Chloe twisted her arms around her back, trying to feel for whatever was digging into her back. Miss Robinson walked over. "Chloe, why aren't you doing your sit- ups?"
Chloe frowned. "It's just... when I do the sit- ups, my back really hurts. I don't really know why."
Miss Robinson frowned, sceptical that the most rebellious girl in the school was telling the truth. "Okay. Maybe there's something wrong with your technique. Show me."
Chloe nodded, doing a sit- up. This time it sent a stabbing pain into her back, around her shoulder blades. She yelped, jolting up and rolling to the side. "Ow!"
The other girls in the class turned to look. Chloe was always smooth and collected, never showing an ounce of imperfection. This was the most vulnerable she had ever looked in school.
Chloe's back was sending really sharp, stabbing pains. She tried not to cry as Miss Robinson offered her a hand to stand up. This was probably the worst pain she'd ever been in, even throughout her dance career. Miss Robinson reached out a hand to touch her back, and Chloe flinched.
Miss Robinson looked into Chloe's eyes for a second to confirm that Chloe was genuinely in pain. "You know what, go to the office. They'll get you some ice and I think we should send you home for the day. It seems to me your back is really bothering you." She glanced around. "Nia, help her get her things and escort her to the office. "
Chloe nodded. Her back pains had faded greatly in the moments after her sit- up, but she wouldn't refuse an excuse to skip school. "Thank you."
Nia got up and they walked together back to the Glam Room. Nia examined her reflection in the mirror as Chloe changed back into her normal clothes. "So, does your back actually hurt, or is this just a way for you to skip the Science test?"
Chloe shook her head. "I don't really get it. When I lay down on my back it felt like something was stabbing me in my shoulder blades. Like, really hard."
Nia frowned, but didn't respond. Chloe packed up her things and the two girls headed to the office. Nia left her at the office door, turning back to go to the gym.
Chloe entered the office, got some ice from the secretary, and sat down to wait for the principal. As soon as she rested her back on the chair, it stung again-- much harder than before. She burst forward, almost falling out of the chair. Her eyes stung with tears, but she quickly blinked them back. The secretary frowned at her. "Stay in your seat."
Chloe nodded. She tried to resume her rebellious front, chewing loudly on a stick of gum, but on the inside she was still confused about her back and whatever was happening to it. Eventually, the principal allowed her to leave the school. Christi picked her up.
"Chloe, what'd you do this time?" Christi sighed as Chloe hopped into the front seat, careful to avoid leaning back. The car started moving, and Chloe had to quickly put on her seatbelt.
"Nothing." Chloe crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat, temporarily forgetting her back pain. As soon as her back touched the seat, the searing pain returned. Chloe clamped her hand over her mouth, but a whimper emerged from her lips. The pain was excruciating, and she bent over forward, trying not to cry.
"Chlo, what's going on? Tell me what happened." Christi said firmly. She was used to Chloe being suspended from school after a fight or an "incident". But her daughter was never in tears, not once. Chloe was the tough girl, the one who held up a perfect exterior all day and all night.
A tear escaped her eye, and she quickly wiped it away. Christi pulled over. She hadn't seen her daughter cry since last year. After Abby had screamed at her for so long, Chloe eventually tuned it all out and kind of became an emotionless wall.
"Chloe?" Christi asked quietly. "Come on, I'm not going to yell at you this time. Just tell me what's going on."
"It's my back." Chloe said quietly. "It really hurts when anything touches it, okay?" She sighed. "Now start the car."
Christi nodded, choosing to not probe further. "It must be from dance last night." The group dance this week had a lot of partnerwork, including things where the girls had to carry each other. Presumably, that was the cause of whatever was bothering her.
When they got home, they noticed a rather large package on their front porch. Chloe picked it up. "Fanmail." she said. Fans often sent her letters or packages, but this one was unusually heavy and quite large.
She went inside, slipping off her boots, and headed into the dining room to open up her package. It was a mirror. The mirror was white, with a decorative frame, and was about two feet tall. ~Chloe~ was carved in cursive at the bottom. Chloe checked for a message, but there was none. Odd. Usually fans sent her a note of some sort telling her how much they admired her.
She checked again for cameras. This was something that Abby had taught the girls to do-- she didn't want the girls to be spied on by fans. But there were no cameras on the structure. Christi came over to check it out. "Chlo, a fan sent you this? It's pretty!"
Chloe shrugged. "I guess so." She brought it upstairs and hung it in her walk- in closet.
Christi called from downstairs. "Chlo, you want any ice or heating packs for your back?"
"No." Chloe shouted, walking over to her desk and picking up her phone.
"Get some rest before dance, then."
"Fine."
Chloe returned to her walk- in closet, getting a t-shirt and sweats to sleep in.
She took off her jacket to change and her eyes boggled. The mirror showed two large bumps protruding from her shoulder blades, between the spaghetti straps of her crop top. Shocked, she walked into the bathroom to get a better view. Yet when she looked in that mirror, nothing was visible.
She went back to the closet. Again, the bumps. She carefully touched one of the bumps. It stung, and she flinched. "What on Earth..." she mumbled to herself, examining them in the mirror.
"Mom!" she shouted, suddenly nervous. Maybe there was something seriously wrong with her back. "Come, fast!"
Christi ran up the stairs. "Chlo? What's going on?" She got into Chloe's room and went into the closet. "What is it?"
Chloe turned around. "Look at my back."
Christi frowned. "What? I don't see anything."
Chloe turned to look back in the mirror. Her mother was right. There was nothing there. "What? But I just saw... there were bumps! I'm telling you..." She frowned, touching her back. It still stung. "I don't get it."
Christi frowned. "You know what, Chloe, I think you're just really tired. Get changed, go to bed, and I'll wake you up for dance."
Chloe nodded. Her mother walked out of her room. Chloe looked in the mirror again, and the bumps were there again. Still confused, she decided to take her mother's advice, changing and heading to bed. Perhaps she would feel better after some rest.
YOU ARE READING
The Bad Angel(Dance Moms) ~ A Chloe Lukasiak FanFic
FanfictionThe grace of an angel is masked with her sins, Apathy shielding her heavenly wings. Not one of virtue but cunning foul, Beauty shrouded in painted scowl. Chloe Lukasiak is the rebel of the school-- and the dance floor. But what happens when she real...