Eye Candy by R.L. Stine

hundred pounds—who showed up mostly on weekends wearing enormous red and gold pajamas, and danced his guts out, taking up most of the dance floor.
    She said he was a real sleazy letch, always trashed, usually coked out of his gourd, who liked to trap girls against the wall with his big belly and feel them up.
    Nice.
    Why do Ann-Marie and Lou like this club? Lou and Whale went to the same high school in Larchmont— before Whale dropped out—so they get in free, and sometimes Whale comps them on the drinks.
    Anyway, there was no sign of Whale tonight, which helped the party atmosphere a
lot
. The dance floor was jammed and people were three-deep at the bar. I pulled Shelly through the crowd until I found Ann-Marie and Lou standing at a table near the bar, tall beer glasses in their hands.
    Ann-Marie looked awesome. She wore a tight, short black skirt and a shiny orange top that left about two inches of stomach showing. Very sexy.
    She mopped her forehead with a cocktail napkin. Her hair glistened with sweat. “Hey!” she raised her glass and smiled as Shelly and I approached.
    â€œYou’ve been dancing!” I had to shout over the throbbing beat of the music and the roar of voices.
    She leaned close and shouted in my ear. “I twisted my ankle. We had to stop.” She tilted the beer glass to her mouth and gulped it all down. “Got to replenish.”
    I introduced Shelly. Lou went to the bar to get more beers. Ann-Marie talked about how lucky it was that Whale hadn’t showed up tonight. “He makes the dj play Cher over and over.”
    Shelly leaned over the table and grinned at Ann-Marie and me. “I love clubs like this. I think I’m really going to get my freak on tonight!”
    Get his freak on? He was joking, right? Where did he get that line—VH1?
    Ann-Marie laughed. “This guy’s cute,” she whispered in my ear.
    Lou was returning with the beers, but Shelly pulled me away from the table, onto the dance floor. I bumped a girl with a tattoo of a grinning monkey on her shoulder. She turned away, her tight silver pants reflecting the bouncing lights, blond hair flying, and I glimpsed another monkey face on her other shoulder.
    Shelly and I found a space near the side of the dj’s platform and started to dance. After a few seconds, I realized that Shelly was a fabulous dancer.
    He had his eyes closed. His arms were sliding gracefully up and down. His knees were bent and his hips were bumping and swaying in perfect rhythm to the music.
    I tried to keep up with him, get in rhythm with him. But he was really good and totally into it.
    The beat changed as the dj mixed in a new song. I tried to pull Shelly back to the table, but he kept on dancing. He put his hands on my waist and guided me. He didn’t want to stop.
    When the dj mixed in a new track, Shelly opened his eyes. He took my hand. He had a sweet smile on his face. He leaned close. “Told you I was intense.” He was breathing hard. He seemed very pleased with himself.
    I pulled him back to the table. He picked up his beer and drained it. He lowered the glass, still breathing hard. He made no attempt to wipe the foam off his mouth.
    I laughed. “You look like a rabid dog.” I picked up a cocktail napkin and wiped the foam off his mouth and chin.
    Lou had his arm around Ann-Marie’s waist. “Hey, you’re a good dancer,” he told Shelly.
    Shelly’s dark hair fell over his forehead. “Thanks. I’ve just always been into music.”
    Ann-Marie brought her face close to mine and whispered. “Jesus. Think he’s like that in bed?”
    I slapped her hand. “Shut up.”
    â€œIf he is, he’s a keeper!”
    â€œNo, really. Shut up.”
    She laughed.
    We all chatted for a while. And danced some more. And I finally started to relax and have a good time.
    After a while, we’d danced so hard my legs were trembling. Ann-Marie and I made