Post by RAM on Jun 5, 2024 19:28:07 GMT
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As the dance went on...
As a slow dance track from the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie played in the background, R.A. Marshall and Rydia Palmer -- clad in their Cloud and Aerith costumes, respectively -- circled around the gymnasium floor to the song's beat. Ram was still struggling to keep up at first, tripping over himself and Rydia's feet. All he could do is close his eyes, bow his head, and take in the moment.
"I would stop the world for you, babe. (stop)
I would stop the things I do.
If I knew - you loved me too, yeah.
I would change my whole world over. (stop)
I would feign my history
If I could see - a future with me now."
Rydia blushed before getting closer to Ram, trying to get him to come out of his shell.
"Tell me. What's really on your mind...?"
Pause. Ram didn't say anything as Rydia tried to gaze into his eyes, only for him to turn his head.
"I...I really want to know."
Ram took his sweet time to let his thoughts course through his mind.
{ ...why should I? All I'll probably do is embarrass myself with the gory details... }
He sighed, eventually realizing that he couldn't remain in hiding forever.
{ ...oh, what the hell. Got nothin' to lose... }
Ram spoke to her in a feeble tone of voice.
"...I'll admit, you're a good dancer..."
Rydia giggled.
"My dad taught me. You could say I was his practice partner for years."
She paused, trying once more to look into Ram's eyes.
"What about your dad, if you don't mind me asking...?"
Ram sighed and shook his head.
{ ...d'oh! She just had to go there... }
After Rydia playfully poked him in the ribs, he looked into her eyes and spoke, his tone becoming a little more confident but still conflicted.
"He was shot down and killed in action durin' the 2003 Iraq War, several months before I was born."
She frowned.
"I'm...I'm sorry to hear that."
"Well, the State Department has a really bad habit of not tellin' next of kin what went on over there. They especially don't like tellin' dependents that the incident occurred on the wrong side of a map..."
Ram paused.
"He was a Navy pilot -- callsign 'Griever.' Loved flyin' jets, pushin' 'em to the limit."
Rydia nodded.
"So...that's why you're the person you are. You want to push yourself, to be like him."
Ram feebily nodded back, knowing how his life turned out after his father's death and mother's arrest for tax fraud.
{ ...given what Dickless David did to me and Aunt Lizzy... }
He pulled back from his partner.
"Look...I don't even know if I wanna follow his path."
Rydia pulled him back closer.
"My dad taught me that you're responsible for your own destiny. You never know what's gonna happen from one moment to the next."
Ram took a deep breath as he tried to process that notion. Suddenly, the music changed to an upbeat remix of Brooks & Dunn's "Boot Scootin' Boogie."
{ ...the hell is this... }
Rydia's face lit up, recognizing the song.
"Oh my God, it's my mom's favorite dance tune. Follow me -- one-and-two-and-one...!"
She started a two-person line dance, with Ram once again trying his damndest to not embarrass himself in front of the entire school. He was able to catch up to the beat, feeling a little more confident with every step he took. In reality, all he did was follow Rydia's lead.
"Out in the country past the city limits sign
Where there's a honky tonk near the County line
The joint starts jumpin' every night when the sun goes down
They got whiskey women, music, and smoke
It's where all the cowboy folk go to boot scootin' boogie
I got a good job, I work hard for my money
When it's quittin' time, I hit the door runnin'
I fire up my pickup truck and let the horses run
I go flyin' down that highway to that hide a way
Stuck out in the woods to do the boot scootin' boogie
Yeah, heel toe, docie doe, come on, baby, let's go, boot scootin'
Oh, Cadillac, Black Jack, baby meet me outback we're gonna boogie
Oh, get down turn around go to town boot scootin' boogie..."
Suddenly, the crowd in the gym broke out into laughter.
{ ...aww, hell no... }
A student, dressed in a Mchaelangelo costume from the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy of films, danced onto the floor and twirled a pepperoni pizze on his finger.
"Look at that ninja turtle over there! He's got himself a pizza!"
"Yeah, but what the hell's he gonna do with--?!"
Ram was sorry he asked that question -- for as soon as he did, the costumed turtle spiked the pizza all over the top of his head. Ram was now covered in a mixture of pepproni, cheese, and tomato sauce. As he heard the laughter from all around, he developed a seriously pissed-off expression on his face as Rydia looked on with concern.
R.A. Marshall wanted to dine on turtle soup.
In other words, he wanted to kill the guy.
Instead, however, he thought about Rydia as he was handed a giant roll of paper towels to help him get cleaned up.
{ ...fuuuuuuuuuuuuck... }
To be continued...
