"Her or me?" A tear rolled down Michelle's puffy cheek, "You have to make a decision."
For Michelle, life has always been about control- control in the studio, in her friendships, and even in the secrets she hides. But with an unexpected pregnancy...
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"You all done up there now?" I ask Noah as he meets back with me in Studio A.
"Yeah..." he answers me. "Actually, I was thinking you should probably call in an actual professional to take a look at it."
My eyes widen in disbelief. "You're saying you didn't go up there?"
He looks up at the ceiling before shaking his head. "I actually caught up with some of the boys down in Shakes and Ladders."
"Noah, I paid you fifty dollars!"
"Yeah, and I used it to buy shakes," He admits to me casually.
Before I can begin to demand for my money to be paid back, Summer walks through the door and ultimately saves him from my wrath.
"Hey!" She smiles brightly, and I can't help but notice how she's immediately fixated on me.
Noah awkwardly removes himself from the conversation. "You know, I'm gonna actually head out and leave the two of you to talk."
"Oh, okay," Summer smiles at him.
And as he swiftly leaves the room, I shout over to him, "I want that money back!"
And when he's no longer in sight, I watch as Summer furrows her brows before asking me, "What money?"
I sigh. "I paid him to fix the stupid ceiling, and he didn't even take a second to look at it!"
Summer laughs. "That's why you should've just called in a professional. Emily, how did you think Noah was going to fix such a big problem like that?" She points towards the ceiling.
I then feel Summer's hands on my shoulders as she attempts to calm me down. I get worked up quite easily. I've dealt with anxiety for a long time now, and it's usually triggered by stress.
Michelle has seen me at my worst, but she's never actually helped me through one of my episodes. I still remember how she would tell me that I was crazy and that it was my fault that it was happening to me. She'd leave me in a mess, all alone.
"Hey, hey, hey, calm down," Summer says quietly. "It's not a big deal. Look, I'll call someone to come in and take a look at it for you by the start of next week. Does that sound okay?"
"You'd do that?" I ask her while catching my breath.
She nods. "Yeah, of course. I mean, I'm the dance captain, I should be there to support you."
"Isn't it the other way around? The studio head is supposed to support the dance captain."
"Well, I don't listen to the rules," She tells me. "I'll be there for you. I mean, I don't see anyone else around here with the brains to do it.
I smile appreciatively. "Thank you."
I then notice a mischievous smile appearing on her face. I know that she has something she wants to ask me.
