Paige’s POV
For the first time, in a long time, I felt relaxed. Which I usually wouldn’t feel on the way to the competition, but right then I did. Everything just felt right. It was another crowded bus ride full of laughs and smiles, but most importantly, no drama. I knew all of the secrets. I was enlisted into the “secret society”. I had my best friend back. Yes, even though Abby was yelling at us from the front seat and Christi and my mom were still exchanging small digs, everything felt peaceful.
The only thing I was the tiniest bit confused about was Josh. Chloe told me the night before that he was coming for Kendall, but he wasn’t sitting with her. He was sitting in the very back across from mine and Chloe’s seat.
“Hey Chlo?” I whispered below my breath.
“Ya?” Chloe reciprocated.
“Why isn’t Kendall sitting with Josh again?”
“They still want to keep everything quiet.”
“Why? I thought they were worried about me.”
“They are.”
“But, I already know.”
“Ya, but they’re also worried about their parents.” Chloe stated, matter-of-factly.
“Because of the age difference?”
“Ya, that’s why. What is it? Three years? Four years? Jill and Kelly would flip.”
“Well maybe if they talked to them together…”
“I don’t know Paige. That’s just what I’ve been told.” Chloe exclaimed, while fiddling with her iPhone. She chose the window seat, as always, and angled her phone in just the right way where I couldn’t see the screen first-hand, or through the reflection of the window. She’s been doing that a lot lately.
“So who are you texting? Does Chloe have herself a boyfriend?” I asked, poking her jokingly, to hide the actual questioning in my voice.
“Nope, just a school friend.” Chloe said, locking her phone. Her screensaver was a selfie of the two of us that we took in Central Park, last time we were in New York City. Our hair was blowing in each other’s faces and standing up straight, but we thought, at the time, that it gave us a cool, windblown affect. That was until after we took the picture and realized how much of a mess we looked like. Chloe looks a lot more different in that picture, younger. Now, she sometimes looks older than me, or at least more mature. How did that happen? I thought I was supposed to be the oldest.
“If you did have a boyfriend, you would tell me, right?”
“Of course I would Paige. Now can we stop acting like a bunch of melodramatic, gossipy tweens and watch a movie or something? We still have, like two hours before we even reach the hotel.” There it was again. Chloe sounded like the older, wiser friend and I sounded like the lost, ridiculous one, who was two years younger.
I nodded my head slightly and pulled out my laptop. “Let’s see, I have Nicholas Sparks, Hunger Games, The Help, The One Direction Movie…”
“Surprise me.” I nodded, once again and continued to scroll through my movies until I landed on Pitch Perfect. I needed a good laugh at this point. Any peacefulness that I once had was gone. After one hour and fifty-two minutes the credits started to roll down my computer screen and we were pulling into the hotel parking lot. Abby didn’t even give us time to drop our things off in our rooms.
“Moms, take your kids’ things, bring them up to the rooms and meet us at the competition.” Abby exclaimed, while checking the time on her phone. Chloe and I had to be on stage for our duet in two hours and we still had to arrive at the competition, check in, stretch and do our hair and makeup. I’d be surprised if we had any time left to even run through the dance beforehand.
“How are we supposed to get there?” Holly asked, slightly annoyed.
“I honestly don’t care. Hail a car, hitchhike, run, I don’t know. Just get there. We don’t have time to wait for you.” I heard Mackenzie chuckle in the seat in front of me, but Maddie elbowed her in the stomach, before anyone of the parents noticed. We left them at the doors of the hotel, with all of our suitcases in tow, except for our dance bags, which were still packed up on the luggage compartments above us. As the bus pulled out of the parking lot and back onto the highway Abby started to chant, “Yay! No moms! No moms! No moms!” while fist pumping. After controlling our giggles we all joined in and started jumping and waving our hands in the air, until we finally pulled into the venue. It was at a large theatre, which means we’ll be preforming on an actual stage, not a school stage, where they have to roll down special flooring, just so we can do our turns and tricks.
