Stepping out of the shower I attempted to dry my hair with Drew's bath towel, which smelt just like her. I wasn't supposed to be here, I was supposed to be home trying to get some sleep but events hadn't gone as planned. Ashley had emerged from the shadows and exposed that I was in fact still pretty hurt over our situation, and of course it had to be the night before the recital. I was mad of course, extremely mad, but I had unexpectedly ended up at Drew's and for some reason I was glad.
When I was with her all the bad feelings kind of disappeared.
I slipped on a T shirt and shorts, brushing and drying my hair once more before throwing the dirty towels into her hamper. I looked in the mirror, feeling as if I needed to mentally prepare myself for what was coming.
Did I really want to talk about Ashley when it was nearly ten at night? No. And even when I knew Drew was going to ask I had a feeling she wouldn't push me to talk if I didn't want to. I wanted to talk, just not tonight, and I hoped she wouldn't mind.
I decided to stop messing around and just walk out, witnessing Drew lying with a book in her hands. She looked so cute, I thought.
Then her eyes caught me as she folded her book shut, "What was that?"
Oh God, had I said that out loud? I shook my head, "Nothing."
She scooted over while setting her book on the nightstand, allowing me to join her in her bed. I looked at her, "Thank you, for letting me come over."
She was lying down but she was wide awake now, and I could see a tiny smile play on her lips. She shook her head, "I'm glad I was the first person you thought to call."
I just looked at her, watching her debate internally is she wanted to bring up Ashley or not. It's not like I had intentionally intruded on Drew at nine-thirty at night to talk about her, I just didn't want to be alone tonight. Ashley had randomly resurfaced the bad feelings, all the things I tried so hard to suppress, but talking about it felt so unnecessary right now.
In all honesty I just needed someone to comfort me, and that's what Drew did.
Then I heard her ask quietly, "Do you want to talk about it?"
I shook my head, moving closer to her as I felt her warmth touch me. I felt my nerves settle, everything that was tense in my body was now soothed just by being near her. It was scary, these feelings I felt with Drew, but they were so strong it was impossible to deny them.
She didn't push the conversation further as she smiled innocently, "You just didn't want to be alone."
I nodded, staying silent and realizing words weren't needed between us all the time. It was one of the best feelings knowing someone understood you, already figuring what you wanted just by a look in your eyes.
"Can I hold you?" I heard her ask through the dark.
I smiled, feeling my face heat up at her question. I knew that she really wasn't really affectionate but her asking was too much. It slightly confused me but I figured it was because she understood that I was having a bad night. I complied willingly as I scooted into her.
I lied between her arm and her chest, the other free arm wrapping around me as I nuzzled my face into the crook of her neck. She smelt so good, and we fit together like two puzzle pieces, as if it couldn't get any better. Ashley had faded back into the shadows and I hadn't even been at Drew's for an hour. It was just that quick with her, and I realized she meant a lot more to me than I had realized.
It was scary, but it was true.
"Goodnight Bree."
I let my eyes fall shut, the exhaustion taking over as I finally allowed sleep to do its job.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Breanna..."
I felt my consciousness coming too as I slowly opened my eyes, seeing Drew rolled over on her side looking at me. What time was it? Oh God, the recital! I shot up, looking for a clock while mumbling tiredly, "Am I late?"
Her hand pressed my shoulder as she shook her head, a cute smile on her lips, "No, its fine... it's only nine-thirty."
My now racing heart attempted to settle as I flopped back down onto her bed, running my hands over my face. I figured she had woken me up because she wasn't sure what time I had to be at the recital hall, which wasn't for another five and a half hours.
I turned towards her as she asked, "How'd you sleep?"
I felt well-rested, a feeling I had discovered the last time I had slept at Drew's. I wasn't as tired, the feeling of rejuvenation taking over my body. I nodded, "Awesome."
She was studying me to make sure I wasn't lying, and then she answered, "What time do you have to go?"
I thought about all the things I had to get done before actually heading to the performance hall, realizing I would have to leave soon. I didn't want to, but today was a busy and hectic day and I wanted to get all my eggs in a row before I had to be there.
I shrugged, "Maybe in an hour, I have a lot to get done."
She nodded, "Would you want to have coffee with me?"
