dancing in the stars (ballerina x singer wlw romance)

chapter twenty-one

SUMMER

summer: girls night. the apartment. rn.

ava 🧚🏻‍♀️: be there in 5

mila: omw, bringing ice cream ! :)

I bring my hands together in front of my mouth, holding an imaginary microphone. "The girls are coming!" I announce to my small audience, who's sadly, just my sister.

She snaps her blue eyes at me. "Okay. I'll be at Lucas's. I was about to ask you if you wanted to come. We're going to a restaurant with the girls, too."

"Indy and Violet?" I ask, tilting my head. I barely see my childhood friends, just some mornings and nights but we're all so busy that we don't see each other more than a few minutes.
Sometimes, I miss when we were all kids and our only worry was make it to the ice rink in time and spend time together.

My sister nods. "They have the night off, finally. Lucas doesn't have a game and my practice ended early." she narrows her eyes at me. "I didn't say anything because I thought you'd be at the studio but you came early today."

"Yeah," I press my lips together, my eyes looking down at the clock in my watch.
For the first time since I was sixteen, Madame Daisy let me go at four p.m. Four! I was only there for four hours, I have no idea what came over her but she seemed in a hurry and she let me go. Of course not after she told me to go to the gym for 'a few hours' and to remember not to have dinner. But hey, I got out of there at four!

"So, do you want to?" Aurora's already dressed with a pair of jeans and a green sweater and her hair is down to her back with her own natural waves. She's ready to go out and I'm in my favorite spider-man pajamas.

I shake my head. "It's okay, I'll stay in. I'm a little tired."

Her face falls, probably because she was hoping that we'll be all together again like old times– I'm about to tell her that I'll go with them but a sharp pain in my right foot reminds me why I should stay in and rest. I have a performance next month.
"Well, have fun with the girls. Don't drink too much, 'kay?"

I roll my eyes. "Yes, mom."

"Summer." she lifts an eyebrow at me. "I mean it."

My body softens at the way she says it. My sister has a traumatic experience with alcohol, I can understand why she would want me to be careful with it. "It's okay, Rory. Don't worry. I won't drink and it's just us."

"Bennett! Let's go, the girls are waiting!" someone knocks at the front door as they yell. Aurora hesitates just a few seconds before grabbing her keys and things.

"Coming!" she yells back at Lucas and then turns to me again. "I love you, call me if you need anything?"

I nod. "You, too. Be careful."

Aurora goes to answer the door after she promises she'll call me if she needs anything and before she leaves, she turns around. "Your friends are here, Sunny."

I say a quiet thanks when she disappears from view but I listen to our best friend saying 'Summer's there? Isn't she coming? Tell her to come with–' and the conversation dies when I spot the strawberry blonde hair and the dark curls from my friends. They come inside, closing the door behind them and smile brightly at me.
Mila raises the plastic bags in her hands and shakes them. "I brought ice cream and snacks."