Mr. Michaels drops Simon off at Zoey’s house at 5:52 PM.
“Thanks, Dad,” Simon says as he gets out.
“Just call if you need anything,” Mr. Michaels says.
“Right. See you later.”
Mr. Michaels drives back down Maud Avenue and Simon goes up the stairs to the front door. Inside, Zoey is hurrying to finish up, as she saw the car approach from her bedroom window.
Simon knocks on the door and Zoey’s dad answers.
“Hello, Mr. Mizaki,” Simon says nervously.
“Simon,” Mr. Mizaki says back.
Mr. Mizaki lets Simon in, and Simon stands by the couch.
“You can go ahead and sit down, Simon,” Mrs. Mizaki says. “Zoey will probably be a few more minutes.”
“Oh, okay,” Simon says with a nod.
Simon goes around to the front and sits on the left side of the couch. But then he stands right back up as he hears Zoey on the stairs.
The dress from Vegas, transformed with the spaghetti straps and ruffled skirt. Long black socks reaching just over the knee. Zoey’s hair pulled back into a ponytail rather than pigtails. A pair of fingerless, black lace gloves. And even the dress shoes with gold buckles. It’s practically perfect!
“Wow,” Simon says in a hushed voice as she reaches the top.
“You really think so?” Zoey smiles with a slight blush.
“Yeah,” he says.
Simon starts to go around the couch, but he’s still looking at Zoey and he bumps into the arm.
“Oh, sorry,” he says. “Oh, uh, hey, Neeko. Watch out.”
Zoey giggles as Simon manages to avoid her cat and walks up to her.
“You look nice, too,” she says. “I like the blue jacket and black slacks.”
“Thanks,” he says.
“Okay, now,” Mrs. Mizaki says. “Let’s get some pictures.”
Zoey is very excited as she guides Simon over to the spot near the front door with nothing on the wall.
“I probably shouldn’t do the thing, right?” Zoey asks her mom with a bit of a giggle.
“The what?” Simon asks.
“Y’know, the pose with the hand on the hip. Like this.”
With Simon on her left, Zoey puts her right hand on her hip and turns towards him.
“Yeah, you probably shouldn’t do that,” Mr. Mizaki says.
“Just stand together, shoulder to shoulder,” Mrs. Mizaki says.
Simon straightens up, hands down at his sides. Zoey scoots closer, then holds Simon’s hand. Mrs. Mizaki takes a few pictures, but Mr. Mizaki stares sternly at the hands.
“Oh, honey, stop it,” Mrs. Mizaki says. “It’s just hand holding.”
“Yeah, Dad,” Zoey says. “I’ve held hands with Shaun, so it’s no big deal that I’m holding hands with Simon. Now, let’s get going.”
“Alright, have a good time,” Mrs. Mizaki says as Mr. Mizaki opens the door again.
Zoey picks up her clutch and leads the way down the stairs. Mr. Mizaki unlocks the driver’s side doors, and Simon holds it open so Zoey can enter first. They all buckle up and the car heads down Maud to turn left onto Bancroft.
Meanwhile, in Alameda when Alicia, Karina and Marina finish preparations, singing along with Waiting for Tonight by Jennifer Lopez.
“Waiting for tonight!” Alicia sings while slipping on her shoes. “Oh-oh oh~! When you will be here in my arms.”
“Waiting for tonight! Whoa-ho-oh~!” Karina and Marina sing into the same hairbrush. “I’ve dreamed of this love for so long~!”
“Aww, look at you all!” Mrs. Osou gushes as the three walk out to the living room. “C’mon, c’mon, group picture.”
The girls stand together, Alicia in the middle as the tallest, and Mrs. Osou takes pictures. Then they move around, Karina in the middle for a few pictures, then Marina in the middle for a few.
“Well, yes,” Alicia says. “But what did you and Mark plan again?”
“He’ll meet us at the school,” Marina says. “Grandma didn’t want me alone in his car with him.”
“Wait, this Mark is an older boy?” Mr. Osou asks. “How much older?”
“He’s just a Junior,” Marina says.
“But since he isn’t driving your anywhere, how will you get home?” Mrs. Osou asks.
“We’ll take her,” Alicia says.