"I'd love that," I answered, watching Drew give me a cute morning grin while pulling me out of bed along with her.
As we made it downstairs I played the rest of my day inside my head, thinning of things I needed to do. My parents were driving in from Philadelphia for the performance tight; I would have to give my tickets to Jada to make sure-
Wait.
A sense of coldness suddenly overtook me as I realized Jada and Drew would be in the same auditorium at the same time. I knew the chances of them meeting up were high, and I wasn't sure if I was okay with that considering I had invited Drew myself. Not to mention the fact that my parents were going to be there and I really didn't want shit to hit the fan with them there.
Drew noticed my quietness as I sat at her bar, "You okay?"
I confessed, "I just realized Jada and my parents are coming tonight."
I didn't have to elaborate because Drew was smart enough to put two and two together. She pressed the on button to begin brewing the coffee as she responded, "Am I to steer clear of you afterwards?"
She had a fake playfulness in her voice but I could see behind it. She was uneasy, she knew that avoiding Jada was necessary if she didn't want to cause a scene, mostly because my sister was a sore loser but she had her reasons. I hated admitting it, but Drew and I were kind of a secret, but only to Jada.
I shook my head, "I'm not worrying about that now... If Jada sees you she's gonna have to control herself."
Drew questioned, "Why's that?"
"Because," I palmed the mug of coffee Drew had recently poured for me. "If she doesn't want our parents to know she's illegally fighting for money she'll have to keep herself in check."
I could see a slight grin on Drew's face, "So you and your sister still have the whole 'I know your secret so you better keep quiet or else' thing going on?"
"Not really, but this situation calls for it."
I watched Drew sip on her mug, debating something in her head. I figured she would want to see me afterwards, and I'm sure there was going to be an after party somewhere. I wasn't sure where yet, but I would invite her and Demarcus along, because why not?
Then Drew picked up what looked to be a newspaper as she sat next to me, "Did you know you're in the paper?"
I looked at her, "What?"
She slid it over to me, and there I was along with a few other people that were dancing on a lit stage. This had been taken in one of my classes, but I hadn't noticed anyone taking pictures of us. I heard Drew read, "A Night-mare to Remember: NYU Dance Company's Annual Halloween Recital."
I smiled out of joy, realizing they had never done an article before. I expressed, "This is exciting, the crowds gonna be huge tonight."
"Good thing I already have my ticket," Drew smiled, and I found my gaze lingering on her a little longer than usual.
Even though we had just woken up Drew just had something about her that made her look amazing all the time. Even when she sipped on her coffee she looked good, like everything was just so natural to her. I envied it, and as much as I loved being here with her I knew I would have to head home and get dressed, knowing once my parents made it to town they were going to want to have lunch with me and Jada.
I finished my coffee and grabbed my dance bag from where I had set it down last night, slinging it around my shoulder. I could feel Drew next to me, but instead of walking me out she requested, "Let me bring you home."
I shook my head, "I'm not making you drive if I can just catch a cab."
She gave me a fake pout, "What if I said please?"
Denying her was tough, and arguing with someone who liked to have an upper hand when it came to controlling situations was even harder. I knew it wasn't worth arguing, and I really did enjoy riding on the back of her bike now.
She didn't even wait for an answer as she grabbed both of our helmets, handing me mine with a devious smirk on her face. I just rolled my eyes and smiled, "You're stubborn."
She led me out the door, "I know."
I climbed on behind her, feeling her rev the bike to life as she pulled out onto the street. I loved the sense of freedom that came with riding with her, something I had to grow used to over time. Not to mention Drew was probably extra careful whenever I was on board, which I found extremely flattering for some reason.
My arms were tight around her stomach, my eyes peering over her shoulder eagerly as we flew down the street. Traveling by bike was a lot better than a bus or a cab, especially if I got the chance to hold Drew closer to me without her being able to protest.
She pulled up to my apartment as I removed my helmet, strapping it to her backseat myself. It would be a while till I saw her again but I had a lot to get done, and I knew my parents would be getting here any minute now.
She smiled, "See you tonight?"
"Of course," I nodded, feeling the heat between us rise once again.
She hadn't removed her helmet so kissing her would be impossible. I wondered momentarily if she had done it on purpose or not, but figured I shouldn't think too much into it.
"Good luck," she responded before starting her bike back up.
