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Valentina rolled up to Les Inferno and brushed past the bouncers without any conflict. They all knew who her mother was, however, Valentina didn't have the slightest idea of how powerful her mother was. She simply thought her name was on the guest list. Simone and Star followed her inside, observing every detail in the club they possibly could. It was rare they would ever be able to enter a club so elite without having to pay.
Valentina spotted her mother sitting next to a larger lady with prominent makeup upon her face. Valentina waved off Star and Simone, indicating for them to leave her be as she neared her mother. Her mother, Makayla, spotted her and raised her glass, cheering.
"Annie, this is my daughter, Valentina. Valentina, dear, this is the birthday girl, Fat Annie!" Makayla cheered.
Valentina smiled sweetly at Fat Annie and gave her a casual greeting cheek kiss. "She's a sweet one, ain't she? Can't say the same 'bout Cadillac or Shao." Annie chuckled. Her voice was raspy, indicating her years of yelling and threatening others— but, Val only saw her as her mother's acquaintance, and nothing more.
"Go on and dance, Val. Mama's gotta finish some business here." Makayla gestured to her daughter to leave, and Val did so, leaving her mother to negotiate deals with Fat Annie over the cocaine in the Bronx.
Valentina wandered away, going to find Star and Simone, but before she encountered them once again— she looked back to the table her mother was seated at and caught sight of a young man kissing Fat Annie. Val almost gagged, but stopped herself when the boy locked his eyes onto hers. Val quickly looked away and met up with Star and Simone to dance on the floor for a bit before Jo and Michael showed up.
It took about thirty minutes before Joelle and Michael's recognizable faces appeared amongst the crowd, and they danced they way over to the trio. "I saw little miss Mylene sitting in the back all up on the best dancer here in this club tonight: Cadillac." Joelle laughed.
Valentina giggled, looking around to see if she could spot Mylene, but she couldn't. Instead, as she was turning around to search her surroundings, she bumped into the young man that had been kissing up on Fat Annie earlier. "My bad." Val apologized as she backed away from the boy dressed in completely red from head to toe.
"Shaolin?" Michael grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him into a hug.
"Mike? It's been forever since I last seen you! You still spinnin'?" Shaolin asked Michael, breaking their hug.
Michael nodded, and Joelle coughed awkwardly as she began to turn around to leave. Joelle had met Shaolin before, and had a bit of a crush on him. She admired Grandmaster Flash and went to almost every party he had when he was the DJ for the get down that night, and it was at one of those parties that she met Shaolin, Flash's apprentice. She was shocked that he was at Les Inferno, though she wouldn't have been so surprised if he had shown up at the get down party she was taking Val, Star and Simone to later.
"Jo." Shao nodded curtly as a greet to Joelle.
"Shao." Jo responded.
Val noted the awkward tension and took over the conversation. "When we going to this party you said we was going to, Jo?" Val questioned.
Jo opened her mouth to begin to say something, however, Shao interrupted. "You can't leave, at least not until the dance competition is over." Shao insisted that they stayed.
Val shrugged. "Yeah, sure, whatever." She spoke for the group.
Shao smiled at Jo and licked his lips. "Val, don't you dance?" Michael inquired as Shao whisked Joelle away onto the dance floor with him.
"I guess..." Val pushed out her bottom lip as if she didn't know.
Simone scoffed. "There ain't no betta dancer than Ms. Valentina. She got the disco moves that no one else got, but..." Simone nudged Val forward, closer to Michael, as she spoke, "she just needs a good partner." Simone shot Michael a look. Michael understood her message she had just sent, then took Val's hand in his.
"I'll be your partner." Michael suggested. Valentina shyly nodded and pushed her hair out of her face.
Michael tugged her out onto the dance floor and the two danced and danced, whether it be line dances, solo dances or partner dances, they danced. When the two would partner dance, Michael would spin Valentina perfectly in sync with the music, and their bodies moved perfectly along the music.
The next part of the competition began, and the supposed best dancer joined the competition: Cadillac. He had Mylene next to his as they were eyeing each other. Valentina instantly grew competitive and eyed Michael. "We've got to do better, look who just joined." Val nodded over to Cadillac.
Michael glanced at him then back at Val and nodded. He waited for his cue. "All right, all right, all right. Time for something smooth for the lovers that wanna groove..." DJ Malibu began to speak through the speakers.
Michael quickly grabbed Valentina into his arms as the next song began to play. He spun and dipped her all over the dance floor, gaining the attention of many in the club. The DJ was shouting obscure things into the microphone about the two.
Michael and Valentina completely dominated the floor and Cadillac and Mylene couldn't seem to keep up. Cadillac gestured something to DJ Malibu, and the song instantly changed just as Michael had dipped Valentina one more time. The two stared into each other's eyes with a wild infatuation for one another as everyone on the dance floor scattered to give Cadillac some space to dance, but they didn't notice and were still standing there in the middle on the dance floor.
Michael was immediately shoved out of his loop of staring at Valentina when Cadillac pushed past him to dance for the crowd in a dazzling manner. Michael huffed and lifted Valentina from the dip position she was in.
"We are going to win this fucking competition." Michael spoke gruffly, shooting daggers over at Cadillac.