“Well, we’re riding with Seth and Jeff, aren’t we?” Karina asks. “Since we’re all going to, uh, wherever they’ve decided.”
“You don’t even know where you’re going?” Mr. Osou asks.
“No, but the boys do,” Alicia says.
“I think you should drive yourselves to the school,” Mr. Osou says. “Then you can take Marina home and meet the boys at ‘wherever they’ve decided.’”
“Dad, it’ll be fine,” Alicia says.
They hear a car pull up in front of the Osou house and Karina goes to the window.
“Oh, they’re here!” Karina says excitedly.
Everyone goes outside to meet the Takagaki brothers.
“Wow,” Jeff says to Karina. “You look amazing.”
“Thank you,” Karina says with a big smile.
“You also look amazing,” Seth says, just a little nervous.
“Thanks,” Alicia says, her smile just a little nervous.
“And Marina?” Karina asks with a slight nod to her.
“Oh, y-yeah,” Jeff says. “She looks great, too.”
“Thanks,” Marina says with a slight smile and a shrug. “It’s not that bad of an outfit, I guess.”
“More pictures!” Mrs. Osou says.
The group of five stands in front of Seth’s car. Marina stands in the middle with Alicia and Seth on one side, and Karina and Jeff on the other. Then the couples switch around, so that Seth and Jeff have ladies on either side.
“Okay, see you later,” Karina says as Jeff opens the door for the girls.
Karina enters first, then Marina, then Alicia. Obviously, Jeff rides shotgun while Seth drives.
Back in San Leandro, the school is already busy with cars pulling into the parking lot, as well as the wraparound driveway. The driveway is for drop-offs while the parking lot is of course the Juniors and Seniors who are driving themselves to the dance.
Mr. Mizaki does his best to be patient as he waits for the line into the wraparound driveway to move. He’s finally able to pull in at about 6:20.
“Love you, Dad, see you later,” Zoey says before closing the door.
Mr. Mizaki drives away while Zoey and Simon walk through the side entrance that is the gap between the main building and science wing. They spot Simon’s friends gathered by the bleachers and walk over to join them.
“Wow,” Michelle says, “what a cute dress!”
“Thanks,” Zoey says. “My friend, Karina, and her cousins did it for me.”
All the guys say, “Nice,” a few times each as they look at each other’s suits and ties.
“Aw, crap,” Simon says.
“What?” Zoey asks. “Did you forget something?”
“No,” he says. “Gina and some of her friends are coming out of the gym hallway.”
Zoey looks over and sees Gina and the other girls from PE for herself.
“Do you think they have water balloons full of soda again?” she asks.
“Let’s not find out,” he says.
“Quick, hide around the corner,” Michelle says.
Zoey hides in the shadows of the science wing’s gap between stairwell and first floor entrance.
“No, wait,” Simon says as he hurries into the shadows with her. “Better idea.”
In a flash of light, Simon becomes Spektrum Code Silver and then pushes down on the handle to break the lock!
“What’re you doing?” she says as he opens the door and ushers her inside.
“Shh,” he says as he carefully closes the door.
He leads the way to the other end of the hall, holding her hand.
“Turn into Catgirl,” he says as they reach the other door.
“Oh, I get it,” she says. “They’re looking for me as Zoey. And while Gina will mess with Zoey, she doesn’t have the guts to mess with Catgirl.”
Her hair turns pink, her eyes turn golden yellow, and The Spektrum pushes this door open. They walk out together, holding hands again, and The Spektrum nods and waves to those arriving.
“C’mon,” he says to Catgirl. “Let’s see some swagger. Some, uh… Catitude.”
“Catitude?” she says, laughing a little. “That’s great, actually. We should definitely make that my thing. No more ‘The Alameda Catgirl.’”
“Right, right,” he says. “You’re the girl with catitude, the one and only Catgirl.”
“Mm-hmm,” she hums with a sassy smile and head shake.
The Spektrum nods to his friends and they smile and move on into the gym. Gina and her friends frown seeing The Spektrum and Catgirl, but they also move on into the gym. Catgirl smirks, because The Spektrum was right: Gina can bully Zoey all she wants, she can’t do a thing to Catgirl.
The Spektrum and Catgirl walk in through the double doors, and everyone notices. First the room is quiet, aside from the music, but then everyone applauds and cheers as the local superheroes walk further in. Catgirl blushes and giggles as she and The Spektrum wave.
