The Dancer's Daughter (1D)

Chapter Twenty-Three

It takes almost the entire day to find a new room for Skylar, and by the time we've worked out all the kinks, I'm ready to just call it a day. Then I remembered I'd promised to see Beth today, and I feel stupid. I sighed, trying to make the hotel room look presentable again. Then I sent her a quick text and sat back to wait.

Me: Okay, you can come on up now. Everything is sorted. :)

Almost immediately, someone knocked on the door. I sighed again. What was she doing, standing just down the hallway waiting for me to text her? I opened the door and was immediately pushed aside as Skylar came waltzing back in.

"So I like your room better. I'll trade you!" she told me, smirking. Oh, I was too tired for this.

"Sky, I am not in the mood for this. Go back to your room now, and I'll text you when you can come back. An old friend of mine is coming up right now, and I'd like to talk to her alone," I snapped, trying to be nicer than I felt. She rolled her eyes.

"Would this be Beth, the woman who practically raised you?" she asked, sitting down on the couch. "Whatever you have to say to her, you can say if front of me. I can keep a secret." She winked, smirking so I'd know she was kidding. At least I hope she was kidding.

"No you can't! You have the biggest, loudest mouth in the world! Louder than Louis's!" I exclaimed, grabbing her arm and pulling her up again. Of course, when I turned back to the door (that I may have left open by accident), all five boys were staring at the two of us. Which made me drop her, and since she'd made me support all of her weight, she toppled to the floor painfully. And instead of letting it go and getting up like a normal person, she grabbed my ankle and yanked me down to the floor with her. So there we were, five boys staring at two girls who were sprawled painfully on the floor between the couch and the door.

"I am not loud!" Louis suddenly exclaimed. And that was all it took to send us all off laughing. Which is how Beth found us not even a minute later. She took one look at us and shook her head.

"Do I even want to know?" she asked me. I shook my head, taking Zayn's hand and letting him pull me up. I reached down to offer a hand to Sky, but Harry beat me to it. I glared at the back of his head, but he didn't notice.

"No, you don't. But now that that's over, I need everyone to leave! Beth and I have things to talk about," I told them loudly. They all just stared at me. "No, really. There are things to say that Sky's fragile ears can't hear," I tried again. "You guys should take her out to eat or something."

"Um, no. And fuck the fragile ears thing. I'm not an innocent child," Sky snapped. "You haven't been around, you don't know. So don't treat me like a child!" Her outburst obviously took me by surprise, because I couldn't respond.

"I'm going to say she doesn't want you here for the same reason she doesn't want us here," Harry told Sky quietly. "Beth is kind of her surrogate mother, and she just wants to talk to her alone. So, what do you say to some food? Not because I think you're innocent or a child, but because it will make Haley more comfortable to be alone with Beth."

Sky thought it through before nodding. "Fine, but you're paying, superstar," she grumbled. "And I need to grab something from downstairs before we go." I shot a greatful look at Harry.

"Thanks, Sky. Have a good meal, guys!" I said cheerfully, grabbing Beth's arm and pulling her out of the way as Niall took off running for the door.

"Zayn, will you stay? I'll cook for us," Beth asked, surprising me. He nodded, moving to sit on the couch. And he still had my hand, so I was dragged with him. The boys and Skylar all made their way out the door slowly, looking back at me every once in a while. As soon as they were gone, I turned back to Beth.