ᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕ
15-year-old Zoey stood in the wings of the stage. The lights were dazzling ahead as the judges kept a sharp eye, and the audience remained attentive. She was adorned in delicate makeup, her hair softly cascading down her back in a half-up-half-down style.
Zoey's tanned abdomen was revealed through her two-piece costume. Her bare feet pressed against the backstage floor, soft rosy red from the pressure and practice. Zoey had already noticed that the dancer in front of her had gracefully stepped off stage. She took a deep breath and stepped up a little. She knew her family was watching, and because Harper competes with her, the Dunns were as well. That meant Topher was present. Zoey smiled softly at the thought. A soothing hand on her shoulder jolted her out of her reverie, followed by another.
Zoey whirled around to see Matt and Harper, her teammates. The 17-year-olds were dressed in their team jackets, their names dazzlingly embroidered.
"Make me proud, baby, " Matt whispered. Zoey grinned and wrapped her arms around him.
"I love you, Matty," She mumbled against his shoulder.
"I love you more, Zozo," he said as he drew away. Zoey then moved her embrace to Harper, whom she hugged tightly as well.
"Do really good, okay?" Harper muttered. Zoey nodded and pulled away. Harper pecked her cheek softly, but her eyes grew wide as she left a light lipstick mark.
She cursed under her breath before gently brushing it away as Zoey laughed, causing Harper to smile. Zoey spun around to face the stage in front of her. She took a deep breath and focused her attention on the speakers.
"Next to the stage, ladies and gentlemen, this is Zoey with 'Chants Of The Sea'," The sound echoed off the speakers and throughout the audience.
Zoey appeared from the wings and strode on stage with ease. Her feet delicately brushed against the dance floor, and she never let her foot leave contact with the ground. Zoey raised her head high as the crowd applauded, constantly hearing her name yelled. Zoey sneaked a peek at the audience and caught Topher's eyes. His gaze sparkled as he smiled widely. Zoey averted her stare from him and resumed her starting position.
When the music started, Zoey's body took over. She'd learned her solo in a week and was flawless. Zoey's leaps were not only spectacular but also mesmerizing. With legs that seemed to stretch towards the heavens, she defied gravity effortlessly. Each turn she executed left the audience in awe, a display of sheer elegance and precision. And when she gracefully rolled across the floor, she seemed to embody grace itself, captivating everyone with her unparalleled talent.
Topher sat in his seat, staring in awe at Zoey. He admired her dancing style. It was different than his sister, something he couldn't put into words. When Zoey dances, she truly tells a narrative, Topher thought as he never moved his gaze away from her. Zoey's Ariel was one of Topher's favorite moves of hers. He had always described them as flawless, so when he noticed Zoey slowly moving to the far corner of the stage, he knew she was about to do it.
Zoey inhaled deeply. She stepped forward, pointing her toes. Her prep was stunning, with one leg tucked and the other straight. To everyone's astonishment, Zoey did a front Ariel rather than an Ariel. Topher's eyes widened in surprise as Zoey flipped forward in the air. However, a sudden misstep shattered her graceful aerial maneuver. Her delicate balance was lost, causing her weight to crash onto the rim of her foot. With a jarring crack resonating through the air, Zoey succumbed to gravity's merciless pull, meeting the ground with a regretful thud.
Topher's eyes widened in worry as he observed his Mom glancing at the Campbells. The auditorium was hushed as Zoey's music filled the air, prompting Sarah to silently mouth "Are you alright?" to her daughter. Despite feeling a sharp pain in her foot, Zoey gradually rose and continued.
She attempted an illusion but soon realized her ankle couldn't support her weight. Zoey rolled onto the floor and sat in her ending pose, her music still at its chorus. Zoey's chest rose and fell swiftly. Despite her best efforts, tears welled up in her eyes.
The audience applauded when Zoey stood up and bowed shakily to the judges. Zoey limped off stage. Before her daughter vanished into the wings, Sarah caught a glimpse of her face. Zoey's eyes squinted as her mouth trembled open. A rush of emotions consumed her, and tears flowed uncontrollably.
