Ballet And The Beast

Chapter Seventeen

'Hey guys, how was your week?" Alice asks as we join them in the club room.

"I think we know how their week went." Shane snickers. "Damn Brooke you really know how to turn it on for the camera." He winks at me, earning a glare from Mason.

"I didn't think I'd be followed all the way to Bath and have my date crashed." I roll my eyes as I sit down.

"What did everyone else do then?" Mason asks, trying to change the subject. We discuss how their weeks were until my phone rings and I have to excuse myself.

"Hello Brooke it's Anna Wintour from Vogue magazine, how are you?" She asks.

"Hi Anna I'm good thanks how are you?" I respond, curious as to what she wants with me.

"You've hit up quite a storm in the media this last week I see."

"It's really not what it looks like, I was..." I start before she interrupts.

"I know, don't worry. I want to give you chance to say your version of events." She chuckles.

"You do?" I ask, slightly surprised.

"We want you to be our cover star along with a ten page spread about juggling your work and education with your love life. How does that sound?" She asks, probably knowing my answer already.

"I would love that, thank you Anna."

"Great, so next Saturday will be the shoot and Sunday will be the interview if that works for you?" She asks.

"Yes, that's perfect." We exchange a few more details before saying goodbye and I march back to the others, unable to contain my excitement.

"Who was that?" Mason chuckles sensing my mood.

"Dame Anna Wintour." I gush but they stare at me blankly, having no idea who she is. "Editor of Vogue." I explain.

"What did she want?" Alice asks, now understanding my excitement.

"Weellll, you know, next month's cover star and a ten page spread on my life." I try to play it down.

"On how much of a slag you've been you mean?" Jess comments, coming up behind me and instantly ruining my mood.

"Oh hi Jess, how I've missed you." I roll my eyes. 

"Looks like the only thing you've been missing is some dignity and your pants." She responds quite harshly.

"Look Jess just fuck off." Shane chimes in very bluntly.

"You're so unnecessary." Alice adds.

"Just saying what everyone else is thinking." She turns on her heel and walks off back to her groupies.

"I just need to grab something from my room, I'll be back in a bit." Mason grunts before walking off, how strange.

"Well that was a mood killer." Chase chuckles. "That sounds great though, make sure to tell them how amazing we are."

"What a bunch of buffoons you are more like."

●○●○●○

The first few days back are like torture. It's the last term which means it's exam season and on top of that there's the annual showcase we all have to work on. Mason and I have a duet, I have a solo and then we're doing a group dance as well. Our academic lessons aren't any easier either as we're prepping for the exams there too.

Mason has also been acting fairly strange and his mum's words about depression is lingering at the back of my mind. He's distant and doesn't seem to want to do anything. I make my way into his room to see if I can get anything out of him.

"Hey babe I'm heading to the gym, did you want to come?" I ask and he just shakes his head.

"Look Mason, I'm a bit concerned. Is everything ok?" I make my way in and sit on the bed next to him.

"Yeah I'm fine don't worry, just these classes are tiring me out at the moment." He responds as he pulls me onto his lap. See this is part of my point, the only thing he does want is sex. Don't get me wrong I wont complain, it's just that's all he seems to want from me at the moment.

"I need to go Mase." I laugh as I get up again after a quick kiss.

"See you later." He mutters as I leave the room.

I head back into my room to change and ponder over what I can do to snap him out of this. Remembering his mum gave me her number before we left, I decide to give her a quick call.

"Hey Linda it's Brooke how are you?" I start with a warm smile even though she can't see me.

"Oh Brooke I'm great how are you?"

"Yeah I'm doing really well thank you." I tell her about Vogue before moving onto the reason I called. "I can't help but worry about Mason."

"Why? What's happened? She asks, getting into a panic.

"Nothings happened, don't worry. It's just he's acting differently since we got back, he doesn't seem himself." I explain, it sounds silly but I'm hoping she'll know what I mean.

"Different how?" I can hear the the tone of her voice change, knowing exactly what I'm referring to.

"He's withdrawing himself from things and is constantly tired. I was thinking back to what you said about his depression and wondered if it's that." I tell her truthfully.

"It sounds like it, all you can do is be patient with him. Just don't let it get to you as well, remember it's not your fault." She tells me and I nod then remember she can't see.

"Thank you Linda, sorry to trouble you I just wanted some advice."

"Any time, remember you're part of the family too." She chuckles before we say goodbye. I sit there for a minute, wondering what I can do to bring him back to his normal self.

"Really babe? You called my mum because I didn't want to go to the gym?" Mason spits out in a tone I've never heard before.

"Look Mason I was trying to help." I explain.

"By bitching to my own mum about me, about things you know nothing about." He laughs sarcastically and I roll my eyes.

"I'm sorry for caring about you and wanting to help. Would you rather I didn't?" I feel myself starting to get angry and take a deep breath.

"I'd rather have a girlfriend than a shrink. I don't go discussing your issues with everyone and believe me you're a lot more screwed in the head than I am." His voice starts to rise and that last sentence makes me heart sink. He's right.

"Look Mason if you're suffering I want to be there for you." I tell him, my voice a lot quieter than his.

"Well you don't help Brooke. First of all I get ripped apart online for taking you on a date." So that's what this is about. "Have you read what people are saying?" He continues.

"Just ignore it Mason, you're not the only one. There's a hell of a lot more positives." I try but it's no use.

"Fuck you Brooke, little miss golden girl. Then you turn around and start gossiping with my mum because she's told you things that I didn't want you to know." I've never heard him this angry before and I don't know how to react.

"I'm you're girlfriend Mason." I shout back, hoping he realised that's why I did it.

"Are you?" He asks before slamming my door behind him.