All the girls creamed when they saw Chloe walk in the room with her dancewear on. Abby smiled, glad that her team was finally all back together. Christi walked in behind Chloe and walked over and stood next to all the other moms.
"Okay, let's go over the assignments for this week." Abby started. "Maddie and Chloe, you will have a duet, it is a lyrical number called When Somebody Loved Me. You will both be heartbroken over two different guys and you two become friends over the topic of you both being heartbroken. Maddie you will have a solo it is called New Attitude, it is a contemporary number. Chloe you will have a solo it is lyrical and it is called, Everything Old Is New Again. I think it fits you pretty well this week. Nia and Paige, you will have a duet it is an acro routine and it is called Picture This. Chloe, you will also have another duet, it is with Nick, it is the same duet you two were learning almost three weeks ago. It is called Safe." Chloe nodded, she knew this was going to be a hard week for her with two duets, a solo and a group dance, she was a little worried with how much pressure Abby was putting on her, with this being her first week back since her injury.
"Now the group dance, is called Dollhouse. The story is you are all barbie dolls, and you are stuck in a doll house and you can't get out, and there is someone in the dollhouse that is trying to harm you in some way. It is a dark number, but you all know, the dark numbers always win." Abby said, with confidence in her voice.
Chloe smiled, she was going to be able to still do her duet with Nick, when she and Nick were learning the duet, before everything came crashing down, they both really liked the number. It was clean and a really pretty number.
"Moms, you are dismissed, girls start stretching and we will begin working on the group. This week the order will be the group, then the duets, then the solos. Got it?" Abby said, looking at all her dancers. All the girls nodded and started stretching.
A few minutes later, the girls were ready to begin learning the group number. Paige was the lead for once, and everyone was really happy for her, this was her dance to shine in, she would get the special part.
An hour later, it was time for Chloe to learn her duet with Maddie first, it was a really cool number once her and Maddie got the basic steps down, but Chloe still liked her and Nick's duet better.
"That looks good ladies!" Abby said, she was happy Chloe and Maddie both picked up on choreograph really quickly. "Maddie, you can go to tap, till it's time for you to learn your solo. Chloe can you go get Nick from the senior company room." Chloe nodded and walked out of Studio A with Maddie. Maddie stopped in the dancers den to change her shoes then went to tap. Chloe walked out of the dancers den and into Studio C where the senior company was working on leaps.
Chloe walked up beside Nick who was closest to the door and tapped him on the shoulder. Nick looked shocked to see Chloe standing next to him.
"Hey, Chlo. Is everything alright?" Nick asked looking down at the girl in front of him.
"Yeah, Miss Abby just wants you to come to Studio A to rehearse our duet. She is letting us perform it at this weekend’s competition." Chloe said looking up at him.
Nick nodded and followed Chloe out of Studio C and into Studio A where Abby was waiting for them.
"Okay, now that both of you are in here. Let's begin."
Chloe got into her starting position; she danced until it came time for Nick to pick her up. She was a little nervous that something would go wrong like it had last time, but it didn't and Nick was very careful with her, and Chloe appreciated that.
It didn't take long for them to have the routine in a good place to be at, mostly because they both remembered it from before Chloe went to the hospital.
"That's good you two. You are both dismissed, Nic you can go back to class and Chloe you can go to tap with Maddie until it's time for your solo. Chloe nodded and walked out of Studio A with Nick. She took a drink from her water bottle, before changing into her tap shoes.
Nick smiled at Chloe one last time before walking back into Studio C. About an hour went by and it was time for Chloe to learn her solo. Chloe walked back into Studio A, she looked up at the viewing room, expecting to see her mom there, but instead she saw Nick, and Nick only. This confused and worried Chloe a little bit. Chloe have Nick a confused look and he returned her look by giving her an, “I'll explain later look.” Chloe shrugged her shoulders, clearing her head, before turning to Abby.
Abby spent about forty-five minutes working with Chloe teaching her, her solo. Finally Abby dismissed Chloe and she could go home. Chloe ran right out of Studio A and up to the viewing room, she looked at Nick.
"Where's my mom?" She questioned.
"She had to leave early, because Clara got sick at daycare, and your dad isn't home. She asked my mom if you could stay the night at our house, because she doesn't want you to get sick, since you just came back to dance." Nick explained, watching her face to see her reaction.
"Oh, okay." Chloe said, walking down the stairs to the dancers den behind Nick, they walked into the dancers den and Chloe slipped her t-shirt on over dance top, and slipped her feet into her purple Converse. Then walked out with Nick to his mom’s car.
Nick sat in the back with Chloe one the ride home. Chloe was texting Paige, and Nick was listening to music on his iPod. About thirty minutes later they pulled into Nick's driveway. Chloe was thankful that they didn't have school tomorrow. She pulled her dance bag out of the car and followed Nick and his mom inside of their house.
Nick showed Chloe around and then it was time for them to go to bed because they had dance in the morning.
"You can stay in my room if you want and I can take the couch downstairs." Nick offered.
"No, I can't do that. It wouldn't be fair. I'll sleep downstairs on the couch." Chloe said, pushing Nick back into his room and turning to start walking down the hallway.
"Do you need something to sleep in?" Nick asked.
"No, but thanks, I'll just sleep in my dance shorts and my t-shirt." Chloe said, smiling turning around again, and walking down the hallway, towards the stairs.
"Goodnight!" Chloe called over her shoulder, before walking down the stairs.
"Night Chloe!" Nick called, shutting his door to change; once he changed he remembered that it gets really cold downstairs during the night. Nick looked through his closet and found an old ALDC hoodie, he ran down the stairs and into the living room. He saw Chloe already curled up in a ball on the couch and shivering slightly.
"Chloe?" Nick said, walking over and standing in front of her.
"Hmm?" Chloe said, picking her head up off the couch pillow and looking at Nick.
"I brought you down this hoodie, if you want to wear it, it gets really cold down here during the night sometimes." Nick said.
"Thanks." Chloe said, smiling a little. She did agree with Nick that it got cold down here at night, she hadn't been laying on the couch for five minutes and she was already cold. Chloe took the hoodie from Nick's hands and pulled it over her head. Once she had the hoodie on she laid back down. Nick bent down and gave her a kiss on the forehead, before walking back up the stairs and lying down in his own bed, and falling asleep.
