Hello wattyfriends! You've been asking for it, and here's my next chapter. Like I anticipated on my previous chapter, this is going to be the first chapter in a while that is not 100% focused on the dance moves, more into the story. (There will be a few more after this one) This chapter it's supposed to explain what happened after Brooke and Paige were kicked off the team. Hope you guys like it :))) (IS MIAMI THE RIGHT PLACE?)
Hey guyssss, I'm backk. So, first of all thanks for the 1K+ reads and for all the votes and comments you're giving me. Thanks for your support. It means a lot :)))
How's your summer going? Mine's fine, I guess... So, here is chapter 10. I hope you guys enjoy it!!!
Paige Hyland lay sprawled on her bed, absentmindedly flipping through a magazine that she'd read a hundred times before. She was waiting impatiently for Chloe to come over. Her best friend was the only person who could make her feel better right now. She'd been expelled from Abby Lee's dance team for something that wasn't her fault at all, and now . . . and now . . . God, she didn't even want to think about it or she'd start bawling.
Mrs. Hyland had signed both of her daughters up for auditions for the Stars Dance Studio Junior Elite squad, but the waiting list for that place was miles long. Having already been on the ALDC Junior Elite team only helped a little. They'd still be waiting for ages.
It just wouldn't be the same anyway. They wouldn't be dancing with Maddie and Mackenzie Ziegler, the darlings. They wouldn't be dancing with Nia Frazier, who was always so sensible and helpful. They wouldn't be dancing with Kendall Vertes, who loved everyone. And, most importantly, they wouldn't be dancing with Chloe.
How could Paige ever dance without Chloe?
She let out a trembling breath and fought the urge to cry.
Someone knocked on her door.
"Come in," Paige sobbed out.
Mrs. Hyland smiled softly and murmured, "Chloe and Christi will be here soon."
"Thanks, Mom," Paige whispered.
"By the way, I have a small surprise." Kelly checked her phone. Its fluorescent screen lit up her face. "Your auditions are tomorrow."
"What?!" Paige exclaimed, sitting up straight and almost choking on her own tears.
"I'm serious. You'll do great, Paige," Kelly reassured her.
"But—"
Ding dong! The deep tones of their doorbell reverberated through the house, echoing even after the ringing finished.
"Come in, sweeties!" Kelly called out Paige's open window. "The door's open!"
"Go down," Paige told her mother. "I'll grab Brooke." She left the magazine on her nightstand and headed to Brooke's room. "Brooke?" she sang.
"Yah?" Paige's sister answered.
"Chloe and Christi are here. Come on down!" Paige didn't wait for a response; instead she dashed down the stairs, jumped the last few, and rushed into Chloe's open arms." Imissed you so much!"
"I missed you too, Paigey Mack," Chloe replied. "So, so much."
No matter that it'd only been a weekend since they last saw each other.
Meanwhile, Brooke sneaked down and perched on the bottom step, watching the girls embrace. Their mothers, too, were hugging. It made Brooke wish she had someone to hold onto. She hadn't bonded so closely with someone at dance like Paige had.
"I have something to tell you," Paige mentioned.
"Yeah?"
"We have auditions for our new dance studio tomorrow. It's at Stars in Florida."
"So you're really not coming back?" Chloe's eyes darkened. She leaned her beautiful head on Paige's shoulder and let tears drip onto her best friend's sweater.
"I'm sorry," Paige whispered. "I'll miss you guys so much, but I can't give up dancing just because Abby kicked us out of the ALDC. I'll keep trying. Me and Brooke."
Chloe smiled fondly. "Of course you will. When are your tryouts? I want to go!"
"You can't," Paige responded. "You'll miss dance tomorrow."
"For something like this? I have to be with you!"
"Abby will get rid of you."
"I don't care," was Chloe's instant answer. "You're much more important."
"I can't do that to you."
"What if I try out with you?" Chloe teased.
"No," Paige said firmly. "But . . . there's something else."
"What?"
"If we make the team, we're going to have to move to Miami."
This was obvious, but it was more than Chloe could take. She burst into tears, pressing her forehead into Paige's shoulder and screaming into the material of her shirt. "How are we going to keep in touch? How will we be best friends?" she screech-sobbed. "We'll be competing against each other all the time! We'll look into each other's eyes and we won't even care because we'll be enemies! And when we grow up? What about our big double wedding in Los Angeles that we've wanted since we were six?"
"Oh, Chloe!" Paige expostulated, squeezing tighter.
"And Brooke!" Chloe yelled.
Brooke's eyebrows went up. She'd thought that both girls had forgotten about her. But she went over and hugged Chloe.
"I'm going to miss you so much! Remember when Maddie, you, and I danced Somebody Told Me? That was so amazing! You were such an inspiration and I'll miss you beyond anything," Chloe cried.
"You too." Brooke hadn't expected this at all, but she was glad that she meant so much to Chloe.
"Promise we'll always be friends!" Paige announced, tightening her hold on Chloe.
"Of course!" Chloe exclaimed. "How could you think we wouldn't?"
