Dance in the Family (1D, bk 2)

Chapter Seven

Five years ago

I was watching the rain as it hit the window of the studio, wishing the sun would come back. Beth had left, and I wasn't sure when she'd be back. She'd gone to the store to pick up a new package of hair pins. I'd chosen to stay behind and work on my solo. It was the same one I'd been choreographing the day my mother had died, and I wasn't any further in it.

"Haley, are you okay?"

"Yes, of course. I'm just thinking."

"What are you thinking about? You seem... lost."

"Oh, it's nothing. You don't have to worry about me, I'm fine."

I'd had that conversation more times than I could count. She'd walk in and catch me staring at something with a vacant expression, and she'd be concerned. And my answer was always that I was fine. I didn't know what else to say. If I wasn't fine, they'd send me to therapy and possibly take me from Beth. I knew enough about the system to know that not every family was nearly as good as the one I was with. Sure, it was just Beth and whatever boyfriend she had at the time, but it was good. I could still dance, and I had free reign at the studio, which I lived above. Alone.

The rain wasn't stopping, and I got tired of sitting still fairly quickly. I took the current CD out of the stereo and put in one I'd just bought a few days ago. The songs were drastically different, and this song was at best a jazz number, at worst hip-hop. It wasn't my normal dance type, but I wasn't complaining. I liked the music, and I'd learn the dance style. I knew a bit of jazz, and I knew the theory of hip-hop.

By the time Beth got back with the hairpins (and a gallon of chocolate ice cream for me), I'd finished my newest dance, and it was a perfect combination of jazz and hip-hop. The look on her face made it all worth it to me.

Three years ago- Perrie's POV

I was in front of management, waiting to hear about how I was doing with me completely new image. Robert, the head of my PR, was staring at me silently from across the table, while the others had a private conversation.

"Ms. Edwards, are you sure you want to continue with this? If you continue down this path, it will be hard to ever recover," Robert told me quietly.

"I'll do whatever management tells me to. I want to be successful, and I want to help my girls be successful too. If that means being a player for a while, then I'll gladly do it," I snapped, getting annoyed with him. In truth, the last thing I wanted was to turn my back on Zayn and the other girls. But that's what management wanted me to do... and they held my future in their hands. All of our futures, actually.

"Perrie, we're proud of you. You've taken to this new lifestyle very quickly!" Ms. Steward told me, turning to face me. She was one of the vice presidents of the management company. I had been seeing a lot more of her lately.

"Thank you, Ms. Steward," I replied, giving a small smile that I didn't really feel.

"Please, call me Stephanie. We have a few men lined up for you to date, just to get started with, and then you'll be able to choose for yourself. The stipulation is no more than two dates, and he must be seen leaving your house the morning after at least once. Then on to the next man! And we want you to go to some club at least three nights a week. Whether or not you drink is up to you, but when you leave you must appear to be smashed. It shouldn't take more than a few months for your image to have completely changed in the eyes of the world," Ms. Steward instructed, looking proud. It must have been her plan then.

"Right, of course. I can do that," I said, trying to think of loopholes. I couldn't find any. They dismissed me and went back to whatever they'd been discussing before I'd come in. Robert took me by the arm and steered me out of the room.