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Chapter 8--That 80's Grooving

Harper

What do I wear? Workout clothes, elegant, casual, semi-casual? I know it's just a pizza place. But what if the Misfits are all dressed up? What if they're not?

I look back at my chair. There's a giant pile of my clothes that keeps getting bigger. I'll pull something out of my closet and then throw it to the side to be considered. So far, I've pulled out just about everything. I toss all the clothing to the ground to find my phone at the bottom of the pile.

Hey, I text Kris. What are you wearing to the Pizza Palooza?

I turn up the volume of my music and bob my head to it. I take a seat on the floor and stare at my textbook. I've still got some time before I'm supposed to head out to the pizza place. I finish a few math problems before I hear my phone go off. I quickly pick it up and see the text from Kris.

Leggings girl, She answers. I'm going to do a split on stage.

I can't help but smirk. Kris loves doing splits and showing off her body. It's one of the many factors that makes her bold and confident. I reply with a thumbs-up and look back at my stack of clothing. Knowing I should wear something stretchy get rids of my dresses and jeans. I end up with leggings and the plain white Tee.

I text Vincent that I'm going to head out soon. He replies with, The gang and I will head over once my practice is over.

I smile to myself and grab my bag, heading out of my dorm.
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Pizza Palooza is really weird. I mean really weird. The outside of the restaurant looks as normal as ever. It's night so the sign lights up in neon but the windows are slightly tinted. When I walk inside, I'm instantly hit by a variety of things. For starters, it's pretty loud. And crowded. All the seats inside are strategically placed to face the stage in the back.

There are different colored LED lights everywhere. Every few seconds they'll change colors like at a club. The walls are decorated with all sorts of memorabilia. It starts with 80's records and goes all the way to modern day. But then there's random things hanging from the ceiling. Voodoo dolls, stuffed birds, and what looks like a whale figurine. I mean, overall it feels like I walked into the Voodoo Man's lair from The Princess and the Frog.

The crowd is also composed of weird and random people. I see a few families with little kids that are coloring on a Kid's Menu. Then I see a bunch of older biker gang kind of men in one corner. A few of the younger people here look like they belong to the university. Everyone seems to be from everywhere but overall, they're all enjoying the food and music playing.

I get into the line of people waiting to be seated. The Misfits are supposed to be here already, but I couldn't see where they were sitting. I text Kris as I wait but before I can get a response I see Mikala. She makes eye contact with me and waves me towards her.

Mikala has her hair braided down the side her hair is shaved off. She's wearing the red Pizza Palooza shirt and a black apron around her waist. I walk over to her and she gives me a look up and down. "We're all sitting over there," She points at a round booth in the corner of the restaurant.

"Thanks," I smile at her. "Are you working tonight?"

"Yeah," She answers quickly. "I'll be off in a few minutes."

She excuses herself after one of her coworkers calls her over to the cash register. I take that as my cue to walk towards the back of the restaurant. Chills start to run up my arms as I realize it's much colder than I had expected. Me—being the dumb person I am—decided not to bring a jacket because I would get warm dancing.