Calore Dance Academy// Red Queen AU

Chapter 49

PLEASE READ: on my profile, go check out A Red Queen Black Friday! I will post the story on Thanksgiving, but for now, go drop a comment to let me know what you want to see happen!

Summary:

Who would be interested in a RQ Black Friday fanfiction special? I was thinking that it would take place post-Calore Dance Academy, IF Mare accepted Mister Calore's contract offer and bought a house. This intense Black Friday shopping spree would entail the RQ characters going out and spending tens of thousands of dollars to help Mare's family furnish their brand-new house. Sounds hilarious, right? Mare and Cal would be together in the fan fiction, and it would basically be as though everything was magically resolved. (for example, Cal and Farley could be in the same room and it wouldn't be weird) Maybe Maven and Thomas meet, and they pull some shenanigans at Best Buy? Perhaps Farley and Ruth Barrow balance one another out at Target and end up bonding? And most certainly do Mare's brothers give Cal a hard time at Walmart. This fan fiction special shall be posted on Thanksgiving! In the meantime, please drop some comments to give me ideas about what you want and who you want to see. Keep in mind that the Barrows are furnishing a house from scratch. All characters are up for grabs!

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"You remembered."

A hint of a smile inches onto Cal's face, and I'm careful not to let mine mirror his.

I decided, after all, to get Cal his stupid pack of bubblegum.

He runs a hand through his mussed hair before setting his sleeve of gum—which in fact contains three packs—on top of his folding chair.

I shrug. "I was out this morning and happened to remember." Leaning back on my palms, I flex my ankles back and forth on the stage floor, pointing my toes. "So now we're even?"

Cal chuckles a little, and he ends up nodding. "Yes, we're even now. So now you have no reason to lash out at me anymore."

I have to press my lips together. As usual, we're sitting on the stage, Cal with his precious folding chair behind him. His notebook, as always, is on his lap, and I catch scribbled bits of dance notation from the angle I sit at. Usually, I'd stop a bit farther from him, plop down, and criss-cross my legs, but today I sit a little closer.

Mostly because I had to toss him his pack of gum, which he caught as effortlessly as I expected him to.

"That's not true. After this contemporary lesson, I'll have more reason than ever to lash out."

Another laugh comes from Cal, but this time, it has a little less humor to it. "See, that's where you're wrong." He gives me a serious look, even as his eyes glitter with delight. "After our incident at the gala, where you so blatantly disrespected me by telling my brother that you thought I was a mediocre teacher, I've decided we need some rules, Mare."

I have yet to decide if the payoff of that comment is worth whatever's coming to me now.

"There will be no more disrespecting Cal," Cal says, smiling about his own proclamation. "You'll listen to me, you'll do what I say, and you won't roll your eyes. If I find out that you trash me behind my back like you did before, you'll be in trouble, and I'll find ways to punish you. I'm thinking pushups, but I haven't decided yet. Maybe I'll drag you along to run 10Ks with me," Cal muses. "You can think whatever you want of me in your head—though eventually, we will get along—but you'll play nice from now on, 'kay?"

'Kay. I contain my glower.

"I'll play civil," I tell him, not quite agreeing. I consider telling Cal that he's impeding upon my freedom of speech.