The band picked up the beat and the dancers moved onstage in synchronized movements. I moved unconsciously to the beat, wiggling in Ben’s embrace, his arm still around my shoulders. Then the spotlight lit up Monica standing toward the back of the stage, and goosebumps broke out over my whole body. She sang her epic breakup song about trashing a guy’s house once she caught him cheating on her, a tiny headset mic stretching from her ear to her mouth.
But my eyes were focused on the dancers. They moved around Monica and occasionally she joined in their synchronized moves. They were so sharp, every movement clean and exact.
I didn’t even realize it, but sometime after the first verse, I’d wriggled a little bit away from Ben as my arms mimicked the movements on stage. When I realized what I was doing, my shoulders came up to my ears, and I dove back into Ben’s arms.
“I’m thinking you’re not here for Monica,” he shouted into my ear over the pulsing music around us.
I just shook my head and stayed in his arms.
Pyrotechnics blasted over our heads, and I jolted before turning back to the stage to watch the show.
The music transitioned to another song, this one just as fast as the last one, and I kept my eyes on the dancers, wishing more than anything I was up there with them.
Forty minutes and so many awesome dances—I mean songs—later, I did it again. Seriously, there must be something wrong with me. I’d stepped out of Ben’s arms at some point, only this time I might’ve been going a bit harder. My movements were the same as the dancers.
At the break after the second verse, Monica addressed the crowd even while the song continued to play.
“Come on, girl in the denim dress. Come up on stage. I see you trying.”
Then she pointed at me.
“Get her onstage.”
I turned to Ben, wide-eyed. I never thought…What?!
He grinned at me. “You heard Monica. Go!”
It was a chaos of security and gates. And then the next thing I knew, some guy in all black holding a clipboard and wearing a headset pushed me onstage.
“I’ve had an awesome time tonight. I hope you all have too. My set’s almost over. Just one more song.”
The crowd booed and cheered. And I just stood there on the edge of the stage, wanting it but scared out of my mind at the same time.
Monica transitioned seamlessly into her next song, ‘Dance ‘til Dawn,’ an upbeat song about a girls’ night out. And I just stood there to the side of the stage for a second, totally and completely intimidated.
“You wanna dance with us?” Monica asked, pointing a finger at me. “Let’s go!”
My legs moved to the beat on their own volition. Dancing toward the back of the stage when Monica called me out.
“Uh uh. Up here with me. Let’s see what you’ve got, girlie.”
My heart literally in my throat, I moved to her left and picked up the moves with her dancers. Monica continued to sing, and I swear to god, I felt like I was flying.
It was everything.
Dancing in the middle of her troop, next to her, I knew I stood out like a sore thumb—everyone else was dressed in tight black, sparkly pants and tanks while I whirled around in my bright blue denim dress. But it was amazing.
And I killed.
I moved with the dancers, joining them in a single line on either side of Monica. Then we broke off to circle behind her, moving in synchronized arm movements. We rushed to the side of the stage and then back to the front where I stood next to Monica again.
And I kept up the whole way.
“You see?” Monica asked into her mic. “You can do anything if you put your mind to it.”
The lights strobed on the stage as we went through complicated arm and body movements. Monica continued to sing and dance through the end of the song.
Then the lights went down, and Monica put her arm around me.
