Practice goes by normally during the week, with Rhea and Ryker messing around and Kai making his comments for every single thing.

I find myself liking their company. Our choreography is really good and we've practiced it over and over. Meanwhile, my hand has begun to hurt even more and I know that I need a break but if I back off from this performance at a moment like this, I would feel like I'm betraying the others.

I stare at my swollen elbow. I'm alone in the changing room right now, the others have already left. This time, Valeria has decided to begin with the second year evaluation and requested everyone to be present. As much as I'd like for myself to see Lily dance, I didn't want the others to notice the swelling.

I click my tongue, reaching in my bag to take out the spray. From my left hand, I hold the can still and open the cap, letting it drop on the floor. I spray the contents all over my elbow, the coldness giving me immediate relief. Just as I'm about to keep the can next to me, I accidentally drop it on the ground.

A groan of frustration leaves my lips. "Fuck," I mutter, an expression of annoyance clear on my face.

"You're clumsy," a familiar voice says, making a chill go down my spine. Nate stands there, leaning against the lockers. I'm pretty sure he's not allowed in here and yet, there he is, in his white t-shirt and black pants like the rest of his dance group today.

I bite my lip, sparing him a single glance. "I know."

His eyes go to my swollen elbow and he sighs. I lean forward to get the can but he steps forward, picking it up before I could reach it. I roll my eyes, lifting myself up and sitting in my original position.

Leaning in front of me, he gets a hold of my hand and I try not to flinch with the harsh sudden contact. I wait for him to say something but he's just staring at it as if he's surprised that it isn't worse.

"Don't dance today," he says to me quietly, still looking at my elbow.

I pull away from him, taking out a small roll of crepe bandage. I open it and begin to wrap it around my hand but it proves to be difficult to hold it still. Nate lets out a sigh before taking the bandage from me, his face now holding a blank expression.

"Nate, give it to me," I say, trying to stay calm. He doesn't react. Instead, he just begins to roll it back. Not knowing what else to do, I reach forward to take the bandage from him but he scoots away, making me groan in frustration. "Nate-" I reach for it again but he moves away further and I end up falling off the seat. "I swear to God, why can't you people just mind your own damn business?

"What happened to your hand? I knew something was wrong since the day Remi pulled that stunt on stage. You injured yourself, right?" I don't get up. I just look at him as he sits down in front of me, leaning against the lockers. He finally looks into my eyes but I can't read it and it makes me feel even more annoyed.

"Quit it," I mutter. "I am going to perform. It's just a small swelling. It'll get better soon."

He lets out another sigh. "So, you'll perform today and end up stressing out your arm even more than it is. It'll slow down the healing process."

"You don't get to meddle in my personal matters."

He leans forward towards me, making me instinctively move back till my back is against the seat. He's still looking at me and his eyes momentarily move to my arm, trailing down the series of scars that didn't fade. He shakes his head, smiling.

"So, you aren't going to listen to me, are you?" He smiles but there's something in his eyes that tell me that he's only doing that to hide something. I don't reply. "Whatever pleases you, Kingsley."

He ends up sitting in front of me carefully, then leans forward a bit again, putting the bandage forward. He begins to wrap it around my elbow carefully, his touch cold and soft. There's a weird feeling inside of me as his fingers touch my skin while he dresses my arm. I'm looking at his face while he does it, trying to figure out what he wants but the only thing that's not blank on his face are his eyes which have a genuine emotion of sincerity.

"You know staring is rude, right?" he says, his lips suddenly curling up in a smile. He looks at me, his eyes meeting mine. For a moment, we're just like that. Us looking into each other's eyes and so close to each other. Something clicks to him then and he instantly looks away from me, his eyes avoiding mine as he finishes the dressing.

I look at my arm. "Thanks," I mutter half heartedly when he's done and pull down the sleeve of my top. I get up from where I was sitting and run a hand through my hair a few times before tying them in a high pony.

"You know..." Nate suddenly says but trails off, probably rethinking whether he should say whatever he was or not.

"What?" I ask him.

He shakes his head. "Nothing. Sorry." With that, he exits the room. I sigh before looking at myself in the mirror. Before some dark thoughts begin to mask my mind, I slap myself on the face, leaving a temporary red mark.

Right now, focus on the performance.

I tell myself that before grabbing my bag and leaving the room, closing the door behind me. Making my way towards the auditorium, I forget about the pain in my elbow for a while. When I reach there, I spot my group sitting in one of the corners. I make my way towards them and sit next to Kai, who's giving me a look which clearly says 'Save me from Rhea and Ryker'. It's completely understandable since they're arguing in hushed voices.

