Ara's POV
If I ever make a list titled Top 10 Reasons Why the Ground Should Swallow Me Whole, today will skyrocket to number one. No competition. No debates. Nothing.
The auditorium buzzed like an over-caffeinated beehive, every single— every single 11th grader smell like coffee and packed into the seats. Even the walls looked nervous. It was the kind of day when something big was about to go down, and the universe had already sharpened its pitchfork.
Principal stood on the podium with a calm, terrifying smile. That smile teachers give before announcing a pop quiz. "All 11th grade students," he began, in that smooth old-radio-voice, "will participate in the AIA Annual Dance Showcase. The school system has paired you randomly. These pairings are final."
I turned to Samriddhi with a blank face. "Did he just say random?"
"Yup," she said way too cheerfully. "It's like throwing everyone into a bingo machine and hoping we don't get trauma as a prize."
I groaned. Somewhere behind us, Gaurav muttered, "This is how wars start."
The screen on stage lit up with digital noise before flashing the first names. A hush fell across the room like a perfectly timed horror soundtrack.
Aarav Isha Singhania ↔ Lala sen
Of course, Of course Aarav gets paired with Lala. The school's very own dancing firecracker. She could make tap dancing look like a royal ceremony. Lala stood up halfway, dramatically flipping her hair while other girls gave her dagger eyes. I swear she posed mid-breath.
Samriddhi Chouhan ↔ Siddharth Gulati
Samriddhi let out a snort. "That's the boy who fell down the staircase during the fire drill. He had two left feet... and both were asleep."
Gaurav Choubey ↔ Ragini Sharma
Gaurav didn't move. Just sighed.
Ragini was the top scorer of nearly every subject. The girl who highlighted textbooks in five colors. She probably brought a spreadsheet to this announcement.
And then—
Ara Rao Reyes ↔ Ethan Kai Rylan
My soul left my body.
"Who is that?" I whisper-hissed, blinking at the screen like it had cursed me.
Samriddhi gasped softly. "Wait, that name... Oh. My. God!! Is he's really our Kai!!"
"Wait.. Who?? Do you know him?" I whisper-screeched.
"Yah, actually he's on a medical leave from long period of time. I haven't seen him from while." She replied.
"Ohh...."
"And you know what–you both are not Indians, he's Irish-korean."
"The one you'd told me before?"
"Yah..."
"Wait—If... He's on a medical leave then... I'm going to dance with a ghost!" I just realised what's happening.
"I guess... So..." She replied.
Back in class, my head was still floating somewhere in the Twilight Zone. I opened my diary, flipped past doodles of cats and clouds, and scribbled:
How do you dance with a ghost? Asking for a mentally collapsing friend (me).
Just then, Aarav appeared beside my desk, dragging a chair. He plopped down beside me for the period like this was totally normal behavior.
"So," he began, his voice dipping into that casually dramatic tone he reserved for chaos. "so, how are you?"
I narrowed my eyes. "why are you asking?"
"Just... Leave this. Okay so, I heard you've paired with Kai." He changed the topic.
"You're paired with real human and I'm paired with ghosts."
He smirked. Just then, Yaori was continuously watching me.
"Hey, hello? Where are you?"
"Huh?"
"Do you need notes?" Aarav asked politely.
Why did his voice sound like it belonged in a coffee commercial?
Class went on like a blurry movie reel. Somewhere between math equations and Aarav sketching stick figures in the margins of my notebook, I decided something important:
I was going to die of secondhand embarrassment before the dance showcase even began.
After School when I got home, the house smelled like cinnamon and chaos. My uncle, wearing an apron that said Kiss the Cook (or Don't), popped his head out of the kitchen.
"Practicing for the dance competition already?" he asked, brandishing a spatula like a wand.
I slumped against the dining chair. "I'm paired with a ghost."
"Ooooh. Invisible partner. Bold choice."
"And you also paired with cooking." I smirked.
"Yah, your aunt went for shopping that's why. Now freshen up fast and come to dining table to eat the food uncle made."
I stared at him. He blinked innocently. We moved on.
Upstairs, I made the mistake of checking on Liza. Her room was basically a dance studio with neon lights and floor-length mirrors. She was mid-routine when I peeked in.
"Watch this Ara," she said, flipping her ponytail and launching into a flawless pirouette. "My partner's a martial arts freak, so we're doing these cool kicks."
I nodded with dead eyes. "Cool. I'm dancing with Ghosts."
Leo passed by in the hallway, chewing gum like it owed him money. "At least ghosts don't complain."
"You're the human version of a static ad," I muttered.
He flipped me off. Familial love.
That night, I dug through an old USB drive I hadn't touched in years. Plugged it in. Hit play.
It was a grainy video, filmed by my mom's friend. A Filipino festival. A wooden stage. Mom in a red dress. Me in a mini version of hers.
We twirled barefoot on stage, hands linked, laughing like the world couldn't touch us.
I didn't realize I was crying until the screen blurred.
The Next Day, The music hall as well as dancing hall had become a circus.
Everyone was practicing. Spinning. Falling. Shouting. Lala did this mid-air jump like she was in a music video. Aarav matched her, arms extended like he'd rehearsed in his sleep.
Samriddhi and Siddharth were arguing about who stepped on whose toe.
I sat at the edge, knees hugged to my chest. My notebook open. My pencil tapping.
Ghost boy still hadn't appeared. Maybe he was allergic to responsibility.
Enough.
I stood up, walked across the room to the smaller studio on the side. Empty. Quiet.
My reflection stared back at me in the full-length mirror. Disheveled braid. Mismatched socks. Murderous eyes.
"Okay, ghost or not, I'm doing this," I whispered to myself.
I opened my playlist. Scrolled. Nothing clicked.
Scrolled more. Still nothing.
Then...
One track. Ethereal. Haunting. Piano with a soft drop. Like heartbreak dipped in silk. And voice like heaven.
Goosebumps. Yes.
I pressed play. Stepped into the middle of the room.
Closed my eyes.
And danced. That's another thing that I don't even know D of Dance. Everyone is doing professionaly but I'm dancing like total toddler. So I decided to take help from dance instructor.
And now Game on.