both not looking at anyone directly but not denying anything either.
Courtney, no longer in her usual judgmental pose, tapped her fingers on her legs with no fixed rhythm.
"Well, campers…" Cody said as he stood with mock solemnity, "if tonight doesn't end with an alien invasion, then disco has officially won."
Owen sat up and raised a hand.
"I'm ready for that too!"
"Sure, Owen. Though I doubt you can bachata with an alien without someone getting hurt," Geoff said.
"Don't underestimate the power of intergalactic groove!" Owen shouted with absolute seriousness.
DJ slowly raised a hand.
"What we do know… is that the groove is real."
"And powerful?" Cody said in preacher voice.
"And ancestral!" Leshawna replied.
"And possibly illegal in certain southern states!" Izzy shouted from the other side of the clearing.
Bridgette laughed and added:
"We could start a cult with this."
"Extreme discoism!" Lindsay said, still wearing the sunglasses. "Worship the platform and the glitter!"
Cody raised the microphone again, now as if closing a ritual.
"And so, gathered before the altar of Earth, Wind & Fire, it is proven that no soul is immune to the call of the boogie."
Everyone applauded softly. It was less party and more reverence.
Comedic reverence, yes. But reverence.
Duncan, from his corner, took off the sunglasses he'd been wearing without anyone noticing until now.
"I won't say I liked it," he murmured. "But if someone bumps me again without rhythm, I'm calling a vote."
"Was that a threat… or an invitation?" Gwen said.
"Both," Duncan replied.
Cody laughed and returned to the center with a clap.
"Now…" Cody said with that voice that knew it was building anticipation, "with disco out of the way, the floor lit up, hips still vibrating…"
He turned to the box with a mystical gesture.
"What will destiny prepare for us next?" Cody said.
Owen raised both hands.
"Ninja cumbiatón!" Owen said.
Izzy shouted, "Samba with brooms!"
"A silent waltz with restrained expression?" Noah said.
"I vote for wrestling-style dance battle. With capes," Katie added.
"Anything's possible, friends," Cody said, already with one hand submerged in the Box of Destiny. "But only one has the courage… to discover it."
And with that, the air recharged.
Not with exhaustion.
With eagerness.
The tournament was more alive than ever.
The song had ended, but the echo of Boogie Wonderland still lingered on everyone's skin.
The campers breathed with a mix of relief and electricity. No one talked about being tired. They were sweaty, messy, glittery with laughter… but more alive than ever.
Leshawna fanned herself with a leaf. Bridgette drank water from a battered cup. Geoff shook his arms like he didn't know whether to stretch or keep dancing. Katie and Noah shared an old mat, laughing between whispers while he tried to comb her hair and failed spectacularly.
Owen returned to his speaker throne, towel around his neck, chest puffed out.
"The original DJ is back!" Owen shouted, pressing an imaginary button. "I'm fresh, confident, and ready to make history again!"
"Fresh, huh?" DJ murmured, pointing at his soaked shirt.
"Fresh in spirit!" Owen replied, rubbing his chest like giving testimony at a cult.
Cody returned to the Box of Destiny with more energy than necessary, still shaking his hands like trying to shed excess rhythm.
"Well, campers, after surviving the disco era and discovering DJ has sensual moves and Geoff is immune to shame… it's time to open the next page of choreographic destiny."
Lindsay snapped her fingers.
"I want something elegant! Like a waltz, but with drama," Lindsay said.
"Or tango!" Izzy shouted from a branch, hanging upside down. "Where eye contact matters more than technique!"
"Let's take it one step at a time, people," Cody said, raising his hands like a priest of randomness. "Let's see what destiny has for—"
But he didn't get to finish the sentence.
Izzy fell to the ground like a controlled meteorite. She landed with a pirouette and slid between Cody and the box without warning.
"IT'S MY TURN NOW!" Izzy shouted while spinning on one leg. "This round is chosen by the chaotic energy flowing between my shoulder blades!"
"Hey! That's not how it works!" Cody protested, stepping aside with a half-laugh. "This is carefully random."
"Exactly!" Izzy said, already with her hands submerged in the box like she was searching for the Holy Grail. "And I am carefully random chaos."