But something took over me as I wrapped my arms around her, reminding myself that she had in fact been there for me last night in the simplest of ways. I wanted to show her I cared, and that I was grateful, and when I pulled away she smiled even wider.
I mumbled, "Thank you, again."
She just gave me a quick smile as she nodded, "Bye Breanna."
"By Drew," I heard my voice say, realizing I really didn't want to say goodbye.
Then her bike shot off, disappearing around the corner as I turned to head back towards my apartment to get ready.
"Breanna, who was that?"
I turned, my heart sinking as I momentarily thought it had been Jada that had called out to me. Instead, when I turned around it was my parents slowly getting out of a cab, my mom hurrying to walk over to me.
I stuttered, still a bit caught off guard at them being here so early, "I uh, she's a friend."
My dad finally got his luggage out of the back seat and responded, "Just a friend?"
I rolled my eyes, putting on a smile as I pulled them both into me to shut down their interrogation. I hugged them close and responded, "Instead of drilling me with questions how about a nice hug and a 'we missed you so much'."
My mom took the queue to drop the subject but my dad didn't, "Oh Bree you know we missed you, but I'm not a fan of you riding on the back of that death trap."
I smiled as I helped them towards me and Jada's apartment, kind of hoping she wasn't home yet since my parents wanted to talk about Drew so much. I shook my head as we made it to my door, "It's not a death trap, and it's better than a cab."
My dad pressed further, "So what's her name? This girl that drives the bike?"
I opened the door to the apartment and came face to face with Jada who was sitting at the counter. I couldn't say her name but my parents were curious, and the fact that this situation was so untimely made me sweat.
Jada must've heard because she asked too, "What girl drives a bike?"
My face was probably as red as a tomato as I searched for an escape route to this situation. I found it best to just lie, "Uh her names... Danny."
"Danny?"
"Danny," I confirmed as I tried to move towards my room. Lying sucked, especially to your family, but saying Drew's name would cause a controversy I didn't have time for. So avoiding the truth was probably essential right now for the sake of my own sanity.
Jada questioned, "I thought you were at Maria's?"
Fuck.
I shrugged, trying to make it seem like I wasn't freaking out, "Yea, um... well Danny's Maria's... cousin."
"Cousin?"
I nodded as I moved closer to my room, trying my best to escape the suffocating family questionnaire I was going through. "Yep, her cousin..."
"And her names Danny?"
I groaned, "Her names Daniella, Danny for short."
God I was a shitty liar, but for some reason something I said made sense to the three of them. My parents nodded as Jada seemed to lose interest and get up to greet our parents.
I escaped into my room, shutting my door and resting against it, realizing I had literally just dodged a bullet. Quick thinking was a lifesaver, but I knew the questions wouldn't stop here. I just wasn't in their line of view right now. My parents hadn't seen us for months, so the questions were inevitable, so I just needed to keep my cool.
Hopefully they focused more on Jada. I was just eager to see how she was going to dodge the questions of where the scar on her bottom lip came from, put there by my very own Drew, or in other words, Danny.
~ ~ ~ ~
After a very long lunch with my parents and a few hours of running through the dances just one last time I was sitting in the makeup chair getting ready. The girl in front of me was working her magic while I was trying to relax as much as possible. The recital was starting in less than an hour and there were already people showing up and finding their seats.
I heard Maria next to me, "You okay?"
My eyes were closed as I responded, "Yea, just trying to keep my shit together."
I heard her laugh next to me, "Are you worried about the recital or the fact that Drew might just meet your parents tonight?"
My heart throbbed, and not in a good manner, because I realized Maria had no idea that Drew and Jada had beef. It was a whole ordeal I had intentionally avoided telling her, and now I was regretting it because today I had accidentally involved Maria in my lie. This was the most stressful situation and it was of course happening on the night of the recital. The one night I shouldn't have to worry about anything besides dancing.
My absence in the conversation caused another question, "Bree?"
The girls finished me and Maria's makeup, allowing us to get up from the chairs and allow other dancers the opportunity. I knew there was a possibility that shit could hit the fan tonight, and if it did I would need someone to be there with me. Maria was involved because of me and she had a right to know what was going on.
I pulled her aside, "I need to tell you something."
Her eyes widened in concern, "I really hate those words."
