𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗌 || 𝖣𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖬𝗈𝗆𝗌

The Understudies

It felt like I had lost consciousness.

I knew I hadn't, but it felt like it.

I had been sitting on the floor, hugging my younger sister while I sobbed violently. Then, I found myself walking over to my dad, seeking comfort as if I was four years old again and I had just woken up from a nightmare. That was the moment I remembered that I wasn't supposed to be mature or grown-up. I was eleven years old, a child. A child that, in the course of three months, had been abused way more than most adults do in their entire lives.

As I told them each thing that had happened prior to my meltdown, I realized many things. One of those was how none of that was even tough love anymore. It was straight-up abuse and listening to my father's voice break as he told me what it meant made me feel all the more miserable.

I still had more things to tell, so I resumed everything as I hugged my dad's left arm. "I argued with Maddie after that. It was Jayden's birthday and they wanted me to play with them, but Abby wanted me to be more mature-- I thought it meant that I couldn't play anymore. That's why I threw away my toys and changed my room entirely." It sucked how I was realizing everything so late. "I stopped talking with all of the girls-- I had my first pointe solo the week after, and I said that I was excited, but I was also lying. I was really scared of getting hurt, but I wanted to make her happy--" My voice broke yet again and I felt a lump in my throat. "And she made me throw up. She said I had to suck in my stomach, and even when I did, she pushed it even more-- I decided it was better if I didn't eat at all, so I competed without eating and feeling dizzy, and I threw up again. I got almost a perfect score for that solo, but I thought I failed her again. Then Jeff forced me to say stuff I didn't want in the interviews and blamed it on the new contract-- I felt forced to sign it because all three of them were glaring at me--"

"What three?" Mom questioned and I went quiet. "You've gotta tell us, Eves--"

"But I'm gonna get in trouble--"

For the thousandth time, I started crying and the four of them looked at each other. Ava was now sitting on the floor, watching us like we were in a movie.

But I wanted to let it all out too. "Abby, Jeff, and Evelyn-- I heard that they were threatening you even before you told us-- I saw when you were talking to Evelyn outside one night, and I found out that they were threatening you with taking us away and making up stuff to get you and dad in trouble-- then, I found out about the voicemail and I listened to it--" I shot right up and my eyes widened. Standing up from the couch, I turned back to look at them. "And I never said any of those things-- you gotta believe me. I never said that they sucked or that everyone was jealous-- I swear! The only thing I said was that I missed everyone and that I was busy-- but they edited clips of me on the show and interviews to make it seem like I said those things instead--"

"That's why the audio kept running--" Giselle seemingly realized something. "-- And your voice sounded so weird, but why did it make sense at the time?"

A look of realization appeared on Zane's face, and it was the one thing I did not want to happen. "Genevieve was already gone, so there was no way she could defend herself-- if she hadn't left, she wouldn't have sent the voicemail at all. Abby always needs a "star", but she knew she wasn't going to take it serious enough if she had the other girls around, so--"

"-- She turned everyone else against you with the fake voicemail." My older sister finished. "Right after the audio finished, the first thing Abby said was "she got cocky" so that everyone agreed with her immediately. Then Christi claimed that you didn't think anyone else should get the opportunities, and she added "even her own sister"-- that's why I got mad at you." She choked up. "I let both Abby and Christi use me."