Can't Protect You Now

Untitled Part 8

With Maddie back, Chloe immediately downgraded back to second place in Abby's eyes. But Chloe wouldn't have it any other way, it was great to have the missing friend back. She hated that added on pressure of compensating for her absence anyway. Now if only her mother agreed.

"Hasn't even been a week," Christi complained after witnessing Abby hugging Maddie. Like all the mothers she was extremely relieved and happy to have her back at the studio but missed the much craved attention her daughter received. When Melissa spread the word of the news, threw a party for the worried mother.

Abby felt the most happy, unsurprisingly, but concealed it for her job. She ordered the girls to preform better backflips; The ones she saw were unclean and not professional. Chloe missed a step in midair and banged her knee.

"Oh my God!" Abby gasped, uncharacteristically sympathetic. She lumbered in the fallen girl's direction in a blink of the eye.

Chloe straddled her knee and sucked her teeth, but didn't cry. She wasn't a doctor but knew nothing was broken fortunately. Abby stepped over her one leg after another, if she tripped it would have injured her further. Chloe expected to be picked up over the adult's shoulder, but was ignored for someone else.

Abby hurried over to a confused Maddie who wondered what the problem was with her. Her arm was turned upwards and then downwards by the much bigger hands.

The teacher inspected the little elbow. "I saw you crash your arm on that straddle leap. Are you alright?"

"Abby!" Christi clapped her hands together in fury. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

The teacher doesn't even took her way. "Oh yeah - Kendall watch those arms and close your ribcage."

Christi fumed, but Chloe just laughed. She noticed Maddie separating herself From Abby to check her bag over at the sidelines. She rubbed her lips on the banged part of her knee as she watched her friend read a message on her phone. Her face serious. Maddie collected her things and pushed open the glass exit door open. No questions were asked of her even though she wasn't officially dismissed.

Chloe couldn't help but follow her out, also unnoticed. Today wasn't a prepping for competition day but Abby still took all types of training seriously. She watched Maddie searching her dance bag further, that strange blonde wig was pulled out.

"Maddie no!"

She ignores the cry and casually fixes the wig on her head. "Relax, it doesn't work right away."

Chloe would have begged more if she didn't feel so left in the dark; if she claims that wig drove her to behave in a barbaric way, why would she willingly wear it. Maddie was okay with explaining.

"Sia needs me — she has another gig," Maddie said. Also resting assure that this time she wouldn't go missing and will have plenty of people to handle her.

Chloe didn't know exactly how to feel so she chose to be calmer about the situation. They both stood in awkward silence as Maddie finesses with the magic wig.

"Who's Sia?" She asked, not demanded, just was passively curious.

"Chloe," Maddie bluntly name drops.

The owner of that name swallows. "Uh huh?"

"I was wondering, maybe after this gig... You and me could go..."

Almost verbatim, akin to the last time they parted due to the effects of the wig. Only this time, Chloe knew what she was going to say.

"Yes, I will see you after."

Maddie waved goodbye, and then ran down the block laughing in glee.