I shook my head, "Look, I know this is a really bad time to be laying out everything on the table but you need to know."
She just stared at me, petrified over what was about to come out of my mouth.
I proceeded to tell her everything, from the night Jada and I had watched Drew fight to how Jada had lost the fight against Drew herself. The entire times I swore Maria never blinked, as if blinking would cause her to miss something important. I didn't know how she was going to react after I finished, but that was a situation I was silently preparing myself for.
I finished explaining, watching and waiting for Maria to respond.
And all she said was, "So I have a cousin named Daniella that rides a bike? Who by the way is the whitest girl I've ever seen. I mean have you see Drew? Blonde hair, blue eyes, skin as white as snow... I mean literally my opposite Breanna, you really couldn't have thought of anything better?"
I rolled my eyes, "Maria I'm not asking you to lie, I was just telling you what happened this morning."
"This is really bad, you know."
"Trust me," I fidgeted with my hands, "I know."
Then Maria and I were shuffled away to where we would allow people to do our hair for our first dance. Time was passing quickly, and eventually I was eager to check my phone and see if Drew had made it. I usually was never nervous to perform, always confident, but knowing Drew would be here watching me made me feel something in my stomach. Like a teenager with her first crush I had the familiar sense of nervousness around her, the blushing and the stuttering...
God who was I anymore?
Thankfully Maria already had her phone in hand as she told me, "Demarcus and Drew are here."
I felt my heart quiver slightly, picturing Drew walking through the front doors of the recital hall. I wondered if this recital would stir up emotions that would make her miss it. I couldn't imagine not dancing, I loved it that much, and I had a gut feeling Drew felt the same way. I felt it when she danced with me, and I saw it that night at the studio.
I answered, "Good, I still don't know if my family's here."
"It won't take them long to do our hair," Maria assured me, presuming her conversation with Demarcus via texting.
I leaned back in the chair and attempted to relax, wondering if running out to where the audience was sitting was appropriate. I wanted to see Drew, I don't know why, but I just really wanted to see her even though I had seen her this morning. Maybe finally getting my hands on my phone would alleviate the need, just to talk to her a bit considering we were stuck backstage.
"Are you nervous?"
I looked at Maria; curious as to if she was considering Demarcus was here as well. I shrugged, "I don't know, kind of I guess."
"Me to," she leaned back in her chair, "We have it bad for those two."
I laughed, understanding that even though Maria knew about Drew's secret career didn't mean she knew about everything Drew and I had recently been through. She was right though, because I did have it bad for Drew, and her and I both knew that. Everything between us was just so intense, and putting meaning behind that only confused me so I tended to not think too much on it.
As Maria predicted the girls were finishing up with our hair, which was now in a tight bun on top of my head. It fit the costume we were assigned for the dance, which was some doll outfit considering that's what our dance was about.
Maria fidgeted with her hair as I reached into my bag and grabbed my phone, "Damn I mean they could've put my bun a little tighter."
I stood and watched her loosen it, sarcasm apparent in her voice. I laughed slightly as I opened the text from Drew, "Me and Demarcus are sitting now, hope you have fun. :)"
I smiled, hard, and Maria called me out, "Are you blushing?"
Quickly texting Drew back I crossed my arms and looked at Maria, "Why must you always call me out?"
"Because," Maria teased, "I haven't seen you this happy in a long time."
Then Jada texted me to let me know her, Mike her boyfriend, and our parents were also here, sitting in the auditorium. I threw my phone back in my bag and answered, "Yea well, let's hope it continues considering there's a slight possibility Drew and Jada will meet up tonight."
Maria massaged my shoulders, "Bree, they're not gonna. Stop stressing."
Then one of the backstage managers called, "We're starting in five everyone!"
Suddenly everything got a little more hectic backstage, and soon Maria and I, along with a few of my other girls, were forced to the dressing room. Everyone seemed to be growing more and more excited as the start of all our hard work was about to begin. My heart was beginning to pump a little faster while I pulled on my first costume and fixed my hair.
Then one of my dancers tapped me, "So after the recital tonight I heard everyone's going to Cielo."
Maria questioned, "That place won't be able to fit all of us."
Amelia seemed to know more about this than us, "Well apparently someone here is brother's with the owner, so they're not letting anyone in until we get there."
