The Cabin

Chapter 17

Muted music pumped loudly through the halls of the otherwise quiet school. An instrumental recording of Get Down by the Backstreet Boys filled the upper level and seeped down to the main hallway through the staircases on each end of the building while the bass of Spice Up Your Life by the Spice Girls permeated through the doors of the main level gymnasium.

The volume of the girls' music increased significantly as Simon opened the gymnasium door and stepped into the room, the music returning to muffled bass in the hallway as the door swung closed behind him.

A row of eight foot mirrors had been set up along the stage so the girls could watch themselves as they worked through their choreography, which had changed significantly from their first tour with their newly added backup dancers. They were all focused on their rehearsal, not acknowledging Simon at all as he walked along the side of the room and stopped to lean against the wall to watch the girls and check his phone.

Only Melanie and Emma were singing along to the music. Both Mel and Victoria didn't see the need as the focus was on the choreography at that moment, and Geri was struggling with the choreography so wasn't ready to do both at the same time. She had tried in the beginning, but their choreographer, Priscilla, had encouraged her to get the dancing down and build some muscle memory first. Relieved to only have to think of one thing at a time, Geri obliged. She was at a disadvantage because all of the other girls had been trained in dance since they were children. She had never had any prior training. She would make up for it on stage with her quirks and personality though. She'd be loud and fun on stage as a coping method to distract from her mistakes.

Melanie was beginning to lose steam, but she forced herself to press on, especially under Simon's watchful eye. She was exhausted, feeling as though she hadn't slept in weeks. She didn't recall tossing and turning, nor did she believe she was sleepwalking at night, but her body was screaming at her to take some time to recharge. Her mind wandering and focused on how she was feeling, she ended up messing up on her choreography. She quickly corrected herself, glancing over at Simon to see if he'd noticed. She met his eye and quickly looked away, inwardly cursing and determined to reach perfection to keep him satisfied.

In truth, Simon had quickly learned not to expect perfection from the girls. They were an anomaly in the industry, succeeding because of their imperfections and differences. Their fun and excited energy and their individuality was their selling point. They knew they weren't the best performers and they embraced that. They were loved for being normal and relatable. So Simon brushed off Melanie's mistake, not taking it too seriously. He knew she'd be harder on herself than he ever could be anyway. Of all the girls, he could count on her to be the most professional and keep the other girls in line. She wasn't a natural leader, but she often lead by example.

Truthfully, he wasn't worried about Melanie's performance so much as how easily she could overwork herself, which she was already showing signs of. He knew that if something was wrong, she would keep going until she dropped. She had been that way since the Brits the year before. She'd gotten drunk at the after party and had said or done something that had pissed Victoria off enough that people had begun to notice. Simon and the girls had spent over a year creating a facade that the lot of them were the best of friends that never fell out. It was vital that things always appear happy and problem-free in Spice World. The next morning he had a phone call with Melanie with the intent of making sure it never happened again, hitting her where he knew it would hurt. He had warned her that she could be removed from the band, that she was expendable. It wasn't true, of course, but his tactic was effective.

A little too effective.

He very quickly regret what he'd done.

Melanie became even quieter, she tiptoed around the girls to avoid making waves, and she became obsessed with perfecting everything about herself to a point it was worrying. There was no doubt in Simon's mind that the change in her was because of what he had said.