I'm Just Dancing

Panic at the Party

Chad's POV

This plan seemed much more fun before I realized the entire population of Albuquerque is attending this party. Okay, so that's an exaggeration, but only slightly! The streets leading into the neighbourhood are lined with cars on both sides and I don't believe even a quarter of them belong to people that actually live out here. The Evans' home is large, but not nearly the mansion I was expecting to walk up to. The whole pathway is decorated with signs and orange lights hiding in the bushes to look like eyes. I am shocked by how normal it is, the front porch has seemingly hand carved jack o' lanterns, a couple patio chairs, I was expecting worse.

The inside on the other hand, it's like a club. Not that I have ever been inside a club, but the ones from movies where you buy designer drugs and meet up with high power mob bosses. What do Sharpay's parents do for work anyway?

"This is crazy!" Troy yells over the music, some techno dance beat. Maybe I won't get to hear the classics tonight. That's okay, at least my friends are here wi.... Troy's gone already. I can't see him through the throngs of people so I am assuming he's already working up some girl. Maybe Zeke and Jason are here somewhere? I try to push my way through the dancing crowd with no luck, the space is just getting tighter. Until I trip and now everyone can quickly jump out of my way, but only for a second. The next song starts and I scoot to the nearest wall to avoid being trampled.

"Hey," someone starts from above me, I can barely hear them over the music, "need a hand." A glove pops in front of my face and I grab it thankfully. The force that yanks me up is surprisingly forceful. Greeting me as I stand is a large circular pair of white sunglasses and a tophat.

"Are you alright?" the only feature of their face I can see is the lips, persing into a small frown. The cupids bow a definingly pink line against the pale white behind it, noticeable even in the changing hue of lights swirling around us. They part softly to... "Hello?"

"Oh, yeah, it's just a little crowded. I didn't expect so many people to be here." I laugh, I suppose I should have been expecting this but I have never been to anything quite like it.

Oh, well imagine...

"Hell yes!" They grab my arm and pull me away from the wall.

"What ar-"

"You can't not dance to Panic!" They interrupt.

"Oh I don't..." but it's not worth trying to finish the sentence. They're leading me into the mass of bodies.

I wouldn't call what I am doing dancing, awkwardly bouncing around. Every so often they reach out and grab my arm jostling me to move a little more or a little more on beat. It's fun, watching them smile, bouncing around with everyone else.

A few songs pass before they are leading me through the crowd again. Entering a mostly empty kitchen they drop my arm, "Water?"

"Please," I pant it but I don't think I've really been dancing hard enough for my mouth to be this dry.

They hand me the bottle and in the normal lighting I can finally see the full costume. A long maroon coat, a gold pocket watch chain over a black vest, purple gloves.

"Willy Wonka." Why am I saying it out loud? Do I think they don't know who they are dressed as?

"A Jedi." They respond with the same deadpan tone before laughing at me.

"Obi Wan, hard to pull off without the beard." Explaining it makes it feel so much more nerdy. I could have just let them keep believing I am a generic Jedi.

"Seems like it'd be hard to see out there with those sunglasses." I laugh and they start to take them off.

"It is extremely hard." They catch my eyes. The lightest grey eyes I may have ever seen. It's difficult to tell if they are more blue or green, like the sky before a tornado. "Don't think my face shape suits the character though, so the glasses really make the costume."