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The PA syste voice addressed the school
"Geek show! Geek show! You don’t want to miss this one
Get your butt to the auditorium before we run out of tickets" David hadto back do
The Loners proceeded into the auditoriuures Colored lights and flashing strobes made it i to perfect bow and arrows
He didn’t want to find out those ruht
David let his eyes wander over the spectacle before hiray that lurked outside the doors behind him The air smelled fresh somehow The Geeks had frosted the tips of their hair with acrylic paint froerine, rare colors for McKinley He had forgotten how big the auditorium really was It’d been built to house the entirety of the student body and the faculty for school events for decades to coht, took up the entire far wall Between the stage and where David stood were fifty rows of raked seating Interspersed along both walls were small,the surprises and entertainment that waited within
It was a carnival, and to David’s disbelief, it looked like kids had not only checked their weapons at the door, but also their affiliation He’d never seen anything like it, probably because he’d never had the opportunity to go to a Geek show before
It put hie Everyone mixed freely with each other
An assassination seeined before He noticed Varsity ave hih the crowd David saw potential threats, eneanza
"Stay close," David said to Ritchie, who signaled to the rest of the Loners
David heard a high-pitched screa in, ready for anything Anything except a hug It was Zachary He wore a blazing orange Marie Antoinette wig, tall as a top hat and full of decorative curls
"Well, look how far he’s co hi of Geeks broke out of the crowd, and they promptly surrounded the Loners David put his hands up to calm the situation
"Whoa, whoa, all a mistake! Let’s be cool," David said
Ritchie held out his hands They were covered in a glitter that shihted hihtened his black shirt, which was covered in the salass bonded to the fabric with a weak glue Sparkles sprinkled onto the floor all around him
"What is this crap?" Ritchie said
"Fashion, et out much, do you?"
"We’re a little rusty," David said "But if I recall correctly, partying is like riding a bike, isn’t it?" Zachary smiled and waved for his Geeks to relax He winked one eye and wagged his finger at David
"If you didn’t spend like a drunk stepht out of here, Davey-pie," he said, and then waved his hand around at the tents "So here’s the deal The oodies cost tickets We’ve got a couple lovely girls over there ill gladly relieve you of whatever you’d like to trade for a roll of tickets" Zachary clapped his hands, and one of the Geeks tossed a large roll of tickets to David
"Here’s a few on the house"
"Hey, you shouldn’t have," David said dryly, passing them back to Ritchie
"I know I really shouldn’t have, but hey, we’re going to rob you blind tonight anyway Have fuuuuun, Loners!" With a twirl and a sweep of his hands, Zachary led his crew on to the next gang of custo over his head, it was hard not to find Zachary’sthe Loners, David had paid close attention to the leaders who had gained the true respect of his gang Zachary was one of the hty of them had come, and twelve had stayed behind at the Stairs All of the over a different Geek show attraction They were dying to cut loose
"Okay," David said "I need five volunteers for a security tea out So to be one pricey downer"
Five people stepped forward to stick with David, and the rest scattered like e kicked into a song A sathered around The band used traditional instruether with handmade ones Tubas and violins har scraped down chalkboards There was a stand-up bass made out of stripped electrical wires and a desk drawer The clash of sounds ht up front There were a hundred different things you could do at the Geek show, but all David wanted to do atch Lucy dance "You should dance with her," Ritchie said "Before I do"
"You’re not dancing with her"
"I a his head in unison with Lucy’s butt, "I want that thing to live onwith five other goons, ogling her
"I’ll be right back"
"Yeah" Ritchie nodded slowly
"And look at so to keep you safe, Dave"
David navigated past dancing kids He felt acutely aware of how hard he was trying to act casual He sidled up to Lucy and stared at the band, as if that was the real reason he was there
He bopped his head He tried to shuffle his feet to the beat, but he felt like an idiot He wasn’t a dancer He glanced over at her as she rotated her hips
"Have you ever been to a Geek show?" David projected loudly
The band stopped playing, and the second half of his question echoed out over the lull They put down their instruments and took a break