Not A Small Town Girl (dance moms and magcon)

Chapter 11

"I can't believe you guys won it's such bullshit," Kalani drags on.

"You guys copied me and Gino's dance you shouldn't have won," I answer matter-of-a-factly.

"No, I know why we lost," Kalani rolls her eyes. "Matt Espinosa uh. He's so stupid. Why did he have to kiss me? There was no reason for it!"

"Yeah that's why you lost!" Kendall affirms, running from behind us trying to catch up. When she does, "I could tell it wasn't planned. Sloppy sloppy."

We walk in line together down the avenue. I keep getting bumped off the sidewalk and on to the grass.

"I mean you have to give him some credit Kalani," I think aloud. Kalani gives me a weird/disgusted look.

"It was smart for him. I mean what other chance was he gonna get to kiss you. It was smart."

"No. It was stupid because he now has no chance. He humiliated me in front of everyone," Kalani speaks dramatically.

"He had a chance before?" Kendall smirks at her quickness.

Kalani hesitates, "No."

We all look at each other.

"No." she says again.

"Okay," Kendall shrugs obviously not believing it.

We walk into the coffee shop. It's not a starbucks or a dunkin. It's like a local coffee shop called 776. That's just the number of the shop building so I think that's why it's called that. Honestly, it looks exactly like the starbucks I usually go to. But apparently, according to everyone who lives here, it's way better than that caffeinated crap. We stand in line waiting. It's relatively busy for a Saturday evening. I get a red strawberry iced lemonade because I hate coffee. Kalani and Kendall both get mocha hot lattes. My lemonade is okay. Maybe a little bit better than Starbucks?

"Let's sit over there," Kalani leads us to a small table in the corner of the shop. We sit down promptly.

We sip on our drinks. Check our phones. The norm. I sit on my side of the table alone, facing the wall. Kalani and Kendall sit across from me, facing the door.

"Oh shit," Kendall perks up obviously seeing something.

"What?" Kalani blurts out startled but not interested enough to look up from her phone.

I turn around to look. I see four boys. Jack G and Johnson are first and then Hayes and Lucas follow behind them. The Jacks see us first.

"Lani," Jack G is the only one that can get Kalani's attention. She looks up and immediately gets up and walks over to him. Kendall gets up unsteadily and looks down at me.

"Come on," she gestures for me to get up with them. But I don't. I turn again. Hayes and Lucas are moving to the line to buy something. Hayes sees me looking and smiles. I decide to say sitting. From where I am I can barely hear Jack, Johnson, Kalani, and Kendall talking...something about a party. I listen carefully, straining, trying to catch more words.

"Maddie," Hayes stands in front of me, leaning on the table. Lucas is beside him.

"Hey sister," Lucas exclaims then takes a sip of his bright pink frappacino.

They sit down where Kendall and Kalani had just been.

"So are you going to the party tonight?" Lucas asks me while playing with his straw, repeatedly bending it back and forth in between his teeth.

Another party? These Arizonians are apparently quite the party animals.

"Um I didn't know there was one going on tonight," I answer, fiddling with my phone.