New York Dreams • mnz

Chapter 9

Chloe was once again gossiping to Corey and me about one of the more junior dancers when Phil came and sat to my right. His knee brushed against mine as he cross them, sending a tingling feeling through me. I felt Phil shifting so that his shoulder was barley touching mine, making my heart skip a few beats. My cheeks turn warm, embarrassed by the effect Phil had on me. Chloe must have caught the fresh redness of my cheeks and she shot me a smug look, which I returned with an annoyed one. I Phil's right hand snaked into mine and he tangled our fingers, resting our hands on his thigh. Corey caught the movement and glanced at us, an unrecognizable look flickering across his face. It seemed to carry a hint of sadness in it and I wanted to ask him about it, but with Chloe and Phil busily chattering away, I had no chance to. Making a mental note to check in on Corey later, I returned my attention to Chloe and Phil's conversation.

~

During lunch, Chloe continuously teases me about Phil. I was thankful that he wasn't here to hear all of Chloe's comments. To say that her words were embarrassing was an understatement. Halfway through Chloe's monologue, I started to get distracted by the fact that Corey was nowhere to be seen. "Chlo, I'm gonna just take a quick trip to the toilet kay," I interrupt Chloe, using my need to pee as an excuse to escape Chloe's awful rambling and go look around for Corey.

After my trip to the toilet, I walked around the places I was familiar with, searching for Corey. However, I couldn't find him anywhere. Just when I was about to give up, I heard music playing in one of the studios, which was weird considering that most of the students were having a break now. I carefully pushed open the door to see Corey dancing inside, oblivious to his observer. Walking as quietly as I possibly could, I entered the room and sat down beside the door, my eyes trained on Corey as he took precise and elegant steps. When the music finally died down, Corey slid into an ending pose, raising his chin to an invisible audience. "I've never seen that one before," I comment. Corey's startled eyes snap to meet mine and he stumbles up onto his feet awkwardly. "What are you doing here? Aren't you having lunch?" he asked, shuffling over to the mirrors and grabbing his jacket. "I could ask the same to you," I reply, shrugging.

Corey pulls on his jacket before sitting down next to me, a gaping space between us. Something was obviously wrong, but I couldn't think of anything that I'd done to upset him. "Did I do something?" I ask, fiddling with the bottom of my own jacket, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had settled between us. Corey shakes his head, his eyes widening. "Of course not. No, it's not you, Maddie. It's just... me, I guess," he denies, looking down and copying my action. "What's wrong?" I prod, concerned. Corey shakes his head again before getting up. "It's nothing you can help me with," he tells me, offering his hand. I take it and let him pull me up. I open my mouth to say something, but he speaks before I can. "Congratulations on getting with Phil, by the way," Corey says, giving me a lifeless smile. My words stuck in my throat as he left the room, unsure of what to make of his vibe. He seemed totally unlike the Corey I knew and I couldn't place my finger on why he was acting like that. I sigh in frustration before giving up and leaving the room too.

~

My leg jumps up and down as I wait, along with the rest of the class, for Mrs Blaise to enter. Today, the cast list for Cinderella would be released and I would find out if I'd been good enough to take the main role. After 3 long minutes, the studio door finally opened and in walked a cheerful Mrs Blaise. "Good morning students, I have with me the cast list right here. All of you have worked hard to try and make the team, but not all of you have gotten in, sadly. However, I'm very proud of the effort put in and let me just tell you that this was a horribly hard decision for the school board to make. So, without further ado, let me introduce to you your cast for this year's Cinderella performance!" Mrs Blaise starts. Anxious silence fill the air as we wait for Mrs Blaise to continue.

"This year, playing Cinderella, we have Maddie Ziegler," Mrs Blaise announces. I smile in excitement and Chloe gives me a one-sided hug. "Playing Prince Charming, we have Phillip Hanson," Mrs Blaise reads. I gave Phil a proud look and he shoots me a thumbs up. I don't really catch the rest of the cast list, except for Chloe playing my relief and Corey playing Phil's. I was really glad to have Chloe as my relief and not some other random girl since it meant that I'd be working with her during rehearsals. I definitely would not want to work with someone I wasn't familiar with.

As Chloe, Sophia and I waited for Josh outside the studio, Chloe announced that we would be going for a celebration that night, which I readily agreed to. I mean, something this big surely did deserve one. I couldn't help but add an extra spring in my step that evening as I walked through the streets of Manhattan, my voice mixing with Chloe, Josh and Sophia's.

- - -

I didn't know how to end the chapter to it was kind of awkward, sorry! But what do you think is up with Corey? Why is he acting so weird?