One Step Closer
Chapter 1
The beat of music could be heard coming from the school gym as people walked past and cars zoomed away. There, a crowd of people watched as sixteen year old Joanna battled her nemesis Chloe in a tense dance. The two continued until the music stopped and the crowd swarmed around Chloe. Joanna scowled.
"Looks like I won that one Jo. To be honest I'd won before we even started." Chloe mocked.
"Hey! I won that fair and square." Joanna replied, defensive. "If you think those amateur skills are enough to win a battle you are seriously deluding yourself, as are those who think you're good."
"Please I've won more battles with these skills than you ever will. If you were as good as you think you are you would've won just now." Chloe laughed, taunting Joanna. "Go and take some classes before you come play with the big girls Joanna." she said and the crowds of people around her joined in, some trying to hide their amusement.
Joanna didn't bother sticking around. She turned to grab her things and walked off, listening to Chloe's celebration behind her. She walked home angry and frustrated. As she approached her house she found her boyfriend Leo waiting for her. The sight of him manged to brighten up her day almost instantly.
"Hey." she said, walking over to him.
"Hey, where've you been? Your dad didn't seem to know where you were either." he said, concerned.
"I'm fine, I was just stupidly challenging Chloe to a dance battle that apparently I'd already lost before it even started." she informed him. "This is the third battle I've lost this week. I'm a laughing stock at school."
"So, you lost what does it matter?" he questioned, placing his hands on her shoulders.
Joanna balked at him. She couldn't believe what he'd just said.
"What does it matter? It matters because I won that fair and square, but Chloe stepped in before I'd even finished, limiting my time. She cheated." she explained.
Unexpectedly Leo laughed.
"Maybe she was just better than you." he said, trying to sound as neutral as possible.
"She is not better than me." Joanna scoffed, shaking her head.
Leo sighed but didn't see the point in arguing with her.
"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked.
"I'm here to see how you are, considering it's the anniversary of your mothers...you know." he said, avoiding the word 'death' for her sake.
"I know it is. I went dancing so I didn't have to think about it." she told him, but even dance couldn't take away the pain of her mother's absence.
"I also came because your dad called wondering where you were."
"I'm ok, really. Thanks for checking up on me." she sighed, planting a soft kiss on his lips.
"Well that's my job. You should really check in with your dad though, he sounded worried." he said pointing her towards the front door.
"You're right. I'll call you later." she said, opening the front door.
"Jo," he beckoned. "Let the whole dance battle thing go ok. You can't win every time." he said, before walking off and allowing her to ponder his words.
Joanna sighed and stepped into the house, closing the door behind her. Immediately her father came to the door, a look of concern on his face.
"Joanna where have you been? I've been worried sick." he said.
"I was just out with some friends." she lied.
"I wish you would tell me before you go wondering off." he said.
"I'm sorry, I won't do it again." she apologized. "Has Layla called?" she asked, wondering if her older sister even bothered to keep in touch today.
"No, not yet." he father replied. "Maybe she's just busy." he hoped.
"Yeah right, she's too busy to call on the anniversary of her mother's death?" Joanna said, disappointed.
"I'm sure she'll call Joanna." her dad replied, not really knowing what else to say.
"She moved out nearly six months ago dad and not once has she come round let alone called. I know her and mum didn't really get a long but come on dad we're supposed to be a family and it's like she's just cut us off." she said, doing her best not to cry. "I really need her dad. We used to be so close but after mum died she just pushed me away." she said, embracing her father.
"I know, maybe she just needs some time." he said.
Joanna scoffed and broke away from him, climbing the stairs up to her room.
Meanwhile in a small dance studio in the city 20 year old Layla had just finished her afternoon dance class with some kids. She congratulated them on the work they'd done and let them leave with their parents. All of a sudden she noticed her accountant appear at the door. She sighed. She knew why he was here.
"I know why you're here." she said, seeing off the last of her students.
"Good that means I can give you the short version." he said, a very stern look on his face. "You're behind on your rent for this studio. You have one month to pay what you owe or the council will take this place off you."
"I know ok. I'm just struggling with paying everything off right now. I have bills that I'm late on too. My job at the cafe only pays so much and the money I get from these classes mostly goes towards my apartment rent. In the end I don't have any for this place." she explained.
"Listen Layla if you don't pay the rent you won't have a dance school to come back too and you'll lose another source of income." he informed her.
"You think I don't know that? Look I'll scrape some things together and pay it off by the end of the week." she assured him but even she wasn't sure about that.
"Do you have anyone that can help you out?" he asked, generally concerned.
Layla was a young girl with big dreams but even he could see she was getting in over her head.
"I don't need anyone's help ok, I can figure this out on my own." she said, adamant.
"Ok, well don't say I didn't try to help you." he said. "I'll let the council know you plan to have the rent by the end of week." and with that he left, leaving Layla in silence.
