==Hi, everyone! I have started school again and was bombarded by homework and projects immediately, so that's where a lot of my free time has gone for the past couple of weeks. But I had enough time this weekend to get my crap together and change things up for this chapter. The only thing I must admit is that I've probably been watching too much Storage Wars lately and got inspiration to make the content somewhat entertaining XD Anyway, I thank you all for being patient with me when it comes to releasing chapters. As you can probably tell, my education has to come before anything else, but that won't stop me from doing what I love doing the most! Please enjoy and review!==
Tiësto & KSHMR - "Secrets" feat. Vassy
Stay awhile, stay awhile. And Imma make it worth your while, worth your while. Stay awhile, stay awhile. And Imma go the extra mile, extra mile. Boy, if you wait until the lights go down, I got some tricks that'll have you screaming out. So stay awhile, stay awhile. And Imma make it worth your while, worth your while.
Haunted: Collapse into Caliginosity
Chapter 53:
Worth Your While
Today was opening day. It was the start of the breakdance tournament that would last throughout the summer. Linus, Trent, and I have been waiting for this day for far too long. This would be the year we came first in the AAA division, but competition wasn't always easy. Gazing around at the other groups while I stood in the short line made me wonder if we were in over our heads. Behind me was a group of three guys known as the Killer Bees, because, well, they wear a lot of black and yellow on the dance floor. In front of me was another group called Morphisis, but they were new and I wasn't too sure of how good they were.
Making my appearance to earn Poison Posse's place in line caught many people's attention. It was a reminder that they had a run for their money when it came to how big of a sponsor we would get. Our submitted promotional video would determine who wanted us the most, and we were going to find out before noon. A sponsor meant the winning team would receive a certain amount of money for the entire tournament. We get to buy our slots at desired venues, be the host of a battle, or use the money to enhance our ways of training. However, teams couldn't use the money to cheat their way through their division or buy out other teams to ensure a win (the people who ran the tournament were responsible for putting together battles.) But regardless of how much money the sponsor was willing to put on the line, it was clear that the team with the biggest sponsor got the better rewards.
Poison Posse was always a favored team among potential sponsors, mostly because of how popular and exciting our battles were. Since more people typically tuned in to watch us compete compared to other teams, we were a good team to use as advertisement. It was also a gamble to an extent. A lot of advertisement depended on how long a team remained in the tournament. If you got eliminated early on, a big sponsor would more than likely skip out on you next year. To summarize, the pressure was on to get good money and to do good.
"See that babe? There goes my baby!" someone catcalled in my direction. "Where's your team, baby girl?"
I didn't give a reaction so they would get bored and leave me alone. Meanwhile, I kept my gaze lowered and focused on my cell phone as I texted Linus and Trent about where they were. We all had to be present for the sponsor's auction, or else we were done before we even started.
Standing out in the building heat was becoming uncomfortable. More teams joined in the line to go inside the hangar. We were having to wait so long because AA division teams were finishing up their bidding and getting the place cleared out for a fresh batch of company representatives to get settled in. There were also AAAA teams gathering in the square for their segment, but that wouldn't be for another couple of hours. They were more interested in the collapsible stations being managed by vendors to earn money because they had merchandise about breakdancing and the tournament. I had to admit, the station that had customizable shirts was tempting to me.
My stomach growled hard enough for me to feel the vibrations. I cringed, hoping nobody heard it.
Should've asked for Trent to bring me some damn crackers or something, I mentally cursed.
"Found ya!" someone cheered as he grabbed the sides of my arms.
I shuddered from being startled. "God, I hate you sometimes," I stated, feeling Trent snuggle me as an apology. "Where've you been?"
"We got stuck in traffic," Linus answered. "And can I just say that I'm so glad you're wearing a neon green shirt. We could spot you a mile away."
I saw their old camouflage Poison Posse shirts and realized we didn't match. "Ugh, didn't we agree to wear last year's shirt?"