“Wait right here,” The Spektrum says. “I’m going to go talk to our friend.”
The Spektrum gives a quick bow to Catgirl before going over to the DJ’s turntable.
“Hey, Dan,” he says. “Er, uh…”
He looks at Dan’s DJ booth and the big name in lights.
“DJ DNA,” he says with a growing smirk. “I have a request, if that’s alright.”
“Yeah, sure,” Dan says with a big smile. “Hopefully I have whatever song it is.”
The Spektrum leans forward and whispers it to Dan. Dan quickly scrolls through his laptop’s list and smiles as he finds it. Dan double-clicks the title, and the song starts playing as The Spektrum heads back to Catgirl.
“Dance, Dance, by Fall Out Boy!” Dan announces on the mic, getting most of the students to cheer.
First, drums, *Bum batak, tak, tak! Bum batak, tak, tak* Then the bass guitar comes in, *Dum badum, dum dum~, dum badum, dum dum~*
As he walks back, his suit starts to change color! The black button-up goes white, the camo-flaunt on the inside is now all silver, and the white jacket, tie and slacks turn purple!
“Code Purple?!” she says excitedly.
“Huh,” he says as he looks himself over. “But no, that wouldn’t be the visible spectrum. This would be… Code Violet.”
“Oh, Code Violet,” she corrects herself.
“Would you care to dance?” he asks, holding out a hand.
“Certainly,” she says, taking his hand.
She says she's no good, with words but I'm worse.
Barely-stuttered-out-a-joke of a romantic stuck to my tongue.
Weighed down with words too, overdramatic.
Tonight it's, "It can't get much worse!"
Versus, "No one should ever feel like!"
He reels her in closer and they put their right hands together flat and circle with each other. After 180 degrees, they go around the other way with their left hands. They hold hands as they give little kicks, right feet far out to the left and left feet far out to the right. Then they hold hands as they take a few steps to his right, then switch hands to walk back to his left. He then holds his head like he has a headache to fit the lyric, and he holds his hands out to her while she fans herself like she’s hot and bothered.
I'm two quarters and a heart down!
And I don't~ wanna forget how your voice sounds!
These words~ are all I have so I'll write them,
So you’ll need them just to get by!
They shuffle right six steps, shuffle back to the left, then they do the hand jive from Grease: pat thighs twice; clap hands twice; crisscross hands, twice with right over left then twice left over right; hammer fists together, right on top of left twice, left on top of right twice; and to finish off, two thumbs up with the left hand over the left shoulder, and two thumbs up with the right hand over the right shoulder. After that, they spin clockwise and slide to their lefts.
Dance, dance!
We're fall~ing apart, to half~ time!
Dance, dance!
And these are the lives~, you love to lead!
Dance! This is the way they'd love~,
If they knew, how, misery~ loved me~!
She has hands on her hips as she pop-pops, but he gets on his tip toes like Michael Jackson instead. They both spin counterclockwise, but he spirals down to the floor with “falling apart.” Then he kips up with the next “Dance, dance!” to then flair and shake his jacket, and spins while going to his left to stay with her pirouette.
On “Dance!” they plant their feet shoulder width apart and bring hands out straight ahead to of course make hearts for “love,” while both tilting their heads to his left, her right. But on “how misery,” he “breaks” his heart and slashes his throat to then point a finger gun to the ceiling.
With the guitar’s *dow dow dow dow, dow dow dow dow* they walk up to each other, her with a cute and almost flapper girl trot.
You always fold just, before you're found out.
Drink up, it's last call!
Last resort, but only the first mistake, and I!
He brings her in for a dip on “fold just” and spins her for “found out.” Then he pretends to drink something, thumb up and pinkie out, before throwing the imaginary glass on the ground. He puts a fist to his chin and pushes as he slow spins, putting up a finger for “first mistake,” and she puts the back of her hand to her forehead as she pretends to feel faint.
I'm two quarters and a heart down!
And I don't~ wanna forget how your voice sounds!
These words~ are all I have so I'll write them,
So you’ll need them just to get by!
They repeat the shuffling steps, but instead of the hand jive, they keep their knees together while they do a twist, then he steps back a bit while she turns around 450 degrees so that she’s facing away.