I roll my eyes, suppressing a smile.

Meanwhile, Kai nudges me. I hum in response, asking him to say whatever he wants to. "You know, you missed the second year evaluation. They were pretty cool," he says quietly. "Especially that girl Lily. She's probably in the same league as you and Summer."

"Me and Summer?" I echo. I didn't know people were clubbing and comparing the two of us but it just made everything much more hilarious.

He nods but doesn't bother to explain why he put the three of us together. "Anyways, the third year ones just began. They're doing it in groups of ten, which means it will be over quickly. You know who's going to begin with the first years?"

I shake my head, though judging by his tone I can guess that it's going to be us.

"Us. We're so screwed."

I laugh. "'Why're we screwed?"

"Because the second and third years have set the bar high."

"I mean," I pause, leaning back with my hands folded. "True enough but we're not competing with them. Be thankful we're not going last with Iris' group."

He laughs as well but doesn't reply. I don't pay much attention to the third year acts - the only thing I remember is that Nate was in a group with someone named Ella while Summer had a guy named Jacob with him. I've heard both the names from Asher as the people who know of the existence of the video clip of me spray painting the words that could destroy me.

Once the second year act begins, Andy quietly comes to us and asks us to move backstage so that everything proceeds smoothly without a break. The four of us walk up to the backstage and the moment we're there, the second group - Summer's group comes out of the stage. Summer sees me and jumps on me with a smile and I'm taken aback by the sudden embrace she's pulled me into.

In instances like this, she kinda reminds me of Penny.

"All the best, Harley," she says to me with a smile. Behind her, a tall guy stands. He's glaring at me with an intensity that makes me think that he hates me already, even though we've never talked before. He has taupe skin and chocolate coloured eyes which hold an expression of annoyance and hatred. I can read him better than I can read Nate, I realise. "I'm watching you."

I'm watching you.

Something in her words makes me think that it's a threat. That she's trying to make me over conscious and fail like most of the others. But Summer, however, doesn't seem like the kind of person to do that. The guy next to her puts an arm around his shoulder and looks at Summer, who just clings on to him. "Come on, Summer, let's go."

"Okay," she replies, the cheerfulness in her tone never fading away. She spares me one last glance before saying bye to me and walking back to the audience.

"You know Summer?" Ryker asks in disbelief.

I nod. "We met a few times this week."

Kai shrugs. "Not surprised. You know all the popular kids. Aren't you friends with that Ana girl?"

"Ana?" Ryker echoes. "The fourth ranker? She's so cute. Can you set me up with her, please?"

I shake my head. "We aren't friends. My roommate is good friends with her, though."

"Who's your roommate?" Ryker asks again, earning a glare from Rhea who looks like she's about to kick him in his ass at this very moment but doesn't since he'll probably yell something questionable and the voice will echo since we're backstage.

I sigh. "Jude- I mean Jade Garcia. She's my roommate."

His jaw drops and he takes a step towards me, holding both my shoulders and shaking me. "Harley, why do you know all the hot people?"

Rhea scoffs behind him. "Because she is one."

"I agree," Kai adds, throwing a wink my way.

Before Ryker can add anything else, there's an announcement. "Year one, group one, choreographer; Ryker Moore. Group members; Harley Kingsley, Kai Riccard, Rhea Dalton. Come up on the stage, please. Your given recording will be played behind you in a moment."

All groups, regardless of year, are supposed to set an atmosphere for their acts. It's almost like a real performance minus the audience and the costumes. Kai was responsible for the background and lighting and I know he's clever enough to not mess it up. The four of us exchange looks and wish each other luck. There's an unspoken agreement between us as we take our positions on the stage.

Even though it's the second evaluation of the year, even though we're supposed to have fun during this, what matters the most is that here, we have to come on the top. Because at Redville, friendships matter, but what matters more is individual development. Even though today our group is friends with each other, the amount of trust we need in ourselves and the other members cannot be developed till we know each other for real.

We don't, as of now. I won't trust them till I know their secrets.

It's in our looks that we enjoyed dancing and spending time together this week. It's in our looks that we don't really want this to end. But it will end sooner or later. This friendship wouldn't last for long. It will start with one person leaving, then the other. And before I'd know it, everyone would leave all over again and I'd be surrounded by the void of guilt all alone.

I close my eyes, breathe out.

There's an audible click three times and the familiar tune of the music fills my eyes.

My body starts to instinctively move, and so do the others'. Looking at their faces right now makes me realise that I shouldn't be thinking whatever I was.