"I thought we said to wear the oldest one," Trent claimed.
"Whatever. You got a snack by any chance? I forgot to eat breakfast."
He shrugged. "Sorry. I didn't the memo in time."
I exaggerated a pout. "But I'm hun-gwee."
"I'll feed you in a couple hours. Now tell me, how exactly did you get fired?"
Linus's eyes widened. "You got fired?"
"I sure did," I admitted without difficulty.
"Are you okay? You seem like you've cried yourself dry just overnight."
His sentence made surrounding eyes focus on me from within the line. "First of all," I began, annoyed, "I did not cry about it. Second of all, it's not even that big of a deal."
"I thought you loved your job," Trent spoke.
"I did, but things happened. I screwed up, and it cost me this time."
"What're you gonna do now?"
"I'm gonna do what I've been doing: make music. I'm an entrepreneur. I can make my own money. Plus now I got more time for you guys."
An earsplitting ring tore through the atmosphere, causing everyone to shield their ears in the square. My eardrums ached after it silenced. "Attention all AAA division teams," a man spoke through many speakers, "your potential sponsors are ready for evaluation and bidding. Please proceed into the hangar and find your designated area."
"It's about fucking time!" someone voiced nearby as chattering sounded in all directions.
AAAA division teams stepped out of the way to let the rest of us go inside. It was organized but also chaotic trying to get everyone through the doors, our team checked off the official roster, and getting grouped together in our reserved seats.
This renovated airplane hangar was once owned by people with big money who needed a place to keep their private jets, but as Ninjago City developed and expanded farther out, planes could no longer be transported here. It was sold to person to person for a few years, being transformed almost every year into what they thought would be a new place to come for a good time, but instead, it became a money pit for owners who couldn't make money out of it.
A few years ago, before the entire place was going to be demolished, the founders of the Ninjago City Breakdance Tournament took it upon themselves to give the hangar one last go. They needed a headquarters to run their tournament in and host other important events. The annual auction was held here, and on the other side of the metal gate that was used as a wall was an area ran by artists; they only needed a can of spray paint to create a masterpiece. The artists were responsible for a key component for the tournament, and that was the sponsor cars. For what I knew, the sponsor cars are a part of how people knew what they were watching on television. The sponsor that won a team in the auction had the ability to host a battle through the acquired team. It was indicated who was hosting by what company had their label spray painted along the side of a vehicle. The best part was that somehow technology became advanced enough to produce a spray paint that washed off with soap and water, which was good for whoever was allowing their vehicle to be handled for a night.
"You think your Ferrari will be a sponsor car again?" Linus asked me as we sat down.
"I hope so. Look at all these high executives. Surely the one who buys us will be smart enough to not miss the opportunity."
The entire front section of seats was full of men and women dressed in business suits, ready to make business deals for their bosses. As soon as videos began playing on the big screen, phones would come out of pockets to ensure the right amount of money was being offered. The screen flipped slides about what sponsors were present and what teams were in the AAA division all in alphabetical order. Solar Athletics caught my eye because of their brand being high quality athletic clothing, but there was also Voltage, a popular cellular network.
Reading the list of twelve AAA teams made me think about how tight competition was this year. Alien Abduction was a team who couldn't seem to get their crap together in the years I've been competing. Catscratch had skill, but being able to work hard was always a challenge for them. Dragon Age was one we needed to look out for, because one mistake could spell disaster for the entire battle. Hood Ratz recently had one of their guys leave and another one come up to fill the space, so there was a chance they needed to take a couple years to rebuild their reputation. Jaguar Junction had three back-to-back-to-back tournament wins under their belt from four years ago. Killer Bees were a new team that overtook a veteran team called Red Alert, and I had no clue what they had to bring to the table. Monstrosity was now the oldest team in the AAA division with four tournament wins claimed in years past. Poison Posse was next on the list, and hopefully the most anticipated to see a preview of. Slain was known to bring all they got in the first few minutes of all their battles to rack up enough points from the judges. The Sporadics was the team we competed against in Jamanakai Village to get people excited for the tournament. Triplettt was a team of triplet brothers who grew up in a gymnastics setting; they took a tournament win from us last year, and reading their name reminded me that they were our toughest competition. The last team on the list was The Wanted, and they have been tournament runner-ups five different times.
