Rematch! Round 2 - BONUS ROUND

BONUS ROUND

By Reid M. Haynes

*****

         A crashing Calypso beat was filling up the gym to capacity, inciting a wave of riotous dance from the refreshment tables all the way to the chaperones manning the doors. The students of St. Herman's School for Gifted Girls had thrown propriety to the wind, matching their partners move-for-move as they cut a rug across the gleaming basketball court. Although the chaperones kept an eye out for any fights brewing among the girls' dates, megaton mischief was at an all-time high, with fruit punch sloshing like wine and the boys pestering the D.J. to play their favorite songs. As a matter of fact, alcohol seemed to be the primary instigator with the older boys this evening, which was sure to lead to an interesting climax, and maybe an arrest or two.

         Ricochet cocked an eyebrow at the three punch bowls on the table before him, then raised his hand to his chin in contemplation. He was pretty sure that one of the bowls was spiked, and there would be hell to play if he brought a drunk date back to her family. Deciding that mango-kiwi-apricot was not a contender for Most Popular Drink to Drug, he ladled out two cups for Keisha and himself, tossing in a couple of paper umbrellas for good measure. With drinks in hand, the young kickboxer set off to find Keisha, who had been loitering around the turntable before he lost sight of her three minutes ago.

         Keisha has been in dour spirits for most of the evening, her sunny smiles dampened by last night's fight with her brother, who just so happened to be Ricochet's very disapproving best friend, Nathan. She was not at a loss for affection, clinging to him during every slow song, but her iconic exuberance had not made an appearance among all the excitement. Now, she had disappeared into the crowd, her twin ponytails failing to distinguish themselves as they usually did. Ricochet was no Casanova, but prided himself on being a Rocky Balboa, and it was high time he took care of his Adrian.

         Ricochet's eyes sifted through the crowd as if panning for gold, and settled upon Keisha's best friend Mary Chen, who had donned a Chinese-style dress for the evening. He eased up from behind and tapped her quickly on the shoulder. "Hey, Mary!"

         "Aiiiiiiieeeeeee!" Mary let out a shriek like she was being murdered, the hairs on her arm standing on end. "Sexual harassment! Sexual harassment!!!"

         In about two seconds flat, Ricochet found himself surrounded by all the chaperones and 3/4ths of the dancers. The spotlight hanging overhead was fixed on the drama surrounding Mary and him; he could the heat on his frame like a twenty-ton weight. Mary's eyes were dilated with fear behind her thick glasses, but soon lit up in recognition of the blond boy. "Oh, it's you, Mister Ricochet!" she squeaked, her frazzled, electrified locks falling limp again. "You came with Keisha, right?"

         The crowd that had gathered let out a collective sigh, then dispersed to continue dancing. Ricochet could hear at least two of the dancers mumble something akin to "Damn it, Mary!" as they left the pair to their own devices. Ricochet looked down at the bespectacled girl, who was staring at him in all innocence. "Mary, you're gonna get me thrown in jail if you keep doin' that!" he hissed, trying to keep his cool around Keisha's friend. "Where's your date, anyway?"

         "Sorry, Mister Ricochet." Mary assumed a very demure stance with her hands clasped in front. "I was actually going to go with a boy from Piedmont Academy, but then I found out he drank wine at a bar mitzvah, and I knew he was a drunkard who wanted to manipulate my innocence in a devilish scheme. But I needed to talk to Keisha about what happened with you last night, so I still had to record the new Lifetime special, 'Single Mother Court Case Sexual Harassment True Story the Movie.'" She leaned forward and placed a hand to his ear as if divulging a secret. "In 3-D!"

         "Uh, alright!" Ricochet took a moment to try and process everything, scratching his golden locks absently. "Cool move, I guess."

         "And I'm going to get the Blu-Ray when it comes out in March," Mary continued, nodding her head in affirmation.

         "So, you know where Keisha is?" Ricochet asked as he looked around the girl, taking another go at finding his date in the crowd.

         "I saw her on the deck outside," she told him, looking over to one of the side exits. "She looked pretty sad, so I'm not sure she wants to talk to anyone."

