Micah Johnson Goes West by Sean Kennedy

Author:Sean Kennedy [Kennedy, Sean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult
ISBN: 978-1-63533-364-0
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2017-04-04T04:00:00+00:00

NORTHBRIDGE ON a Saturday night was crowded, but Micah still felt it was small in comparison to Melbourne’s nightlife. He also didn’t feel at ease as he did back home—there was a frisson in the air, a static that made everyone seem edgy, as if a fight could break out at any moment.

“That’s just Northbridge,” Danny Hawkins told him. “It’s the ice. There are a lot of people on it.”

Micah wondered whether the isolation of the city made the people harder and drug use more prevalent, which thereby affected the general atmosphere. He was flanked by eight strong athletic men, but being who they were also made them more visible—they were known as AFL players, and that resulted either in frenetic fan worship or belligerent catcalls that threatened worse.

But they made it to Connections unscathed, and there was no problem getting in the door as the bouncer’s eyes bugged in appreciation at so much straight man flesh.

“How do you handle it?” he hissed at Micah as he swanned past.

“Quite easily,” Micah told him. Even though it was true, the bouncer didn’t seem to believe him.

Upstairs was like some scene from an Eighties dance movie. The crowd on the dance floor parted as the boys strode out onto it, having already dispatched someone for drink duty. Micah saw the whispers start, and he felt hidden amongst his teammates. Then a boy his age boldly approached him and began dancing alongside him. Micah remained frozen in a childhood game of Statues while other eyes were upon him.

A shove in his back and a cry of “Just fucking dance, already!”—he was pretty sure it was Craig although the volume of the doof doof music covered most of it—made him almost fall into the other boy’s arms. Awkwardly he began to move in some pattern that could be regarded as dancing, and his teammates whooped and started doing so amongst themselves. In no time at all they had their own goodwill suitors, men and women taking the chance to share the floor with football royalty and have a story to tell their friends the next day if they hadn’t already seen the pictures that would be plastered across Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

“What’s your name?” Micah yelled over the din of the music.

“Jace,” yelled his dancing companion.

“I’m Micah—” he began.

Jace got in close to him and wrapped his arm around Micah’s waist, drawing him in until they were chest to chest. Not breaking eye contact, Jace grinned. “Yeah, I know who you are, Micah Johnson. Can’t stand the Dockers, but you’re all right.”

“Oh, well, as long as I’m all right.”

Jace looked over appreciatively at the rest of the team, half of whom had followed suit as the other guys on the dance floor and discarded their shirts. “But on the other hand, they’re not seeming too bad either.”

Micah laughed. “Fucking show ponies.”

“They’re going to be supplying plenty of material for the wank bank.” Jace tugged at Micah’s shirt. “Maybe you should too.”

A blast of warm air hit Micah’s back as his flesh was exposed.

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