ET Chapter 15: Where the home is?
People have different opinions of airports. Some loved it, especially new timers, because it brought a new of adventure. Some hated it for various reasons. The excruciating waiting, paying extra fees for luggage when you were a bag or ounce away from the limit, the air sickness that came along with the flight. Et certa, et certa, et certa.
Gabriella was on the neutral side on the topic of airports. Though she didn't mind the actual flying itself, she wasn't a big fan of waiting forever to get to her plane. She also wasn't a big fan of the food itself that really didn't taste (or sometimes resemble) food, or going through the long flight.
She always came equipped for the long journeys: her iPod, her journal along with a backup in case she used up all her pages, several books, and chocolate. She bought two packs of Dove and Cadbury chocolate at the airport's CVS before her flight number was called.
She also had company along with her this time. Rob was heading back to home for the holidays, so they were able to get a flight to Boston together. He'd head straight to his parents'' house in Jamaica Plain while she'd catch a train to New York.
"So, let me get this straight-" Gabriella paused her movie. She was watching Sucker Punch on her iPod, getting to the part where Babydoll sliced the baby dragon's neck and Rocket looked away, trying not to puke at the nastiness. She turned on the movie when Rob fell asleep over an hour ago and there were no good movies on the TV. Now he was awake and was back to what he did best: bugging her. "Your dog basically dismissed you from your company duties."
Gabriella switched off her iPod, elbowed him hard in the gut, and scowled at her friend. Maybe the words seemed harmless in Rob's mind, but they took on a whole different meaning when they came out from his mouth. "Ain't nobody dismissed me, Robbie. Much less some scrawny little puppy who's afraid of his own shadow."
She wanted to wipe the smirk off his face. Well, actually, she wanted to more so punch it. But she chose the mature path and turned her attention back to her movie. Rob's amusement sobered up a bit and he nudged her shoulder.
"Scrawny little pup or not, he's still an ass for doing that to you." he said.
She rolled her eyes, but she wasn't as annoyed as she was before. Rob was right. Pup was an ass, an ass and coward. There was no reason for her to care, much less give them a second thought. It wasn't as if they were friends.
Sighing, Gabriella shrugged Rob off her and ran hand a through her hair. "Already forgotten. Besides, this is my winter vacation, and I plan on hanging loose when I get to New York. I have a million and one things I plan to do."
"And I can already think of one." Rob grabbed her close, humped against her, and groaned loudly, imitating a high-pitched girl's voice. "Yes, yes. Right there! Right there!"
"Cerado!" Gabriella laughed despite herself, pushing her horny friend away from her. Although Rob was a pervert, he wasn't wrong per say. If there happened to be a cute guy at some of the clubs who managed to get her attention, there was a chance she wasn't returning back empty-handed.
Their laughter caught the attention of a young attendant, who was a serving an older man two rows up. She was a pretty Asian with glossy black hair styled in a cute bob. She looked up at them, did a double take at Rob, and blushed lightly as she caught his eye. Biting her bottom lip, she returned her attention back to the man she was helping.
"And I think I found my partner." Rob whispered, pleased.
"Pig." she repeated herself, saying it in English.
He winked, and kept his eyes on the pretty stewardess. When she came to their row and asked if there was anything they needed, Rob gestured her to come closer and whispered in her ear. He didn't talk long. Winking at the girl again, smiling at her extremely flushed face, Rob causally made his way over to the restroom. A second or two later, the girl followed in his suit, looking both nervous and excited.
See it, lure it, and you have it. Mr. Don Juan Lewis had done it again.
Shaking her head, Gabriella returned to her movie. Later, as Blue walked into the girls' celebration of getting the second item off the list; she lowered her iPod and thought about what was going to await her in New York.
Her schedule was already packed. The Nativity Story once again sold out, so Cultural Blend would be performing a full audience of eight thousand people four nights a week. Her mornings filled with four to six hours of practices and rehearsals that had to be done over and over again. Her nights full with performing. And extra rehearsals and practices squeezed in between.
Thankfully, she had Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays off. She was going to catch up with some reading at her favorite café, do some shopping, explore, and definitely hit the clubs.
All and all, she was going to have fun.
And nothing, especially not blue-eyed pups or demons that were lurking in the shadows, were going to ruin that.
Gabriella calmly made her way inside the studio, tying her hair into a bun, not at all worried about the time. Sure, she was a bit late, though some might not take two and a half hours as a bit late, but she had good reasons.
It took forever for her flight to get to Boston because of bad communication. Then, her train went through a two-hour delay, thanks to confusion. She had to change in the train's restroom, which was cramp and small and reeked of shit and piss.
Nodding at some of the people she passed through that who called at her name, Gabriella noticed a list posted across the dance studio, where the rest of the dancers were going through warm-ups. The casting list to the Nativity Story, printed in fresh blue paper.
