On a Saturday afternoon, Milo, Melissa and Zack were walking alongside Amanda and Lydia to the Danville Dance Hall, which in fact doubled as a dance school. Today was open house, so attendees from all over the place were welcome to visit, watch and participate in several of the dance classes available.
Zack and Lydia had been taking interpretive dance classes recently, so naturally...
"Thanks for coming with us to the dance school's open house today", Zack began. "Maybe you can watch how I perform interpretive dance without me wearing an alien helmet prop and embarrassing myself, like at the WiBAs."
"And maybe you guys can actually see me perform without being sick and embarrassing myself", Lydia added, "...like at the WiBAs."
"No problem, Zack", Milo smiled. "And maybe we can try these other dance classes, too."
"Well, as long as I don't have to participate in the ballet performance", Melissa spoke rather non-excitably. "I'm not one that likes to do all these stereotypically girly stuff."
"Well actually, while it may not be my favorite per se, ballet does fascinate me", Milo said. "It's so calm and serene, and well-choreographed, you can't get your eyes off of it. Just like a disaster, but also the complete opposite!"
"I have never heard you talking so passionately about ballet, Milo", Zack noted.
"Eh, I bet he likes it because I followed ballet classes there", Amanda scoffed playfully, her claim making Milo blush like a tomato. Melissa, Zack and Lydia widened their eyes at the revelation.
"N-now wait a minute, I still would've liked ballet regardless of what you think of it, Amanda", Milo clarified, face still beet red. "Me encountering you at last year's open house was purely coincidental!" This had Melissa, Zack and Lydia widen their eyes even further.
"Wait a minute, did Milo ever tell you he went to an open house at the dance school with Amanda?" Zack asked Melissa.
"No! Well, kinda, I guess", Melissa shrugged. "He did say he was going to the open house to try out ballet. Despite my distaste for ballet, I would've at least joined to watch him, but I was sick that weekend. But that he saw Amanda there is completely new to me."
"Girl, I didn't know you practiced ballet", Lydia told Amanda. "You should've told us sooner!"
"Milo, Amanda, what happened that day?" Zack asked.
Milo laid his finger on his chin as he tried remembering. "Well, when I learned about the open house event last year, I was a bit into a ballet phase and wanted to try it out. I asked Melissa if she could join me that day, but like she said just now, she got sick that weekend, so I went alone..."
With Melissa sick in bed and Sara off to a convention, Milo didn't really have anyone to take with him, so there he was, on the dancing stage in a unitard, in a room full of strangers.
At least, he thought he was, initially.
As he looked around, wondering where the instructor could be, he suddenly saw a girl in the distance he immediately recognized from school. She may be wearing a tutu and slippers, but with that dark purple shoulder-length hair, olive skin complexion, and dark scarlet lipstick, it was unmistakably Amanda Lopez.
Milo's cheeks flushed. He wasn't aware that the girl he secretly crushed on since third grade would show up here. He felt brave and decided to approach her.
"Hey Amanda", Milo greeted, smiling.
Amanda startled when she heard someone greeting her in a very familiar voice. She looked up and was able to confirm her fears when she saw Milo Murphy, the living embodiment of chaos and imperfection.
Not that she disliked Milo (in fact, Milo's a really nice person). It's just that his presence usually bore bad news: that pesky Murphy's Law Milo was born with could ruin absolutely anything and everything on a bad day, and Amanda, being someone who prefers anything and everything to go exactly as planned, would rather want as few bad days as possible.
She especially didn't want today to be one.
"H-hey Milo", Amanda stuttered nervously, attempting to fake a smile. "Wh-what are you doing here?"
"Oh, I'm here because of the open house, you know?" Milo answered casually. "I want to try out ballet for a bit, want to see what it's like and all. What about you?"
"O-oh, I actually have ballet classes here", Amanda replied. "Have been doing that for several years."
"Really? That sounds great!" Milo lit up in awe. "I'd love to see what you can do. I-if you don't mind, that is."
Amanda shifted her eyes around, considering Milo's request.
"...I suppose I could show you what I've learned", Amanda finally replied.
Amanda walked towards a more empty space in the hall, so she'd have more room for a performance. She was being careful about choosing a spot: it had to be far enough away from Milo, so she wouldn't fall victim to Murphy's Law too easily; however, it also had to be close enough towards Milo, so he can actually see her performance clearly. Having chosen a perfect spot, she then waited for a bit until a new music track was playing.
To the music, she began dancing, performing steps, pirouettes, allegros, and several other poses Milo didn't know were called. What Milo did know from watching Amanda's performance, though, that she really knows her stuff and danced just as beautifully as she looked like.
Not that her appearance was the only thing Milo liked about her. He also admired her smarts, precision and strife for perfection; things that are normally impossible for a Murphy like him to achieve without determination, optimism, and a little luck.
Regardless, Amanda's ballet performance not only made him fall in love all over again, but also made him want to dance just as well as she could.
