I Won't Let You Close Enough to Hurt Me

Chapter 6

     Tears started to form in Brooke's eyes. How could she do a duet with Brandon? They couldn't even stand to be in the same room. But why was Nick there? Brooke looked to her mom to see if she knew what was going on, but Kelly looked confused as well.

     "Brooke, over the years you have had duets with both Brandon and Nick, and they have all turned out fairly well. But this weekend we are going to Energy Dance Competition in Los Angeles, California, and just "good" won't cut it. The duet is about a girl that is in love with a boy, but is repeatedly hurt by him. This dance doesn't just need perfect technique and stunning acro tricks; it needs chemistry. So you, Brandon, and Nick will all learn the routine, and whichever boy you have more chemistry with is the one that will perform it. Understand?" Abby asked.

     Brooke nodded. She was glad that she had a chance to dance with Nick, but they had never really had much chemistry together. She was worried that Brandon would get the duet in the end, and that she would have to dance with him at the competition.

     "Moms, you can head upstairs. Brandon and Nick, get back to class. Duet rehearsal won't begin until later. Girls, you have the next 30 minutes to stretch, get water, and do whatever else you need to. After your time is up, we will start the group rehearsal," Abby said as she walked out of the room.

     Brooke walked into the dancers den to get some water before she started stretching. While she was taking a drink, Nick walked up to her. "So, are you excited for the duet?" Nick smiled.

     "Yeah, if you get it," Brooke responded. "I don't know what I'll do if I have to dance with Brandon."

     "Try not to worry about it. Besides, I'm sure that you and Brandon won't have much chemistry after everything that has happened between you two," Nick said, but instantly regretted it. He knew that she didn't like to talk about her break-up with Brandon.

     "Yeah, maybe you're right. Well, I'll see you at the duet rehearsal in a couple hours," Brooke said as she walked back into Studio A to stretch.

     After 30 minutes had passed, it was time to learn the group routine. As usual, Maddie, Chloe, and Brooke were in the front, while the others were in the back. Overall, Brooke really liked this number. It was a dance about making it big in Hollywood, and she picked up the choreography rather quickly. After about an hour and a half, Abby decided to work with Maddie and Chloe on their solos, so the rest of the girls were dismissed into the dancers den.

     Instead of hanging around to talk to all the girls, Brooke decided to go upstairs and sit with all of the moms for a little bit. As she walked into the room, she heard them having another disagreement about Maddie and Chloe's choreography, but they quickly stopped once they realized that Brooke was with them.

     "Hey kiddo, how do you like the group dance?" Kelly asked as Brooke sat down next to her.

     "I like it a lot. But I'm still pretty worried about the duet," Brooke told her mother. Kelly and Christi pulled her into a hug as Holly, Melissa, and Jill gave her sympathetic looks. Everyone in the studio was aware of Brooke and Brandon's history, and knew how uncomfortable she must be.

     "Well, I hope Nick gets it. I've always loved the duets you two do together," Christi commented.

     "Yeah, I hope Nick gets it too," Brooke sighed. "Well, I guess I should go back downstairs."

     When Brooke entered the dancers den, all eyes were on her. She knew all the girls must have been talking about the duet. "You guys, you can talk about the duet around me. I can handle it," Brooke said.

     Immediately, all the girls told her how sorry they were, and how much they wanted Nick to get the part in the duet. Brooke smiled. That seemed to be the popular opinion today.

     "Thanks guys," Brooke said as she hugged all her friends. She loved how much they cared about her.

     After she pulled away from the hug, Brooke heard Abby yell from the studio, "Brooke, time for duet rehearsal! Get Brandon and Nick!"