The Trio: A Dance Moms Wattpad Story

Caught.

"I didn't know you were coming" He looked as if he had just seen a baby deer get shot. I knew I couldn't look any better. He was always the calm one in situations like this. But for once I was the one sneaking up on him, so maybe it was different.

I gulped down and felt globs of spit swallow back into my throat. I thought maybe I'd puke if I didn't. He looked just as bad, still standing in the doorway struggling to say something, to explain himself. Minutes passed before Kendall could save him.

"So are you guys gonna stare at each other all day...or?" Kendall didn't hold back one bit.

I didn't say a word to either of them, sliding through the doorway passing straight by Gino. I wanted to push him out of my way with all my might but then what would Kendall say. But if she hadn't come in and interrupted, I probably would have.

I followed Kendall through the house. Everything was already cleaned up from yesterday. All that remained was a few deflating balloons and the happy birthday banner. We passed by the family room where hot blondie had tried to kiss me. Secretly, I wished Gino had seen that. I wished that he knew there were other guys who would kill to be him. I wished that he knew how horrible it felt to be jealous.

"Mad can you stop stomping up the steps, my dad's trying to sleep" Kendall disrupted my train of thought. Good thing she did, I hadn't even noticed I was beating up the steps with every step I took.

"Why is he sleeping it's 1 o'clock?" some idiot asked from behind me. I didn't turn around he didn't deserve to see my face.

"Because he wants to. And people do what they want to do. It's a free country." He shut up after that.

Since Kendall didn't turn left to go into her room, I knew where she was taking us. The staircase to the upstairs attic was so steep it was more like a ladder. From the bottom, at the first step, the room above looked kind of creepy. It was dark since the light switch wasn't accessible until you reached the top. And since the house had been passed on from Kendall's Grandma to her Dad, the attic, just like the rest of the house, was old and creaky. I was surprised that Gino hadn't said a word and simply followed me as I followed Kendall up the high steps. He probably didn't want to risk asking another stupid question and getting another snappy comment back from me. A sharp breath exhaled through my lungs as I reached the last step into the room. With the lights on, the attic was just like any other room: a flatscreen TV plastered on the farthest wall, a brown, worn leather couch diagonal from the TV enveloping the corner where the two walls meet, a coffee table with a half empty mug of something black, and only one window providing barely any natural sunlight since it had just started to rain.

"Is this your attic?" Gino asks and I hold in my snarky comment.

"Yeah, pretty cool attic right?" Kendall lightens up tracing her hands across the brick wall that lines the right side of the long and narrow room.

"Psh yes. All mine has is dust and spiders, maybe a few old pictures but it's nothing like this" Gino acts as if this is the coolest place he's ever been to. I decide not to engage in the hype that is Kendall's attic, being that I've already been in here 500 times I'm no longer fascinated by an old attic turned into a modern TV room with an "L" shaped couch. If anything, the couch is the only thing I'm interested in considering that it's soft and welcoming, and not to mention big enough to fit all three of us. The last thing I want to do right now is repeat what happened last time us three were in a room together alone. At least it's the afternoon though, there will be no accidental sleepovers. We each settle on the couch cushions one by one, Gino makes an effort to avoid sitting in the middle, I can tell. I do too, and the order ends up with me sitting on the far left on the long part of the couch that stems out, Kendall smack dab in the middle, and Gino right next to her. From last night, I had thought that finally me and Gino were done with being awkward around each other. We had talked on the porch and finally we both had gotten some closure, although I still hadn't gotten what I wanted to hear from him. But I wasn't entirely wrong, although there was still a sense of awkward between us, it was for a totally different reason. And Gino was to blame now, for once it wasn't my being shy around boys (him especially) that caused the awkwardness. The tension between us, it was his fault and he knew it. He was the one that lied. He was the one that let me think there was more to us than what there really was. He was the one who got caught at another girls house right after I had told him how I felt. For once, I had made the first move of asking him to hang out, something I never would've done before and probably would now never do again.

"Wow, Gino you get really quiet around Maddie" Kendall's voice penetrated the silence I hadn't even yet noticed.

"Just an hour ago I couldn't get you to shut up and now your silent as a rock" Kendall continued. An hour, I thought to myself, he had been here for an hour...probably longer actually.

I didn't blame Kendall for questioning his odd behavior. Since I'm a horrible friend, she still didn't even know that I liked him, let alone that I had asked him to come over.

"I don't really...uh know" Gino tripped up his words like he forgot how to speak english.

"That's a little weird. Why do you get so quiet around me?" I sound rude but it's not uncalled for.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

He shakes his head and finally looks at me, but for only a second. Then he looks back down.

"Okay.. am I missing something?" Kendall looks over at me. I'm sure she can see right through my straight face. I may be a bad friend but she's not, she knows I'm mad.

Loud beeping erupts through the house before me or Gino can answer Kendall.

"Oh crap! The cookies!" Kendall jumps out of her seat at the noise, "Ugh I'll be back guys. Just stay here for now" Kendall says running back down the stairs.

"Are you kidding?" the words accidentally escape my mouth. Luckily Kendall hadn't heard me. Gino probably had but at this point it didn't matter.

I sat on my cushion with my mouth glued shut. I had nothing more to say to Gino and I would stay here until Kendall got back.

A minute passed, not a move had been made by either of us.

2 minutes, still nothing.

From the corner of my eye I saw him open his mouth like he was going to say something. That's all it took for me to move from that couch. I wasn't going to give him the chance to make up some stupid excuse. I ran down the steep steps and into the hall. Gosh how could I be so stupid. I had left my only escape out of this place on the coffee table, next to the half empty mug, upstairs with Gino. I had nowhere to go but hide. I knew Kendalls room would be empty so I ran in there and was immediately greeted by the stawberry pink walls. No way Gino would be dumb enough to follow me. Not right now. Not when I clearly wanted to kill him. I heard footsteps coming from somewhere outside the hall. It could be Kendall with a plate of cookies...or it could be Gino. The door clicked shut behind me. No no no. Please no. I stood standing facing the wall. I wasn't gonna turn around, no way.

"Maddie?" he spoke, "It's not what you think okay. I know that you probably think that I blew you off to hang out with Kendall but it's not what you think. I don't know what it is. I'm stupid. But before you hate me more than you already do right now. You just have to know one thing. I just, I have to say it, and you have to hear me say it just once. I-I like you. And I like you more than I could probably ever like anyone else. Even if I did lik—"

I turned around before he could say anything else. Before he could ruin anything with his stupid mouth. I turned around and I did something more stupid than him and his stupid mouth.

I kissed him.

And when our lips collided, everything in the room turned upside down for a second. It was like the world was spinning all around us in a continuous motion. I was sure I had gotten better at this whole thing. It was the fourth time now. It was the longest kiss I'd ever had. And after what felt like a perfect forever I pulled away slowly. I watched him as I moved away. His eyes opened again and he looked at me. I swear no one had ever looked at me that way. I heard someone wriggling the door knob open. I smiled and put my index finger to my lips and shushed. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something and I got nervous. I knew that now I definitely had to tell Kendall. She deserved to know now. But I had to be the one to tell her, not anyone else.