She glanced back at the dancers lined up in barras, practicing their plies, and then glanced at the list again. The minute the directors released them, the list were be surrounded by eager dance-maniacs, pushing and shoving each other, trying to get a peek at who was who. Hoping to see their name next to a great part. It was natural quantity in a dancer.
Since everyone was busy practicing and she was here all alone with the list, it seemed only fair she took the opportunity to see it.
Definitely fair, she thought. She walked over to the list, her dark eyes skimming through the names.
Emmanuel BarDell would be the pharaoh.
Cynthiana DeTwan and Mark Davis, an actually couple in real life, as Mary and Joseph.
Gabriel Pierce, the very delicious French-native that joined last summer, as the angel Gabriel.
Her eyes scanned down till she found her name. Gabriella Montez…the Northern Star. It was a very amazing role, being one of the very few solos and one of few starring moments. A role many of the female, and some male, dancers have been after. A role that was given to her.
Gabriella felt a sense of pride.
As she heard the soft sound of the music coming to an end, she quickly made her way inside. Making sure she wasn't seen, she ran over to the iPod deck hidden in the back, holding Madame's iPod. The moment the song was over, she switched it with hers and played Rihanna's Where Have You Been.
I've been everywhere, man
Looking for someone
Someone who can please me
Love me all night long
I've been everywhere, man
Looking for you babe
Looking for you babe
Searching for you babe
Startled by the sudden song, heads turned to the back, where a smirking Gabriella was waving at their stunned faces. Not minding the attention, Gabriella confidently walked up to the center of the room, noticing several dancers following behind her.
Where have you been
Cause I never see you out
Are you hiding from me, yeah?
Somewhere in the crowd
At the snap of her fingers, Gabriella led her dance group through the song with a blend of African and Caribbean moves Debbie taught them two summers ago, ending with a double flip and landing perfectly on her feet, dropping to her knees.
"Gabriella Montez, everybody!" Bruno laughed, his clapping the most energetic out of the applause. He shut off her iPod and hugged her tightly, lifting her off the ground. His grip tightened as he felt her struggling. "Glad to see my favorite hot tamela still has some spice in her."
"Funny," Gabriella wheezed, half-struggling in her arms and allowing him to hug her. "I'm pretty sure you're squeezing the spice out of me."
Laughing again, Bruno set her down, but not before laying two wet pecks on her cheeks. He quickly moved away before she could elbow him. "And still feisty as ever."
"And still fashionably late as always." Gabriella smirked before looking back at Len, who frowned at her lateness.
She batted her lashed innocently, putting on a sweet voice. "Me being late keeps the world from chaos. And we wouldn't want it to tilt over if something messed with the natural order, now would we, Len?"
Everyone couldn't help but laugh, even Len though he was trying to keep a straight face. But the laughter was cut short by the loud sound by a tap that sounded more like thunder. The dancers turned back to the familiar redhead director who wasn't as amused as the others.
Dark chestnut cane in hand, eyes narrowed coolly, Madame Gorksi was a force to be reckoned with. If the company was ranked as an army, she would the top, legendary commander and general who had only two side to her: strict and mean, which was too hard to handle, and downright nasty and strict if you got on her bad side. As head director, she decided every dancer's part in every dance. In other words, she pretty much decided the fate of every dancer in the company.
Judging by the ice-frostiness in her eyes quickly turning icy, Gabriella knew she got on Madame's bad side. Again.
"Remind me, Miss Montez," the Polish woman said her name slowly, scolding her. "Was my email not clear? Did I or did I not make it perfectly clear I wanted you to be here on time?"
Gabriella knew it wasn't a question; still she felt the need to plead her case, at least for her own entertainment. "Madame, you know inconvenient Americans can be with their tardiness and laziness. Also, I needed to make presentable for rehearsals." She gestured toward the leotard and white tights-clad body. "I wouldn't want to give people the wrong impression that the dancers don't take themselves seriously."
Shaking her head, Madame said "Dancers, take break. You, Miss Montez, stay behind. We have things to discuss."
Sure enough, the second the dancers were freed, they rushed outside to the casting list. In less than five seconds, Gabriella heard cries of excitement and frustration. The loudest one she heard, a cross between a crying fit and cursing scream, came from Tracy Bell, her rival since their ballerina Tiny-Tot days. Tracy believed she was the primadonna ballerina, who deserved every great part, including the Northern Star.
A part that was bestowed to Gabriella.
The rebellious Latina couldn't contain her smirk, hearing the prima-diva's screaming and cursing, but tried to keep it to a minimum as Madame stomped her cane again, demanding her attention.
"Have long have you been dancing for me, Miss Montez?"
"For eleven years."
"Then you know how I feel about tardiness."