Because for now, what matters is that I'm here. I don't care what the result is, I just care about living in this moment and just for a moment, forget.

***

It was no surprise that our group came on the top. Each of us gained ten points.

Sam's group came second and the fourth group had someone fall during the performance, giving them the last position. I remember their topic being 'A Heist In Las Vegas' and there was a stunt they were going to pull but one of them dropped one of the girls, resulting in a wrist sprain.

Thankfully, that was the only casualty anyone faced today. My elbow pain got lost somewhere during the routine and didn't return until after it.

"Group one did a great job in creating their concept. Their performance is proof that you guys don't have to take the topic literally. By setting the environment in accordance with their title and coming up with a concept that can be related to it," Valeria had said, making Rhea squeal and jump on me, catching me off guard.

The other groups had scoffed and given her looks. There was a detailed discussion about every performance that happened today. By the time it was over, it was already seven in the evening. I head back to my room alone and stay there till it's time for dinner.

Nothing happens for a long while. I just scroll through the texts my parents and Seb and Carly have sent me. Judging by the way they're talking, Seb and Carly have enough brains to not tell my parents about the stunt I've pulled. It's better that way, otherwise they'd get their cars out and drive to Redville just to pick me up.

There's a single text that arrives after sometime, one that catches my attention.

DaLee: since when are u active again on instagram?

I didn't realise that I'd been biting the inside of my cheek till I feel the taste of blood in my mouth. I reach for my water bottle and drink half of it, the coldness of it making me feel good. Jude's in her side of the room, painting something bright on her canvas while listening to music so loud that even when she's wearing her headphones, I can hear the soft classic rock music.

Harley: i wouldn't particularly call this being active.

DaLee: u replying to me is proof that you're active enough. you deleted everything on your acc. everysinglethingliterally. what's up w u?

I didn't know what to say, so all I end up saying is a fresh start. I mute her afterwards—seeing her name on my notifications will only make me want to talk to her more and I can't afford having someone from back home ruining things for me again.

A few minutes later, I get another notification on my phone. I think that it's probably the same girl before I remember that I just muted her. I check my phone, seeing that it's a message from Kai.

Kai: Are you awake?

Harley: yeah.

Kai: Euterpe dorm terrace. Right now. You're not busy, are you?

Harley: do I have to come?

Kai: You don't sound like you're busy. Come on. I'm waiting.

Harley: i look like I'm a beggar.

Kai: Idc

With a sigh, I lift myself off the bed. Looking at myself in the only full length mirror in the room, I shrug. I'm wearing a green full sleeved t-shirt that's pretty loose on me and a pair of black sweatpants. My hair is tied up in a messy bun since I was going to sleep anyway. I debate whether to tie them up in a more presentable way or not. I end up not doing that and slip into my slippers.

"Where are you going right now?" Jude asks me, putting down her headphones to glance at me. "I don't think you'd like being in the common room right now. There are some bitchy seniors there."

I flash a small smile. "I'm going to meet someone."

She turns towards me completely in interest, her hands covered in bright orange and red paint. "Did you finally get a boyfriend?"

I give her a look. "No, I didn't."

She sighs in disappointment. "Fine. Take the key just in case you're going to be late. I'm not waking up to open the door in case you're late. Sleep in the hallway if you do that."

I roll my eyes. "Got it." I walk out of the room.

I exit my dorm, avoiding the people in the common room. I make my way across to the Euterpe building. As I walk up the stairs, I don't come across anyone. I do hear sounds from the floors though, telling me that people were still awake. When I reach the top floor, my eyes to the closed door. I push it open, the cold wind immediately kissing my face and making me shiver. "Fuck," I mutter under my breath and wrapping my arms around myself.

"Should've worn something that wouldn't make you feel cold, dumbass," Kai's familiar voice makes my head snap to my left. It's completely dark and he's just sitting there, looking at me with a calm smile on his face.

"I didn't think about that," I mutter under my breath. He hears me, of course, and gestures to me to come and sit next to him. I do because I don't know what else to do.

"Didn't think about it, huh?" he says quietly. "So much for the first ranker."

"Shut up." I elbow him and he just laughs at me. "Why are we meeting here?"

"Oh, yeah, about that. Rhea and Ryker are on their way. Ryker's throwing a tantrum so she's gonna kick his ass and drag him here against his wishes."

"That's not what I asked."

He looks at me again, smile never fading. His smile was nothing like Asher's or Nate's. There was no playfulness in it. It was just plain genuine and calm. "We're all meeting here because I have a proposal. We're all meeting here, on the terrace, because I like this place a lot. It's calm and no one just barges in here without knocking.

