𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 - 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙧 - discontinued

a chance

|4.4|

the group dance was a mess.

okay, it wasn't that bad. everyone had amazing technique as usual. the dance was pretty, the costumes were gorgeous, and everyone's makeup looked perfect. but the spacing was all wrong, and gianina and hannah were the only ones on time to the music, and sarah fell out of her turns, and lilly started too far up and nearly collided with brady.

i felt awful for them as abby's expression changed from tense to a grimace to a scowl, and as her face dropped when the group was announced as fourth place. that hadn't happened all season. FOURTH place. they were going to get screamed at.

but more than that, i felt a tiny bit of joy in the pit of my stomach. as long as they weren't doing well, my spot on the team was secure. they hadn't won the week before either, taking second place by a tenth of a point. i tried to squash the joy down and feel nothing but support for my team, but it was really hard.

sarah's solo wasn't her best, either. she was clearly shaken from pressley's exit, and she placed third. nobody won that day. it was a terrible day for everyone.

just then, in the middle of the solo awards just after sarah had recieved her third place trophy, my phone pinged with a text. i froze. that name hadn't popped up on my screen since a few weeks before we started filming the show. so basically, two to three months.

dAncY cHAnCEY!!! 🕺, WE STAND FOR WILLOW

chance tailberg, willow garcia

dAncY cHAnCEY!!!🕺

HEYY WILLY IT'S BEEN A WHILE
i think we need to talk abt stuff
wanna hang tmr?

WE STAND FOR WILLOW

oh hey chance!!
yea we do but im in pittsburgh filming dance moms rn soo

dAncY cHAnCEY!!!🕺

yeah i know
i sort of booked a plane to pittsburgh?

WE STAND FOR WILLOW

WHAT

dAncY cHAnCEY!!!🕺

DON'T BE MAD I'M SORRY

WE STAND FOR WILLOW

NO NO NO I'M NOT MAD
I'M SO HAPPY

WE STAND FOR WILLOW

ik we've been sort of divided but at the end of the day you're still and will always be my best friend. we'll sort it all out and go back to where we were or at least close to where we were. i hope its not awkward at all but i don't think it will be because 8 years of friendship shouldn't be trashed because of one single mistake and i think you agree w me, plus maybe you can meet brady only that might not be a good idea because i talked trash about you to him!! and he's sort of replaced you as my best friend and i honestly feel safer with him than i have with you since we were like eleven but we can fix that because i cannot lose you again and i will not lose you again. you're my only real friend in iowa and what happens when i go back? if i lose you i have nothing. plus, other than my mom, you're my only connection to grace. you're the only one who really knew her. you were her boyfriend before she died and i think what happened between us was probably just us dealing with the grief. i'm so glad you're giving us a second chance.

[deleted]

WE STAND FOR WILLOW

we finally get a CHANCE to talk!!!!

dAncY cHAnCEY!!!🕺

ohmygod willow it's been 8 years pls stop with the chance puns thx
but yesss
also surprise i'm arriving tomorrow morning! be ready!!!!

WE STAND FOR WILLOW

WAIT WHAT

my mom nudged me, and i looked back up at the stage, where another number had started competing. "we need to go." she whispered. i nodded and followed her back to the dressing room.

"you were amazing!" i told brady.

 he grimaced. "we were a hot mess."

"yeah, but you weren't. you were perfect, i swear." he blushed, and i thought back to what gia said on the bus. are you kidding? he always blushes near you. you didn't notice?

then i pulled him aside. "brady. i'm freaking out."

"are you going to tell me why?" he said, crossing his arms. i suddenly came to the realization that he was shirtless and closed my eyes. 

"please put a shirt on first." 

he laughed and tugged a t-shirt over his head. "now?"

"chance texted me."

his smile dropped into an expression of shock. "what?"

i showed him the text chain, checking to make sure my paragraph about how i felt had been successfully deleted before handing him the phone.

"okay. okay. you're definitely freaking out, i can tell."

"shut up. what do i do?" 

"you bring him to the studio, have a quick interaction, and if he's still acting like a douchebag, then kick him out of pittsburgh."

"it's not that easy." i said, frustrated. "i mean, it has to work out. douchebag or not, he's my best friend, my only friend in iowa. i can't just ditch him for good. the only reason i've been able to manage being totally disconnected with him is because i have you and abby and the show and pittsburgh to distract me." 

as soon as the words left my mouth, i knew they were the wrong ones. brady ran a hand through his messy hair, making a portion of his hair stick up in the back like tiny feathers. "so that's what i am. a distraction. not a friend or anything."

"brady. i didn't mean it like that. at all. i just meant-"

"yeah, i know what you meant, willow." his face was like stone, but there was genuine hurt in his eyes. 

the worst part was that i did mean it. for now, he was my best friend AND the best distraction. but as soon as i had chance back, i didn't know. i wouldn't need a distraction anymore. i wouldn't need another best friend.

but as much as i didn't want to admit it then, he was so much more than my best friend. i couldn't replace him with chance. and he wasn't a distraction, far from it. i just couldn't realize it yet.

"i'm so sorry. you are my friend. you're my closest friend, brady." i pleaded. i sounded desparate and i knew it, but i couldn't lose him. i couldn't.

"sure. until the show ends and you go back to iowa, then what am i?"

i couldn't answer the question. he shook his head, disgusted, and started walking back to the center of the dressing room, to the girls and to his mom. "okay, then." 

i hobbled on my crutches as fast as i could out into the hallway because i didn't want him to see me cry.

POOR WILLOW!! :(

btw we WILL see more of pressley and elliana is about to be introduced...🤭