Why~ don't you show me, that little bit of spine,
You've been saving for his mattress~, love.
He moves his hand back and forth, up and down, with the slinky swaying and shimmying of her hips. He then moves his hand down as if to smooth a finger along her back. At the world, “love,” she pretends to be offended, with mouth open as she puts left hand on her hip and right hand on her chest. He then trots over to take that left hand while going around her.
Dance, dance!
We're fall~ing apart, to half~ time!
Dance, dance!
And these are the lives~, you love to lead!
Dance! This is the WAY~ they'd love~,
If they knew, how, misery~ loved meeEE~!
He holds her hand as they spin together, then they hold both hands and roll their shoulders together while keeping knees together and doing a twist. Then they hop right and left with “Dance, dance!” and kick right foots left to rotate and be back-to-back. Again, they take their stances and put their hands in the heart shape, and again he breaks his heart and slashes his throat with both hands.
As the hard-hitting guitar comes in, he bangs his head while she takes his outstretched right hand to come spinning and twirling in. She ends up being reeled into his arm being around her waist, and his left hand holding right from over her shoulder.
Why~ don't you show me, that little bit of spine,
You've been saving for his mattress~! (Mattress~! Mattress~!)
As they sway back and forth together, she looks up at him, and he looks back at her, their faces so close.
I~ only want, sympathy, in the form of you,
Crawling into bed with meeee~!
The others around them are watching intensely, adding to the heat of the moment as he holds her tighter, and starts to bring her up onto her tip toes. She feels her cheeks burning as she looks into shining silver eyes, and her left hand grips tighter to his right. Her knees feel weak and she rests back against him as the guitar goes higher and higher. Their lips draw closer and closer, and then he swings her out to full arm extension!
She can’t help but laugh as they spin together again, and they weave around each other in a circle as she says, “You tease!” His response is a short but hardy laugh.
Dance, dance!
We're fall~ing apart, to half~ time!
Dance, dance!
And these are the lives~, you love to lead!
Dance, this is the way they'd love (Way they'd love)
Dance, this is the way they'd love (Way they'd love)
Dance, this is the way they'd love
If they knew how misery loved me
This time, The Spektrum shadows Catgirl as they slide one way, kick, then slide the other way and kick. Then she faces him again, she puts up the heart, and has it swing down while she shifts her weight from left to right. He puts up the heart and uses it as the pivot point as he spins and twists in place. Then they use one hand each to make a heart together, but again at “how misery,” he pulls away, slashes his throat, crosses his arms over his chest in an X, and leans and bends left as if he’s crumpling.
He stands up and faces Catgirl again with the bass guitar’s *Dum badum, dum dum~, dum badum, dum dum~*.
“Let’s spin,” he says.
“Okay,” she says back with a smile.
Dance, dance
Dance, dance
Dance, dance
Dance, dance
They spin again and again, counterclockwise, and revolve around each other in a clockwise circle. On the very last beat, they almost collide to end on starting position. The other students around them are cheering and applauding loudly, but they don’t even notice because they’re both breathing heavily, chest to chest and faces close together.
“Y’know what?” she says. “I think I really like Violet.”
“Oh…!” he says with a surprised smile.
The two finally look around at everyone else and take a step back from each other, though still holding hands. They wave and even take a bow as the other students take pictures.
“Can we get selfies?” someone asks.
“Um, sure,” Catgirl says with a shrug.
Catgirl and Spektrum take pictures with several students; one girl who stands between them, another who has Spektrum in the middle, and another who puts Catgirl in the middle. Even some guys get selfies with them, all with Catgirl in the middle. The Spektrum gets further annoyed with each on.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Spektrum says after the fourth guy wanting to be in close contact with Catgirl. “I think we should go now.”
“What?” Catgirl says. “But we practically just got here.”
“I know,” he says, “but this is supposed to be a Valentine’s Day dance. Everyone should dance instead of pay attention to us.”
The admiring fans pout or let out an “Aww,” but the crowd parts as The Spektrum and Catgirl head for the exit. Just before reaching the door, The Spektrum spots Cyndi standing on the bleachers, next to Gary from the fan club. Cyndi and Spektrum lock eyes for just a moment, and she gives a soft smile.