"Oh my god!" Sarah's voice was filled with urgency as she spoke. She dashed out of the row and up the aisle. Her opening and closing the door to the auditorium was accompanied by loud thuds.
Topher couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. Worry raced across his mind. He caught a glimpse of his friend, Wyatt who dropped his head into his hands. He was equally concerned about his twin sister. Mr. Campbell, his Mom, and Griffin attempted to remain calm, but he could tell they were straining. Topher leaned back in his seat, tears welling up in his eyes. He prayed she was all right.
...
Once Sarah entered the backstage area, it was easy to spot her daughter. As Zoey sobbed on the floor, her dance team huddled around her. Sarah walked over to her, slipping past the crowd of dancers to reach her daughter. Sarah knelt down beside her.
"I swear I heard my bone crack!" Zoey yelled, sobbing loudly. The excruciating pain pierced through her body, sending waves of anguish cascading down her limbs. Tears streamed down her face, as the chilling realization dawned upon her that her injury might be worse than she thought.
"Sh, Sh, Honey, I know. It's fine." Sarah reassured her 15-year-old, wrapping her arms around her. Zoey sobbed into her Mom's shoulder while holding her hand beneath them. Coach Lotus, Zoey's dance coach, crouched in front of her injured ankle, inspecting it carefully. His gaze was drawn to the results.
"What's wrong?" Sarah queried, pulling away from the hug but still holding Zoey close.
"It's like swelling really fast," Coach said, gently holding Zoey's foot. Her ankle was almost bloodshot, and it was puffy. He examined it further, and rotating it in a certain direction caused his eyes to widen. He noticed her bone poking out, her skin acting as the only barrier.
"Call an ambulance" Coach quickly satiated. Sarah took out her phone while Zoey began to cry even harder. Her teammates quickly jumped into action, sprinting to the doors and requesting additional assistance.
Coach Lotus stepped up and wrapped one of his arms under Zoey's knees and the other around her back. His heart ached as he picked her up, seeing how anxious she appeared.
"It's okay, you're okay," Coach Lotus murmured as he carried Zoey through the backstage doors, Sarah trailing behind with her phone to her ear.
"All right, thank you. "Please hurry," Sarah pleaded as she lowered her phone. As she and Coach Lotus ran down the corridor with Zoey in his arms, she noticed Matt and Harper racing in the opposite direction, looking very frightened.
"Is she okay, Mrs. Campbell?" Matt inquired anxiously. Sarah came to a halt as Coach Lotus continued down the hall.
"She's gonna be fine. Could you two please go get her stuff?" Sarah urged. The 17-year-olds nodded and dashed away as Sarah caught up with her daughter and her Coach.
...
At this point, Topher was severely nervous. Despite the dances in front of him, he couldn't stop thinking about Zoey. During an intermission, the auditorium door opened and two dancers, a blonde and a brunette, raced through it, recognizing them, Topher and the rest of his 'family' stared. The two dashed down the aisle to their row.
"Mr. Campbell, Zoey is going to the hospital." "The ambulance is here. I think it's more than a broken bone" Camry said, as Rylann nodded. Camry and Rylann are two of the members of the Sulphur Springs Elite Competition Team; they've known Harper since the competition team was formed, and once Zoey joined, Camry and Rylann became two of her closest friends, thus this whole situation worried the 17-year-olds.
"Ambulance?" Ben inquired frantically.
Rylann nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.
"It's okay, Ry," Jess said as she rose to her feet, and Ben did the same. The teens rose up as well, but Topher took the opposite path and raced out of the auditorium.
"Topher," Wyatt screamed before following, and the others did as well. When they opened the doors to the lobby, a considerable crowd had collected in front of them. The six of them pushed their way through the mob, only to witness Zoey crying as she was placed on a wheeled stretcher.
The Campbells rushed over to her and placed a hand on her. "It'll be okay, Zoey," Ben comforted, but her sobs drowned out his words.
Griffin kissed Zoey on her forehead as she caught eyes with her twin brother, causing him to cry as well. As a guy began to move the stretcher, Topher hurried over to Zoey and grasped her hand.