"Dinner!" Christi and Kelly shouted in tandem from the kitchen.
They all filed in, settling down and quietly beginning to eat. Conversation stayed subtle and calm as they chewed. Eventually, Kelly started talking. "You're not going to believe this," she said loudly, "but do you wanna guess who called us and begged for my daughters to join her studio?"
"Who?" Christi wanted to know.
"Cathy! Candy Apple's Cathy!" Kelly shouted. "She was all 'would you join the Candy Apples?' and 'we would love to have Brooke and Paige on our team.' Of course we turned her down, but isn't that just insane?" she insisted.
"That's crazy!" Christi squealed. "What did she say to that?"
"She got all annoyed and basically just hung up on me," Kelly giggled, taking a big gulp of her wine. "Oh well."
"Mom, you're getting drunk," Brooke warned.
"Oh, don't get all hung up on me!" Kelly squeaked, looking all of her children in the eye. "In all seriousness, you should all get some sleep," said Kelly. "Paige and Brooke have their auditions and Chloe, you'll be dancing all day tomorrow."
"What about me?" inquired Josh, the only boy in the family. He was Brooke's younger and Paige's older brother. To Chloe, he was an adorable troublemaker.
"You too," ordered Kelly sternly, but her eyes were laughing.
A few hours later, Chloe and Paige were curled together in Paige's bed, wearing their pajamas. Paige was dressed in gray pants and a long-sleeved watermelon-pink shirt with #nomakeupnofilter on it. Chloe had on navy blue pants and a white tank top. They were cuddled under the blankets, whispering.
"You'll have to text me the second you find out if you made the Stars team," Chloe instructed.
"Of course I will!" Paige breathed.
"I'm sure you'll get on, though. You two have nothing to worry about." Chloe grinned, but in the dark light of Paige's room it was impossible to see.
"I'll call you every day. We'll Skype and talk and it will be just like normal. And we'll visit each other whenever we can," Paige swore.
"You haven't even made it yet! What if you don't make it? Then you'll stay, right?" Chloe pleaded.
"No," Paige admitted sadly. "We're still moving. We can't be anywhere near Abby."
"Oh Paige," Chloe whispered, embracing her best friend. A few moments later, Chloe added, "Hey, I'm going to go downstairs and get a bottle of water. Do you want one?"
"Oh, I'll get it!" Paige offered quickly.
"No, no." Chloe patted her back. "I got it. Do you want something, though?"
"No thanks." Paige smiled and turned over, cuddling into her blankets.
Chloe pushed the covers back and opened the door, closing it again behind her and feeling her way down the steps. She didn't want to turn on any lights in case she woke someone up. She sneaked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, extracting a bottle from a side compartment. On her way back upstairs, she bumped into Josh.
"Oh, hi, Chloe," he sputtered. "Um, can I hug you?"
"What?" Chloe choked out. She'd had a crush on Paige's brother since fifth grade, practically. And now he wanted to hug her?
"I'm sorry. Never mind."
"No, of course you can hug me. But—"
"I'm not going to see you a lot after this," he explained. "I mean, we're leaving and . . . and I really like you," he admitted quietly.
"Well, I like you too," Chloe replied. Her heart was beating too quickly.
Josh leaned in for the hug. His mouth centimeters from her ear, he whispered, "I mean that I like you. I've liked you for a really long time, Chloe."
"I . . . me too," she murmured.
His elbow jabbed her ribs.
"Ah," Chloe gasped involuntarily, jumping away and dropping the water bottle. It thudded on the hard floor. They both froze, waiting to be discovered, but no one came to find them.
"Are you okay?" Josh asked. "You want me to kiss the pain away?" He smiled a little.
"That would be wonderful," Chloe responded.
"Come here." Josh pulled Chloe into his bedroom, shut the door, put his hands around her waist, and crashed his lips onto hers. Chloe clasped her wrists around his neck, running her fingers through his blondish hair. Taking a deep breath, she tilted her head to the right and forgot about everything but him.
About forty seconds later, they pulled away for the last time, exhausted.
A distant noise was coming closer. It was the voice of Kelly Hyland. "Paige, do you know where Chloe is?"
"I'm not sure, Mom. She went down for water and never came back," Paige replied.
"Shit!" Chloe hissed.
Josh picked her up and dropped her on his bed, covering her in his sheets. Then he flicked off the light and climbed in next to her, pretending to snore. Chloe wanted to giggle, but God forbid they got caught. Oh Lord.
"Josh, do you know where—" Kelly's voice cut off when she realized her son was sound asleep. "Good night, sweetie." Gently, she closed the door again. "Nope, not there either."
"This is crazy!" exclaimed Christi.
"Let's check Brooke's room," suggested Kelly rationally, and their footsteps receded.
Josh rolled over and held her by the waist. "So are we going out?" he questioned, his breath tickling her cheek and sending shivers down her entire body.
"What's the magic word?" she teased happily.
"Would you please go out with me, Chloe Elisabeth Lukasiak?" Josh pouted.
