I ran into the rehearsal room, huffing as I threw my laptop bag on top of the piano. 9 pairs of eyes burned into me.
"I'm sorry I'm late, I just, totally forgot to set my alarm. I don't know what happened." I looked up at Chloe first. She stood in front of the rest of the girls, arms crossed. I've seen that look before. The 'come on, babe' look. I tried to not let it shake me even more. She knew my ADHD could get pretty bad, but I haven't been totally honest with her lately.
"Alright everyone, just keep warming up and then we will start doing run-throughs of the whole performance. It's time to get serious." Chloe made her way over to me as she talked, stopping right in front of me as she placed extra emphasis on the word 'serious'.
I kept my eyes fixed on the floor. My hands found their way to the drawstring on my pants. Immediately, I was mesmerized by the soft fabric. I twisted the loops of the bow I had tied earlier through my fingers. It wasn't until the third time that Chloe cleared her throat that I remembered she was standing there. I looked up, her normally bright blue eyes turned stormy with anger.
"Beca, I don't know what's gotten into you. Normally you're the first one to practice. You know I say this with the utmost love,-" She abruptly placed her hands on mine, moving them stiffly to my sides. I don't even remember picking the drawstring back up, but I guess I had.
"- but you look like you just rolled out of bed. Please, for the rest of rehearsal, really be on top of things." She gave my hands a light squeeze and walked over to where all the girls were stretching and vertical running in place.
About another 15 minutes of stretching later, Chloe clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.
"Okay ladies, set up at the beginning. I'll start the music and don't stop until I say so. Right now, we are just going to focus on the moves. No singing."
I took my place among the rest of the group. As soon as the music hit the air, everyone was dancing perfectly in sync and I just stood there. I tried to follow along but I just couldn't remember what I was supposed to be doing.
"Okay, stop stop stop." Chloe hit the button on my laptop and the room went silent. Tears threatened to fall but I refused to let them. I ran my fingers through my hair, cursing the brain underneath all of it. I knew this routine backwards and forwards.
"We are going to try this again. Focus. " Chloe hit the button again. The same thing happened. All I could do was stand there like an idiot.
"God dammit!" This time, I didn't wait for the music to stop. I made a mad dash for the hallway, allowing the tears to roll down my cheeks. Blindly, I pushed my way through the door and down the hallway until the burning in my lungs became too much. I fell to the floor, back against the wall. All I wanted was to disappear. I pulled my knees to my chest and cried into them.
Down the hall I heard the door open. Footsteps came closer and closer until I felt a body sit pressed up against mine. The familiar safety of Chloe's arm wrapped around my shoulder and pulled me into her.
"Babe, what's going on? I get the ADHD, but I've never seen you forget an entire routine like this." I felt her rest her chin on me as I nestled closer to her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, I broke the silence after sitting there for a minute or two.
"I forgot to get my medicine refilled. I've been a mess for days now. Chlo, I'm so sorry." More tears fell. She rubbed my arm gently and placed a kiss on the top of my head.
"After practice, I'll get your prescription refilled, since I'm sure you'll forget." I sat up and playfully punched her arm. She just smirked at me and stood up. Offering me a hand, she pulled me back to my feet.
"You should've just told me, I could've helped you out."
"I know, it's just really embarrassing." She cradled my face in her hands, using her thumbs to wipe away any remaining tears.
"I'm your girlfriend, Becs, you can tell me anything. Besides, I saw you naked before I even got to know you." She winked and placed a quick kiss on my lips.
"Oh, whatever. Can I play DJ for the rest of practice? I can't do dancing right now." I intertwined my fingers in hers as we began to walk back to the practice room.
"Yeah, it'd probably be safer for all of us if you stayed behind the laptop." I playfully nudged her with my shoulder as we walked down the hallway together.