-------
As the dance went on...
As a slow dance track from the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie played in the background, R.A. Marshall and Rydia Palmer -- clad in their Cloud and Aerith costumes, respectively -- circled around the gymnasium floor to the song's beat. Ram was still struggling to keep up at first, tripping over himself and Rydia's feet. All he could do is close his eyes, bow his head, and take in the moment.
"I would stop the world for you, babe. (stop)
I would stop the things I do.
If I knew - you loved me too, yeah.
I would change my whole world over. (stop)
I would feign my history
If I could see - a future with me now."
Rydia blushed before getting closer to Ram, trying to get him to come out of his shell.
"Tell me. What's really on your mind...?"
Pause. Ram didn't say anything as Rydia tried to gaze into his eyes, only for him to turn his head.
"I...I really want to know."
Ram took his sweet time to let his thoughts course through his mind.
{ ...why should I? All I'll probably do is embarrass myself with the gory details... }
He sighed, eventually realizing that he couldn't remain in hiding forever.
{ ...oh, what the hell. Got nothin' to lose... }
Ram spoke to her in a feeble tone of voice.
"...I'll admit, you're a good dancer..."
Rydia giggled.
"My dad taught me. You could say I was his practice partner for years."
She paused, trying once more to look into Ram's eyes.
"What about your dad, if you don't mind me asking...?"
Ram sighed and shook his head.
{ ...d'oh! She just had to go there... }
After Rydia playfully poked him in the ribs, he looked into her eyes and spoke, his tone becoming a little more confident but still conflicted.
"He was shot down and killed in action durin' the 2003 Iraq War, several months before I was born."
She frowned.
"I'm...I'm sorry to hear that."
"Well, the State Department has a really bad habit of not tellin' next of kin what went on over there. They especially don't like tellin' dependents that the incident occurred on the wrong side of a map..."
Ram paused.
"He was a Navy pilot -- callsign 'Griever.' Loved flyin' jets, pushin' 'em to the limit."
Rydia nodded.
"So...that's why you're the person you are. You want to push yourself, to be like him."
Ram feebily nodded back, knowing how his life turned out after his father's death and mother's arrest for tax fraud.
{ ...given what Dickless David did to me and Aunt Lizzy... }
He pulled back from his partner.
"Look...I don't even know if I wanna follow his path."
Rydia pulled him back closer.
"My dad taught me that you're responsible for your own destiny. You never know what's gonna happen from one moment to the next."
Ram took a deep breath as he tried to process that notion. Suddenly, the music changed to an upbeat remix of Brooks & Dunn's "Boot Scootin' Boogie."
{ ...the hell is this... }
Rydia's face lit up, recognizing the song.
"Oh my God, it's my mom's favorite dance tune. Follow me -- one-and-two-and-one...!"
She started a two-person line dance, with Ram once again trying his damndest to not embarrass himself in front of the entire school. He was able to catch up to the beat, feeling a little more confident with every step he took. In reality, all he did was follow Rydia's lead.
"Out in the country past the city limits sign
Where there's a honky tonk near the County line
The joint starts jumpin' every night when the sun goes down
They got whiskey women, music, and smoke
It's where all the cowboy folk go to boot scootin' boogie
I got a good job, I work hard for my money
When it's quittin' time, I hit the door runnin'
I fire up my pickup truck and let the horses run
I go flyin' down that highway to that hide a way
Stuck out in the woods to do the boot scootin' boogie
Yeah, heel toe, docie doe, come on, baby, let's go, boot scootin'
Oh, Cadillac, Black Jack, baby meet me outback we're gonna boogie
Oh, get down turn around go to town boot scootin' boogie..."
Suddenly, the crowd in the gym broke out into laughter.
{ ...aww, hell no... }
A student, dressed in a Mchaelangelo costume from the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy of films, danced onto the floor and twirled a pepperoni pizze on his finger.
"Look at that ninja turtle over there! He's got himself a pizza!"
"Yeah, but what the hell's he gonna do with--?!"
Ram was sorry he asked that question -- for as soon as he did, the costumed turtle spiked the pizza all over the top of his head. Ram was now covered in a mixture of pepproni, cheese, and tomato sauce. As he heard the laughter from all around, he developed a seriously pissed-off expression on his face as Rydia looked on with concern.
R.A. Marshall wanted to dine on turtle soup.
In other words, he wanted to kill the guy.
Instead, however, he thought about Rydia as he was handed a giant roll of paper towels to help him get cleaned up.
{ ...fuuuuuuuuuuuuck... }
To be continued...
-------
Well howdy there pardner.