Meanwhile, Amanda was enjoying dancing so much that she had forgotten about her fears for Murphy's Law. So much in fact, that during her dance, she got a bit uncharacteristically daring, as she suddenly grabbed Milo's hands, silently inviting him to dance along and transforming her solo act into a pas de deux. Milo didn't have much of an idea what to do, so he mainly followed Amanda's lead as they performed more steps to the music.
Unfortunately, Murphy's Law soon struck, as a plank in the floor suddenly sprang loose, and Amanda tripped over it.
"Aah!"
"Amanda, look out", Milo warned, as he grabbed her waist just before her face could make impact. She then faced Milo as she held onto him via his neck, making the both of them blush as they held onto their pose for a few beats.
Milo then realized he was wasting time, and pulled Amanda back up, who then made another pirouette. She then ended her dance with a front split, soon followed by a front split from Milo. Nearby dancers applauded as Amanda got back up.
"You're not half bad for a rookie, Milo", Amanda complimented with a genuine smile, before she noticed Milo hadn't gone up from his split yet. "Uh, Milo?"
She then noted Milo has pulled a nervous grimace as if he's experiencing some kind of pain, realizing Milo's leg joints must've not been flexible enough, causing him to be painfully stuck in his pose.
Just as Milo was asking for a little help, Amanda helped getting Milo back up standing with joints back in place.
"Phew, thanks Amanda", Milo sighed. "Hoo, that's a nasty split..."
He turned to Amanda "Say, you were really good yourself. Why, amazing, even!"
"Well, like I said, I had a few years of practice", Amanda blushed, flattered at the compliment.
Right then, Murphy's Law struck again, as Milo accidentally stepped on the loose plank, not only hitting his face with it, but also causing more planks to go loose in the process. Soon enough, the entire flooring got loose, making it unusable to dance on as everyone either tripped over the planks or stepped on one end, causing the other end to propel upwards.
Amanda, having just remembered the concept of Murphy's Law, held her jaw wide open out of shock, as Milo frowned and glanced away out of guilt.
"...and because of that, the ballet hall had to be closed down for the rest of the day", Milo finished. "I hadn't performed ballet again ever since, but I'm glad I've done it at least once. Also, I watch Amanda's performances on KazooTube."
"It's a memory I both loved and hated at the same time: I enjoyed the dance, but then Murphy's law ruined the hall for an entire day", Amanda added. "But ever since I got on Cake 'Splosion, I've been looking back at it more fondly."
"Huh, I wonder why", Melissa smirked with pretend thought. "Maybe it's totally the fact that you two had a romantic dance that you, Amanda, initiated?"
Amanda's eyes widened at the claim. "It was not a romantic dance!" she shouted in a kneejerk reaction, blushing madly. "The dancing just got me in the mood, that's all!"
"Suuuuure", Melissa grinned.
"Anyway, so you joined ballet class some years back, right?" Lydia asked.
"Yeah. It's because it's actually my second favorite type of dance", Amanda clarified. "So calm and serene, and well-choreographed. It's like figure skating without skates, and reminds me so much about opera, but without the singing!"
"And interpretive dance isn't like that?" Zack questioned.
"Oh, right, interpretive dance is kinda like an opera performance as well", Amanda realized
"Anyway, remind me to add the Ballet Incident to your Adventures catalogue on my phone when we're done here", Melissa told Milo.
"But isn't the catalogue full of photos?" Milo asked. "You only have a testimony."
"I don't mind a text document or two inbetween the photos", Melissa shrugged. "Plus, I'm sure someone made a photo of the wreckage afterwards."
The quintet have reached the entrance to the Danville Dance Hall. Going inside, the quintet entered its large foyer. Many a person are wandering around the foyer, as several signs point towards the different activities the open house was offering today.
Not even knowing when to start, the teens were observing the entire foyer. Naturally, there were activities for ballet and interpretive dance, but also many others, such as hip-hop, rumba, and capoeira of all things. Milo was pondering what he should try out this time, as he suddenly heard a very excitable yelp coming from Amanda.
"AHH!", she cried loudly, as she ran off. "Dios mío, they're doing it!"
"Hey, where're you going?" Milo asked, as he followed her.
"And what do you mean, 'they're doing it'?" Zack added, as he, Melissa and Lydia followed suit. "Doing what?!"
Finally, they stopped as they saw Amanda move excitably up and down in front of a large poster depicting a dancing couple of opposing genders. The male wore a white shirt and suspenders while the female wore a black dress and stockings. They held each other closely while striking a pose.
There was also text surrounding the image. It read the following:
'TANGO DANCE COMPETITION Next Week!
'Get ready to go footloose as the Danville Dance Hall organizes a Tango Teen Couples Dance-Off on May 16th at 8:00 PM to test its waters and judge interest for tango lessons. The duo who struts their stuff best will get $2000 prize money each. Only teams of two inbetween the ages 13-18 are allowed to participate. It takes two to tango, after all!
'(Romantic partners and/or best friends recommended!)
'Participation sign-up straight ahead on the right'
"So what's all this about", Melissa asked Amanda, as the former observed the poster.