         "Right!" Ricochet pumped his fist in macho resolution as he headed off after his girlfriend. "Time for the hero to make his mark!"

         "Be sure to cheer her up!" Mary called out after him. "If you do, I'll let you play the villain in my amateur drama movie for Sundance Film Festival!"

         Throwing an absent-minded wave behind him, he left Mary and made his way towards the heavy doors leading outside, pushing them open with the aid of his boxing-toned biceps. The gym was on a small hill overlooking the heart of Chicago, and the boy took a moment to appreciate the skyscrapers poking at the moonlit clouds. The bright city lights shone like Japanese lanterns, promising warmth and cheer for the lost souls out that evening. Ricochet was reminded of the opening of Rocky II, how a big city could impress its majesty upon your heart.

         He found Keisha easily enough, no worse for wear and as pretty as ever. She was leaning over the railing of the deck, bathed in a sheen of cool, white moonlight that made her ponytails shine like onyx sculptures. Her skirt and petticoats blew about her with the nighttime gales, and a stray lock of black hair tossed in front of her eyes as she stared off into the city before her. The girl was poised, sublime, and completely lonesome standing by herself on the night of a school dance.

         Ricochet approached her causally, letting her somber mood wash over him as he bolstered his trademark charm. "Yo Keisha, I got the drinks!" he greeted her, grinning like he won twenty dollars in the lottery. "No mickey in these babies, so you can tell your pop I'm on the level!"

         To his credit, the boisterous bluff got a small smile out of his date. "It's okay, Ricochet," she told him, turning her head slightly. "Dad knows you wouldn't try and get me drunk."

         Handing her the cup, Ricochet maintained a respectable distance from the subdued young lady as she regarded her punch with a distant eye. "Your private school throws a crazy party," he commented, raising his cup to his lip. "'Guess I don't have to worry about you gettin' dull on me over here."

         "We're not nuns, ya know," Keisha rejoined, putting a hand on her hip. "It's just a school with an accelerated learning program."

         "Good thing, too." The young fighter tossed her a sly wink. "It'll keep my girl goin' the distance!"

         Keisha's brown face warmed up with coy embarrassment, but soon, her blush gave way to suspicion. "Are you trying to cheer me up?" she asked, failing to fight the growing smile on her face.

         "Is it workin'?" he said, irony shining in his cheeks.

         The girl just shook her head with a smile. "I'm not that sad, Ricochet," Keisha told him, taking a small sip of her punch as she closed her eyes. "I just wanna keep things...low-key for once."

         "Ah, low-key's not your thing!" Ricochet waved off her pretensions with a flip of the wrist. "You're more of a 'heart on her sleeve' kinda gal. Like how you crushed on me for three years an' all."

         "What?" Keisha suddenly straightened up, her skirts shaking around her. "I wasn't that pushy, was I?"

         "Yo, if I know you're laying it on thick, everybody knows!" He smiled, folding his arms over his chest. "Get real!"

         "Ricocheeeeet!!!" Keisha stamped her foot, her cheeks puffing up like a chipmunk.

         "Don't worry about it, Keisha!" the boy laughed, touching her shoulder. "It worked out in the end, right? And you're definitely cool enough to hang in my corner, so don't worry about what Nathan says about you bein' a spaz. It's our night, right?"

         The girl's ire persisted for a moment, but Ricochet's good cheer was infectious. After a few seconds, she sighed and leaned back against the railing with a gentle smile. "I guess I'm never any good at hidin' stuff." Keisha rested her cheek in her hand, favoring him with glimmering eyes. "I love you, Ricochet."

         "H-Hey, come on, don't mush me to death," he chuckled, feeling exposed under her gaze. "I mean, you're the best!"

         "No, you're the best," she told him, turning to face him straight on. "You put with all my pestering when I was a brat, and you never made me feel feel bad."