She pulled out the first card.
"Duo!" Izzy exclaimed with a mischievous smile.
Some campers straightened up.
Gwen squinted.
Leshawna whispered an "aha."
Courtney tapped her foot with controlled anticipation.
Izzy reached into the name box with a magician's flourish. She shuffled, pulled out two cards… and without looking, announced:
"Bridgette… and Cody," Izzy said.
For a moment, time collapsed.
Not with noise. With glances.
Bridgette blinked slowly.
"Excuse me?" Bridgette said.
"What?!" Cody said, laughing nervously. "I'm the host! I don't dance!"
"Yes you do," DJ said from a corner. "We already saw you with Leshawna."
Katie turned to Noah with a sharp smile.
"Bolero with Bridgette and Cody? Is this our official revenge?" Katie murmured.
"Totally," Noah replied. "This counts as emotional payback."
"And what if it ends with a kiss too?" Katie said, raising her eyebrows.
"Then I switch roles and become a judge."
Lindsay clutched a cushion.
She didn't speak, but her fingers squeezed it slowly.
Heather watched Gwen without saying anything.
Gwen… had no clear expression. She just crossed her arms and lowered her gaze for a few seconds. No one knew if it was resignation, calculation, or something else.
"Well, well…" Cody said, raising his hands. "I guess destiny got tired of my voice and wants to see me sweat for less noble reasons."
Bridgette walked to the center of the floor with the elegance of someone who doesn't want to dramatize… but knows she's in the middle of an unwritten soap opera.
Cody followed, adjusting his jacket as if that made the moment more controlled.
Izzy pulled out the third card with ritual delicacy.
She flipped it.
Smiled.
"And the genre is… bolero," she said, with a voice of revelation.
Boom.
The impact was emotional, not sonic.
Bridgette lowered her gaze, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Cody let out a soft laugh, without joy.
Lindsay tensed.
Gwen clenched her fingers.
Katie murmured "uh-oh."
Heather tilted her head, unblinking.
"Well," Cody said, now at the center with Bridgette less than a meter away, "this is like dancing with everyone's memories watching."
"And with everyone's silence judging," Bridgette murmured, lowering her voice.
"Are we ready to watch them suffer in slow motion?" Geoff said from the back.
"Always!" Owen shouted.
"And I'm controlling the floor again!" Owen celebrated, raising his flashlight like a personal disco ball.
"Campers," Izzy said from the box, "get ready to watch two people pretend they don't feel watched… while dancing with their hands, their eyes, and their guilt."
"Is that a description or a threat?" Courtney murmured.
And there they were.
Bridgette.
Cody.
A bolero about to play.
And a camp that had stopped laughing… to start watching with different eyes.
The silence lasted just long enough. The kind of pause that settles right above the breath before the music reclaims its place.
And then… the guitar played.
Soft. Elegant. With that old warmth that doesn't shout, but offers.
"Historia de un amor." Luis Miguel.
No one said it aloud. They didn't need to. One note was enough for even Owen to lower his flashlight and Geoff to stop shaking his shoulders.
"Whoa, this is another level," DJ murmured, settling into his spot with respect.
Noah, from the edge, rested his elbows on his knees and tilted his head.
"What would Cody do… in a case like this?" Noah wondered.
Beside him, Katie pressed her lips to keep from laughing.
"Dance with drama? Spin with tears? Sing the bolero to the moon?" Katie said.
"I don't know," Noah replied. "But I'm preparing to see the most scandalous version of his soul."
Bridgette took a deep breath. Her hands were clasped in front of her abdomen and her feet aligned with overly deliberate precision. The melody was already upon them, and still no contact.
Cody adjusted his jacket.
And then he smiled.
Not from tournament pressure. Not with vanity.
With intent.
He turned to Bridgette, raised a hand with excessive courtesy,
"Would you grant me this opportunity… to expose ourselves with style?" Cody said.
Bridgette smiled, unable to help it.
"Only if you don't try to kiss me like Luis Miguel."
"Too bad. I was saving that for the second verse."
They took the first step.
He extended his arm gently.
She let her hand rest on his shoulder with delicacy.
Cody's other arm wrapped around her back with measured firmness.