The Spektrum opens the door for Catgirl as they exit, and she gives a wave good-bye to the crowd before the door shuts again.
“Are you sure we had to go?” she asks him as they walk down the hall.
“Well, we can’t go back in there as ourselves,” he says. “Unless you have another outfit hidden away somewhere.”
“Okay, good point,” she says with a pout.
“Alright, everybody,” Dan says, audible through the walls. “Let’s slow things down and bring up the mood with a classic. Depeche Mode’s Enjoy the Silence.”
The techno beat starts, then electric guitar starts in, dudu duduuu~, dudu du duuu~, and both Catgirl and The Spektrum recognize it right away.
“Words like violence, break the silence,” he sings along while he takes her hands. “Come crashing in, into my little world.”
He starts a waltz-like step with her, making circles where they are.
Painful to~ me…
Pierce right through~ me…
Can’t you understand?
Oh, my little girl.
The Spektrum brings her in close again, almost like a hug.
“All I ever wanted, all I ever needed, is here~, in my~ arms~,” he sings with the chorus. “Words are very, unnecessary, they~ can only~ do haaarm~.”
Catgirl blushes while there’s a techno poko-poko paka-paka beat.
“Spek…” she says while looking away, a gushing smile on her face.
The electric guitar returns with dudu duduuu~, dudu du duuu~, duu~ duduu~, duduu~ du duu~, and the two just sway under the green light of the exit sign.
Back in Alameda, Zoey’s friends and cousins arrive at Encinal High and find a spot in the parking lot. Seth and Jeff open the doors on both sides, and Seth helps Alicia out while Jeff helps Karina and then Marina.
“There’s Mark,” Marina says.
Mark waves as the group approaches.
“Wow, that’s a really cute dress,” he says.
Marina blushes and shrinks into her shoulders.
“Thanks,” she says with a shy smile.
The group, now at six, walk into the gym. They all then marvel at the décor that certainly brings things back to the 1920s. Bouquets line the walls a few feet apart, with sparkling gold and silver tinsel in between. There are balloons in bunches, in gold, white and silver. The stage has a new façade of ornately carved wood, and a large wood board with “Happy Valentine’s” painted in shining gold letters is the backdrop of the stage.
The school band is here, all dressed sharp in tuxedoes and sitting behind white ‘n’ gold podiums like the swing bands of the era. Even Encinal’s music teacher, Mr. Chen, cleans up nice.
“This is incredible!” Karina says with a somewhat hushed voice. “Zoey has to see this.”
Karina, like many of the other students, brings out her phone to take several pictures of the gymnasium that has been transformed into a ballroom.
“Chloe and the committee did a great job,” Alicia says.
“But where is she?” Karina asks as she looks around.
Mr. Chen taps on his music stand and the band sits up straight, instruments at the ready. The gym’s lights go down, and a spotlight shines on the single mic that stands on stage. A young woman walks on stage, her heels clicking on the wood. Her high heels and flowing dress are pearl white, and her blonde hair shines in glamorous curls and held in place by a bedazzled headband with feathers on the right side.
“There is she!” Marina says.
“Chloe?” Karina and Alicia say in pleasant surprise.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Chloe says into the mic, “welcome to the Encinal High School Valentine’s Day Dance, 2006. I’m Chloe Callaghan, and what do you say we start this off with something sweet?”
As she says that, Mr. Chen counts the band in, and on the down beat, the band starts in with *doot doot doot-dee-doot, doot doot dee-doot*
“I wanna be loved by you, just you,” Chloe sings soft and smooth. “And nobody else but you.”
*Bwaa bwap* the trumpets squawk.
“I wanna be loved by you, alo-oh-one~. Boop-boop-be-doo~.”
Chloe winks with the cymbal crash, and her friends giggle in surprise.
“I wanna be, kissed by you, just you. Nobody else but you.”
*Bwaa bwap*
“I wanna be kissed by you, alooone~.”
*Doot doot dee-doot*
“I couldn’t aspire~, to anything higher~, than to fill the desire, to make, youUuUu~ my own! Badum badum-pa, boop be dum boo!”
“I wanna be loved by you, just you. Nobody else but youuuuu~. I wanna be loved by you alooone~.”
