A/N: Well...life is hectic. I started a new job over the weekend at a coffee house, I have 11 chapters of a book I have to read by tomorrow, and I almost broke my finger, leaving me unable to type ANYTHING and going slightly mad. But I'm back again...hopefully this'll be good...got the idea at a Sweet 16 I went to, thought it would be cute. Enjoy! I wasn't really a fan of the ending, but hey, that's for you to decide.
Disclaimer: Don't own Rog or Marky. But I do own the RENT OBCR that I bought over the weekend which is keeping me sane while a friend borrows the movie soundtrack. Muy bueno.
He leaned against the wall, with other wallflowers who bashfully looked to the ground, away from the dance floor. How Mark Cohen had gotten roped into this, he'd never know. Sure, Cindy was his sister and all, but did he really love her this much?
Mark only looked up when he noticed the music lowering and lowering until he heard nothing but clapping from family members. He saw his older sister by one year holding on to their father with what seemed like tears glistening in her eyes. Without being able to hold back, Mark found himself smiling.
It was nice to see his sister happy, he supposed.
"Now, I'd like to see everyone in this room on that dance floor, celebrating Cindy's sweet 16! Come on now, I mean everyone!" The DJ's words even shifted Mark's fellow outsiders off their comfortable wall, but Mark refused to budge. Dancing and rhythm were not two things Mark had ever been at ease with. He averted his eyes to the dance floor again, waiting for this party to be over.
"Hey, kid!" Mark heard and looked up to see a kid who looked slightly older than himself, standing in front of him. He stood with his hands deep within his dress pant pockets, eyes rimmed with eyeliner staring at Mark. His blonde hair was spiked and slightly slicked back in the front and there was a noticeable scuff on his left boot.
He looked good.
"I'm pretty sure the DJ said everyone should be on the dance floor." He said, smiling.
Mark couldn't help but wonder who this kid was. Did he know him at all? Had they met before?
Before he could hold back, he instantly thought, 'If I had met him before, I would've remembered.'
The kid took a step forward, advancing at Mark's silence. "That means you."
"I-I'm sorry, do I know you?"
The blonde extended a hand. "Roger Davis. I'm in your sister's grade." Before Mark could ask, he continued. "She talks about you a lot. Plus, you two look almost identical. Only...you know, you're a guy. It's eerie."
"Yeah, we get that a lot." The confusion was only growing. What did this Roger kid want anyway?
The song changed, and the two boys listened as the DJ announced it as the last song of the night.
"Last chance," Roger said, extending a hand. "Dance with me, come on."
"But this is a slow song...do you really-?"
"Mark, are you always going to be the one in the corner, never having fun at parties? Loosen up and dance-with-me!" He exclaimed, emphasizing the last three words.
Releasing a sigh, Mark took the boy's hand and followed him to the dance floor. If he felt self-conscious before, he was certain this would give him an anxiety attack.
But oddly enough, as he took Roger's hand in his and placed another hand on his strong shoulder, he felt...calm. He leaned into the older boy's body and relaxed as they rocked back and forth on the wooden dance floor. Mark felt himself cringe as the music came to an end and the DJ said his goodbyes, but was delighted that Roger kept dancing.
"Just because the music ends doesn't mean 'this' has to." Roger answered. Though he was a stranger and though Mark's eyes were closed, Mark knew the older boy was smiling.
And something else Mark also knew was that his days of being a wallflower were over.