At least ten minutes passed before one of the tournament's co-owners took the stage. "Welcome to the Ninjago Breakdance Tournament," the dark haired man in his mid-forties announced through a microphone. "My name is John Cranjis, and I am a co-owner of this franchise. This is the AAA division auction, and also the tournament's opening day for the year. Before we begin, please direct your attention to the touch screen devices attached to your seats."
The business people picked up the electronics and listened.
"You will use your designated device to place your bidding for the twelve teams that are present. We will begin with a video that represents what a team has to offer this summer and then proceed with the auction."
The back section of seats erupted in anxious cheering. I could already imagine the amount of money we would receive for the entire summer. Hundreds to thousands of dollars was in the air right now, and it all depended on how well our team was presented in our video that was submitted a long time ago.
"First up, we got Alien Abduction."
There was no waiting for the introduction, but it immediately began with a dark scene that was interrupted by a white beam. I had to grapple Linus's wrist on the armrest as the video showed gray aliens being beamed down to the earth. He glanced at me and saw how I was trying my hardest to keep it together while having to watch how obviously bad the graphics were.
"Don't you dare," he lowly muttered through gritted teeth. "They're sitting right behind us."
The muscles in my face clenched for so long that tears were forced from my eyes. I had to keep silent while slightly vibrating. Going into a fit of laughter was not an easy thing to prevent for me, especially since this wasn't the place to create bad blood between teams. Yeah, this was important for everyone who participated, but it was also a tightly knit community. We enjoyed each other as friends during after the tournament.
I snapped back to reality when the aliens in the video manifested into human disguises, who were the three dancers in the team. We got a sneak peek into what kind of skills they've developed this past year and impressive combinations they've practiced to perfection. Their names, height, and weight flew across the screen as their twisted bodies remained suspended in the air. The bad graphics were dismissed from my brain until they made another appearance with a UFO. It swiped the three back into outer space, where "Alien Abduction" flashed in enough frames to get the company executives ready to begin bidding through their devices.
The screen returned to the slide that showed the present companies. Before our very eyes, the entire room exploded with noise the moment a hundred dollars appeared. It quickly became a blur because of all the flashing boxes indicating that a price was taken. But not even a minute passed when the blur began to slow down.
"Damn. They already got a thousand bucks on the line," Linus commented as a big fat number one appeared in front of the other three growing digits.
The peak of the bidding slowed down around fifteen-hundred dollars because only Jinxed - a breath mint company - and MPH Radio were the ones still going at it. The price reluctantly surpassed two-thousand dollars and stalled with Jinxed having the final bid. A time of five seconds counted down.
"Sold to Jinxed!" John announced. "Alien Abduction has won two-thousand two-hundred dollars in sponsor money. Jinxed has requested you receive new team uniforms for your first battle of the tournament. Please step outside to negotiate future deals with your new sponsor."
Two well dressed men stood up from the crowd in the front section. Alien Abduction shuffled from their seats to the side door in order to speak with Jinxed's representatives.
"Up next is Catscratch," John continued.
The sound of a purring cat commenced, only to be interrupted by a deep growl and a snarl. A tiger leapt into the frame. Its scarred eye scanned the territory and found it to be invaded by the three still dancers. The predatory feline went in for the attack, but the dancers were too fast with their moves and combinations. When the tiger got too tired to pursue them anymore, they tamed it, allowing their names, height, and weight to be shared in big black letters. The video ended with a chain around the tiger's neck and the three dancers standing in powerful stances. "Catscratch" jumped into full view with an indomitable roar and claw marks tearing through the letters.