The band starts on an instrumental and Chloe smiles and waves while doing a simple two step side-to-side.
“Oh, if only my camera was better in low light,” Karina says as she holds her phone up. “Zoey needs to see this!”
Chloe adds a few twirls and sways with the violin section coming in with the melody. Some in the audience also dance along, while a few boys whistle here and there.
“I couldn’t aspiiire~,” Chloe says as she returns to the mic, “to anything higheeer~ than to fill the desire, to make, youUuUu~ my own. Badum badum-pa tootly dum hoo!”
The audience has a little laugh as Chloe fans herself with her hand, pretending to be hot from her dancing around.
“I wanna be loved by you, just you. Nobody else~ but youuuuu~! I wanna be loved by you, badeedly deedly-dum, boop boop be doop.”
The trumpets’ last *BWAA* is accompanied by Chloe’s “Mwah!” as she kisses the mic.
The audience cheers and applauds, and there are more whistles, and Chloe takes a bow. Then out walks Principal Chackel and Chloe steps aside so he can speak.
“Thank you, Ms. Callaghan,” Mr. Chackel says. “A big round of applause for the Encinal High Ensemble and their conductor, Mr. Mason Chen.”
Mr. Chen turns around and the band stands up to take a bow and the audience applauds.
“And speaking of which,” Mr. Chackle says. “Mr. Chen, let’s give these kids something to dance to!”
Mr. Chen nods and turns back to the band. He counts them in, and they start up with *BwAaAaA~ bwa, bah-bah baaah bah bah-bah* and Chloe steps back up to the mic.
“It don’t mean a thing~, if it ain’t got that swing!” she sings. “Doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo waa~!”
The students get to dancing, including Karina bringing Jeff along and Mark encouraging Marina.
“It don’t mean a thing~, all ya gotta do is swing~,” Chloe continues as students kick and spin and twirl around. “Doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo waa~!”
Jeff lifts Karina and spins around with her, and she laughs as she leans back with arms out. Then he sets her down and they spin, circle around each other back to back, then he reels her in to swing her upside-down and back onto her feet.
“Woo!” Karina says while some around them applaud.
Karina then looks over to her sister.
“Alicia, c’mon!” she says. “Dance with Seth!”
“I will, just,” Alicia says nervously. “We’ll wait for something a little slower.”
“Suit yourself,” Jeff says.
Jeff then reels Karina in, twirls her, then spins with her, and they both glide to the side.
“It don’t mean a thing~, if it ain’t got that s-WING!” Chloe sings. “Doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, dooby da-da-da-da doo waa~!”
The band takes over again, a trumpet player going on a solo up and down the scales and then some. The students applaud when he finishes, and then a saxophonist takes his turn.
Marina moves in simple circles with Mark while Jeff and Karina really get into the swing with that signature straddle swing and then swing to the side.
“Wow, it’s like you see in those movies,” Mark says.
“Yeah, they’re really good dancers,” Marina says.
“It makes no difference if it’s sweet or hot,” Chloe continues, “just give that rhythm everything you’ve got~! Oh, it don’t mean a thing~, if it ain’t got that swing! Doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo waa~! Uh, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo waa~! Doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, doo waaaaaaaa~!”
Everyone stops dancing to applaud, and this time Chloe really does need to catch her breath. She’s all smiles as she and the band take a bow, and after she catches her breath, Chloe returns to the mic.
“Thank you, thank you,” she says to the crowd as it settles down. “Alright, well. How about I stop hogging the spotlight and let the Encinal High Ensemble carry this one? Mr. Chen, please take it away.”
Chloe steps off stage to get a drink of water while Mr. Chen gets the band started up again. He counts them in for a starting *Bwaa~* from the trumpets as they move into playing Swingmatism by Jay McShann. It’s actually from 1941, not the Roaring 20s, but no one in the crowd knows that.
Back in San Leandro, The Spektrum and Catgirl sit together outside the gymnasium, on a picnic table with their feet on the bench. They would’ve gone to the bleachers like they do for lunch but felt that might give away who they really are.
Zoey’s phone buzzes and she takes it out of her clutch.
“Oh my gosh!” she says as she sees the pictures Karina sent her. “Is that…? That’s Chloe on stage!”
She shows The Spektrum the pictures.