It was the top thing she didn't tolerate. Nothing angered the Madame more than someone arriving late. A minute late to someone was half an hour to her.
Gabriella was calmly still as Madame walked in a circle around her, saying "Since you missed two hours of practice, I think it's only fair that you make it for the lost time with a full day practice today and tomorrow."
So much for her plans for sleeping in late. She'd be practicing until nine, and then tomorrow she'd be here at seven in the morning and leave at the same time.
She pulled away from her thoughts as she heard the rest of Madame's words. "Miss Bell came to me, and thought I should re-think my casting choice. She says if a dancer can't do something simple such as coming to rehearsal on time, then it shows how very little she's committed to dancing,"
Her brow raised lightly, the only indication Gabriella was caught off guard. She made a note to herself to get back Little Miss Snuck-up Prissy later. Right now, she had to deal with the fact Madame was questioning her love for dancing. A love she of all people knew how much meant the world to her. How it was one of the rare things in life that actually brought her any joy.
Madame stopped right in her, studying her intently. Gabriella put on her best poker face, expressionless and cool, revealing nothing. "It then made me rethink about what it means to be a dancer. How one shines from the thousands of others who strive for the same thing. How one can exactly show their commitment to something that offers no exact guarantee. And I finally reached a decision."
She surprised her young student by lifting her chin up, meeting her eyes directly on her, allowing a soft smile to smoothen the harsh lines on her faces, which instantly made her look even more striking. Unearthly beautiful in a way. "Miss Montez, you have many flaws within. It's typical for any person. Even for a dancer, there's not one that doesn't carry one fault in some way or another. Though you have difficulty with punctuality, you have qualities within Miss Bell failed to mention," Her hand moved over to Gabriella's cheek, which she held gently, in a mother-like affectionate style. "The heart, which is the most crucial, most important part of a dancer."
"A dancer's ability can only go far. It's her heart and her spirit that decide how far." Gabriella recited Madame's famous saying she practically drilled into every student's head from the second they entered her dance academy. She made it clear to them it took more than good feet and perfection to make a perfect dancer. A perfect dancer was one with the unique technique, style, but more importantly was the passion that was shown through the dances.
It then hit Gabriella what her teacher was telling her. She smiled at Madame, who nodded approvingly with a gleam in her eye. "And you, my little wolny duch, have all those qualities and more that shows to me you're clearly committed to your dancing."
With that said, the stern hard-core ballet teacher melted away into the familiar mother figure. Gabriella did little to resist walking into Madame's open arms and holding her tightly, feeling Madame's arms wrap around her with the same measure of fierceness. She allowed herself to relish in the warmth that came from the feeling.
"I've missed you, Madame." she murmured so quietly it was almost inaudible.
Gabriella couldn't see Madame's nod, but she felt it. She also felt in as Madame tightened her hold on her, and patted her head, stroking her hair.
"And I've missed you as well."
Gabriella eased herself onto the black leather recliner, pulling the chair back and propping her feet up. She had all but collapsed into pure exhaustion, her body aching from the intense eight hour rehearsals.
Back at Albuquerque, a certain someone she chose not to call by name thought she was hard-core. Although Gabriella prided herself in being a dancing manic, that was nothing compared to Madame Gorksi. A person would know the true meaning of pain by the time she was done with them. And that was only warm-ups. Going beyond that, with her guidance, you'll feel so tired and in so much pain you'd wonder to yourself why not end it.
The said woman came back into the living room, carrying an ice-pack in one hand while balancing a tray consisting of a kettle of hot tea, two cups, and Holiday-themed sugar cookies in the other. She handed Gabriella a cup she filled with honey-scented tea and the ice, and then took her seat in the couch across from her.
"Thank you, Madame." Gabriella pressed the ice against her ankle that was aching and swollen from all the twirling and leaping she put it through.
Madame nodded her head slightly, accepting her gratitude. She poured a teaspoon of guar into her tea and took a sip. "Although I do take pride of my home, the Plaza is considered, as I believe you young people say, 'the hot spot.'"
Gabriella shrugged with a half smirk as she took a sip of her tea, glancing around the earthly-tone interior.
Madame's apartment was a very fancy, very luxurious penthouse, one of the very best in the Upper East Side. It was Blair Waldorf's from the Gossip Girl, but twice as big and twice as glamorous while maintaining very basic simplicity. Gabriella herself wasn't one for glamour; she had to admit Madame's place was the best.
However, Madame wasn't kidding about her apartment. Though the penthouse was nice, it was nothing compared to the Plaza Hotel. It was where most of the company was staying, while some, like Madame, were staying in their New York homes or apartments or staying with a friend.
