Dancing in Time

"No, Scott, for the hundreth time, I'm not going out dancing with you."

"But c'mon Kim, everyone will be there! You don't even have to dance with meee~!"

I give him a stare that I'm sure communicated 'No, no, no, no and lemme think about it...no.' to him. Sadly, he keeps up with his puppy-dog eyes that I could so totally resist until I tell him "I'm not dancing with you or anyone else." at which point he looks even more like a kicked puppy which most certainly did not make me wanna pet him.

So I tousle his hair and put my hand on his shoulder, like a father would to his son and tell him clearly.

"No."

"But-"

"No, Scott. I'm staying home tonight and watching something British, hilarious and gory."

"Shaun of the Dead?"

"...yep, and then Hot Fuzz. So either pull up a seat or get packing," I tell him sternly, taking a seat myself. He's definitely tempted, but from how he's dressed (like he's going to a Ball) I can tell he's committed to going. The only way he could be any more committed is if he would rein in that shaggy hair of his which did not create a cute contrast at all with his formal outfit. Nosiree.

"But Kiiiiimmmm~!"

Oh God. Round two.

"Look Scott, why do you want me to go so much, anyways? I don't even know how to dance!"

"You do so know how to dance. You taught me everything I know!"

I blink at this, and for a second, I'm suddenly in a grassy field back under the stars with Scott, a car speaker playing something slow, romantic, and just a touch sleazy nearby...

And then I frown at him. Why is it that his memory always manages to piss me off so much? If it's not forgetting something important, it's remembering something annoying.

"Yeah, well, if I remember correctly you weren't exactly the best student," I tell him, annoyance seeping into my voice.

"I only stepped on your feet like, once! ...or twice. ...It couldn't have been more than five times!"

"Whatever, I'm not going." I'm not sure how much clearer I have to make it. "Besides, I haven't gone dancing since like, volume five!"

"Exactly! You don't hang out with us as much anymore! We, like, totally miss you!"

"Well, I'm sorry that I can't be with you every waking moment, but has it occurred to you that I have a life outside of you guys?"

Him and Ramona. I'm happy for them, but sometimes they get a bit...much!

"...and why do you care so much, anyways?," I ask him.

And suddenly, he's kneeling in front of me, holding my hands with an intense look on his face.

"You know what my problem is? I care too much!" He says with all of the intensity of William Shatner during his 'Captain Kirk' days.

"What the hell are you talking about, Scott," I deadpan, one eyebrow quirked at him.

"Don't you see, Kimmy! We're alive!"

"You're scaring me, Scott."

"Good, embrace that fear!"

And suddenly he's on his feet and dancing what can only be described as some form of tribal dance mixed with the mating movements of some bird shouting all the while.

"Dance with me, Kimmy! Dance the dance of Life!"

*crash*

He trips on the carpet or on his feet or on the couch or something, 'cause suddenly he falls. And then there's a feeling in my chest, one that slowly travels upwards until it reaches my lips and I can't keep it in anymore and suddenly I'm laughing. I'm laughing the best laugh I've had in days and when I hear him groan an 'Owwww...' behind the couch, I laugh even harder. Eventually, I manage it down to giggles and I walk around the couch to stand over him. I can't help but smile as I reach down to give him a hand up.

"Oh my God, you're such a dork."

"Yeah, well, I'm a- uh handsome dork!"

"Getting better at those comebacks, Scotty."

"Yeah, well..." he says awkwardly.

With a sigh bordering on theatrical I tell him "Fine, wait here, I'll be right back," before climbing up the stairs to my room. I get changed, taking my time all the while. If he's gonna take the time to bug me to hang out with him and Ramona, he can take the time to wait. By the time I make it back down the stairs, he's watching Shaun of the Dead, totally engrossed. Well, so much for the whole waiting game. Still...He seems so focused that he didn't notice that I'm walking up right behind him, and with a wicked grin I give him a good shove and shout "BOO!"

He jumps and squeals like a little girl, and suddenly I'm laughing again. Man, for some reason, I'm unusually bubbly tonight.

"Hey! That's not funny," Scott grouses indignantly, "I might've, like, kung-fu'd you, thinking you were a zombie..."

"Yeah, well, I have faith in your powers, O mighty one," I tell him as I walk around him to turn off the TV and the DVD player. I notice that he's unusually quiet and when I turn around, I find him staring.

"It's rude to stare, you know," this seems to snap him out of his reverie.

"I'm sorry, it's just, I've never seen you so...classy before," he manages to not-stammer.

He probably hasn't. I'm not exactly in my usual getup. I managed to dig up my prom dress, a long, black strapless number that stopped at a pair of tasteful heels that I also hadn't worn in years. It came with a black length of lightweight cloth that wrapped around my arms and rested behind my waist.

I walk up to him and sock him in the arm, just hard enough to send the message that I'm mildly annoyed.

"What, are you saying I'm not classy, Scott Pilgrim?"

He tries to stammer out an apology or an explanation or something, but when I grin at him, he stops and grins right back. With a flourish and a bow, he states theatrically; "My apologies, my lady, for I am struck speechless by your, uh, peerless...peerless beauty! If you would allow me the honor, it would be the highest point of my life to accompany you to the ball..." Wow, that wasn't half bad.

I sock him again, lightly this time, before taking his arm.

"I suppose I can stand your company for a little while," I tell him, haughtily, but with a grin I could barely hide.

And with that, we're out the door. I hold him close and suddenly we're back in high school again, walking down the street to do one thing or another. I know that the spell will be broken soon and he'll be dancing with Ramona and I'll be in the background, but at the moment, it's just him and me under the streetlights and stars.