“That’s great,” he says.
“I know, right?” she says back.
They sit quietly as she scrolls through the rest of the pictures and then back to the beginning.
“Do you regret moving here?” he asks.
“What?”
“Do you regret-”
“No, I heard you. Why do you ask?”
“Because you’re missing out on being with your friends,” he says, motioning to the phone.
“Well, I mean, I do wish I could’ve seen Chloe on stage with my own eyes, but I’m not missing out. Karina sent me pictures on my phone so that I could see it. If this were even just a few years ago, we wouldn’t be able to do that.”
“That’s true,” he says as they both chuckle.
“And I don’t know if you remember,” she continues, “but I did have a hard time accepting the move around Christmas.”
“You running out of the sanctuary into the hallway during ‘It is Well?’” he asks. “No, totally didn’t notice.”
She pushes him in the shoulder while they both laugh a little.
“But I don’t regret having to move here,” she says. “Darklite and Reciprocity wanted someone out here, and I felt it would be best if it was me. Also, I feel like it was God’s plan that this move happened. I know you got shot, and that was awful, but now we’re both here together.”
“Well, I definitely like having you here,” he says.
“Yeah?” she says with a smile.
“Yeah,” he smiles back.
The two look each other in the eyes with the moonlight shining behind Zoey/Catgirl from the southeast. The light makes her pink hair glow a bit, while Spektrum Code Violet’s silver eyes start to shine. They start gravitating towards each other, but with its heightened hearing, Catgirl’s ear turns to a clicking sound from the gymnasium door.
Catgirl then turns her head to look that way, and The Spektrum looks over, as well. They both spot someone with a camera looking at them, and the photographer brings his head up when he realizes they’re looking at him.
“Ugh, no privacy,” she says, pretending to be more annoyed than she felt. “Maybe we should go.”
“Hold on,” he says. “Let’s give him one last pic.”
He points at the photographer then has thumb and pinkie out in a “Hang Loose.” Catgirl joins in with a wink or her right eye and V with her index and middle fingers coming in from the side. The photographer smiles and snaps as many pics as he can in just a couple seconds, and then the two get up from the table. They go arm in arm, Catgirl waving good-bye to the photographer as they turn towards the exit.
Back in Alameda, the swing music takes a break and Chloe returns on stage.
“A wonderful, wonderful job,” she says to Mr. Chen and the band. “We have one more song together, the band and I, so I hope you’ll all join in.”
Karina motions to Alicia and Seth, waving them over to the dance floor. Alicia is still unsure, but Seth offers her a hand. She sighs and takes his hand, and he leads the way off the sidelines.
“Hopefully this will be slow,” Alicia says.
Drums start with *tat-tat* and the trumpets blare with *BWAA~ WA-WA WAA~ WA! BWAA WA-WA WAA WA!* which all loudly answers Alicia with, “Nope, not slow.”
“There may be trouble~ ahead~,” Chloe sings while Alicia and Seth sway. “But while there’s moonlight~ and music~ and love~ and romaaance~… Let’s face the music and dance~!
Seth gets Alicia to make a couple full rotations with him, and it does get her to smile.
“Before the fiddlers have fled,” to which Seth and Alicia quarter turn then follow up with soft shoe tapping.
“Before they ask us, to paaay~ the biiill~,” to which Seth and Alicia sway again, “and while~ we still got a chaaance…”
More soft-shoe style tap dance before a half turn, “Let’s face the music and dance!”
Seth and Alicia glide, and then Seth stops to let Alicia swing around in time for “Sooooon~, we’ll be without the moon~, humming the different tune~, and then...”
Seth brings Alicia back in for some fancier footwork that leads to them both spinning counter-clockwise.
“There may be teardrops to shed~,” to which they sway again. “So while there’s moonlight~ and music~ and love~ and romaaance~… Let’s face the music and dance~!”
The band takes over here with instrumental, allowing Chloe to enjoy watching Alicia and Seth. They go as far as their arms will let them while holding hands, then Seth quickly reels her in to wrap his arms around her from behind, and he spins her while having her make a full circle around him.
