⎼⎼⎼ 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖋𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 ➵ 𝑏.𝑓.

039

the author speaks:
this was the chapter where overdreamy
made me my first nice cover. hugs <3

pressley

i'm happy. so happy that mikki is back and that we're no longer in that idiotic rut we had gotten stuck in. i slotted myself into the seat next to her on the bus. she took out her earbuds and grinned at me.

"hey press," she greeted, "sorry, i'll move my bag."

"you forgive me right?" i asked, a little apprehensive.

"yeah," she smiled, "no hard feelings. and if you want to talk to connor..." mikki held out her phone.

i pushed it away. "maybe later," i choked.

she shrugged. "suit yourself."

"you know, brady really missed you," i nudged, looking at her. mikki gave a vague half-smile that told me nothing.

"i missed him too."

"you like him, don't you?"

"so what if i do?" she said, cocking her head as she looked at me. my mouth fell open in a squeal. she slapped my mouth to keep me quiet and hissed.

"press, i don't want the whole of pittsburgh to hear you scream," she said, dismissing paris' surprised look with a grin.

"you like-" i began

"as if you didn't already know," mikki grumbled.

i opened my mouth again, closed it and coughed. "mikki!"

"what?"

"he likes you back, you know that?" i teased, poking her shoulder. she gave that vague smile again, but i could tell she was excited.

⤎⎼༌·⋱🩰⋰⋆༌⎼⤏

brady

berkleigh had parked herself next to me. "hi brady!" she squeaked.

"hi," i replied, watching pressley struggle against mikki's strangle.

"so do you think we'll do well today?" she said cheerfully, putting her fluorescent pink bag on the floor. it was seriously an offence to the eyes.

i don't know what came over me at that particular moment. "if you actually dance well."

she didn't seem the least bit upset. "i will. watch me, i'll get in the team for sure."

i mumbled a half response, still shocked at my savage outburst.

i spent the rest of the trip pretending to listen to berkleigh while actually listening to music, intermittently watching mouse talk with press and going over the group routine in my head.

"and then i won first place," she finished matter-of-factly.

"mmm," i mumbled, putting my head on the back of the seat.

"off the bus everyone!" the driver called. i practically ran over berkleigh, getting out. mikki was already off, now putting pins in her hair. i gave an exaggerated sigh. she continued to fix her fly-aways. i sighed again.

"brady, stop breathing on me."

i gave a whine. "why are you so mean?"

she turned around and raised an eyebrow. i laughed. "your time off really got your confidence up."

mouse gave me a smile. "why were you releasing gas from your mouth so aggressively?"

"i had to sit with berkleigh the whole trip," i moaned, putting my head on her shoulder.

"bet you had the best time," she said sarcastically, waving at the screaming mob of people.

"she just talked about how she won everything she ever entered."

"lovely. abby'll love her."

"i really hope she doesn't get in."