“We’re here.” The bus driver stated, plainly. He was just glad to get us, screaming kids, off of his bus.
“Ok, girls, game plan.“ Abby stated, “We’re going to run in there straight away. Right when you’re checked in, run to get ready and I’ll meet up with you after I check everything.” When I’m back I should see Maddie and Kendall getting ready for their solos and Chloe and Paige getting ready for their duet. Nia and Mackenzie, you should either be getting ready for the group, or helping the rest of the girls. If I see you running around or playing with your phone I’ll pull you out of the group, right then and there. Got it?” We all nodded, with excitement.
After Abby checked us in, Mackenzie leaded us to our little room, which wasn’t much of a room, as much as it was a section of a larger room, blocked off with dividers. Mackenzie and Nia helped set up our makeup tables and our beauty supplies, while Maddie, Kendall, Chloe and I all slipped on our costumes behind a curtain in one of the corners. Now that we were all older, we really didn’t need the moms to help us with our hair and makeup anymore. They were mostly just there for support. Mackenzie was helping everyone with their makeup, because like it or not, she was the best at it out of all of us. I had put minimal makeup on this morning, so Mackenzie just used some eye shadow to give me a blackish-grey smoky eye, to complement the hidden colors in my costume. She then took some green glitter and placed it in the corners of my eye and on my upper lash line. I could barely make my eyeliner even, much less do all of this. While Mackenzie moved on to Chloe I swept my hair up into a quick French up do, like I’ve been doing every weekend for most of my life. Nia helped me fix some of my curls in place, then took the hairspray and showered me in the sticky substance. As everyone else was still primping, I started to stretch out. Abby gave me a couple acro tricks to do during the routine, so out of everyone, I had to make sure I was really stretched out.
“Ow!” I heard someone squeal from behind me. When I turned around I saw blood dripping down Chloe’s pointer finger. I was about to fish out the first aid kit from my bag, but Josh already beat me to it. Josh? I thought he went with the moms. Had he been standing here the entire time?
“Oh my god, are you ok?” I heard Josh ask, quite alarmingly. He took her hand and started applying pressure to her wound with a tissue.
“I’m fine. I just pricked myself on my hairpiece. It’s a bit sharp on the- Kendall be careful!” I whipped my head to the ground where I saw Kendall picking up the large silver jeweled hair clip and saw her prick her own finger on the clip of death.
“Little to late Chlo.” Kendall announced wincing in pain.
“Where are the Band-Aids? Chloe needs one.” Josh exclaimed. Did he miss what just happened with his girlfriend?
I saw Chloe look at me quickly before she said, “I’m fine Josh, really. The bleeding’s almost stopped.” The space between Josh’s brows was still furrowed. “Josh, I’m fine. Why don’t you go check on Kendall?” I heard Chloe mumble through clenched teeth.
“Oh ya, of course. Kendall, are you ok? Do you need a Band-Aid?” Josh asked, completely doing a 180 towards the other bleeding girl.
“A little late on the reaction time Josh. I’m fine.” Josh nodded and retreated to a corner of our makeshift room, leaving the rest of us in an uncomfortable silence. Nia finally picked up the twice-dropped hairpiece and secured it into Chloe’s French Twist, all without giving herself a minor injury. I continued stretching until Abby entered the room.
“Chloe, Paige you’re on stage in 15 minutes. They want you there now.”
“Miss Abby, we haven’t even run through the number yet.” Chloe announced timidly.
“Well, you don’t have any time left. So, go quickly. Maybe you can practice it in the hallway or something. The point is you need to be backstage right now.”
“Are our moms here?” Nia asked.
“I really could care less where your mothers are right now, Nia. Now you two need to go and we’ll go to the theatre in a few minutes.” Abby said, shooing us towards the backstage entrance.
