G O L D E N | why don't we |

┃E L E V E N┃

"you wanna be friends forever? i can think of something better"- hayley kiyoko

It was how they met. Four little girls with big dancing dreams and a world of people to tell them they weren't good enough.

 In their small county in Florida, there were only two dance schools- one for the prestigious and one for those who wanted to have fun and do what they love - Leylah had chosen the prestigious one after being told by a classmate she could never get in.

Leylah, though only seven, she hated feeling belittled. She was built with the fire to prove people wrong and she was accepted into the dance school- for what she thought was her talent but for them it was to shape her and every other child in their school into the skin and bone perfection they craved them to be.

Sleep became third to dance and dance, school, and eating became something she got to when she had time and her mother was a hard-working woman but she was tired of going to recitals where her child was pushed to the side but she saw the tiredness and fire slowing to a mere light.

Leylah was sad when her mother pulled her out of the school but took her to the second best dance studio. She hadn't many friends at the first but she felt a sense of pride for sticking it out for as long as she did.

But that was where she met Emilia, who was taking classes to keep her busy after school. They bonded in hip-hop class when they were both given the floor for a routine, the spark was coming back to Leylah.

It was then Jessie moved to town, born farther north of the state and only taking classes because her mother didn't know what else to do with her while she tried to look for work. The three bonded quickly and although in school they were bullied for not being the best and not going to high-end competitions, they had each other.

Charli moved to town then from Wyoming, though she was a grade under them, Jessie befriended her the moment she saw the small girl sitting on the slide by herself one day at recess. Their group became a four and eventually, Charli too began to take the dance classes and together they became the four musketeers and when they danced together, nothing else mattered.

That is until Jack Avery moved to town. Emilia always swore she saw him first since he was in her class but he saw Jessie. He became close friends with them through one of his sisters to get closer to Jessie. But this resulted in  Emilia and Jessie getting into their first fight and the only one for many years to come.

Jack Avery, the boy who started the big fight and mended it. It wasn't too long before the girls were introduced to Zach in the third grade, and he was the reason the girls joined the school's chorus. But Zach was a friend of Leylah's and was accepted into the group very quickly, he had the deepest voice in the choir.

When they entered the fourth grade, Charli, in third and Zach in the second, they had dated which ended over an argument over the best ice cream. Stupid now but important then. In fifth grade, Corbyn and Daniel had joined chorus befriending Jack who introduced them to the ever-growing group.

They supported each other at chorus concerts, the boys attended the girls' recitals, and they hung out any chance they could. Though they were separated by different teachers, it never stopped their friendship.

They moved on to middle school, that's where the first divide began. Though they lived in neighboring neighborhoods, middle school had strained some friendships because everyone wanted to find where they fit.

It was Jonah Marais moving to town that changed things, he was the last addition until their senior year of high school and he had kept them together even when everyone had their new friends.

High school was another ball game but then they discovered YouTube as a platform, they did battle boys against girls for who would get the most views, likes, and subscribers. The girls never gave up though the boys found much success with their singing, they supported them all the way through and vise versa.

But once the boys left, they left behind questioning hearts and lots of what ifs.

The lifespan of their friendship was a straining roller coaster within itself. It wasn't pretty but it was the last constant thing in their lives. They never realized how much they depended on each other before it was too late.

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