I scoff. "The look on your face tells me that you're not fond of your roommate at all."

He nods. "I'm not. My roommates' this one guy named Noah and he's an asshole." He pauses, looking forward. "How's your roommate? It was Jade, right? You sure are sharing a room with one of the most popular girls around here."

I smile. "Yeah, well, she's annoying as hell," I admit. "I mean, she's good and all. She's noisy and doesn't mind her own business but she's probably the only girl in my class I actually get along with."

"At least it's someone you get along with."

I hum in agreement. For a few minutes the two of us are just sitting quietly in each other's company. Neither of us talk to each other or even look at each other and yet, I feel a little comfortable sitting here right next to him. Kai reminds me of a more extroverted version of Elliot, but I don't know either of their personalities in detail as of now. Maybe they're both actually very different from each other. Maybe they're not. I don't know yet.

"Ryker, what the fuck?" Rhea's annoyed voice echoes in the stairway. Kai and I exchange looks, knowing that both of them are here and have already started to bicker.

"What, I didn't do anything!" Ryker defends himself and mutters something before kicking the door open. The two of them enter the terrace. Ryker doesn't look at us at first. He just looks around the area with a slightly irritated expression on his face. "They aren't even here. I'll fucking kill you."

Rhea turns towards us, her expression twisting into a more annoyed one as she grabs his collar and makes him turn to face us. "The fuck is wrong with you? Can't you even see?"

He pushes her away. "Just let go of me! I'm sick of you being around me already. How the hell am I supposed to spend three fucking years in the same program as you? How did you even get into this school? I mean, you're so rude and everything-"

She rolls her eyes and folds her arms together. "I'm only rude to you. Plus, you're the dumb one here. How did you out of all the people solve the entrance? I mean, what was your rank?"

"It was ninety six, you idiot! Look, you can't even remember my rank and you've asked me three damn times. You clearly have a memory problem." He looks at her and then mimics her. "Aw, I'm so smart. Aw, I'm not dumb. Aw, I'm only rude to y-" He's cut off when he receives a well deserved punch on his side and he groans.

"At least I know what Japan's capital is," Rhea snaps.

Ryker just gets even more mad and I can't help but admit that their argument is fascinating as hell. Fascinating, but only till one of them pushes the other down the roof and the reason Kai had called us all here becomes some kind of statement in the court.

Kai nudges me. "Do you think we should stop them?"

"It's entertaining," I tell him.

"I know, right. It's interesting to fight them like this. I won't have to go watch some drama show because we have a married couple right here."

"Agreed. We need to stop them, though. I'm not going till I hear what you called us here for now that I'm here." I shiver and rub my palms together. "Stop them."

"Must we?"

"Yes, we must," I say in the same formal tone as him. "Stop them before they murder each other."

Kai lets out a small laugh before standing up and clearing his throat. "If you've forgotten," he says, "I called you guys here. Don't argue right now. Do it over a call overnight. Add us, though, okay?" He points towards himself and me. "We find this entertaining. But I'm getting a bit sleepy and I've a lot of homework to do so would you both let me speak?"

The two of them exchange looks and sigh. "We're continuing this," Ryker says to her.

Rhea just rolls her eyes and makes her way to me, sitting there. "Don't bother. I feel bad for you to lose arguments all the time."

"You-"Ryker steps forward but Kai stops him, still laughing.

"As much as I enjoy this, it's getting a bit annoying now." Ryker looks at me as if he's asking me the confirmation for whether it is or not. I just nod a few times before he presses his eyes shut and sits down on the ground, leaning on his palm while looking at all of us one by one. Kai sits down so that all of us can see each other's faces.

Rhea sighs. "What did you call us all here for?"

Kai sighs, his eyes flicking at all of us one by one. After a few moments of silence, he begins to speak. "Are you aware of the Red Prima dance group?"

Ryker and Rhea exchange looks. "Nope," they say together.

He just shakes his head. "You're in Redville and you don't know of the Primas yet? Nice." He looks over at me. "Do you know of that group, Harley? You look like you do."

I bite my lip and nod. "Summer Laurent, Ella Amin, Jacob Locke, Nathan Andrews, Lily Davis, Adelyn Kinley, Tasha Blackwell, Carlo Arline, Mason Shaw and Luis Mattieo. They are the Red Primas, currently a competitive dance group. It was formed two years ago by a former member along with Summer Laurent and has been winning national awards ever since."

