ℒ𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒪𝓃 𝒯𝒽ℯ 𝒟𝒶𝓃𝒸ℯ ℱ𝓁ℴℴ𝓇 [𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏]

𝟐.𝟏𝟕- 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐀 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭

𝖮𝖦 𝖳𝗂𝗍𝗅𝖾：𝖬𝖺𝖽𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝖧𝖺𝗌 𝖠 𝖲𝖾𝖼𝗋𝖾𝗍

˚✧.⋅₊˚ ‧ 🩰⋅୨୧ ⋅🦢 ‧₊˚ ⋅.✧˚

["Dance To Express, Not Impress"]

Monday night was a much-needed break from the relentless grind of the week. Emily, Maddie, Paige, Chloé, and Nia had gathered at Paige's house for a movie night to watch The Hunger Games, the inspiration for their group dance that week. They were all piled onto Paige's bed, surrounded by an assortment of snacks and blankets, giggling as they set up the movie.

Brooke wasn't there because she wasn't part of the group dance this week. She had her eighth-grade formal dance on Saturday and, after a lot of negotiation, Kelly had managed to convince the producers to let Brooke skip the competition. The compromise? Brooke had to record a song the show had written, which Kelly begrudgingly agreed to. This meant Peyton was filling in for Brooke in the group dance.

The girls didn't mind Peyton too much, but she could be a lot to handle. Peyton had a habit of joking around in ways that came off as mean. Recently, she'd pushed Paige during a rehearsal hard enough to send her sprawling on the ground.

Maddie had been quick to label Peyton as a bully, and Emily, always loyal to Maddie, couldn't help but agree. Her feelings toward Peyton had soured even more since Peyton started hanging out with Jackson and Riley- two people Emily wasn't particularly fond of, especially after the drama they had caused with her earlier that year.

As the movie started, the room grew quieter, save for the occasional commentary about the characters or storyline. About halfway through, the topic shifted to Peyton.

"She's been hanging around Jackson and Riley a lot lately," Paige said casually, popping a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"I know, right?" Maddie chimed in. "It's like she's becoming part of their little clique."

Chloé frowned, "It's weird. She used to hang out with us more."

Nia shrugged, "Maybe she thinks they're cooler. I don't know."

Emily felt her chest tighten at the mention of Jackson and Riley. She had tried to move on from how awful they'd made her feel, but hearing their names brought back the sting of her argument with Jackson. Ever since it any time he saw Emily at the studio it was always judgmental glares from him, and Riley with snide comments.

Now Peyton, someone who used to be a friend, was cozying up to them? It was too much. She could feel the other girls glancing at her, their chatter fading into concerned silence. Without saying a word, Emily stood up abruptly.

"I'm gonna go make more popcorn," she muttered, grabbing the empty bowl and heading for the door.

"I'll help," Maddie offered, starting to get up.

"No, it's fine. I've got it," Emily said quickly, giving Maddie a tight smile before slipping out of the room.

She made her way to the kitchen, trying to focus on the simple task of making popcorn instead of the jumble of emotions swirling in her head. Her life felt like a mess lately- between dance, school, stuff at home, and the constant drama, it was hard to keep up. And now this drama with Jackson would be resurfacing? And Peyton was a part of it? She sighed, shoving the popcorn bag into the microwave and pressing the start button.

"Hey, cupcake," a familiar voice said from behind her.

Emily yelped, spinning around so quickly she nearly tripped over her own feet. Standing there, with an amused grin, was Josh. He burst out laughing at her reaction, doubling over as Emily glared at him.