𝐔𝐩 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝙎𝙊𝙎𝙎 𝙊𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙨

Dangerous Moves (Part 2)

The cold, breezy day in Sulphur Springs, Louisiana, felt like a warning that winter break was officially over. Students of Sulphur Springs ISD had begrudgingly returned to their routines, and by midday, 4th period was in full swing. Down the 11th-grade hallway, the hum of voices, bursts of laughter, and fragments of conversation spilled from Mrs. Metrover's ELAR class-a usual occurrence.

Inside, the class wasn't your standard row of desks and obedient students. Desks had been shoved into loose circles, and kids lounged in every spot they could find-perched on desktops, sprawled on the floor, or nestled into the corners. From an outsider's perspective, it might've seemed like chaos, but it was the usual for this ELAR group. They always finished their work early, leaving the rest of the period to fill with the kind of casual energy that made it Mrs. Metrover's favorite class.

Toward the back of the room, in the reading nook that had long since been repurposed as a napping zone, Harper Dunn was curled up on the couch. She leaned against the armrest, her fingers lazily running through Bailey Moody's dark brunette hair as Bailey lounged between her legs. Across from them, on the opposite couch, Ciara Frost and Ariana Vacaraza were tangled together in their usual mess of intertwined legs and chaotic affection.

"So, let me get this straight," Bailey said, tilting her head to look at Harper. "You and your whole family-plus Griffin's family-are doing a reality show?"

And there it was: the topic of the hour. Harper and the Campbells, together, in front of a camera crew. The idea had taken weeks to get off the ground, requiring more convincing than Harper cared to admit. But money talked, and both families had finally caved after seeing the potential payout. Contracts had been signed, the deal was done, and now they were just waiting to get started. That wait, however, was dragging. No title, no premiere date, and barely any updates from the producers.

"Yep," Harper said with a mix of excitement and disbelief.

"That's hot," Ariana said, earning a laugh from Harper.

"When does filming even start?" Cici asked, sitting forward with curiosity.

"Who knows?" Harper muttered. "They're keeping everything on a need-to-know basis. And apparently, I don't need to know shit."

Bailey smirked. "Well, at least you'll get to be on camera with your boyfriend."

Harper froze for a moment, her expression tightening just enough for her friends to notice.

"Wait-what's that face?" Cici gasped, sitting up straighter. "Spill. Now."

Harper sighed, "Okay, so about three weeks ago... I had Nationals-"

"What's that?" Bailey interrupted, her brow furrowed.

"It's the last competition of the dance season," Cici chimed in like a pro.

"Okay, smexy," Ariana added casually.

"Anyway," Harper continued, shooting them a playful glare, "my studio's rivals were at the same competition. And not just at the event-they stayed at the Tremont, too. There's this girl on their team. Her name's Nyrie."

"That's a gorgeous name," Bailey interjected.

"Right?" Harper rolled her eyes, laughing. "It's honestly the only thing I'm jealous of. But yeah, at first, Griffin hated her. She was rude to me, totally smug, the works. But by the end of the weekend, he was... different. He got her number, started texting her, and now-" She paused, her tone dropping. "Now, he won't let me look through his phone anymore. He's always got some dumb excuse. And I don't know what's going on between them, but it's not nothing."

The girls fell silent, a rare moment of tension in the usually lively group.

"Damn," Cici finally muttered. "You think he's cheating?"