Hearing Luis' name, Rhea visibly freezes. "Luis Mattieo? Isn't he-"

"Yes, he's a first year," I cut her off. "He's the youngest member and the only first year in the group as of now. One of the potential candidates was Carrie Everett but her selection was cancelled because of one bullying case."

All of them fall silent for a minute. No one says anything for a while and my mind goes black as I remember a line from my diary and it repeats itself in my mind over and over again until Ryker speaks up, snapping me out of my thoughts. I silently thank him for it.

"Is it that good?" Ryker mutters.

Kai nods. "Watch their youtube videos. It is that good. One of the best in the country at the moment."

"If it is that good," he says, his eyes flicking towards me, "then shouldn't you be in it? You're the best dancer in our year. Probably in the same league as Lily and Summer. Luis and Carrie are nowhere near your skillset."

I let out a deep breath and shrug. "I don't really care about what happens to that dance group. I don't care about which one of the first years they chose. Even if they'd offer me a spot, I'd probably refuse."

"And then there's the recent rumour about her on RedRow," Rhea adds. There's no hint of disgust as she speaks the sentence. She sounds completely unbothered. "If they ain't taking Carrie, there's no way in hell they'll take Harley."

I smile, leaning my head back and resting it against the wall. "So, Kai, why exactly did you bring this, out of all things, up?" I ask him quietly even though I already know what he wants. It's in his eyes as he looks at me, trying to stay as neutral as he can.

"I want to create my own dance group," he states bluntly. Rhea and Ryker gasp and I look up, still keeping my composure.

"You want to do what?" Rhea asks in disbelief. "Have you lost your mind?"

He shakes his head. "There are three dance groups here at Redville. To become an official group, a group needs to register in the school. It's a complicated process - there are auditions and everything. But once you clear all that, you become an individual dance group. Except for the groups where Redville is participating, we can participate anywhere. Either that or we do it separately. It's very weird, to be honest. I'll explain it properly sometime but I need you guys."

The three of us exchange looks. Rhea runs a hand through her hair, closing her eyes and thinking about it.

"That's... a pretty big step," she says.

"It is," Kai replies.

"Why do you need us for it?" Ryker then asks and Rhea supports his question. I can't believe that the two of them were fighting just moments ago. "You can just go ahead and gather some random people to do it."

He gets up from where he was sitting brushing off his clothes. "Ryker, don't you get it?" He smiles calmly, his eyes on him. "I want to form a dance group with you guys only."

Of course, Rhea and I had already understood that but Ryker hadn't. He looks shocked as he scoffs, avoiding eye contact with all of us. Seeing his reaction, Kai takes it upon himself to explain it himself.

"This past week," he says, "has been epic. I know you can't get to know a person in just a week and we've only just danced together. Obviously, if it turned out to be good once doesn't mean that it would always work out. But somehow, I feel like the four of us can do it. We're all under the top ten. We got acquainted pretty quickly. We have an understanding between all of us. We know how to respect each other. Of course, if in future it doesn't work out, we can disband but..."

There's silence between us again but I don't feel weird sitting amongst them all now. The silence isn't anxious this time. It's showing that all of us are thinking about it properly. We're all trying to weigh the pros and cons of this arrangement.

"You're right about one thing," Rhea suddenly says, "I did have fun this week but one week... it isn't really enough to get to know a person. I need some time to think about it."

"Me too," Ryker says.

All of them look at me, expecting an answer. I sigh, getting up from my place and walking towards the door. I open it, holding it ajar. "It's cold as hell. I'm leaving."

"You didn't give your answer." Kai's voice stops me from stepping out.

I sigh, not bothering to turn to face any of them this time. "I'm going to be blunt about it. Dance group? Cool. The four of us? You must've thought of something because just having a good relationship as schoolmates doesn't mean we'll be a good team. To be fair, I don't give a shit about this at all." A scoff leaves my lips and my eyes go blank for a second. "I'm leaving it to you guys. If the three of you decide about something, just tell me. You have my number."

With that, I leave the terrace. On my way down, thoughts wander around in my mind, telling me that saying a yes wouldn't hurt me at all. It's only till December, I think, and then I'll leave the Academy for good. I'm neither gaining nor losing anything here. It's just truly neutral.

By the time I'm back in my room and snuggle into my blanket, I come to a decision.

Even if they come up with a yes, it wouldn't hurt for me to try it out, would it?

Wasn't it what I wanted to try out a few years ago?

With those thoughts circling around my mind, I slip into a dreamless void, which is the most relaxing place I've been to today.