One Step at a Time

Chapter 19

Sadie POV

"You didn't have to do this."

Matteo was pulling back into the gym's parking lot. He quickly sent a whisper of a smile my way. Shaking his head, he responded, "I wanted to." My words weren't just about lunch. It was his effort to comfort me, when he was going through the very same. But he knew that.

Once he parked close enough to the doors, I let out a loud sigh. On top of everything else, I had no interest in humiliating myself in front of Winona and Simon. Of all people. Of all days, too. I continued to stare out at the doors, not planning on moving until I had to. Matteo let it stay silent in the car. It took a few moments for me to even notice that Aedon had pulled up next to us.

"Let's go." Matteo was out of his seat and closing the door before I could question anything. I got out and followed him to the back of the car. "Here," he smiled as he tossed his keys. I caught them and sent a confused look his way.

"What's this about?" I eyed him and Aedon suspiciously.

"You are probably gonna have to rush to dinner tonight after practice anyway, so just take the car."

Aedons window rolled down. "I'm taking him back to my place. Come on, Mattie."

He made his way over to Aedon's car. Quickly, he stopped himself and turned. "Before I forget," Matteo marched back to the back of his keep. He pulled out the bag from this morning. "I thought that tonight would be a great time to debut this little number." Reaching out, he placed the dress bag in my arms. My smile grew even wider. I pulled him into a hug.

"Thanks, Matteo. I don't deserve you," I looked at Aedon, "either of you." Our moment had to come to an end unfortunately. The two pulled out of the parking lot as I slowly made my way inside. I brought the bag into the locker room. The empty benches and lockers made the place seem almost eerie. A shiver ran down my spine as I left the cold room. That was a great sign. I was able to find the practice room fairly easily. Simon was already sprawled out on the floor when I opened the door. His legs sat into a split as he reached his right arm over his head. And boy was he flexible. His head nearly touched the floor.

"You're early." His voice was dry. Indifferent.

I mustered a soft, "yeah." My legs were stuck in place, unsure if I should join him on the floor. The internal debate didn't last long, however. Winona came through the door, her limp more noticeable today.

"I'm assuming you're all warmed up. Let's get started."

The next three hours were personal torture. Winona had no interest in choreographing any more of the routine. No. She insisted on conditioning. From push-ups to planks to suicides, we did it all. And I'm sure she enjoyed every second of it. As if we hadn't done enough these past few weeks. Simon wasn't much help either. The few times he actually looked at me was to make sure he was doing better than me. If I did 20 push-ups, he did 21. If I held a 2 minute plank, his was a second longer. It was all a game. To both of them.  And I didn't know the rules.

"Sadie, you need to extend your leg further. And point that toe." One of many critiques thrown my way. While Simon got none. And not because Winona was playing favorites, he would just everything perfectly. My frustration continued to grow with every second as I held the final plank. "Lift your hip." She didn't have to say my name. I knew it was for me.

And so I lifted my hip, a burn forming across my stomach. If I don't have abs of steel after this.

"Okay. That's it." My body instinctively dropped to the floor. I turned onto my back, looking up at Winona. Her frame stood over the two of us, a tired expression on her face. "See you Thursday."

That was all that was said before she walked out of the door. I turned my head to see Simon still laying on the ground. His breathing was heavy, matching mine. The tips of his hair has sweat on them, causing them to stick to his forehead. The tank top he was wearing was covered in sweat, the wet material outlining his abs. My eyes continued down the rest of his body. The sweatpants he wore were thinner. They had risen up a bit and sat halfway on his calves.

"I should have worn shorts." Looking up, I knew I had been caught staring. Simon's face was neutral as our eyes met. I looked at him unsure if I should be happy that he said something to me at all. Since yesterday, it was like pulling teeth just trying to talk to him. Very different from Friday. The whole dynamic was. It was like before. I gave a small nod before pushing myself off the ground. When Simon did not follow suit, I nodded once more before leaving the room.

I found my way towards the locker room once again. Stepping towards the mirror, I grimaced at my state. Hair was flying all over the place despite the clip I had pulled my hair in. The mascara I had put on my face was smudged a little under my eye. I was a complete wreck. Glancing down at my phone, I saw that I had about 30 minutes until in actually needed to leave. Knots twisted in my stomach at the thought of dinner tonight.

Nope. I thought. It would do me no good to psych myself out before I even got there. One deep breathe later, I shook my head and got to work. As I pulled out my emergency supplies from my dance bag, I was thankful that Aedon had made me put it in there in the first place. It had been her idea. Inside the smaller bag was dry shampoo, deodorant, perfume, a brush, and plenty of makeup supplies. This was definitely a lifesaver right now. I grabbed the brush and dry shampoo first. Shaking my hair out of the clip, I ran the brush through my hair. Once the dry shampoo set, I twisted my hair ends to give it some natural wave to it. I then got started on the makeup. Taking some wipes, I washed the mess off of my face to start from scratch. With the help of some bb cream, concealer, and blush, my skin looked more alive. I then took a makeup brush and smoked in some brown on my eye lids. Mascara and lip gloss were the final touches. I smiled at myself. Considering the time crunch, I looked good. It helped me feel a lot better.

Then came the dress. I quickly threw off my sweaty clothes and pulled the dress over my head. The tan of my skin glowed in comparison to the white fabric. The detailed flowers were even prettier than I remembered. I looked up into the mirror. It was perfect. The waistline hit my torso just right and the slit in the skirt highlight my legs, instead of making them look bulky. The smile on my face say more natural now. I felt pretty. Thankfully, a pair of sandals had also been thrown into the bag. Probably Mama Jane's doing. I slipped them on and gathered my stuff. I made my way out the door and into the gym. It was odd seeing it this empty. My hand was on the main doors when I heard a door behind me shut. Turning, I saw Simon walk away from the boys locker room.

"Hey," I said. No response was thrown my way. If he wasn't staring at me, I'd think it was like I wasn't there at all to him. His eyes were fixed forward at me as he gave me his blank expression. I awkwardly turned back to the door and pushed it open. Or at least I tried to. The door seemed jammed and wouldn't open. I gave it a harder shove and nothing.

Behind me came a dry laugh. "Can't open a door?" Simon walked to my left side and pushed at the other door. It didn't budge. His cocky grin dropped. Stepping back, he tried again. And again. Nothing.

We were stuck.
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Another chapter. And it only took a month. Enjoy xx