Transitions

Competition

I started shivering and stood still to debate whether or not to go back downstairs and go to bed or to stay here. I decided to go to bed since I knew I had to be up early for my sister's competition.

"I'm sleepy... can we go back downstairs? I know Ashton will be gone for a while, so we can actually relax in the silence." I asked.

He stood up and took my hand, leading me out of the hot tub and over to where my towel was sitting. He picked it up off the chair and wrapped it around me carefully. I dried off as best as possible before throwing my jersey back over my dripping wet swim suit. We made our way back to the room and we passed by a room and all we heard were awkward sounds coming from it. The fact that there was a 'Do Not Disturb' sign hung on the door, made me cringe. We stopped in front of the elevator to wait for it to come back down from the 25th floor, and we were on the 17th, and our room was on the 10th. Michael grabbed my hand, linking his fingers with mine. I could feel the rough callouses that lined his fingertips and palms. The elevator dinged; nearly making both of us jump. We stepped into the car and tapped the button for the 10th floor. I huddled into the corner to attempt to warm up. When we started getting closer to the our stop, I stepped forward and anticipated the warmth of my bed. The doors finally opened and I made a mad dash down the hall to the room. I pulled my key out of the pocket on my jersey and unlocked the door. The room was empty and dark. I flipped the light switch that was on the wall and made my way inside. Michael came inside shortly after I finally made my way over to where my bag was. I pulled a sports bra and a pair of fleece pajama pants out of the bag and made my way back to the bathroom. Turning the light on, I closed the door behind me. I noticed that there were fresh towels in the bathroom which made me very happy. I turned on the shower and let the water warm up. My sister's shampoo and conditioner was still in the shower so I was just going to use that. I eventually stripped out of my clothes and stepped into the shower, allowing the hot water to envelope my soul and clean away all the chlorine from the pool. After spending about 20 minutes thinking and meditating, I turned the water off and stepped out. I dried off with the new, warm, fluffy towels and put my pajamas on. I hung the towel back up over the shower to let it dry overnight. I heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"Are you almost done? I need someone to watch TV with..." Michael yelled through the door.

I laughed at his childishness, "Yes dear. I'll be out in just a minute."

I tidied up the bathroom to the way it was when I went in there, and then opened the door, nearly making the blue haired boy in front of me fall over. I walked out of the room into the toasty warm living space. Michael led me over to one of the beds that was already ready for someone to sleep in it. The pillows were all fluffed, the blankets were just right. I ran and launched myself onto the bed, making myself comfortable. Grabbing the remote off the bedside table, I flipped through the channels to find something to watch. We settled on watching some Christmas movies that were playing on FreeForm. He climbed up in the bed and laid down next to me, pulling my small form into his larger, more built frame.

"You make me so happy. This was one of the best decisions we ever made. I cannot wait to help open these doors for you and get you into the music industry with us. The rest of the crew is going to absolutely adore you and your sister. Until then, go ahead and get some sleep. You've got a busy day tomorrow. I love you Riley."

I laid my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat, while I drifted off to sleep. I felt him lightly nuzzle himself closer to me and eventually heard light snores coming from him as well. I awoke the next morning still embraced by my blue haired friend. Ashton was snoring in the other bed, still sound asleep. Leaning over to grab my phone, I checked the time. It was almost 8:30AM. Doors opened for the competition at 9. I nudged Michael.

"Mikey. Miiikeeeyyy.. Get up. It's 8:30. We have to be in the arena by 9 to check in Mackenzie." I whispered in his ear, lightly pressing kisses on his temple.

He rolled over and looked at me with one eye open, "Huh? Say that one more time. I'm sorry babe."

I sighed, "Get your smurfy butt up. We have to get a move on. Doors open at 9. Let's go. I'll go wake up Ashton. Go take a shower, you smell like a farm."

Both his green eyes opened at my comment and he glared at me, "Oink, oink. I may smell like a farm, but you smell like a strawberry orchard."

I pushed him off the bed, "I said go! You're a stinky boy. I love you though."

I jumped up off the bed and walked to the door to give myself a running start. I ran at full speed through the room and flew onto Ashton's bed.

"GET UP! There are ponies flying everywhere!" I shouted, nearly making him jump.

"Ponies? Really now. Why am I up so early?"

I rolled my eyes and explained once again that the doors for the competition opened at 9 and that it was now 8:30. He flew out of bed and put his jeans on. I walked over to my bag and pulled out a clean outfit and traded my pajama pants for jeans. Not realizing there were two boys in the room, I didn't even bother running to the bathroom to change. I heard Michael giggle in the background.

"Don't look you fool!!" I shouted at him.

I stood in front of the mirror for a good 10 minutes to apply my makeup and fix my hair as it was currently just piled in a saggy bun on top of my head. Michael came up behind me and stood there.

"You don't need all that makeup." He said, pulling my makeup bag off the counter, tossing it on the bed.

I looked at him and groaned, finishing getting ready. I slipped my purple uggs on and grabbed my bag.

"I'm leaving to go downstairs, are you two weirdos coming?"

The boys followed me out the door and down to the elevator.

"Should we stop at one of the gift shops and get her some flowers?" Ashton asked.

"None of the shops here have flowers sadly. She will live. Now let's go! Move! Move! Move!"

We finally made our way through the casino over to the arena. The doors were just getting ready to open. We walked up to the guard who was checking bags. I handed him our tickets. He looked through my bag to make sure I didn't have anything I wasn't supposed to bring in. We walked through the open doors and made our way into the arena. We found good seats and sat down making ourselves comfortable. I pulled the program out of my bag to see when JoJo and Mackenzie were performing. The lights dimmed and an announcer stepped out onto the stage.

"Good morning ladies and gentleman. Welcome to Intensity Dance Competition. We have over 100 dancers performing today from around the country, so I ask you to please be courteous and keep your cellphones on silent. Photography is welcome, but please do not use the flash. Without any further ado, I'd like to welcome act number 1."

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