The fancy footwork returns, Alicia smiling ear to ear now as they switch back and forth between holding hands on one side then the other. They let go so Alicia can turn left then right with her own flair while Seth simply stays within reach as they move across the floor. They add a little more soft-shoe, then Alicia turns as if to go, but Seth takes her hand and brings her back in and she jumps up for him to hold and swing around.
They hold hands, stretch out as far as they can, snap back like rubber bands to then switch sides and stretch out again. There’s even a bit of high kicking before the two spin and come back together, and Chloe almost forgets to come back to the mic.
“Before the fidd-lers, have fled,” she sings while Seth sidles up behind Alicia, only for Alicia to spin around and give him a little check under the chin.
“Before they ask us, to come up with the biiill~, and while~ we still got a chaaance…”
Another glide with flair…
“Let’s face the music and dance!
“Sooooooon~,” Chloe sings with a beaming smile while Alicia and Seth continue the soft shoe, “we’ll be without the moon~, humming the different tune~, and then...!”
Alicia spins again and there’s a quick two step to the side.
“There may be teardrops~… to shed. So while there’s moonlight~ and music~ and love~ and romaaance~…” as Seth practically helps Alicia float and glide around in a couple circles…
“Let’s face the music and dance~, dance~! Let’s face the music~!”
More spinning and flaring…
“That lovely music~!”
Big kicks and glide…
“Let’s face the music and daaaance~!”
The two kick, spin and glide on repeat as the trumpets blare with *BWAA~ WA-WA WAA~ WA! BWAA WA-WA WAA WA! BWA DADA! BWA DADA! BWA DA DADADA DA!*
Seth and Alicia end with sitting in the open chairs they’ve ended up by, facing each other from across the table. The two smile and laugh while everyone else applauds. In fact, Chloe, Karina, and Marina applaud for Alicia and Seth strongest of all.
Back in San Leandro, Simon and Zoey are far from San Leandro High, walking hand in hand on their way home. But they’re still The Spektrum and Catgirl just in case someone is following them.
“I think we’re safe now,” he says, looking back. “It would’ve been a bit obvious at a certain point anyway, right?”
“Yeah,” she says. “But I dunno, I kinda like being in Catgirl mode.”
“Yeah, I feel the same way about being The Spektrum,” he says. “I feel… stronger. I mean, obviously I do, that’s the whole point of these powers. I feel stronger on the inside. More confident and sure of myself.”
“Yeah,” she says again. “I can definitely tell you’re more confident when you’re The Spektrum.”
“Oh, you can, can you?” he asks with a smirk.
“Yes,” she giggles. “Yes, I can. Tonight was incredible, by the way. I hope you know that.”
“Incredible?” he repeats. “Really?”
“Yes,” she says, eyes lighting up. “I can’t wait to tell my friends about this.”
The two make their way down to Maud Avenue, and they turn the corner. They slow down as they see Zoey’s house.
“So,” she says, reluctant to move closer. “I guess this is good night.”
“I guess so,” he says.
They get to the foot of the stairs, and they stop. They both stare at the step, and then look up at each other.
They both smile softly, and she steps up onto the step, still holding his hand. He expects her to let go and continue up, but then she turns around to face him. Normally, he’s taller, but they’re eye to eye now with her standing on the step.
Catgirl’s golden yellow eyes look deeply into Spektrum Code Violet’s silver eyes, and that feeling from earlier returns. They gravitate towards each other again, and gently touch forehead to forehead. Those soft smiles become stronger, and though they’re both nervous, they close their eyes and close the gap.
Lips touch softly against lips, but immediately, that’s not enough. Perhaps instinctively, she wraps her arms around him, over his shoulders and around his neck. Likewise, his arms wrap around her, going around her waist. They take deep breaths in through their noses as their hearts start pounding. The kiss only lasts seven seconds, but it felt like so much more.
They slowly let each other go, and Catgirl realizes she had moved up onto her toes. She stands flat on her feet again and looks in The Spektrum’s eyes again.
“Good night, Spek,” she says with another smile.
“Good night, Cat,” he says with a smile of his own.
He steps away from the stairs while she turns and starts walking up. He watches her go while she glances over the side every other step. She reaches the top, they share one more smile, and then she goes to the door while he continues down the street. When she gets to the door, her smile is ear to ear, and she giggles giddily. About the same time, he excitedly pumps his fist while saying, “Yes! Yes!” under his breath.
