I haven't seen Zack since the day at the beach. It irked me how much I missed him. Before, I would always be focused on dancing. Now, I occasionally caught myself daydreaming about Zack. I vowed to myself to focus on the competition, to not think about Zack.
My mom, Mackenzie and I arrived at the studio early to practice before the bus ride. Mackenzie ran through her solo while Nick and I rehearsed our duet.
"Working hard, right?" Abby greeted us as she walked into the studio, "It's time to head outside."
As I gathered my bags, I felt Nick's prescence closer and closer to me. I turned around.
"It's time to go!" I cheered. Then, I hurried into the bus.
"Maddie! Sit with me!" Nia invited.
"Sure!" I said and began my way to her.
"Hey Maddie!" It was Nick. I tried to embroider a smile on my face. Ever since that night, tension grew between us.
"You wanna sit with me?" Nick asked with a hopeful face.
I dipped my head, "Umm... sorry. I told Nia I'll be sitting next to her." A few seconds passed. I looked up at him. Nick's face remained frozen.
"I g-guess its okay. I'll sit somewhere by myself then."
A swarm of zealous fans whistled and snapped pictures of us when we arrived. Our little team escaped into the dressing room.
Abby yelled, "Girls! Do not talk to Cathy's boys. If they say hi, then be as polite as possible, okay? Act professional!"
Nick and I had the most responsibility since we were first.
"Good luck!" the girls and the moms whispered to us. Then, we parted. Nick and I headed backstage.
"Hey ballerina."
I turned. Standing a few feet away from me was Zack, and his partner, who was stretching.
Making sure that Nick wasn't looking, I tip-toed to him. "I'm not supposed to talk to you."
Zack laughed, "Aww! Won't you break a rule once for me?"
I sighed, "I-"
"Hey Maddie! I think it's almost us," Nick hushed while eyeing Zack and I suspiciously.
I attempted to return to Nick, but Zack pulled me around. "Hey! You didn't finish what you were saying."
"I'll tell you in the hallway after the awards," I whispered and scrambled back to Nick.
Nick and I performed our duet flawlessly. We received first place.
I was anxious to meet Zack. It wasn't long before I slipped away from my celebrating team. I meandered around the hallway. After a while, I noticed footsteps following me.
I turned around. "Nick! Why are you here?"
Nick said, "Follow me."
He pulled me in to a solitary room, leaving the door ajar.
I frowned at him, "What are you doing?"
"Maddie, remember when I asked you if you wanted more duets with me?" Nick started.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Well, I know you probably don't feel the same for me, but for me, I really enjoy duets with you. And it's not just the normal kind of happiness when I do it with a friend. It's... much more. I really like you Maddie. Will you go out with me?"
My mind went blank.
"I am sorry Nick... I like you... but only as a friend."
After a few moments, Nick's face turned from disappointment to astonishment to... indignance. Nick's started forward to me. I backed up until I felt the wall, my heart pounding in my chest.
He leaned in. Petrified, I turned my head away from him.
At that moment, Chloe walked in.
Chloe's feet were rooted to the ground at the sight of us. Her face formed a tight smile, "Maddie! I've been looking for you... You should go back!"
I nodded, unable to trust my voice, and walked out to the hallway.
Bam! I slammed into a figure.
"Whoa, ballerina!" Zack said, "You okay?"
I looked up. Relief senselessly filled me as I sighed with a smile, "Yes."
Zack contemplated me with skeptical eyes, "Well, you helped me and listened to me last time. Just know that you can come to me whenever you want, okay?"
I whispered, "Thank you."
"By the way, I saw your friend in the room. She looked stressed out. Maybe you should talk to her," Zack suggested and walked away.
When I returned to the room, Chloe was curled up on the ground, tears flowing down her cheeks. Her teary eyes were glued to a band of blue lace and silk ribbon in her hands.
"Hey Chloe," I said softly as I made way to her. "I'm really sorry about Nick. It really isn't what you think."
Chloe jerked her head and smiled. "It's not that," she started.
I positioned myself next to her, hoping she would feel better with my companionship. My eyes drifted to the elaborate ribbon in her hands.
"That ribbon is really pretty," I complimented.
It took a long moment for her to answer, "Memories are beautiful, but they fade away as time passes," she held her ribbon up, "We should be happy with what we have... and forget the past. This way, we can move on through the journey of our lives."
Confusion stirred at her deep and abrupt words. Her face was filled with happiness, yet it held pain at the same time.
She looked at me, "You know, this was given to me from my childhood best friend," she fingered the ribbon.
I urged her to continue.
"He gave it to me as an encouragement and promise. I lost my mom at that time. She was the only family to me," Chloe continued.
"You mean Christi is not your mom?"
"Christi is actually my aunt. She loves me very much. I love her too, but I miss my mom a lot. I was with my mom till I was seven, when she died. My mom and I didn't do well financially, but she kept on working to support my dance classes. During that time, I had a really great friend. He would always be there for me, and protect me from the struggles in my life. On the same week she died, he had to move away too. The evening before he left, we went to a lake with lots of flowers. No one has ever paid that much attention to me before. That's when he gave this to me. I think that evening was the best time I've ever had in my life. He said we would always be best friends, and told me to be strong no matter what happens."
"I'm sorry. I never knew that," I whispered.
"It's the past. My mom and I never told anyone about it," she said.
She rose and drifted out of the room. I followed her back into the raucous hallway.
