"Line up! Come on, guys, line up quickly! The choreographer's on the way."
Chris suddenly shouted.
Since there were no clear instructions about how to line up, the whole thing instantly turned into a chaotic battle. The boys shoved and elbowed each other to grab the best spot, causing Ethan, Andrew the Detective, Nathaniel, and a few others to fall flat on the stage floor.
The entire audience burst out laughing at the disaster.
But Nathaniel quickly jumped up again with the graceful movements of a well-trained martial artist. Then he courteously helped Andrew the Detective and the others stand up. Somewhere in the stands, a few girls squealed, admiring his gallant action.
As for Ethan, he clumsily got up on his own - just like he always did. His back still throbbed sharply, as if it had just taken a hard hit from someone's fist or elbow.
Clearly, someone had taken advantage of the chaos to shove Ethan and the other boys. Fortunately, none of them twisted an ankle or got hurt.
Suddenly, there was a burst of noise and commotion from the audience.
(Oh my god, why does this feel like a sitcom?)
From the entrance of the Grand Theater, a group of boys and girls wearing sporty uniforms in red and white came rushing into the stands.
They waved, then blew kisses to the spectators around them. They acted as if they were all famous celebrities.
"Ugh, the Dancing Stars again…"
Nathaniel growled. Apparently, he didn't like the group of students who had just entered the Grand Theater.
"The Dancing Stars dance crew - that's the school's official dance team. Their member selection process is super strict. The leader and choreographer is Kai Nguyen from Class 11A. He's smart, dances amazingly, and he's good-looking too. I heard he's really close to…"
Andrew the Detective whispered right into Ethan's left ear.
Kai Nguyen, huh?
Another Nguyen.
And that name sounded really familiar. It felt like Ethan had heard or seen it somewhere before.
"Strict selection process, my ass. That short guy only accepts boys under 1.60 meters into the Dancing Stars."
Nathaniel sneered.
He cast a look full of hostility toward a rather small-built male student sitting proudly in the audience.
Kai Nguyen was rather short. Sitting down, he was almost the same height as the girls around him. Still, his face was strikingly pretty, framed by soft, curly hair that shimmered under the light.
"Don Nathaniel used to be a member of the Dancing Stars last year. But after one summer, he shot up nearly twenty centimeters. So that means…"
Andrew the Detective turned to continue his commentary with Ethan.
Ethan couldn't tell whether this detective-slash-reporter kid genuinely loved sharing information or just felt obligated to deliver value to his newest 'client.'
"I quit the Dancing Stars on my own, alright?! Because I like real breakdancing - real moves! Not that stupid TikTok hip-shaking crap they do!"
Nathaniel's face was burning red with anger. Clearly, bringing up the past wasn't something he enjoyed.
Or maybe it was because the Dancing Stars, who had been sitting quietly in the audience, suddenly stood up together. The janitor had told them to leave so he could clean the seats - but instead of leaving, they began performing the very hip-swaying dance Nathaniel despised the most.
"Don, calm down!"
Andrew the Detective's voice turned syrupy as he tried to flatter Nathaniel, making Ethan struggle not to burst out laughing.
"Don't call me Don!"
Nathaniel snapped.
By sheer bad luck, Ethan happened to be standing right between the two boys from Class 11B - and now both his ears were paying the price for their madness.
"Then what should your underling call you, Don?"
"Shut up, that's what."
"I can't! Keeping quiet makes my throat itchy, Don!"
Their bickering was loud enough to catch Chris's attention. The senior immediately turned to scold them.
"Quiet! Andrew Vo, Nathaniel Nguyen from 11B, and Ethan Duong from 11D - minus 10 HP each."
This time, Ethan's face flushed bright red. He was furious to think that after seven exhausting practice sessions with Let's Dance, his class had only earned 40 HP total.
He genuinely wanted to punch both Nathaniel and Andrew the Detective right there on the stage. They were the ones talking nonstop, yet somehow he got caught in the crossfire too.
But sighing wouldn't help this time.
He now had to help Andrew the Detective and the other boys restrain Nathaniel - who looked ready to charge at Chris to "settle things like men."
Ethan could already picture how that would end: Nathaniel's hands, the same ones that had once crushed an orange to pulp, were trembling with tension.
He had to stop him. No matter what.
"Come on, Don! Class 11B still has 80 HP left - that's double what 11D's got! Think about it, Don - the Symphony International University Scholarship! You want that, don't you?"
Under Andrew the Detective's slick tongue, Nathaniel slowly calmed down. Turns out, he was also aiming for the same Symphony scholarship that Ethan wanted.
Just as he began to settle down, his stomach growled loudly. Hunger twisted his face into one of pure irritation. And it wasn't just him - the other boys in Let's Dance were starving too. Today's practice had dragged on way longer than expected.
It was already 6:30 PM…
And yet, the choreographer still hadn't shown up!
According to the plan Chris had mentioned earlier, a professional choreographer was supposed to train Let's Dance right from the first session.
But three practices had already passed, and they were still stuck doing basic steps under Chris's supervision. Rumor had it that due to funding issues, the school could only afford to hire a choreographer for the last four training sessions.
And there was another major problem…
Chris only paid close attention to the boys from the C classes. He completely ignored the guys from B and D classes. This led to a huge skill gap between the two groups within Let's Dance.
Wait a minute…
Something didn't sit right with Ethan.
He glanced to his right, then to his left.
Since Chris was from Class 12C, it made sense that half of Let's Dance's members were also from the C groups.
From the B groups, there were only Nathaniel, Andrew, and two tenth graders from 10B.
From the D groups, there were Ethan and two tenth graders from 10D.
Which meant - Let's Dance had…
… zero members from the A groups - no one from 10A, 11A, or 12A. And absolutely no one from 12B or 12D either.
When Ethan did a quick count, there were thirteen male students from the C groups in total!
Sure, maybe the younger A-class boys were still growing, but most of the seniors in 12A were already tall - easily meeting the Let's Dance height requirement. The same went for a few guys from 12B and 12D.
As much as Andrew's words were usually full of nonsense, this time Ethan couldn't help but agree - something fishy was going on.
And it seemed like he and the other boys from the B and D classes were being used for whatever this twisted plan was.
This time, Ethan couldn't hold back a sigh.
Showbiz - even within a high school - was already this messy, manipulative, and political. Who knew how much darker the real world would be?
Pffft!
Suddenly, all the lights in the Grand Theater went out. Darkness swallowed the entire space. Somewhere in the audience, a few girls screamed in panic.
Then came a flurry of sounds - hurried footsteps, objects bumping together, the faint rustle of fabric. They were close. Too close. Whoever it was, they were right next to the stage.
And then…
A remixed version of "Kiss you, Bite you" began to play - darker, slower, haunting - dripping with theatrical tension.
As Ethan's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, a single spotlight flared to life.
Its beam cut sharply through the shadows - illuminating a lone figure standing on the staircase leading up to the audience seats.