AS PROMISED !!! Check the ending notes though I need your thoughts on the next parts
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As BEBE was about to step onto the stage, Bada felt her heart teetering on the edge of a meltdown.
"Tatter stay composed," she urged, giving some last-minute advice to the girls. The morning rehearsals had gone splendidly after their conversation the night before. She had felt the dynamics fall back into place, and even herself she felt much more confident leading this team. Now it was about seeing if she had been too late or not.
But she couldn't dwell on it any longer as they were called to the stage. The music began, and everything else faded into the background.
Tatter's ears were ringing. Time seemed to pause for a second. She executed the handstand and the flip flawlessly, her body seamlessly moving to the music. She had done it. She managed to keep her composure until the very hand, and she could feel the happiness and the energy from the others surrounding her, the air almost vibrating.
"YESS TATTER!" Ling exclaimed, while the rest of the Jam Republic girls cheered from their common room, watching the performance on TV. Kirsten had to admit it felt like watching a completely different group. Their energy was nothing like the previous day. She glanced at Amaia, who was beaming, and couldn't help but wonder how much of BEBE's unexpected turnaround was thanks to the rookie.
Bada moved on stage, commanding attention like a magnet, and pointing flirtatiously at someone in the audience. Amaia pretended to catch that attention from the TV screen, dramatically placing her hand over her heart.
"Bada, PICK HER, CHOOSE HER already!" Audrey yelled at the TV. Since their conversation the previous night, it seemed the taboo surrounding Amaia's not-so-little crush had vanished, and all the girls were now conspiring to make...whatever might happen, happen, as Amaia had put it.
Amaia's heart did somersaults throughout BEBE's performance. She nearly fainted when Bada flashed another smirk at the camera.
"Give me a break, girl. WHAT ARE WE?" she exclaimed at the screen, bursting into laughter with Audrey. She was hopeful that something more could happen now that tensions between her and Bada had eased. She was back in her own delusional world, and Audrey was not the one to talk her out of it, bless her.
BEBE's girls were now lined up, arms intertwined, awaiting the judges' feedback.
"BEBE wins against Tsubakills," white noise filled Bada's ears as she barely comprehended the jury's first comments. She felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the praise they were receiving.
"Bada's leadership allowed every girl to shine, and that made the difference," one of the judges remarked. She almost dropped to her knees in thankfulness. It was possibly the best compliment she'd ever received in her entire career. She squeezed Lusher and Tatter's sides, trying to convey her emotions. Soon enough, they all collapsed into a big group hug, and she had to wipe away tears of joy. She was incredibly proud of her girls.
When the next crew to take the stage was announced and she heard "Jam Republic," Bada hesitated for a moment. Tatter, always observant, looked at her.
"You should go," Tatter suggested. She knew her too damn well.
"I don't—". "Just go. There is time before the actual performance starts. We'll wait for you in the common room."
Bada was about to protest further, but the other girls were now giving her pointed looks, signaling her to go meet the other crew.
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Amaia was warming up a few meters away from her teammates, trying to keep her nerves in check. She could feel Bada's presence before she even saw her. Kirsten had also noticed the other girl's arrival and was about to head their way, but Amaia raised a hand, signalling I got this.
"Hey, Amaia," Bada greeted her.
"Hey, Bada, congrats on the win," Amaia replied.
"Thank you!" Bada's bright smile was genuinely. And so prettyyyy.
"I hope I can be as good as you were," Amaia said, trying to keep herself from drooling. "You guys looked amazing. All of you. And Tatter did so well."
"Yeah, I'm really proud of everyone," Bada admitted with a broad grin, as if a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "But I have to give credit where it's due; I wouldn't have done so well if it weren't for our...talk yesterday."
Amaia felt herself blush, recalling the events differently.
"Hmm, sure, no worries," she said playfully. "Glad I could help THE Bada Lee after all." She did not know what possessed her to continue, saying "But I should probably try your little move to win the heart of a random person in the audience. Just in case. You know, cover all my bases," Amaia laughed, yet thinking It's not the time the flirtttttt.
Audrey, not far away, couldn't help but eavesdrop and tried to stifle her laughter. If Bada was surprised or bothered by Amaia, she didn't show it.
"You can try," BADA said with a wink. "Not sure you could do it better than me, though."
"Is this a bet?" Amaia asked in disbelief, all of the sudden not knowing where the conversation was headed.
"Sure, I can show you if you want. Call it a favor," Bada suggested, taking a smooth step closer to Amaia, invading her personal space, her face inching closer with a smirk, her finger lingering just centimeters from Amaia's face. Amaia held her breath, not fully comprehending the situation. "See, it shouldn't be so hard," Bada winked.
Amaia was DYING inside. She somehow kept her composure and managed to respond "I'll see what I can do. But it doesn't mean I owe you one!" and she finally exhaled as the taller girl stepped back, nodding her head in a final goodbye. Bada then turned to the rest of her team:
"Good luck Jam Republic!" she said, "although I'm pretty sure you don't need it. Your talent is more than enough." With that, she disappeared from the backstage.
Audrey turned to Amaia in slow motion, while the other girls had hands over their mouths.
"WTFF WAS THATTTT?" .