The room became hectic again with an even bigger price attached to the screen that was a blur for more than a minute. One-thousand turned into two-thousand, and even got past three-thousand to our amazement. Voltage and Crystalline Water - a bottled water industry - fought for the top price, which was exceeding three-thousand six-hundred dollars pretty quickly. I was rooting for Crystalline Water because I would rather have Voltage getting us instead, considering they were willing to donate a huge amount of money to a good team.
"Sold to Voltage!"
Spoke too soon.
"Catscratch has won three-thousand eight-hundred dollars. Voltage requests to host a battle and new uniforms."
Voltage's representatives and Catscratch exited the vicinity.
"Next is Dragon Age."
Green scales slithered past the screen with "Dragon Age" bleeding into view. Heavy footsteps could be heard, along with a lasting breath of a magnificent beast. The dragon glided through the peaceful air, but directed its attention to the ground. Once it landed with a loud thud, its wings closed. Surprisingly, two more joined it, and as the focus switched to how menacing the eyes were, the bodies shrunk. The three dancers reopened their eyes to reveal how they remained to be the same, which was clever because they always had creepy contacts as part of their uniform.
They all danced together to pull off classic stunts that were worth many points in battles. All the different camera angles and slow motion enhanced the quality of everything presented. Names, height, and weight appeared, bringing the video to its close with the three glaring at us with their abnormal yellow eyes.
A third round of bidding commenced, and it exceeded three-thousand dollars between Good Fellas' Towing and ExtremeFlyers - a skydiving company. "One more time! One more time!" Dragon Age chanted when the price stalled right at three-thousand nine-hundred dollars with Good Fellas' Towing holding the top bid. The timer counted from five to one, and one number suddenly jumped to four-thousand dollars. Dragon Age celebrated next to us, giving each other high-fives.
"Sold to ExtremeFlyers!" John announced after the timer restarted and finished. "Dragon Age has received exactly four-thousand dollars and new uniforms. Please step outside with your new sponsor." The five individuals left as the next video was being prepared. "The next team is Hood Ratz," he finished.
A hint of curiosity entered my mind as the video started with a perspective facing a dark alleyway. This would be the first time anyone saw their newest team member. He could be a rookie or someone with experience that has competed in the past. They haven't publicly shared that information until today.
The leader of Hood Ratz, Kyle Buchanan, stepped out from the shadows, followed by a second member, who I recognized as Peter Kenning. The third guy made my jaw drop.
I've seen those amber eyes before...And that attractive face who could make me blush with one innocent look. "Rollin is their new recruit?" I blurted out.
"Shh!" people annoying shushed around me.
I gulped, not being able to focus on the video. Last time I encountered Rollin, he visited me in the hospital for my minor accident. He brought me flowers and promised to come to tonight's battle...but he didn't specify that he was going to be a part of it. Linus, Trent, and I already knew we were battling Hood Ratz tonight. Did he think they were going to beat us? Was he going to guilt trip me with his good looks and convince me to throw the whole tournament away for him? Hostility toward him built up inside my bones like a brewing hurricane. He lied to me, and now I wasn't going to let him play games with me anymore.
"Macca, are you okay?" Candy questioned me as she sat on the floor in front of me.
My fingers gripped the edge of the armrest. "Yes."
"Did you actually like that guy?"
I glared at her.
"You've gotta be kidding me."
"What?"
"Let me get this straight, you've only met this guy one other time, and you've fallen head over heels for him, but you've been with Zane a bunch of times, and you refuse to pursue a relationship with him?"
"Can we quit talking about the same shit, Candy?"
"I just can't wrap my head around how ignorant you are! Maybe this is what you deserve. You deserve to have your heart broken again, and again, and again until you learn your lesson. Stop falling for jerks and maybe you'll actually be happy. If you gave Zane a chance, surely you'd surprise yourself."
Sudden noise from bidding brought me back to reality. Hundreds of dollars grew to two-thousand dollars. The price stopped at two-thousand four-hundred.