"As in reserving space for all of us?" I asked.
She nodded, "It's gonna be insane, so that's what everyone's doing tonight."
"Can we bring people?"
I watched Amelia nod, "Yea, just whenever you get to the door be sure to tell them you're with the dance company."
She was called out of the dressing room then, leaving Maria and I alone to discuss what we were going to do tonight. I was excited but I wondered if Drew and Demarcus would be down to do that with us. I really wanted them to come, mostly because I wanted to be with Drew after our performance.
Maria was already on her phone, "I'm telling Demarcus that he and Drew are coming tonight. No questions asked."
I smiled, "You enjoy bossing him around?"
She nodded, "He likes it."
I shook my head, thinking about Drew as I heard the onstage announcer open up the recital. I knew everything was about to become very fast paced, at least until intermission, so I silently prepared myself.
I watched as the stage managers hustled around, sending orders to the people that were controlling the curtains. The first dance was underway, setting the story as I realized there was an entire forty-five minutes till out first dance. Maria's arm tugged me along, "Let's go watch."
We joined most of the dancers that didn't have to perform anytime soon, crowding around a TV that was broadcasting the recital for us exclusively. It was fun watching the performers dance onstage, and eventually Maria had squeezed us in with the rest of the girls in our group.
I found myself spacing out, thinking hard about the steps of our first dance and running them through my head. I could literally perform it in my sleep but a last minute run through was exactly what I needed. I was off tonight, whether it was because I was nervous from Drew or because of my family possibly running in her and causing a scene. Not to mention the whole lying to Jada and dragging Maria along with me. Why did everything have to go bad the night before the recital?
I mean did Ashley really have to text me last night? And why had she in the first place? She hasn't texted me in over three years, so what changed? Why was she even in New York when her hometown was in Philly?
All these questions were so inconvenient it was ridiculous.
I forced Ashley out of my thoughts and replaced her with Drew, thinking about how she had just been there for me last night with no questions asked. I figured she would've at least held a hint of annoyance when I had called her at nine last night but there hadn't been any. She had embraced me at the door, something that never happened, and had allowed me to just fall asleep in her arms.
She had done all of those things simply because she knew I needed them.
Why did she have to have beef with my sister?
Zoning out had helped the time pass, and soon me and my group of girls were being lined up to perform. My nerves were beginning to run high as our turn got closer and closer, listening to the dances go on and the audience cheer at the end of each one. Everything seemed to be running smooth, which was great because the last thing I wanted was for something to go wrong during my set.
The past twenty four hours had been stressful enough.
"Bree's group! On Deck!"
We shuffled to the side of the stage, watching the dancers move across the stage in grace. It was a ballet number but the creepy music accompanying them made your eyes refuse to tear away. I found myself hypnotized by them, the lack of blinking burning my eyes.
Maria squeezed my arm, "I'm sweating."
I laughed to myself, "You're nervous?"
"Yes, why am I nervous?"
Then the dancers finished, and it was our turn. I turned to Maria, "Don't slip, Demarcus is watching."
"Yea so is Drew," she countered, and suddenly my nerves skyrocketed as we were ushered out onto the dark stage.
My feet carried me to the middle, taking my position at the front where I heard the backdrop for our individual dance become set in place. There weren't many props, just a backdrop that resembled a dollhouse. It was all up to the dancers to make the story, and I whispered a silent prayer that everything went okay for the next three minutes.
I heard the music start, the lights brightening on me and my group as we fell into our dance number. I felt my legs moving but it was like I as on autopilot, my body automatically responding to the beat of the music. I felt my emotions running high as some of the lyrics to our song hit me in the chest, pulling me into my character.
Turning and performing a spin I fell in with the rest of my group, observing to myself as I tried to block out everything but me and the stage. Everything in my mind kind of went blank during a good performance, but I did it mostly so I wouldn't mess up and make a fool out of myself.
Then the climax of our first performance hit, my girls surrounding me as we counted the last few measures to the song. Those last ten seconds were there and gone after one blink, all of us freezing at the song faded out and the lights dimmed, signaling the end of our number. I heard the crowd cheer loudly as we hurried off of the stage and returned behind the scenes.