And then, they began.
—
From the table, Owen cleared his throat theatrically.
Geoff hit an invisible drum.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Owen said ceremoniously. "Prepare for the debut of the bolero no one asked for… but everyone needed."
"Our own animated LuisMi!" Geoff added. "And Bridgette as accidental muse!"
"Or volunteer!" Owen corrected.
"Or destiny's trap!" Izzy shouted from a tree.
Bridgette lowered her gaze as they moved slowly. Cody didn't force her, didn't rush the pace, didn't read more than necessary. He was guided by rhythm, not ego.
The dance floor seemed bigger than before.
The melody slower.
The air thicker.
"It's strange," Bridgette thought. "Expecting him to treat it like a joke… and him not doing it."
From the edges of the floor, reactions bloomed in silence, like flowers that didn't want to be seen.
Lindsay twisted strands of her hair with unnecessary force.
Heather sharpened her gaze.
Courtney glanced sideways with a tight mouth.
Gwen had her legs crossed, but not her arms. And that was already a change.
"Of course it's Bridgette," Gwen thought, lowering her gaze. "It's always her. Of course. Today of all days."
Cody spun Bridgette in a slow step.
And when she faced him again, she wasn't smiling out of obligation.
She was smiling on impulse.
"Since when do you dance like this?" Bridgette murmured, softly.
"Since never," Cody replied. "But this song doesn't accept emotional mediocrity."
"Right. And you're always so obedient to music."
"That's why I fear reggaeton."
She laughed. Just as the song opened its first chorus.
Cody took advantage of the shift in intensity to move a little closer.
The step became tighter.
The arm around her back more present.
And still, it wasn't uncomfortable.
It was natural.
Gwen clenched her fingers tightly.
Lindsay cleared her throat.
Katie looked at Noah and whispered:
"We should provoke their jealousy just to see what happens."
"They're one step from exploding. This is easy," Noah said.
Bridgette let herself be guided through the next step. It wasn't technique. It was will.
The music spoke with pauses.
And they listened without seeking perfection.
Geoff rested his chin on his hand with an amused smile.
"This is a real bolero. All that's missing is rain… and I already want them to kiss," Geoff said.
"Don't ruin the atmosphere!" Owen said. "I'm crying inside."
Cody raised Bridgette's hand in a gentle spin.
She turned.
And when she looked at him again, she had no words.
Not from excess emotion.
But because she'd forgotten they were being watched.
The bolero continued. Moving slowly, with that kind of nobility that doesn't impose but suggests. Luis Miguel's voice floated over the camp like a velvet sheet, covering everything with a kind of borrowed nostalgia. Each chord was an invitation to close your eyes. To surrender.
And that's exactly what Cody did.
He didn't close his eyes, but he did shut off the mental alarms. He stopped worrying about rhythm, about glances, about possible interpretations. Not out of indifference, but by choice. Because he had nothing to prove. He just had to dance.
Bridgette felt it in the next step.
He didn't pull.
He didn't guide her with stiffness.
He just danced.
With her, yes… but also with the song.
"He's really enjoying himself," Bridgette thought, feeling her body respond before her logic.
Cody smiled, but not for her.
Not to her.
But for himself.
And that… unsettled her.
From the improvised booth, Owen wiped his hands on his pants and activated his sports commentator voice.
"And there you have it, folks! The first bolero powered by pure existential enthusiasm," Owen said.
"No prize, no strategy! Just emotional groove!" Geoff shouted, banging an empty box like a tribal drum.
"Art for art's sake!" Owen said, spinning like he was hosting an awards gala.
Translation:
On the floor, Cody marked a step with his left foot, then spun fluidly, guiding Bridgette in a turn more precise than anyone expected. She let herself be led without thinking. And when she returned to face him, he winked as if they were playing.
And they were.
Not a flirtatious game.
Not one of lies.
But the kind of game that only happens when two people understand that dancing can also be laughter.
Bridgette couldn't help but smile.
"This… I didn't rehearse in my head," Bridgette thought. "And that's why it feels good."
Gwen watched them without moving. Her hands rested on her legs, crossed. But her eyes didn't blink as much.
Courtney, from the edge of her seat, leaned slightly forward.
