When Cupid Falls In Love

Chapter 8: Penny

The only thing I knew about Eloise Brady was that we were performing on her show tonight and doing an interview. It was common practice for her to invite participants from reality shows on her talk show, especially from talent competitions. Todd insisted the more publicity we got, the better our chances of winning were. I'd like to think he cared about us, but we knew all he cared about was managing a winner. We were the first dance crew he worked with on the show that made it to the finals. Which was why he was making phone calls nonstop, trying to resolve our Harley situation. He refused to miss his shot.

I suppose we have that in common. While my gut churned with guilt at the thought of not performing with her, there was nothing we could do. We were under contract to compete, whether we had our entire team or not. I just looked at this as another opportunity to prove how talented we were. It was our main character moment, we just had to conquer this setback then everything would fall into place.

"It's so smelly down here, why can't we just take a cab? Or better yet, the car Eloise rented for us!" Amber grumbled as we pushed thru the crowded subway station.

"Because I want you guys to get the New York subway experience!" Elena proclaimed as she threw her hands up, before apologizing to the triplets for accidentally hitting them.

Even though we've been in New York for a while now, we haven't had a chance to ride the subway, nor did we have a reason to. While Jen's house was in the suburbs, it was close to the studio. An uber or a cab sufficed for all our transportation needs.

"I got my subway experience when I ate that foot long earlier." Lennon snickered as she linked arms with me so I wouldn't fall behind. I didn't have as much spring in my step as the girls. All that energy went into dancing.

Originally, we planned on taking a cab or our rental car and meeting Todd at the studio, but Elena insisted on taking the subway to get a proper NYC experience. We might not be here much longer, and she didn't want us to miss out. So, begrudgingly we decided to get it over with. I was just glad she knew where we were because the last thing I wanted was to get lost before the interview.

"Are you sure we'll get there in time to warm up? We can't dance without warming up!" I called up to Elena. My body was still sore from our show yesterday and I wanted to ensure I had a chance to work off my lunch. I should've just skipped it. I almost did, but then the anxiety creeped in about being hungry later. Now I felt exposed with my bloated belly.

Elena looked back at me with a radiant smile. "Don't worry, we'll be there in plenty of time to warm up and practice the routine." She promised.

At the mention of the routine, I sighed. It felt taboo to dance without our entire crew. While it was easy to rearrange today's routine without her, it was strange to see only seven of us. By now, Harley was probably getting out of bed and getting ready for the talk show with Elena's aunt. That sounded a far cry better than being suffocated by subway smoke and expensive perfume. Harley was still doing the interview with us, but she didn't have to get there early to warm up.

"Try to get out front ladies so we can find some seats together!" Elena called out as the train tracks came into view, just ahead. Then, after a couple more minutes of pushing and being cursed at, we made it to the front where we huddled together and linked arms for safety.

"This is stupid," Amber said for the fifth time today. "We should've taken a cab."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Where's the fun in that?" She huffed, inspiring the two of them to slip into a heated debate over different forms of public transportation.

Ignoring them, I glanced over my shoulder to observe our surroundings.

All around, there were well dressed businessmen, women tittering in heels, salespeople lugging bursting suitcases, and plenty of folks talking on the phone. Every now and again a family navigated the crowd, or some kids who just finished school ran by talking excitedly. The diversity of people was intriguing against the aged back drop of the subway station.

It was hard not to compare my muffin top to the slim waists of the women in pantsuits around me. They likely worked full time and were in just as good shape as me. I stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the women and my girls. As each person walked behind me, I become more and more aware of my body size. I couldn't imagine the terrible thoughts going through their head.

Breathing in sharply, I tried to refocus my attention on the subway station instead. It obviously saw a lot of traffic, based on the chipped tile walls, splintered wood of the benches and the worn out, dirty concrete beneath our feet. The only thing that looked semi-new was the train tracks but even they had a bit of rust on them. Probably from rain. If it was quieter down here, I bet you could hear the cars moving above us or the footsteps of people walking. This city was fascinating in the most enticing way. If you knew how to look at it, you could find magic anywhere.

"Can I get everyone's attention please? I need attention! Right here! My friend has something to say!" A stunning brunette guy in a white dress then shouted over the buzzing crowd before he gestured to one of the empty benches eagerly.

"What's his problem?" Lennon snickered.

Gwen nudged her. "Don't be mean, he might be doing something for charity," She scolded, earning a nod of agreement from her sisters.

"I doubt that, I think he's just trying to get attention." Elena chimed in.

Amber shook her head sympathetically. "Yeah, for his imaginary friend. He's probably homeless and on drugs. Poor guy." She decided, checking her wallet for a dollar.

As they debated what he was trying to achieve, I found myself oddly fixated. He didn't seem to have any health issues. His stance was confident, he didn't look hungry and his complexation was bright. The dress didn't resemble a hospital gown, but it was definitely not everyday or common street wear. That wasn't what piqued my interest though. It was how he looked up at the empty air like someone was actually there.

Other than our group and some curious kids, no one seemed to care enough to pay attention to his antics. Until one with a mullet threw a piece of crumpled notebook paper at him and said something that caught the guy's attention. I would've eavesdropped on their argument, but the roar of the subway train drowned them out.

"Is that our train?" I asked, looking ahead as I re-adjusted my small yellow backpack.

"Yup, make sure you get on or you'll have to take a cab." Elena warned as she glared at Amber. If you didn't know them, you'd be under the impression they disliked each other, but that was how their friendship worked. We all had a unique way of relating to one another, as most friend groups do. 

Though, I think their constant bantering was because they liked each other more than friends.

Once the train stopped moving and the doors opened, we scurried on, leaving behind the man in a dress and the stuffy subway station for another exciting performance. One that hopefully wouldn't go wrong, because we had a budding reputation to live up to.

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Geez I swear I have been the definition of exhausted today, it took me forever to get out the door, and to the library so I had wifi to update! It was a long weekend, with work and all. Did I ever tell you guys I work as a waitress at IHOP? Pretty cool huh? Its okay, you don't need to answer that lol. I hope you all enjoy your Mondays, and if you're not here's a salsa dancing S ---> 's,

-River.

Ps. This chapter is dedicated to Olga_GOA for her sweet sweet comments on WCFIL, and just for being awesome! If you like erotic, passionate, Italian stories check hers out its fabulous! And she's Russian ;)