"AUDREY. I . DON'T. KNOW. OK?" Amaia replied, trying not to actually scream so loud.
"THE TENSION BETWEEN YOU TWO IS INSANEEEEE!" Audrey couldn't contain her excitement.
"Audrey, please, shut up," Amaia pleaded.
"I mean, I hadn't seen it with my own eyes yet, but now it can not be any clearer." Latrice added.
Kirsten, still unsure how to feel about the situation, decided not to further embarrass her rookie. She said laughing, "You better put the performance of a lifetime with encouragement like that Amaia". She then clapped her hands, getting everyone's attention : "Back to work girls. We have 20 minutes left. Heads down, we stretch, we want no injuries! Everyone focus 100%". And Amaia immediately snapped up, putting all her concentration in the next hour, compartmentalizing her thoughts about what had just transpired for after the performance.
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Bada, you're drooling," Minah said matter-of-factly.
Caught red-handed, Bada didn't even attempt to deny it.
"Someone is down baaaad," added Lusher, mockingly raising an eyebrow.
"Shuuushhh, I'm trying to concentrate," Bada retorted, feigning annoyance.
"Humhmm, sure, concentrate," Kyma chimed in. "We wouldn't want you to miss a second of Amaia on screen."
"That would indeed pose quite the problem," Bada replied, playing along with the banter. She had let her guard down way too much to backtrack now, and the girls were having a blast highlighting every moment when she was caught expressing the slightest interest towards her crush. It happened more often than she'd like to admit, but who could blame her?
On the stage, Amaia was an absolute vision in her pink and white outfit. Her makeup was flawless, and her smile radiant. She had visibly conquered the audience, and Bada couldn't help but join in. After all, she was only human.
She hadn't planned on flirting back when she had ventured backstage to congratulate Jam Republic's rookie. But watching her, all dolled up and stretching with the utmost professionalism, it reminded Bada that they were no reasons to resist the attraction she felt. They were professionals and could very much handle both. Therefore, Bada decided not to linger too long, not wanting to disrupt Amaia's focus and jeopardize her preparation. That did not mean she did not love every second of watching the girl blush under her gaze. Yes, Bada was enjoying this way too much, but she couldn't help herself. Amaia now took center stage, and Bada couldn't tear her eyes away as Amaia bite her tongue, grooving with her teammates before falling in an ending split.
"She has nailed her facial expressions," commented Kyma. Bada couldn't agree more.
As the girls concluded their choreography and reassembled on stage in line, Amaia winked at the camera, and Bada's heart couldn't help but do a little flip. Unable to contain her reaction, she buried her face in a pillow just as her teammates playfully roasted her.
"DOWN BAAAADDDD," BEBE's girls teased, their laughter filling the room.
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Amaia had poured her heart and soul into the performance. She was still buzzing with excitement as they waited for the jury's final decision.
"JAM REPUBLIC takes the win," the announcement rang out. All the girls immediately fell into a tight group hug, overwhelmed with gratitude for the incredible experience they had just shared.
"Kirsten, you're the best! Everyone, you're the best! Thank you so much for blessing me with this opportunity," Amaia gushed, her heart brimming with joy. "I love you, Amaia. You're the best rookie we could have dreamed of," Kirsten said, her voice choked up by the emotions of their victory. Still on cloud nine, the girls retreated to their common room to process the rush of emotions.
"Oh no, I've forgotten my water bottle in the warm-up room. I'll be back soon," Amaia said suddenly, heading back towards the practice room. When she arrived there, she discovered she wasn't alone. Bada also seemed to have left something behind.
"Well, it seems our paths are meant to cross all the time," Amaia remarked softly, a playful smile on her lips.
"It would appear so. Congratulations on the win. You deserve it a lot; you looked amazing on screen," Bada congratulated her, grinning broadly as she stepped closer to offer her praise.
"Only on screen? That's disappointing," Amaia teased, unable to resist whatever chemistry was going on between the two of them. Suddenly, Bada was standing right in front of her.
"I have to admit, the view up close is quite amazing as well," Bada replied.
Amaia's heart leaped.
"Well that's reassuring. You're not too bad yourself" she admitted, almost out of breath. What was going on. "I'm proud of you" she added, unable to explain why she felt so soft for the taller girl.
Bada's eyes crinkled with joy at Amaia's response.
"I'm proud of you as well," she said sincerely, yet she didn't move, her gaze locked onto Amaia.
Amaia decided to take a leap of faith, the tension between her and Bada undeniable.
"I hope I haven't read this wrong." She took a deep breath. "Good night, Bada," she murmured and tiptoed to place a light kiss against Bada's cheek, at the corner of her mouth. She smiled one last time at the older girl before turning back to her find her teammates, leaving Bada momentarily speechless, her fingers lightly tracing the spot where she'd placed a butterfly kiss.
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What do we thinkkkk???
Basically now I am hesitant on the next chapter, which is suppose to be the pool partyyyyy aka getting closer. However, pace-wise i don't know if the story is going too slow ? too fast ? Would it be credible if the next chapter also included a date already ? Let me know in the comments and thanks again for your support <3333
In any case I'll post in the next day or so so don't hesitate with the feedback :))