"Of course," she responded, before smiling and slipping out of his room into the bathroom a door down. Chloe flushed the toilet, then walked out into the hallway, where she ran into her mother.
"Chloe!" Christi screamed. "There you are!"
"Yeah, I was just in the bathroom," Chloe fibbed, stuttering a little but growing smoother. She could feel that her lips were puffy, and she could do nothing more than hope that it was too dark for her mother to tell. "Anyway, I'm gonna go to bed. Love you, Mom!"
"Love you too, sweetie." Christi pecked her daughter on the cheek and beamed crookedly. She escorted Chloe back to Paige's room, then shut the door softly, murmuring, "Good night. I'll see you in the morning."
The second Christi left, Paige jumped out of bed. "Alright, Chlo-bird, what was that about? I would have covered for you if I only knew what to say!"
Chloe bit her lip, but couldn't keep the toothy smile from creeping across her face. "It was crazy!" she stammered wildly.
"Tell me!" Paige demanded.
"Well, it's funny, because I honestly did start out getting water. But then . . . something happened."
"What?"
"I ran into Josh," she admitted.
"Okay? And?"
Chloe waited, grinning.
"Omigod.Omigod,omigod,omigod! You hooked up with my brother!"
"Shush!" Chloe squealed, whacking Paige with a pillow.
"Omigod!"
"Paige!"
"I can't believe you didn't tell me you liked him!"
"I thought you would think it was really weird," Chloe said. "You're always talking about how he's such a dork and stuff."
"Um, hello, Chloe, you can tell me anything. You know that."
"Fine. Well, um, so, we made out in his bed and . . . "
"You didn't!"
"We did! It was so nice, too. He's such a good kisser, Paige, and I know you don't want to hear this, but I really do think I love him. Omigod!"
"Omigod!" Paige grabbed Chloe's elbows and danced her around the room. "This is so great! So are you guys dating?"
"Yup!" Chloe declared proudly. "Isn't this exciting?" Her cheeks were flushing bright red, and her teeth were chattering with pure happiness.
"But, Chloe, you know we're moving," Paige reminded her best friend. "It's not just me and Brooke. Josh too, you know."
"I know," Chloe agreed. "But we'll talk. Me and you.And me and Josh.And me and Brooke.Omigod, I'm so happy." She collapsed onto her stomach on Paige's bed and kicked her legs against the mattress.
Then Paige's phone buzzed. "God, who's texting me after midnight?" Paige groaned, reaching over to unlock her iPhone. "It's Josh. What the hell does he think he's doing?"
"Read it!" Chloe urged, blushing all over again.
Josh: could u tell Chloe 2 come over 2 my room? I need 2 tell her something. Send her kisses from me. :)
"Omigod!" Chloe shrieked.
"Shush!" Paige hissed, laughing. "Okay, go on over, but make it quick, 'kay?"
Chloe grinned and crept across the pitch-black hallway. Josh was waiting just inside his doorway. When she walked in, he kissed her immediately. This time, she responded faster, pressing her lips to his and parting them slightly.
A moment later, Josh backed away and took Chloe's hand. "I don't want our relationship to be all about kissing," he told her bashfully. "So, um, would you like to go on a date with me? Next Sunday, after your competition?"
"I'd love to." Chloe smirked and leaned in. She couldn't get enough of him.
The next morning, Chloe awoke to the feel of hot sunlight on her face and the chirping of dozens of different birds. There was a person to her right, and Chloe snuggled closer, breathing in the warm scent of his cologne . . . his cologne! Josh! She was dating Josh Hyland!
"Are you awake?" he murmured against her ear, and she nodded. "I'm glad I get to see your beautiful face."
"You'd think we were married," Chloe joked, pecking him on the lips as she rolled to her feet.
"You really are gorgeous," complimented Josh.
"Thanks." Chloe smiled knowingly. "And you're extremely handsome."
"You're just saying that."
"I've been in love with you since I was nine," Chloe said in reply.
Please leave a comment and vote and feel free to PM me for anything :)
Also, check chapter 3 of my story "Am I To Blame?", which I posted just a few days ago and plz vote and comment!!!
Quick question: For this story, how would you like the placings at competition to go? Just so you remember, everyone has a solo except for Maddie-Chloe, Autumn-Sophia who have duets. They're also up against CADC.
These are all of the routines:
GROUP(Junior)
Original Team- Life on the Rebound (lyrical)
New Team- Looking for Spotlight(jazz)
Candy Apples-Lost at Sea (contemporary)
SOLOS (mini)
Mackenzie(acro-contemporary) Shine
Asia(jazz)-Sass Implosion,
Jalen (hip hop)-Run the World
SOLOS (junior)
Nia (musical theatre)-Dance All Night
Mia (jazz)-Shuttershock
SOLOS(pre-teen)
Kendall(jazz)-Wild Beast
Kalani (contemporary-acro)-Eyes Wide Open
Zac(contemporary)-Colorblind
DUETS(junior)
Maddie and Chloe (lyrical)-Together as one(So far way)
Autumn and Sophia (jazz)- Unstoppable
Zac and Nick (contemporary) Impossible Reality