Child of a King

Chapter nineteen - Recital

Weeks flew by with a lot of dance practice for the recital that was going to take place tonight.

I took Miss Alice's words to heart and practiced not only at dance class but also at home. I really wanted to perfect my routine. Especially since I invited my brothers to come. I already knew four of them would show up, but I wasn't so sure about the last two.

It was with clammy palms that I lurked in the doorway of our home gym, gathering the courage to approach both of them. It felt more intimidating when they were there at the same time. On the other hand, it meant that I only had to do this once.

Exhaling deeply, I wiped my hands on the skirt I was wearing, hyping myself up with an inner peptalk. The worst thing that could happen would be if they said no. Right?

With wide eyes, I watched how Marc lifted the barbell with numerous plates of the ground, his legs shaking doing so. His tighs bulge through his shorts as he lifted it straight up before slamming it back down on the ground. He repeated the same motion about eight times, his abdomen flexing while veins poked through his tan skin. He stepped away from the barbell to drink some water, just as Sebastian finished an exercise using two dumbbells that made his biceps curl.

They hadn't seen me as I wormed my way through an obstacle of machines and other types of workout equipment, trying not to break anything or get broken myself by any of the big weights.

"Hi!" I happily greeted them, talking louder than I usually would due to the loud music that blared through the speakers.

Both of them craned their necks to look down at me, pausing whatever chat they had in between sets of working out.

Marc rolled his eyes when he saw me, bringing his water bottle to his mouth.

"What do you want?" Sebastian asked with narrowed orbs as he crossed his arms over his chest.

I licked my lips, suddenly extremely nervous as his sharp gaze clashed with mine and from the harsh tone, he spoke to me in. Okay, maybe the worst-case scenario isn't the fact that they can say no, but perhaps them getting angry at me. That wasn't part of my plan.

"Uhm... my recital is t-tonight", I stuttered, hating how small they made me feel under their gaze.

"So?" The eldest one enquired, lifting a brow.

"So, I was wondering", pausing, I inhaled a shaky break, my fingers twitching by my sides. "If you want to come".

My words hung in the air for what felt like forever. It was crushing and embarrassing at the same time that neither of them said anything. They only exchanged glances between them, not showing one ounce of emotion besides annoyance. Most likely because I interrupted their workout. I started regretting coming here. It was a stupid idea. I was stupid.

"We're very busy", Sebastian finally answered, plunging an invisible knife straight into my fragile heart.

"Oh", I mumbled, my shoulders slumping forward. "That's okay". The small tug on the mouth I mustered together must have looked more like a grimace than a smile. "If you do get time there's two seats reserved for you", I added, doing my best to remain cherry.

Marc snorted, pushing past me to go back to the barbell on the floor. Not getting my other brother a chance to reply, I walked away less cautious than when I got here. The gym felt claustrophobic to me. I needed to get out.

Heath was rising in my cheeks in humiliation and hatred. Hatred was a nasty word and I disliked everything about it, but today it consumed me. I hated how stupid I was. I hated that I kept being so stupid to think that Marc and Sebastian would change their view on me from one moment to the other. I hated that every time they rejected me it stung in my chest. I hated that I kept trying.