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Slice of Life: Embracing the music

By Kelly Burns, Staff Writer

The group stands in the corner of 45. A sliver of space separates them from the swirling mass of bodies dancing to the music.

"We're not drunk enough for this," one of them yells. You can barely hear her over the bass.

But she's right. The group is part of the small minority that is devoid of even a drop of alcohol.

Small tight circles of people move to the music. Some stumble and spill their drinks. You can see them laughing, but it's another sound swallowed by the ever-present bass.

In the middle of the dance floor, two couples draw attention.

One pair isn't moving. They're just standing in front of each other looking into the distance, lost in the loud music and alcohol.

But their friends are anything but still.

The pair form an X, connecting at the hips and then branching off.

They grind their bodies together, never separating. They draw uncomfortable looks from the group in the corner.

"It looks like they're gonna have sex right here," one of them mutters.

The couple doesn't notice. Everyone else does.

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Some laugh and cheer the two on, while others move away -- like the group in the corner.

The guy starts kissing his girl's neck, doing his best impression of Dracula.

The space around them grows as drunk kids shift away from them as if they want to give the pair privacy on the crowded dance floor.

"Ignore them! Just dance!" one of the group yells.

"I can't dance unless I'm drunk!" another yells back.

The group stops dancing. They move out of their corner and toward the stairs.

"Should we just leave then?" They look at each other and shrug.

"Have a good night, guys," an employee says.

As the group leaves, they toss one last look at the couple on the dance floor.