"Sold to MPH Radio! Hood Ratz has been given two-thousand four-hundred dollars and new uniforms. Please greet your new sponsor, guys."
The three dancers stood and walked out the same set of doors the other teams have used to get out. My eyes followed Rollin out. He never looked back.
"Next we have Jaguar Junction."
The doors closed behind the five men that went out to discuss business. The new video began, but I wasn't watching it. I was too angry to care.
"Where are you going?" Linus and Trent asked me when I got up to follow them out.
"Bathroom," I grimly answered, not faltering my stride.
I kept quiet on the other side of the doors. Conversations rang out along a nearby hallway. Representatives were having conferences with the teams they sponsored. There was the sound of a door closing far down. The echo resounded all the way to me, practically begging me to go find it.
At one point toward the end of the hallway, my ear was pressed against doors. I was unsure if I could even recognize his voice anymore, but my anger drove me with the desire to give him a piece of my mind, so continued until I got too frustrated.
Just chill out for a second. Maybe this is just all a misunderstanding.
I pressed my back against a wall and just sat down. When he came out, I would pull him aside and have a little chat with him. My phone came out of my pocket so I could check the time.
Twelve-fifty. You have twenty-five minutes at most. Rollin, I swear to god that you better not screw around with me.
The crossword puzzle on my phone wasn't even halfway done when the door I was right next to opened. I shook from being startled, but didn't say a word when two business men exited and said their goodbyes to the three dancers. Kyle Buchanan, a dirty blonde with brown eyes, noticed me sitting right next to them. "Macca Soxx?" he nervously said.
Peter gazed at me while Rollin offered his hand to me. "Can I talk to you?" I asked the amber-eyed man.
"U-Uh, yeah. Go on without me, guys," he requested.
They raised eyebrows, but left us alone. Once they were far enough away, I spoke up. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"They didn't want me to," he confessed, guilt filling his eyes. "Kyle said he needed to 'keep his wild card a secret.' I'm sorry if you feel like I lied to you, but I kind of just thought that this would be a pleasant surprise to you."
I crossed my arms.
"But you don't seem to find the surprise pleasant," he pointed out. "I'm sorry, Macca. I really wanted to tell you, but I was trying to make a good impression with them and I didn't want to screw everything up. The truth is that I think you're unbelievably beautiful, and I would've told you if I could've. You know what I mean?"
My gaze softened as I broke eye contact with him. This was the beginning of the guilt-tripping. I could tell.
"Are you gonna try to sabotage me now?"
"What? Of course not. I've been in this tournament plenty of times before. I do it for the thrill, not for money or fame. I feel honored to compete against a legend like you." He gently coaxed one of my arms free so he could interlock fingers with me. "Besides, I'd like to get to know you more after we're out of the tournament tonight. We can throw a party for the audience beforehand. I don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty good at karaoke."
A smile formed across my face. "What do you mean by a party?"
"Well, you know how there's always a guest star before every battle in the tournament to put on a show for the audience?"
"Yeah?"
"I mentioned doing something with you to our sponsor dudes. They thought it was a good idea. They opted to stay until you get your sponsor so that arrangements could officially be made. That is, if you're even interested."
"Oh yeah, I'm interested-"
"Woohoo!" he cheered, tucking his hands under my armpits to lift me into the air. "You're the best, Macca Soxx!" He lowered me back down and pinned me against the wall, locking lips with mine. I barely had time to react. A fresh wave of oxygen clouded my thoughts. I pushed against his chest to be released. This wasn't what I was planning to happen, but at the same time...I liked it. It's been too long since I've kissed someone.
Candy was watching the event unfold. I caught a glimpse of her on the brink of tears over his shoulder. "You're a traitor!" she screamed at me with all her might. "You're a hypocrite! I hate you!"
So...Macca's in a pretty confusing time in her life right now. What do you think will happen? Please review your opinion!
Kai4Ever - Don't worry about it! Welcome back! :D