Flying (Fight Song Book 2)

Chapter 13: Fan accounts

Joe's PoV
As it would turn out, a lot of the team had had the same idea as me.

"JUST BECAUSE I KEPT YOU LATE LAST NIGHT DOES NOT GIVE YOU AN EXCUSE TO SKIP COMPULSORY MORNING CLASSES," Alesha yells at us that afternoon. "Do you know how many of you showed up? FOUR! FOUR DANCERS! Thank you to Lola, Dianne, Zoe and Chloe, the rest of you, HOW DARE YOU!"

I look around at everyone sitting down. Anna looks a bit sorry, but Jack and Neil are rolling their eyes.

"If I'd gone to the morning class you can bet I wouldn't have turned up this afternoon," Neil says. "I was exhausted, and I think I speak for all of us when I say you can't work us too hard or we'll break."

We nod in agreement.

"If four of you can do it, all of you can do it," is all Alesha responds.

I look at Dianne and Zoe who are smiling sweetly and looking at me. I narrow my eyes. Of course Zoe went. Even after I didn't go, she still went.

"Now, everyone warm up, we're going to continue what we were working on yesterday," Alesha sighs, standing up to turn on the music.

"This is why I'm going to be the better choreographer and my duet will win," Dianne winks at me, brushing my shoulder and walking to find a space.

I roll my eyes, but smile. It's cute she thinks her duet will beat mine. As if.

———

We'd promised Sophia, Cinzia, Mikey and Alfie that we'd work with them on their duets in our spare hours. I have to say, they're going well. Dianne showed me how her duet was going and I did the same, and was thrilled to see the shock on her face. Now we're going through steps, and I'm having to really focus on Sophia's footwork. It's not that she's a bad dancer, she's actually really pretty to watch, but this is a really advanced street routine and I know she's a pretty lyrical dancer, not a street dance genius.

Half way through our routine, Mikey's phone, which is playing the music, annoyingly rings. Mikey runs over and shuts it down without checking who it is. He restarts the music, but it only gets four seconds in when his phone rings again. This time, he picks it up.

"Mum, what's up?" he asks. I watch him carefully. He cares about his mum more than anyone in the world, and it's actually quite sweet. "Shit, okay, I'll be right there!"

I've never seen Mikey unplug his phone so fast.

"I have to go, sorry, major family emergency," Mikey says, blatantly panicked.

"Are you alright?" I ask, pretty alarmed.

"Mum's panicked because my dad has gone missing," he grimaces. "She was with him in town half an hour ago but she's searched everywhere they've been and can't find him. He's not answering his phone or texts either. I'm sure he'll turn up and has just wandered off in typical Dad fashion, but my mum's freaking out and when she freaks out it's like the whole world collapses, so I need to go get her."

"Shit bro, yeah go to her," I say. He smiles gratefully and leaves, leaving me with Sophia.

I slump down onto the floor, and she follows me.

"Guess our duet is gonna fall behind," she says sadly.

"Not necessarily," I say. "Dianne looked worried when she saw it, and yours is just as good as theirs!"

"You really think so?" Sophia asks. "Honestly Joe, this isn't my forté at all and I know I'm going wrong everywhere."

"You're seriously not," I say. "And I wouldn't lie to you about dance, you know that. Yes, it's not your strongest area of dance, but you're definitely not bad at it. You're still at an advanced level, just not quite as good as some others."