All the girls were excited from nailing the dance, and I was extremely proud of all of them. Judging by the crowd's reaction we had aced the performance, but now we were to hustle out of our costumes and prepare for intermission.
Instantly I wondered what Drew's reaction was and if she had enjoyed it. There was something unfamiliar I felt within me knowing Drew was watching, something I wasn't used to. The foreign emotions I felt with Drew were amazing don't get me wrong, but they were frightening as well. I was still figuring Drew out, I was still learning a lot about her, and I had a feeling there was still a lot of things hidden that I hadn't discovered yet.
"Bree, stop daydreaming and get over here!"
I snapped out of it at the sound of Maria's voice as her hand caught mine. I knew there was no time to waste, considered we would have to change into our next set of costumes.
After I changed into my next costume I hustled out, meeting up with a few of my dancers and complimenting them on their outfits. I had to admit, we all looked pretty damn great, and I was excited to show them off.
Jordi nudged me, "So, you going to Cielo tonight?"
I felt my stomach tighten as I waited to get my hair fixed once more, this time knowing it would take a little longer. I shrugged, "Possibly. Are you?"
He smirked, "Of course I am."
"Aren't you a little young?" I found myself asking, sarcasm apparent in my tone.
He rolled his eyes at my reference to his age, considering he wasn't even twenty-one yet. I knew they were going to let him in though, but teasing him was the best bet to where this conversation didn't take a turn for the worst.
"You know they'll let me in as long as I say I'm with the dance company, smartass."
I laughed at him getting slightly defensive, nodding, "Whatever you say, Jordi."
Then the conversation died, and time began passing quick as I was shuffled into a chair so the girl could fix up my makeup and hair. Instead of my hair being pulled back it would be down and curled into loose waves. I was happy because that bun had really started to give me a headache, or maybe it was Jordi, who knew.
Intermission quickly passed, and the second half was well underway. I was excited and pumped, mostly for tonight because Maria had gotten a response from Demarcus that he and Drew were down for tonight. I was excited to go out with all of them, knowing we would have a good time, and I was curious as to how Drew would react to the environment.
But my thoughts were cut short as I heard our final call, "Bree's group!"
My now excessively large group shuffled together towards the stage, knowing we had about ten minutes till our second performance of the night. Some of them were going over the rehearsed steps, others were jumping with excitement, and I was attempting to keep calm.
It was easier to dance with smaller groups, but bigger groups were a little tougher. Moving as one proved to be difficult, and even though all of these people were above average I knew things could go wrong. Stage fright tended to get in the way sometimes, unintentionally, and when people's minds went blank steps were missed and things quickly fell apart.
Don't think like that, it'll be fine...
"You nervous?" I heard Maria ask.
I shook my head, "Not really, more anxious than nervous."
She gave me a smile, "You know we're gonna kill it, chica."
I smirked slightly as she primped my hair, knowing that it calmed me down. Maria was a rock when it came to emotional stability, and having her in my life was a blessing. After Ashley and I had ended it I had lost my girlfriend and bestfriend all at once, and Maria had been there to pick me up and dust me off.
I wrapped my arm around her, nodding, "You're right."
"Like always."
Then the current dance ended, sending my group into a state of excitement that was impossible to contain. I knew that the dance as going to pass quickly, it always did, but it was the few seconds before that seemed to last a lifetime.
The lights dimmed, my group running out onto the stage as I heard my heartbeat in my head. I attempted to keep my breathing steady, my hands flexing into fists and relaxing as I closed my eyes. The heat I felt coursing through my veins was indescribable, but I knew it was the adrenaline that was threatening to take over.
Then the music started.
The bright lights hit me, the temperature rising as I counted inside of my head. Keeping the rhythm was never a problem; it was an essential skill every dancer had to possess. I didn't have to count to do so, but I did it so I would know exactly where everyone else should be. I tended to focus more on everyone else during a dance rather than myself, knowing the music would take over my movements anyway.
I turned, coming face to face with a few dancers and watching they're steps, pride and joy welling up in my stomach. I could feel the energy in the room, it was exciting and electric. The song was wrapping up, the climax slowly approaching, like the peak of the roller coaster.
Our movements intensified, signaling that the end was near but wasn't quite over. The happiness I felt in my heart when I was on stage was never going to go away; I knew that it would always be there, like a beautiful scar. I was grateful, and I knew all of our sweat and hard work had paid off.
