The Girl I Wanna Be (Dance Moms Fanfic) - Discontinued

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Paige sat on that swing for three more hours. Her phone had died and everything became still. Like nothing had happened. Like she had slipped into some different universe. Crickets and frogs croaked and the swing made a small creaking sound. The rumble of distant cars got closer and closer until Paige knew a car was right behind her. It was Brooke in her new boyfriend’s car. Paige climbed in the back and went home. Chloe and Maddie got picked up right as Paige got home.

For the last two weeks of summer, Paige didn’t talk to anyone from dance. She woke up in the morning spent the day by the pool, the afternoon watching a movie, and then various nightly activities. The last night of summer had came, and Josh wanted to go to the fair. Josh invited Mikey over so they could get ready together. Like they were girls or something. Paige sat on the leather couch in the basement watching TV and snacking on a bag of popcorn. Brooke was up in her room crying over her heart break from that boy she went to the fair with, Claudia was with her. Paige heard feet rumbling down the stairs and she knew Mikey and Josh were coming to get her.

“We’re going to the fair, wanna come?” Josh asked.

“Who are you going with?” Paige asked, shoving a small handful of popcorn into her mouth.

Mikey smiled and looked over Paige. He noticed her golden brown legs and her bleach blonde, curly hair. Mikey still was trying to land something with Maddie, though Paige wasn’t sure why. Maddie was in the sixth grade for crying out loud! Why wouldn’t Mikey want someone like Paige? Tall, tan, and blonde? And his own age? Paige caught onto Mikey’s steady gaze. She smirked and gave a little wave.

“I asked Chloe to go, and Mike here asked Maddie. Is that okay?” Josh asked with his hands in his pockets.  He rocked from his heels to his toes. Believe it or not, Josh and Paige were really close and Josh really liked to hang out with his little sister.

“Can’t you put your fight behind you and move on? They’re your best friends.” Mikey said, speaking for the first time since they had came down the stairs.

Paige looked between the two boys before grabbing a few more puffs of corn and popping them into her mouth. “I don’t know.” She whined.

“Paige c’mon, it’s the last day of summer. We’re going back to school tomorrow, we have to have some fun. You can’t just stay inside and watching the very handsome, very hunky Channing Tatum all night.” Josh said, pointing towards the TV.

“Fine.” Paige said. “But if you guys will be with a girl, I’m just going to be the fifth wheel.”

“Oh, that’s what we forgot to say. The only way Mom is going to drop us off is if we have a chaperone. It was up to me and I said Nick. I mean, he lives down the road and we all know him, except Mikey here.” Josh said, hitting the back of his hand on Mikey’s chest.

“Alright. When are we leaving?” Paige asked.

“In like an hour maybe.” Josh said. “Go get ready while we watch sports.”

Josh plopped down onto the couch, reaching across Paige and grabbing a handful of popcorn before stuffing his mouth. Paige giggled and rolled her eyes as she stood up and walked towards the stairs. Two flights of stairs later, Paige was in her bedroom going through her closet. So maybe Paige didn’t have a date, but she had Nick and they’d still have fun together. Paige pulled out a pair of jean shorts that stopped half way down her thigh and then a t-shirt. It was an old gray t-shirt. She could barely read what was written on it, but she was sure it was one of Josh’s old hockey t-shirts. Paige wiped on some lip balm and slid her feet into a pair of flip flops and ran down the stairs. Maddie and Chloe stood in the foyer.

“Oh, hey.” Paige weakly smiled.

“Paigey are you really going to wear that on a date?” Maddie laughed.

“I’m not going on a date. It’s just the fair…” Paige said, tightening her grip on the hand rail near the stairs.

“Well we’re going on dates,” Chloe said. “I’m with Josh and Maddie is with Mikey. Who are you going with?”

“Josh said that Nick was coming, so I was just going to hang out with him.” Paige awkwardly took a step back up the stairs. Her stomach was in knots and her bottom eye lids twitched as they filled with tears. That was exactly the reason why Paige had refused to hang out with them after their fight.

“Paige Mackenzie Hyland scored a date with Nick Dobbs? Is that what I’m hearing?” Maddie squealed. Maddie clapped her hands together and grabbed a hold of Paige’s wrist and dragged her back up the stairs. “We’ve got to get you ready.”

Chloe took a step into the living room where Josh and Mikey sat, snaking on a bag of veggie chips. They’d eaten about everything else in the house. Kelly was in the kitchen cooking for her and Randy and Brooke and Claudia. Chloe waved a light wave at Kelly.

“Hi Chlo,” Kelly said. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I know, I’ve been great.” Chloe said. “Josh can we talk for a second?”

“Sure thing,” Josh said, jumping off of the couch. He took Chloe’s hand and walked back out to the foyer. The heat from the sun beamed in and hit Josh’s neck. The sun was on it’s way to setting and then the night would begin. “What’s up?”

“You didn’t tell me that Paige was going to come…” Chloe said. Her stomach turned and she looked up into Josh’s green eyes. “I wouldn’t have come if I knew she was coming.”

“She’s my sister, Chlo. It’s just for a few hours. And besides, you guys have dance in a few days anyways, so why not just go through the awkward now before you guys go back to dance. She’s making up with Maddie.” Josh said pointing up the stairs.

“No, Maddie’s pretending to be okay with her.” Chloe crossed her arms.

Meanwhile, upstairs in Paige’s room, Paige sat on her bed while Maddie went through her closet. She pulled out skirt after skirt and a whole lot of dresses. If Paige was going to be riding rides, eating cotton candy, and playing games she wasn’t going to want to be in a dress or in a skirt, constantly worrying about panty lines. She just wanted to be comfortable. And besides, she wasn’t on a date. She was just hanging out with Nick and a few friends. That was it. That’s all it was going to be. And Paige tried to tell Maddie that, but she didn’t listen.

“Maddie, please I just want to wear shorts.” Paige said.

“Fine, wear these ones.” Maddie pulled out a pair of white shorts out of Paige’s closet.

“They’ll get dirty.” Paige said. “I don’t see what’s wrong with my outfit. Honestly.”

“Nick’s not gonna see your hot, 8th grade body in that t-shirt.” Maddie said.

Paige rolled her eyes, “For the last time, Maddie, it’s not a date. And besides, Nick’s in high school. I doubt he’d ever have feelings for a girl like me.”

The doorbell rang and Maddie looked at Paige, “He’s here! Get changed!”

“Into what?!” Paige looked around at her room and at all of her clothes, spread across the floor.

“Anything other than that!” Maddie said before running out of Paige’s bedroom.

Paige grunted, laying back into her bed. But she got up and got changed. She switched her longer shorts into a pair of shorter, darker denim shorts. Paige searched through her tops but couldn’t find anything she liked. Brooke busted into her room and threw a few tops onto her desk. Apparently their dad had put Paige’s clothes in Brooke’s pile. Paige shrugged and settled on the ¾ length sleeve, black and white baseball tee. Paige tucked the front part of the shirt in and put on a black belt. Paige shoved her feet into white canvas Keds and sprayed some Sweat Pea body spray on. Paige brushed her hair into a bun and smiled at herself in the mirror. Giving herself a small nod, Paige walked out and down the stairs.

“BYE MOM!” Josh shouted.

Nick stood at the bottom of the stairs smiling at Paige. Paige gave a small wave.

“Told you so,” Maddie mouthed from behind Nick. So maybe Maddie wasn’t too bad after all. Maybe I’ll just have to adjust, Paige thought.