         "Keisha,,," Ricochet was as a loss for words, regarding the girl with a dumbfounded expression. But Keisha had already stepped up to him, wrapping her arms around his torso in a tight embrace. Although taken off guard, his arms soon found their way around the girl, and he crushed her to his chest like a soldier on leave. Ricochet felt her as a porcelain doll against him, meticulously carved yet fragile enough to be tipped by a gentle wind.

         "Thanks for takin' me seriously," she said, her voice thick with emotion.

         Ricochet said nothing, but pulled back from Keisha and stared into her eyes, which reflected all the feelings she held for him. Cupping her chin in his hand, he drew her in for a soft kiss. Keisha remained stiff for a second, but soon relaxed as she stroked his neck, her lips melting against his.

         "Oh Keisha, you were over here!" A chirpy voice sounded out from just inside the gym, breaking the mood momentarily. Ricochet and Keisha separated and looked towards the interruption, finding Mary looking at them with a concerned frown and a half-eaten cookie.

         "Mary?" Keisha pipped up, regarding her friend with wide eyes. "You okay? You're not worrying about me, right?"

         "Well, I knew Scary Mister Ricochet was coming to find you, but I was afraid he would revert to his brutish, ruffian ways at the last moment," the brown-haired girl answered in between bites of her cookie. "You need a support group of divorced women when you start dating strange boys."

         "C'mon, Mary, I can handle Ricochet!" Keisha threw Mary a wink, propping her arm on the railing. "I'm the queen of dance and language arts, remember?"

         "Yeah!" Ricochet chuckled, tossing an arm around his girlfriend. "This girl is tough!"

         As the two shared a laugh, they were soon privy to the pounding drums emanating from the double doors Mary has left open. The D.J. has ceased his onslaught of contemporary pop tunes in favor of some Motown classics. Keisha's eyes lit up once she recognized the song, an all-time favorite at her house. "It's The Miracles!" she cried, her eyes flashing with excitement. "C'mon, Ricochet, let's go!"

         Ricochet smiled as he let Keisha drag him to the double doors. Mary was startled by this, scampering over to her friend's side in a flurry of short brown hair. "Wait, Keisha!" she protested, floating around the pair like a moth around a lamppost. "We haven't practiced our retro dance routines yet!"

         "Don't be a wallflower, Mary!" Ricochet said, hustling her through the door with Keisha and him. "You're coming, too!"

         "W-Whaaaaa!" The girl's eyes bulged behind their glasses, her arms flailing at her sides. "K-Keisha, help!!"

         And so it went as the three teens bumbled their way to a clear spot in the center of the gym. With Smokey Robinson crooning in the background, Ricochet slipped an arm around Keisha's waist and took her hand in his, bringing an ear-to-ear grin to her round face. Together, the two blasted off into a '50s-style dance as Ricochet pulled the girl round 'n' round, upside-down, guiding her across the dance floor as fast as her legs could carry her. Keisha's smile was electric as she twirled with Ricochet, her skirts flying around like a mid-air spin cycle.

         Mary had been watching all this with a look of trepidation, backing away from the two as if they were on fire. That is, until Ricochet extended a hand to out her, flashing a smile even while twirling Keisha on the other side of him. Before the girl could react, Ricochet had pulled Mary into the maelstrom, guiding the two girls with each hand. Mary gasped as she joined her friend in a series of impromptu spins and steps, struggling to keep up with the dancing duo.

         Ricochet kept Keisha and Mary moving at a constant clip, the former enthusiastically enthralled and the latter lagging limp. Soon, though, Mary's long hours of dance class kicked in, and she sank into the steps almost by accident. Her Chinese dress was short enough to allow her to move freely, and after a few more moves, she had adapted to Ricochet's rhythm, even competing with her friend Keisha for style and grace. It was with a daring spin that the trio ended their routine, and as they stood amidst the cheers of the other dancers, the once-hesitant Mary was now sporting a smile in place of her frown.

         "How's that?" Ricochet said, grinning at the two girls.

         "I...I think I had fun!" Mary cheered as she caught her breath.

         "Yeah!" Keisha grinned, wiping a bead of sweat off her brow. "You bet!" And with a wide smile, she jumped Ricochet and planted a huge kiss on his lips.