"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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When I walk down the aisle in the middle of the auditorium, I see Jones to the right of me. I look around and I don't see Emily, so I figure that I'm okay to spend time with him. But even if she saw us, I don't think I'd care right now.
I make my way over to him as discreetly as possible. And when I get to his row, he turns his head and notices me.
"Michelle." He smiles at me, "I thought you were supposed to be with Emily and the girls."
I sit in the seat beside him, saying, "Yeah, I was, but I can't take being with them for a minute longer. I just need to get away from it all."
"Don't you think it's a bit risky sitting here with me?" He looks around, probably scanning the room for Emily. "If she were to see us-."
"Oh, I don't care, Jones. Plus, I'm not doing anything wrong by sitting here. I can do what I want."
"I just don't want your day to end in a big argument." He explains, "You're already stressed enough, I can tell."
"Is it that obvious?"
"Uh-huh." He nods whilst observing my face. "You're as red as those curtains over there."
"Oh, shit!" I immediately feel self-conscious about my face.
"Just calm down. Give yourself a second." He says to me, "What's gotten you so worked up anyway?"
I roll my eyes as I remember the conversation that I just had with Summer. "Just dancers. I had an argument with one of them, and now I'm gonna be thinking about it all night. I just don't know if I said the right things. I mean, I was a cunt to her, and I already regret it, you know?"
"You're always a cunt." He giggles, "I mean, it's nothing new. I'm sure she'll get over it."
"No, I was worse this time."
I can't help but notice how warm I feel right now. My hands are shaking uncontrollably, and my face feels like a furnace. I bring up a sheet of paper that was left on the seat, trying to cool myself down with it.
Due to being heavily pregnant, I overheat quickly and feel faint. Stress seems to be a trigger for it, and I guess what just happened with Summer has gotten me quite worked up. I don't know why it's bothering me so much, though.
"You alright?" He asks me.
I shake my head. "I just need a minute, that's all."
"Try to relax." He tells me, and that's exactly what I try to do.
Soon, I start to feel more comfortable. I find myself actually enjoying watching some of the trios on stage, and it brings me back to when I used to perform myself.