Before we entered through the door Chloe said, “We could run our dance once or twice before we go in.” I nodded and we shifted down the hallway, so that we could practice our dance without getting in the way of the other dancers entering and exiting the doorway. “Remember what Abby said.” Chloe continued, “About how we’re actually shaking off the demons and the worries that have been troubling us forever. We’re shaking them off and moving forward. Just like we’re doing in real life.”
“Are we really?” I asked. Chloe stared at me questioningly. “Because, it feels like all we’re doing is staying right where we are, right where we’ve been for the past three weeks. Distant, secretive, everything that we’re usually not and you keep saying how we’re alright and I start to believe you, but then I turn my back for five seconds and we’re right back to where we started.” I exclaimed, gasping for breath.
“I know.” Chloe replied meekly.
“I just wish you would just tell me what going on. I just wish you could tell me what’s broken, so that I can try and fix it, because honestly I’m just so confused on what’s happening and what I’m doing wrong and just everything about this friendship right now.”
“You’re not doing anything wrong Paigey. You’re the best friend anyone could ask for. This is all me. I’ve been a pretty crappy friend. I’ve been stupid and secretive and just awful, but most of all I’ve just been scared. Scared of what’s happening and what’s going to happen and just so many other stupid reasons that just keep stupidly popping up into my head. This is new territory for us and I’m so scared that I’m going to loose you. I can’t loose my best friend.”
“You’re not going to loose me Chlo. I’m right here and nothings going to change that.”
“Nothing?” She asked me, hopefully.
“Of course nothing. Nothing’s worth losing a best friend over.”
“You’re right. Nothing’s worth losing a best friend over.” Chloe reaffirmed. I smiled and wiped my under-eye with my ring finger, in case any make-up fell. As Chloe did so, as well, a woman, dressed all in black, poked her head out the door.
“Are you Paige and Chloe preforming ‘Shake It Out’?” She asked.
“Ya.” The both of us replied in unison.
“You’re on right now. This performance is about to end.” We both nodded and ran under her arm, which propped open the door for us. When we reached the line of tape, separating the backstage from the actual stage, we saw two girls strutting off, jingling the silver bells attached all over their costumes.
“Now, can we welcome to the stage number 29. This is Chloe and Paige preforming ‘Shake It Out’.” The announcer stated over the loudspeaker, in a smooth voice. I squeezed Chloe’s shaking hand for support, before we waltzed onstage and fell into our starting positions. As the music began I was given a surge of confidence. Every time I turned one of my worries sunk to the ground. Every time I leaped I felt happiness spreading through every limb in my body, until it was just me, and my best friend, on the ground smiling at each other.
“Love you Chlo.” I whispered while still keeping my smile, as the audience erupted into claps around us.
“Love you too Paigey.” Chloe whispered, as we rose and gracefully walked off in separate directions. Backstage, Kendall greeted me, with open arms.
“You were both amazing! We caught you just in time. All of the moms are in the audience. Maddie and I have our solos in an hour or two, so Abby wants us back in the dressing room as soon as possible.”
“Ok, thanks. Where’s Chloe?”
“Probably on her way back to the dressing room.” I nodded and we started walking back to Abby.
“How’s your finger doing?”
“Fine. The bleeding stopped, so that’s good.” Kendall replied, examining her finger. I could barely see the small dot, where she was punctured.
“With no help from Josh.” I scoffed.
“Ya, well Josh was busy with Chloe.”
“I know, but he’s your boyfriend.”
“Wait, what?” Kendall practically shouted.
“It’s ok. Chloe told me and don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone, unless you want me to.”
“Chloe told you that I’m dating Josh?” Kendall announced in disbelief.
“Well ya, aren’t you?”
“No!”
“Then who is?” Kendall looked at me nervously.
“Come on.” She grabbed my hand and took a sharp right, pulling me hurriedly down the hallway.
“Where are we going? The dressing room’s that way.”
“I know. We’re not going there.” Kendall said, looking around the hallway.
“Then where are we going?” I asked, now being the nervous one. Kendall let out a huge sigh, but continued to scan the crowd of people.
“To find Nia. We need to tell you something.”