Dance Moms - Chlobird

Chapter 14 : Sleepover

Speeding down the highway, Chloe drove in silence. Her heart was pumping with adrenaline, not from stimulants, but from failure. Once again her impulse pulled her into unnecessary violence.

"Shit! That was some awesome moves! Where the fuck did you learn that?" Brooke asked with the same adrenaline. "And since when did you know pole dancing?"

She got a silent response, and could read the uneasiness on Chloe's face. Tonight she witnessed something unusual, so she knew better to remain quiet the rest of the way. Outside the window she saw that they were pulling into a residential district. It was now past midnight and only a few windows were lit.

"What is this place?" Brooke followed Chloe out of the car.

"One night!" Chloe stood to her face.

"What?"

"You stay here for one night. Tomorrow you're on your own."

"You live here?" Brooke looked up at the classic three-story building.

"And you do not speak of what you saw tonight!"

Chloe turned to the front door before Brooke could speak. She punched in the access code, led the girl up the stairs, took out the key and unlocked the door to her apartment.

"Shit! Your place looks way better than mine!" Brooke looked around, picking up everything like a child in a candy store.

"Please don't touch anything..." asked Chloe dropping her bag, but Brooke already picked up a picture from the shelf.

"The fuck?? Look at all these places you've been to!" Brooke gasped at a photo of the Recovery team, taken under the Pyramids of Giza.

"Please don't touch that either, and please don't curse in my house." Chloe grunted, already regretting the decision of bringing her home.

Just one night! She promised herself.

She took out a set of clothes and towel, placed them neatly on the couch.

"You can wear these for the night. The shower is over there."

They left the club in such a hurry that Brooke had nothing but her gold bikini. She took off Chloe's jacket, casually unstrapped and let the last of her clothes drop to the floor. Standing naked, she picked up the towel and pressed to her face, sniffing hard.

"Damn! This smells so good!"

"Shower is that way." Chloe directed, not at all comfortable having a naked person standing in her new home.

Soon as the bathroom door shut and shower running, Chloe picked up the gold bikini from the floor, it was damp and worn and needed cleaning. She chucked them in the washing machine without second thought.

She selected a set of street clothes, socks and a pair of old sneakers, placing them by the door, she wanted her out that fast. Having seen the filthy condition this girl lived in, Chloe didn't want to keep anything she touched.

"Wow! I haven't showered like that since ever!" Brooke came out steaming, let out a deep sigh of satisfaction.

"There're showers in the studio."

"Yeah but I never find the time between shifts. I need to get to the damn club!"

The girl continued wiping her long dark hair with the towel, still naked and had no intention to cover herself. Chloe picked up the set of clothes and pushed to her chest.

"You have time. Classes finish at six."

"Easy for you to say. You're a coach, you don't have to clean up the fucking place!" said Brooke pulling on the sweater and shorts.

"Language. Please!" Chloe reminded. "And that's not true. I always tell my students to tidy up by end of class. It's good for their discipline."

"Well, not you." Brooke cocked her head. "But others just leave the rooms like they just had a crazy rave party. Do you have a blow dryer?"

"It's all there."

Chloe pointed at the coffee table, where a hair brush and blow dryer were already set.

"Wow! You thought of everything! D'you bring people home all the time?" Brooke plugged in the blow dryer and started drying her hair.

"No." Chloe answered, and then blushed once she understood the question. "No! I mean... I like to be prepared. I DON'T bring people home all the time! In fact, you're the first person ever set foot in my apartment!" she felt she couldn't clarify enough.

Suppressing her frustration, Chloe went to the bathroom and broke out an extra toothbrush, picked up the toothpaste and grabbed an extra cup. Taking them out to the living room, Brooke was checking on the pictures again.

"How come I never heard you talk about it? All these competitions!" she picked up a picture of the old team on stage.

"There's nothing to talk about." Chloe snatched the picture back, disliking the girl's disobedience.

"And you got so many titles! Look at all these trophies you won!" Brooke picked up another picture. "I'll be thrilled if I ever get ONE!"

"They're just for shows."

Chloe returned the picture to its place, right next to other pictures taken during the show. There was the team, all smiling innocently, fooled by a script made for public amusement.

"I had that same excitement when I won my first trophy." Chloe's words escaped from her heart. "But after learning that they were staged and everything was just for a TV drama, it became routine work. Looking back now, it was like my entire childhood was a bad joke."

Her words were responded by a loud snore. Turning back she saw Brooke slouching across her couch, sleeping deeply, still holding the picture to her chest, like she just dropped into sleep in an instant.

Damn it! I was pouring my heart out for you! Chloe sighed in disappointment.

She positioned Brooke in a more comfortable posture, pulled a blanket over her, brushed her hair in a tidy manner, wondering what to do with this girl.

Watching Brooke snore deeply, Chloe felt a strong sense of drowsiness, like it was contagious. Slowly her eyelids grew heavier, and she fell asleep right next to the snoring girl.