The Next Step - Life's Challenges

Chapter 10: 3rd Degree Burns

      Although I am stressed, I am not alone. Eldon, Emily, Hunter, James, and Riley are all helping me, not just with the funeral planning but with all of my struggles and stress.

     With all the commotion in my life right now, Emily's house has become my new home. Everyday I ask Emily and Riley if they are one hundred percent sure that it's not too much trouble to let me stay over, but they always reply the same way; "Michelle, you're our new sister and this is like ur home away from home, so you don't have to ask to stay here." I have no objections to staying over, my parents have been back and forth across the border so I'm all alone at home. Emily's parents live in Miami, The house was a gift for Emily's nineteenth birthday. I just found that out today, all the guys and I have been sleeping here for the past week and it's really fun.

     Everyone else told Eldon and I to go out and have fun because we were overworking ourselves from planning the funeral. We were exiting the house when I got a text message. It was Giselle.

Text Conversation

Giselle - Michie!

Michelle - Hai Ellie! wutsup?

Giselle - I wanted u to know that I'm sry for bringing up Miss Kate :(

Michelle - It's ok, I was gonna have to tell u guys about it sooner ot later anyway

Michelle - Meet me at STC mall in like 1hr then I will tell u everything

Giselle - Kk! C ya there!

Text Conversation Over

     I told Eldon that Giselle was Meeting us at the mall, he seemed a little upset with me for ruining our time alone with each other but when I told him why I was meeting with her, he understood.

     Eldon and I arrived at the mall early so we had half an hour before Giselle showed up. We walked around while we waited for Giselle. I walked into some stores but there was nothing that I was drawn to, normally I would go crazy over clothes but today all I could think about was Miss Kate.

     The next half hour went by fairly quickly. Eldon and I were walking then I got a text message from Giselle.

Text Conversation

Giselle - Heyy gurl, Meet me at the food court

Michelle - Kk. on ma way!

Text Conversation Over

     Eldon and I started walking over to the food court. When we got there we started looking around for Giselle. I see Giselle at one of the back tables, she was waving at us and we walked over to her. When we got there I notice that she was not alone. She had invited some of the other A-Troupers; West and Chloe.

     At first I was confused and didn't fully understand why West and Chloe had attended our little meeting, then it occured to me that the other dancers had many question and not only wanted answers, but deserved answers.

     "Hey, I'm sorry. I should have told you that I was coming." Chloe said, snapping me out of my trance.

     "Yeah, me too. Giselle told us about it." West added.

     "It's okay guys, I'm kinda happy that you showed up... I'm sorry, I have no clue as to how I'm gonna start this explanation." I said.

     "It's okay Michelle, I know this is hard for both you and Eldon. Just take your time and whenever you're ready to talk we will be listening." Giselle said.

     Eldon and I sat down at their table and stayed in silence for a brief moment before I was ready to begin my story. I took a deep breath and looked Eldon in the eyes, he gave me a reassuring nod and I began to speak.

     "Well, after Emily's leg was crushed by the fallen ceiling everyone tried to get me to visit her. I always thought she had hated me so I just declined. About a week later I built up enough courage to actually visit her. To my surprise she was excited to see me, her and Riley asked me to spend the night at their place and I agreed. We thought that it world be a great idea if we invited all our boyfriends over to sleepover also. Once they arrived we hungout for a little while then we all went our separate ways, Riley took James to her room and Emily did the same with Hunter which left Eldon and I alone in the living room. Eldon and I went futher than just kissing, without protection. I had no idea that we actually did that and neither did he. I felt like it didnt even happen. In the morning I had found out that Riley and Emily also ended up doing what Eldon and I had done with their boyfriends. We all took pregnancy tests, Riley and Emily's were negative... Mine was positive." I said.

     "Oh my God Michie, I'm so sorry. This could ruin your career" Giselle says as she pulls me into a hug.

     "I just want you guys to know that we will be by your side the whole way through, we will do everything we can to make this easier on you. Both of you." West looks over to Eldon and gives him an I gotchu face. Eldon managed a slight grin, then as soon as he began to tell his story his grin faded.

     "Well, you guys already know about the accident but there is more. Michelle I didn't want to scare you when u were still in the hospital so I didn't tell you this... Miss Kate was still alive after the explosion... She died shortly after arriving at the hospital. She was very badly burned and her lungs were destroyed from the flames. Even if she were to be alive right now she would never look the same... She would never be the same. We won't be able to have an open casket ceremony for her funeral." He started. He pause for a moment staring blankly at the table, then he looked up at all of us.

     "I really messed up this time man, I'm so sorry." He finished. He had tears forming in his eyes but he quickly whipped them away. We all formed a group hug around him.

     We all walked around for a while to get our minds off of Miss Kate. It somewhat worked but the thoughts always creep up on me, they're always in the back of my mind. We browsed around in different stores for about two hours before Eldon suggested we all go back to Emily and Riley's house. Eveyone agreed and with that we all left.

     Once we arrived Emily was very excited, we played games, watched movies and did something that we had not done in what felt like a lifetime but was realistically only about two weeks. Dance, we haven't danced as a group in a long time even at the studio, everyone is caught up in their solos and duets, no one has the time. We all drove to the new studio and just had fun, we played dance games and made up some new routines, we dedicated one of them to Miss Kate. It was a heartfelt contemporary dance. It made me cry.

     By the time we checked the time it was already eight thirty. We all headed back to Emily's house and started to plan out the funeral, we spent about three hours planning and we finally got it done. We called the funeral home and booked the whole thing. Giselle has an uncle who works at a greeting card company, he is making this invitations for us.

     Today was a great day, I got everything off my chest and it felt great... Well almost everything, I need to talk to Eldon in private about something very important.