"Remember a few minutes ago when I said ballet is my second favorite type of dance?" Amanda asked excitedly. "Well, THIS IS MY MOST FAVORITE! The rhythm, the poses, the emotion, the music!" Amanda pulled of a chef's kiss. "It all gets to me. It just oozes thrills, drama and even romantic tension. A carefully orchestrated tango might even pull of all three in absolute perfection, and would definitely be one of the most romantic things EVER! ...In my opinion, of course."
"Wow, you definitely make tango sound so exciting", Milo replied to Amanda. "I'd love to try it!"
"Me too, and this dancing competition finally gives me the opportunity to actually do it", Amanda gleamed with clasped hands.
"...Tango is your number one favorite dance, yet you never even tried it?" Zack questioned.
"I never really got the opportunity to try out the tango when I learned about it", Amanda admitted. "Two people are required to perform a tango, so mimicking the motions is difficult when your only available dance partner is a broom, let alone doing it on your own. My sister Ariana is too young, my cousin Teresa's practically an adult, and my parents advised to not pick just a random Juan Pérez off the streets, and instead choose someone which I have a close intimacy with."
"Ah, I see, and since this hall never offered any tango lessons before, that was also out of the question", Lydia surmised.
"Exactly!" Amanda confirmed. "To this day, I still struggle to understand how they have a capoeira class, but not a tango one. But that might change!"
"Lemme guess, you're gonna enter this dance competition just to try out the tango, not unlike that time, Milo, Zack and I entered that Battle of the Bands competition with Mort to practice our band performance", Melissa grinned.
"Of course!" Amanda replied. "I'm not going to pass up on a chance like this, especially if it will lead to more! Heck, I don't even care if I lose. Trying out the tango is on its own already a dream come true."
"But who will your partner be?" Zack asked. "Just a minute ago, you said you only had a broom for a dance partner."
"Yes, but that was then", Amanda clarified. "But in this past half year, I have learned more about someone here that I've known since first grade, and have gotten really close and intimate with him since... So maybe, if he wants to..."
Amanda glanced and nudged towards Milo, who had quickly picked up that she was talking about him.
"W-wow, I'll be honored to, but... aren't you afraid Murphy's law won't ruin the dance hall like the Ballet Incident last year?" Milo asked concerned.
"Milo, that was then", Amanda said, inching in towards him with a smile. "But I have since realized that you are able to improvise a solution, fix and improve on the damage, and even prevent any upcoming problems... all with your carefully filled, second-hand backpack."
Milo nervously opened his mouth in an attempt to respond, but Amanda intercepted: "And I know that wearing a backpack is probably not allowed, but that's not where I'm getting at. The point is, I don't really care about Murphy's Law that much anymore. Because I trust you."
This seemed to have calmed Milo down, as a more relieved smile crept on his face. "Well, if that's the case, then I'll be happy to be your dance partner."
All of a sudden, Amanda tightly hugged Milo in response as a thank-you, making Milo blush.
He could briefly smell Amanda's sweet perfume. It smelled like cherry blossom mixed with vanilla.
Amanda grabbed Milo's hand, as she ran through the passageway right, dragging him along. "Come on, Milo, the sign-ups are this way!"
"I'm coming, Amanda", Milo replied.
Seeing the two disappear in the passageway, Lydia asked Zack and Melissa: "So, on a scale of 1 to 100, how much do you think their ballet backstory comes back into play?"
"I doubt it will have any relevance to the future", Zack deadpanned with half-lidded eyes, "making me wonder why there was so much focus on it."
"Oooor our two lovebirds will have this big moment that parallels a moment of their flashback", Melissa theorized. "There's your justification for the focus."
"Like that will ever happen", Zack disputed.
"Wanna bet on it?"
Before Zack could accept Melissa's bet, they and Lydia noticed a particular pair of teens around their age passing by them, walking down the same passageway as Milo and Amanda earlier.
"Hey", Zack noted, "aren't they...?"
"Pretty sure they are, yeah", Melissa intercepted, seemingly confirming Zack's thoughts.
"I recognize them from when I watched TV", Lydia added. "And I dunno about you guys, but from what I have seen back then, I'm not sure they can be trusted to play fairly."
"Oh, Zack and I have been there live, sister", Melissa replied, squinting her eyes. "I know about their cheating all too well. But what may be allowed back then, I'm sure won't fly by here..."
"...So we gonna follow them", Zack asked, "orrrrr...?"
"Of course we are, Zack", Melissa replied, grabbing his hand. "Let's go!" The two went through the same passageway.
Lydia followed suit at a more leisurely pace, as she said: "You know I'm not your sister, right?"
Author's Note: I'm back with a new story! Although, this was actually written months ago, as did a few other chapters andI did basically nothing afterwards... sigh. But I always wanted to see Milo and Amanda have some kind of ballroom dance performance after we were robbed of one in "School Dance". I imagined that Milo accidentally saw Amanda one day doing ballet, and then they'd enter a dance competition. I had made Amanda's dancing passion Tango, however, because Amanda's a Latina, like how Tango's Argentinian. I'm not entirely sure if Amanda's an Argentinian as well though: some believe she's Cuban like her VA. Anyway, I have only completed a few more chapters and those were written months ago, so don't expect frequent updates on this one. See you later! |
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