"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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I immediately notice Emily when I walk into Studio A. It's been almost a week since we won at the duet competition, and I still haven't spoken to Emily since she left. I immediately see this as my opportunity to try to make things right with her.
I knock on the door, and she lifts her head, noticing me.
"Hey, can I come in?"
Emily nods, "Uh, yeah... sure."
I stand beside Emily's desk as I begin speaking to her. "I just want you to know that I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you. You were upset, and I was a terrible person. I should've listen to you, and I should've been there to support you. It was a horrible situation, and I just made it all about me, yet again."
"I just had to get out of there." Emily admits, "I couldn't stay there any longer. Everything was just getting too much for me, and I just had to go home."
"I just wish that you would've spoken to me first." I show her that I was upset by her abrupt exit.
She looks ashamed. "I'm sorry. I don't know; I just wasn't thinking. I guess I run when things become too much. I'm an idiot, I know."
"No, you're not an idiot!" I try to convince her.
I rest my hand on top of hers, showing her that I'm here for her. She smiles appreciatively when I do that. I know that anyone could walk in and see us right now but I really don't care.
"Please just talk to me if you ever feel like you need to escape."
She weakly smiles, "I'll try."
She then begins to apologise too: "I'm sorry for the way I acted that night. I was rambling and I was shouting things at you, and I know that I probably looked a little crazy. It's just that I rely on things going the way I planned. I get all anxious when things don't go right or if my routine changes. Richelle finding us together that night just sent me spiralling."
"I'm sorry." She lowers her head as she says this.
"Hey, you don't have to apologise about anything. I'm the one that should be apologising, not you. You did nothing wrong!"
"I know that I'm hard to understand. The only person that's ever understood me is Michelle, and even she doesn't support me."
"I support you." I look into her eyes with a serious look on my face. "I always will."
A warm smile appears on her face, and it makes me feel so much better. I hate it when she's unhappy. I know that what happened at the competition will be playing on her mind, and I know that she'll be worried about Richelle, but I'm gonna make sure that she doesn't say anything to anyone about what she saw.
"What if Richelle tells someone." Emily expresses her worries.
"She won't." I promise her, "I promise you that she won't say a thing, okay?"
