Joneses – 1.1 Where I Belong

India stood under the streetlight anxiously awaiting their arrival. Several people passed by her  all decked out in their best party threads expecting to have an epic night. She looked down at her own outfit and shrugged her shoulders. It’s not like she was going out to be spotted by someone; she just wanted to dance. It was all she ever wanted to do. Stepping and swaying in time to the music was how she escaped her problems, and boy did she have a lot of problems.

She finally spotted Jade Rosa and the rest of the Partihaus crew marching down the street. Her heart leapt with joy and anticipation. Excitement washed over her face for she truly believed she had found a place to belong. Throughout her tumultuous life, all she ever wanted was a group of friends to party with. Her love of dance (and her temper) caused the collapse of her marriage. Raising a child alone didn’t lend itself to getting out much. Now that he was old enough to take care of himself, India felt like it was time to find herself. She had been looking online for a meet-up group and stumbled upon Partihaus. It sounded perfect. All they did was dance and party together. India sent Jade an email requesting membership in the group. She was told that they would need to meet in person before Jade would be able make a decision. India was invited to meet next time they got together. She couldn’t believe it. Jade was the ultimate party girl, and she wanted to be her. So, there she was, standing under the street light, waiting for Partihaus to arrive like a dog waiting for her master.

Jade and crew stopped in front of the Narwhal Arms nightclub. India could tell they were waiting for someone. Out of the corner of her eye, Jade noticed a skinny blonde staring at her in the very spot the aspiring new member was supposed to be. You have got to be kidding me, Jade thought. India’s palms began to get clammy as she prepared to meet her idol. Jade sauntered over to the excited woman and looked her over. Bleached blonde wig, blue eyebrows, and clothes she thought no one should leave the house in…it had to be a joke. Jade looked at her as if she were a leper and wanted to deny her right away, but there was something about the excitement and determination in her eyes that made her want to give India a chance.

Besides, Jade could tell that India could be really pretty if she tried, and she had a nice shape under that hideous outfit. She thought that if she could turn India into a proper party girl, she would go down in party girl history—not that she needed validation or anything. She thought of it more like charity.

“I am Jade,” she finally said.

“India! Oh my goodness I’m so glad to meet you!” She grabbed Jade’s hand and shook it ferociously. When she saw that Jade hadn’t reciprocated her excitement, she was embarrassed and let her hand go.

“Ay, mami,” Paolo yelled. “You fine as all plum, but ain’t no dance floor out here!”

“Yeah,” Marcus agreed. “We gotta go burn it up!”

India admired Jade and thought that she was a well respected leader.

“Who’s that?” Eva spat. She was always skeptical of any females who wanted to hangout with them.

Jade said, “She’s gonna get down with us tonight, aight?”

“Hi! I’m India!”

The other members stared at her in total disbelief. They didn’t understand what was happening—almost like she spoke another language.

Eva didn’t buy it. “This is a joke…right?” She felt like their foursome was perfect, and adding new blood wasn’t necessary—especially someone like India with such poor fashion tastes.

“Chill, aight? Give her a chance. Let’s go,” Jade said.

The Partihaus crew filed into the club. The men made their way to the dance floor, and Eva stopped at the bar. She was going to need a lot of juice to get through that night. India walked slowly and took in every inch of the place. She had always heard that Windenburg had the hottest clubs, but she had never been before. She thought Narwhal Arms was perfect—not too big, not too small. There were plenty of places to sit tucked away from the happenings, but what struck her the most was the live DJ. She truly felt at home there. Eventually she made her way to the dance floor and began to sway to the music. She wasn’t the best dancer and could definitely learn some new steps, but she had the spirit of a dancer inside.

“Hey,” she heard a man say. She looked over her shoulder and saw a red haired gentleman looking at her.

“Hello,” she said and continued dancing.

“Are you from ‘round here?”

She furled her eyebrows and looked back at the man. She may not have been out in a while, but this wasn’t her first rodeo and she remained guarded.

“Sorry,” he said. “It’s just that I come here a lot, and I’ve never seen you.”

“No… I don’t live in Windenburg.”

“Ahhhh, ok. Just coming to soak up some of our culture, eh?”

“I’m just here to dance…that’s all,” India said.

He looked her over once more and snorted. Then he started a conversation with someone else.

Jade was walking by, and India caught her by the arm. “I just wanted to say thank you again for allowing me to hangout with you guys tonight!”

Jade couldn’t believe how genuinely excited this woman was.

Jade took a few steps back and faced India. If she was honest, she found her upbeat nature to be annoying although there was something congenial about her desire to belong. The thing that she did love about India was the purity of her request for their companionship. All she wanted to do was dance and have a good time. India reminded her of herself years ago when she first began hanging with the Partihaus crew. She was young, innocent, and simply wanted to have a good time. Things had changed a lot since then, but deep down her desire was still to dance and have a good time.

“You really think you got what it takes to roll with us?”

“Of course! I know I’m not the best dancer, but I want to learn! I really believe this is where I belong.”

Maybe she could do something good. Maybe she could turn India into something that she couldn’t be. Perhaps she could use this situation to redeem herself for her transgressions. Her decision wouldn’t be popular with the rest of the crew, but it was something Jade needed to do for herself.

“Aight then. Lose the wig and put on some decent clothes next time.”

“Oh THANK YOU, Jade! Thank you so much!”

Mmmm hmmmmmm…