The Plaza was nice, but Gabriella preferred staying with Madame. She'd be in her master guestroom with her own private bathroom instead of bunking it in a suite with three other girls. She didn't need to worry about paying for room service, which the company's expense didn't cover, since the apartment was fully stocked. And, this was something she'd never admit out loud; she thought her mentor's place was homey.
"Plaza's cool but this is definitely better. I have privacy, free food, and get to save some money." Gabriella said.
She noticed the knowing look in Madame's eyes. She obviously knew as well as Gabriella there was more. That didn't mean she was going to spill, of course.
"Is East High finally improving to your likings?" Madame asked her, changing the subject. "Should I inform your former principal, Miss Lin, LaGuardia has some competition?"
Her response was an annoyed eye roll. Competition? Please. She may be been quite the infamous troublemaker at her old school, but she'd take it any day over Corny East High. Their main focus was sports, which Gabriella could care less about. Their dance team was another cheerleading squad. The classes were pretty much useless to her, except for Creative Literature that was the only one she took seriously and was one of her favorites. It was the only thing that made it worthwhile coming to school.
"I don't get why the hell it's so important I had to continue school. I already have more than enough credits to graduate," Gabriella angrily bit off Santa's frosted head. "It's not like I'm learning anything useful there."
Madame watched as her pupil stuffed her face with another big cookie, biting it angrily, as if it could somehow ease her tension. "You know perfectly well, Gabriella, the court decided you needed to continue school," Gabriella rolled her eyes again, but it didn't offend Madame. It made her say her next comment. "Your brother also believed it was the best thing for you."
She noticed the slight flinch of Gabriella. It wasn't so much as a flinch, but more so a tension going through her body that made her still momentarily before she went back to her cookie. She murmured something under her breath; words Madame didn't understand but knew they weren't a compliment to him.
"Have you and he finally talked?"
Gabriella's head snapped back to her teacher, her calm words completely constrast to the hardness in her eyes. "There's nothing to talk about."
Madame's dark brown brow hitched up slightly in disbelief. "Nothing to talk about."
Gabriella shrugged, indifferently. Suddenly, she wished she had a cigarette with her, but Madame wouldn't tolerate it. "Nothing worth talking about."
Madame put her tea and stared right into Gabriella's cool eyes. "Odd, because to me what happened that night seems very worthy for discussion."
Gabriella's grip on the tea handle nearly crushed the thing to pieces. She forced herself to remain calm and indifferent. Eyes narrowed, she said "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Now Madame was the one who narrowed. If there was one thing she couldn't tolerate, other than tardiness and swearing, it was liars. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, young lady," Her hard voice left no room for discussion. "That night when I received a call from a policeman informing about a horrific event-"
"Can we just drop it!" Gabriella said.
Madame continued, unfazed. "One involving neglectful mother suffering from a chronic arrest, a drug-dealer and a pimp-"
"Shut up!" Gabriella shot up from her seat, her fists tightly clenched.
"And the most tragic of them all," Madame took in Gabriella's form. Her tiny body trembling, despite the fact she was trying to hold it all together. Tears blurring her eyes. "Her daughter who was trying to get her mother out of there got mixed in the crossfire. She nearly lost her life. A life that meant very little to a certain, hateful woman known as Maria-"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP! " Gabriella was though with talking. She was screaming. Tears were coming up, threatening to burst out of her. She was trying so hard to hold it all in.
When she opened her eyes, overwhelmed by the tears burning in her eyes, Madame stared back at her. Silent, still, but the look in her eyes spoke volumes. It was a look of sympathetic, understanding, but there was also hints of pity in her eyes, which made it even more worse.
Gabriella bit her bottom lip, tasting the blood filling in her bad. No matter how badly her eyes stung, no matter how shaken her body was with tears, she refused to cry. Even in front of Madame. "I'm still a bit jet-lagged from the trip," She was happy, despite the turmoil going on inside her, her voice was steady. "I'm going to go lay down."
She passed by Madame without a second glance and went inside the room, shutting the door softly behind her and making sure it was lock. She could feel her will crumpling by the massive amount building up inside her. The damned tears refused to be ignored. And there was nothing she could do to about it.
And least not without help.
Gabriella grabbed her teal-blue, battered suitcase, unzipped it, and through the contents, digging into the very contents of her bag until she found her reliever: a strong bottle of bourdon she brought along with her for emergencies.
Bottoms up, she thought, gulping down a big swing.
AN: AHOLA ET READERS. I KNOW IT'S LATE BUT CONSIDER THIS CHAPTER AS A HAPPY NEW YEAR AND CHRISTMAS GIFT. I know, i know. There wasn't much Troyella action, but I thought this one was neccessary to do. To see just what exactly the demons Gabriella's been pushing aside.
aLSO I have a request. For anyone good with photoshop and banners, is there a chance one of you could help me make one for this story. But more importantly, any of you have ideas on what should happen next? Message me.
Peace out.