"Do those two have history?" Geoff asked quietly.
Owen shook his head firmly.
"No! Just shared melody!"
"And what do you know?" DJ murmured, eyes still fixed.
"I know everything," Owen said. "I… am the rhythm."
Katie and Noah kept whispering comments to each other.
"Should we have been this poetic?" Noah said, frowning theatrically.
"Maybe if someone hadn't stepped on me three times," Katie replied.
"That was my emotional defense technique."
In the center, Cody created space between them with a backward step, spun around, and moved forward again with an extended hand.
Bridgette took it without hesitation.
"Since when do you dance well?" Bridgette asked, with a smile that was no longer defensive.
"Since today," Cody said. "I was inspired by the gentle gravity of your steps. Or maybe it's the sugar from the cookies."
The song reached its second climax, and Cody no longer held back.
He spun Bridgette in a slow semicircle.
Held her with one arm under her back as she descended with measured elegance.
Not a theatrical pose.
Just an extension of the rhythm.
From her corner, Gwen shifted position for the first time in minutes. She sat up straighter.
Heather glanced at her and smiled faintly.
Bridgette straightened with Cody's help. Her eyes sparkled.
"Are you doing this on purpose?" Bridgette murmured.
"Dancing nicely?" Cody asked.
"No. Making it impossible not to enjoy." Bridgette said.
"Maybe yes. Maybe no." Cody said, laughing.
"That doesn't answer anything." Bridgette said.
"I know." Cody said.
Then Cody raised his arm, spun her once more… and when they finished, he stretched his arms to the sides, as if tying the scene with an invisible ribbon.
The bolero wasn't over yet, but he had already let go of the fear.
And she… didn't want it to end.
The music began to fade, like a long sigh announcing the end of something brief but real. The strings softened, the voice became more intimate… and the silence around the floor began to vibrate as if everyone knew that this moment, this slow, quiet moment, wouldn't repeat itself.
Cody kept the rhythm, spinning with Bridgette in a tight circle, a slow rotation that no longer felt like part of a performance.
It was a wordless conversation.
Their gazes didn't avoid each other. Nor did they hold tension.
They just stayed there.
Facing one another.
With no rush to finish.
Bridgette took a deep breath. Not from nerves.
From something softer.
As if she'd been holding her breath since the first chord… and only now could release it.
"You're taking this way too seriously," Bridgette murmured, with a smile she no longer knew was nervous or complicit.
"I just dance how the song asks me to," Cody said, lowering his voice to a warm echo.
"And what's it asking now?" Bridgette said.
"To not rush," Cody replied.
He nodded. Without breaking the step.
Bridgette's hands didn't tremble, but they held on with a little more intention.
Cody noticed.
He didn't say anything.
He didn't need to.
From the edges, the jokes had stopped.
Even Owen and Geoff were quiet.
Lindsay wasn't clapping anymore.
Gwen pressed her lips together.
Katie touched Noah's arm without saying a word.
The bolero descended toward its close.
And Cody did something unexpected: he let go of one of Bridgette's hands, just for a second, to raise it between them.
He didn't spin.
He didn't pose.
He just placed his palm against hers.
And looked at her as if he wanted that simple gesture to last longer than it could.
Bridgette smiled, as if in that quiet contact she'd found something even the dance couldn't fully translate.
The song ended with a final note.
There was no immediate applause.
Just a second.
A moment in which the entire camp seemed to understand—though they didn't know why—that something special had happened.
Then Owen couldn't hold back.
"And now, the softest, slowest, and most unexpectedly romantic bolero on this island forgotten by fun!" Owen said.
The burst of applause was real.
Several whistles.
One from Izzy that lasted six seconds.
Geoff stood to high-five imaginary hands.
Cody, still in front of Bridgette, gave a brief bow.
"Thank you," Cody murmured.
"For what?" she asked, laughing.
"For not running away." Cody said.
Bridgette turned, walking back to her spot with a smile no one questioned.
Gwen lowered her gaze.
Heather scoffed softly.
Courtney simply said:
"That was… clean."
And Cody, as he returned to his seat, said nothing.
But his smile held no irony.
It held rhythm.
And that was more than enough.