As soon as he was gone Layla sank to the floor with her hands on her head. She had no idea how she was going to come up with the money to keep the studio open and her Dance School alive. This place is her life, she can't let it go.
She walked home, her stress levels beginning to boil over. She was looking forward to having a cool shower, some dinner and sleeping until her body didn't need it anymore. However the universe had other plans as she he found ex-boyfriend number three, Jay, waiting outside her apartment.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, arms folded.
"I came to pick up my record collection, you still have it." he said.
"You won't find it because I sold it." she said grabbing her keys and opening the door to her apartment. Her followed her in not amused.
"Why would you sell them?" he questioned, angered by her already.
"Well they were sitting in my apartment for weeks so I figured you didn't want them anymore. I got a really good price for them at this old school music shop downtown." she said, throwing her bag onto the sofa and grabbing a drink from her fridge.
"I can't believe you, you know that? You know this Is why I broke up with you. You only ever think about yourself and you pushed me away. You did it until I couldn't take it anymore. Did you ever have feelings for me Layla?" he wondered.
"No." she said, showing next to no emotion.
"Well that explains a lot." he scoffed, walking out of her apartment and slamming the door behind him.
Jay was never really the right guy for her so their split was inevitable. All of a sudden Layla was reminded of what day it was and thoughts of her mother flooded into her mind. She would always encourage Layla not to be afraid of being in a relationship. She would say sometimes they work and sometimes they don't, but you never know unless you try.
"Well when you've had so many failures you kind of give up trying mum." she scoffed, forcing the memory back out of her head.
The next day Joanna was walking home from school with Leo. He'd offered to walk her home and since he was still concerned about her she didn't refuse.
"So did you get a call from your sister?" he asked, knowing how much it meant to her.
"No, but it's not like I wasn't expecting it. It's like she doesn't even exist anymore." she replied, disappointed. "We used to be so close, I mean seeing her dance was what got me into dance. She would come into my room at night and teach me all these moves and we'd dance together until dawn." Joanna reminisced, just the thought of her and her sister brought a smile to her face.
"What and you're parents let you do it?" Leo smiled.
"I think they just loved seeing us together. But then mum got sick and then she died. After that everything changed. Layla stopped being my sister and moved out on her own." she said, frowning.
"Maybe it was just her way of dealing with it." Leo suggested.
"But why should need to deal with it on or her own? We should all be dealing with it as a family. I can't understand why she'd want to be on her own after that."
"Then you should ask her." he said, shrugging his shoulders.
"I can't, only Layla decides when she talks to us and I can't be bothered trying to change that." Joanna replied, the subject was touchy for her.
"Hey, me and a couple of friends are going into the city to watch the top crews battle it out tonight." Leo said, changing the subject. "You can come if you want. You never know you might learn something." he grinned, changing the subject.
"I've got all I need, I don't need to learn anything." she said.
"You'd be surprised, just come with me and then tell me you don't need to learn."
"Fine I'll come." she agreed, giving in.
"Good, I'll meet you at your place around seven thirty ok?"
"Ok." she said, kissing him. "I don't know why you put up with me." she wondered, laughing slightly.
"Sometimes I wonder that myself." he said, grabbing her hand and holding it tight. "Maybe it's because I'm your boyfriend." he laughed and she playfully hit him as they continued the walk to her house.
As Joanna sat on the bottom stair waiting for Leo, her father came and sat down next to her. Joanna gave him a concerned look, this was unusual of her father lately.
"Dad are you ok?" she wondered.
"Jo I need to talk to you about something." he said.
"Ok, spill." she said, listening on.
"I'm going to have to go away for a while. My company has some business overseas and they want me there to oversee it." he revealed.
"Ok, when are we leaving?" she asked, automatically assuming she was going with him.
"You're not coming with me. I've organised for you to stay with your sister in the city until I return." he said, waiting for the oncoming onslaught.
Joanna was shocked, that's the last thing she expected.
"Layla actually agreed to this? Wow and here was me thinking she wanted to keep herself locked away from everyone." Joanna said, sarcastically.
"That's not true, besides if that's how you feel I think this will be an excellent opportunity for you two to reconnect. It makes me smile when I think back to how close you two were. I'd love to see you both that way again." her father said, defending his elder daughter.
"Fine I'll stay with her. But the fact that she distanced herself from us hasn't helped my opinion of her. I'll try if she does." Joanna resolved, not getting her hopes up, but for the sake of her father she knew she should at least try.
"Thank you. I leave next week so I've agreed to drop you round there the day before." he father said, a look of relief visible on his face.
All of a sudden there was a knock at the door and Joanna knew Leo had finally turned up. She got up, gave her dad a kiss on the check and opened the door.
"Be back by eleven at the latest." he said. "Leo I'm talking to you too." he said to the boy.
"Don't worry sir, she'll be back in one piece." he said, nodding at her father.
Joanna waved goodbye before exiting the house.