Dance Moms - Chlobird

Chapter 13 : Red Rocket

Listening to the drizzling rain knocking on the bay window, Chloe felt comfortably secure with a warm blanket wrapped around her legs, an open book in one hand, and a steamy hot cup of honey lemon tea in the other. It was everything she needs in the world right now.

Unable to find Brooke, she decided to carry out her afternoon the way normal people do - minding her own business.

You can't help all of them, and not all want to be helped.

Detective Kelly's words kept reminding her, but looking out the rainy sky, she couldn't stop thinking about Brooke, the girl who just lost her apartment in this cold season. Even if she didn't want to be helped, she doesn't deserve to be left outside for another freezing night.

"Hi Shannon, did Brooke come in today?" she called the studio.

"Yeah she did." the receptionist answered. "And Tammy fired her!"

"What??" Chloe gasped.

"She should see it coming. Tammy fired her on the spot, got into a pretty big fight, broke a mirror in the process. You should see it! I think Sydney filmed it. I'll ask her to send you the video." Shannon laughed like it was all entertainment.

"No, but thank you!"

Chloe's heart sank. If only they knew what the girl was going through. She thought about talking to Tammy, but as a new staff member this was not her place. She tried Brooke's phone, but it was still out of service.

The poor girl just lost both her home and her job, charging her phone was the least of her priorities right now! Chloe told herself.

She recalled what she learned from the Detective last night, and located the club on the internet. Half an hour later she was parking at a crossroad, studying the place from a distance.

Red Rocket has a wall-to-wall neon sign flashing stars and spangles, and a figure of a cowgirl riding on a blasting rocket. One could hear loud music thumping from within, blasting rock music from the 80s. The whole place was overwhelmed by the American theme, a common method of a foreign business trying to appear local.

She studied the customers who went in, all male, coming in singles or groups, mostly foreign.

She took out a baseball cap from the glove compartment, pulled it over her head and tucked in her long blonde hair, wrapped a big scarf around her shoulders, leaving as little of her face as possible. Checking in the rear-view mirror, in her down jacket and jeans she looked like a boy going to a baseball game.

She got out her car and circled around the block, studying the outside of the structure. Through a narrow alley she found the backdoor, but as she walked up she was stopped by a man in a black windbreaker.

"Staffs only." he stopped her with an open palm.

"I'm looking for a friend. Her name is Brooke." she spoke under her scarf.

"No one under that name."

"Blaze." she recalled the name.

"Staffs only." the big man crossed his arms.

The bouncer did not deny that name, so Chloe went around the front. She was again stopped by another man in the same outfit.

"Front door is for customers only! Use the back!" the big man swung his thumb aside, probably mistaken her for one of the showgirls.

"I'm a customer." she looked up.

Even in her disguise, her feminine features couldn't pass for a boy. The guard gave her a questionable look, scanning her from head to toe.