Then the dance peaked, we finished the dance with a bang and then froze. The song ended and the lights dimmed, and then the audience erupted into cheers as I felt my heart threaten to explode from the pride I felt.
Running off the stage I couldn't contain my excitement this time, my smile spreading from ear to ear. Everyone backstage seemed to be just as excited, and they congratulated us as we made our way back to the dressing rooms.
We had nailed our dances, and I was confident that the head administrators of the company were going to recognize our hard work. Maybe next recital we would get three dances instead of two, and if that was the case we would have to work twice as hard.
But now wasn't the time to be worrying, but rather enjoying the feeling of success.
I changed into a pair of jeans and a blouse, ruffling my hair as I hung up my costume on the rack to be recycled. I was ready to go back and watch the end of the recital, and then leave and get ready for tonight. I was impatient to keep the good vibes going, and I was ready to celebrate tonight with my friends.
Maria eyed me as she emerged from her dressing room, wiggling her eyebrows, "You look ready for tonight.
I smirked, "I am."
She walked besides me, "Are you gonna go home with Drew?"
The question caught me off guard but it honestly sounded like a great idea. I loved being with her, and I hoped that after tonight she would invite me back to her place but I wasn't sure if she would. I didn't see why not, but she could always have her reasons.
I answered, "I hope so."
"Are you two taking it slow...?"
I smiled; wondering if 'taking it slow' was the correct term to use. In a sense we were, but not because we wanted to. It was more because we had to, considering Drew's situation. Telling that to Maria wasn't going to happen though, so I decided to tip-toe around the subject.
"Kind of, just because we both haven't been in a relationship in a long time," I answered.
Smiling, she added, "I'm just glad you're taking a chance, even if it is with a criminal."
I rolled my eyes, "She's not a criminal."
"She kind of is, and you know that, but that's okay."
She knew she was pulling my strings but Maria was never the one to judge. Now that she semi-understood Drew's situation she wasn't going to jump to conclusions, and she was going to try and accept it for the time being. Drew wouldn't be doing this for much longer, hopefully anyway, and once she was free it would be one less thing to worry about.
I allowed myself to watch the closing dance of the recital, letting me know that once they finished we would be allowed to congratulate everyone and be on our way. We would all be meeting at Cielo in an hour anyway, so we weren't really saying goodbye to tonight.
The dance ended and the crowd roared with excitement, letting us know we had done a tremendous job tonight. I was proud of everyone, and all the months of preparation had really given us our best Halloween recital yet.
We all began filing out into the lobby to meet our friends and family, and this was the moment that actually awoke all of my sleeping nerves. The last thing I wanted to do was run into Drew whenever I knew my family would be looking, and I had no idea what I was walking out into. Things could go really bad really quick, and I really didn't want my mood to suffer because of it.
Maria spoke, "There's your family."
My eyes followed to where her finger was pointing and I immediately saw them, their waves of excitement finally grabbing my attention. I looked at her, "I'll see you in a bit?"
She nodded, "Yea, call me."
I began walking towards my family, seeing Jada and her boyfriend along with both of my parents. I was glad they were here, and their smiles beamed with pride, which made my insides feel good. I was happy they were proud of me, and when I got close enough I greeted, "So how was the show?"
Jada hugged me first, "Are you kidding me? It was amazing. Now I see why you put in several hours a week."
I nodded in agreement, glad that someone saw all the hard work. My mom chimed in, "Sweetie it was phenomenal."
I hugged my parents then, embracing them as my dad questioned, "So what are the plans for you tonight?"
I answered with excitement, "Everyone's going to one of the dance clubs, so that's where we'll be in an hour."
"That sounds fun," Jada chimed in, "Drinking?"
I shrugged, "Dunno yet, I'm just hyped right now."
Mom rubbed my shoulder, "Are you planning on coming home tonight?"
Just as my mom finished her sentence I watched Drew walk into view, those haunting eyes engulfing me instantly. I felt my pulse speed while the breath in my throat caught, and the look Drew was giving me made my skin tingle in response.
Then she winked before disappearing.
I managed to finally stutter a response, "N-No, I don't think I am."
Songs that inspired this chapter:
Carousel and Dollhouse by Melanie Martinez