"I'm sorry," She sobbed, her voice choked with tears.
"It's gonna be okay, Angel." Topher cried as she was wheeled out the door, their hands gradually separating. Topher watched as Mr. and Mrs. Campbell followed out the windowed doors, aiding and getting into the ambulance with their daughter.
Topher turned around to face a depressed throng. The dance team had all made their way to their parents, some of whom were weeping as they hugged them. Wyatt couldn't keep his emotions in check as he cried. Mrs. Dunn came in and passionately hugged him while sobbing on her shoulder. Griffin bit his lower lip, trying hard not to show his feelings, but he felt a warm palm grip his. Harper wrapped her arms around her boyfriend as he cried. She planted a repeating of delicate kisses behind his ear. Topher's gaze sunk as he sobbed; just thinking about Zoey in anguish made him wail even more.
ᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕᔕ
Night had descended on Sulphur Springs, Louisiana. The SSDS dance team had chosen to withdraw from the competition since they couldn't get their minds straight following Zoey's fall. Mrs. Dunn assisted the Campbell and Dunn teens in driving to Sulphur Springs Hospital. They walked in and noticed Ben and Sarah standing outside an examining room. They dashed over to meet them.
"Is she okay?" Topher inquired, concerned.
"She's fine, bud." Sarah let out a sigh. "Turns out it wasn't a break or sprain-"
"It's dislocated," Ben concluded.
"Wow," Jess's eyes widened in surprise.
"I know," Sarah said.
"How long can she not dance?" Harper asked.
"About 6-weeks-"
"6 weeks?" Griffin questioned. Sarah gave a nod.
"God" Harper murmured beneath her breath
"She's really upset about it, but it'll get better," Sarah reassured
"Do you guys want to go see her?" She inquired. Topher, more eager than the rest, nodded.
"She's in there," Ben said, motioning to the room behind them. Topher was ready to open the door when he stopped himself.
"Maybe I can go in...by myself." He spoke quietly to Wyatt.
Wyatt seemed perplexed. "Why?"
Topher motioned, "Because..."
"Oh," Wyatt understood as Topher nodded.
"He wants to go in by himself," Wyatt whispered to Harper and Griffin. They were perplexed until Wyatt gave them a wink. They finally got it, with hushed 'ohs' of realization.
The parents just stood there, perplexed.
Topher took a deep breath and cautiously opened the door. He noticed Zoey lying on an examination bed. Her ankle was in a cast, with only her rosy toes visible at the top. Zoey put her phone down and sat up in response to the noise.
"Hi," Topher mumbled as he closed the door.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. "It's just dislocated," Zoey sighed before resuming her position.
"That sounds like it hurt," Topher said as he moved closer to her.
"It did," Zoey concurred.
"I'm glad you're okay though," Topher said.
Zoey smiled as she looked up towards the ceiling "Can I ask you something?"
"Anything," Topher reassured as he placed his hands on the examination bed's rim.
"So, while I was being rolled out of the dance competition. "You called me something," Zoey remembered.
"Yeah? "What was it?"
"Angel," Zoey said as she sat back up, only to see his cheeks flush.
"Oh, I'm sorry, it just slipped out, I'm really-"
"No, no, it's okay," Zoey blushed. "I liked it."
Topher smiled, their gaze speaking volumes. At that moment, words were unnecessary. However, the tranquility was interrupted by a gentle yawn escaping Zoey's lips, causing a crack in their concentration.
"Are you tired?" Topher chuckled, his playful tone melting away any lingering tension.
"Yeah, but I wanna keep talking to you." Zoey pouted.
"Don't worry, I'll be here when you wake up," Topher reassured
Zoey smiled before patting the examination bed and motioning for him to sit. Topher hopped onto the bed and took a seat behind Zoey. She leaned back and rested her head on his lap. That was just a few seconds before Zoey fell asleep and closed her ocean-blue eyes. Topher gazed down at the 15-year-old, Even in her sleep, she slightly smiled as he ran his fingers through her hair and caressed her scalp.