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TWO; PARTIES & ATTRACTIONS

     "WE'RE GOING OUT."

     An item of clothing was thrown at Olivia's face, causing her vision to blacken. She rolled her eyes and lifted the blue velvet dress from her face. "After classes today? I'm exhausted, Kat."

     "C'mon! Third years are having a party on the company rooftop," the blonde pleaded, pouting. Olivia glared at her before a smile crept up on her face. Kat squealed and opened the bedroom door. "I'll meet you outside. Have to recruit some more people."

     Olivia shook her head at Kat's antics, taking off her shirt once the door had closed. She shimmied into the tight dress and examined her reflection in the mirror. She quickly fixed her hair when she heard a small knock on the door. Christian's head peeked in, his smile spreading from cheek to cheek. "Hey, I was going to ask you if you were coming to the party, but I guess I've already got an answer."

     "Kat's forcing me to come." Olivia raised her eyebrow, joining him in the hallway. "I'm sure she enjoys the parties more so than dancing in classes."

     "It's not a horrible side effect," Christian shrugged. They left the housing area, walking side by side. Christian called Aaron the day before, asking him about Olivia. His friend was fawning over the girl and Christian couldn't mention his newfound interest in her without upsetting Aaron.

     Kat spotted the duo and tugged Tara along, not wanting to interrupt Olivia and Christian's conversation. "I've heard that you're the best in the class," Christian brought up, stuffing his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.

     "I wouldn't say that. Abigail is a strong dancer and she's super competitive."

     Christian wanted to begin flirting with her, but it wasn't right. Even though Olivia didn't appear to be as infatuated with his friend as Aaron was, he was still one of his best mates. "And you aren't? I thought all ballerinas wanted to climb their way to the top."

     "In ballet, someone's always going to be better than you. Their body may be shaped differently than yours or they're picture perfect for the company's vision. I dance because I love it, not because I want to be the best," Olivia stated. Christian was at a loss for words, not knowing what to ask next. They arrived at the rooftop a few minutes later, the silence not bothering either of them. She was immediately greeted by Ethan, who was beaming.

     "You're Olivia, right? Kat's friend?"

     "That would be me."

     "Back off, Ethan." Kat's voice came into range, warning her brother about his antics. The blonde pushed her brother backwards and he held his hands up in surrender. Christian left with him and Olivia smiled when she saw Tara. "Sorry that we're late. Tara had a wardrobe malfunction."

     "It's alright," Olivia waved off. "Christian was keeping me company." Kat wiggled her eyebrows before dragging Tara further inside the party. It was really small and quiet, more like a social gathering than a rave. Olivia heard the loud ringing of her phone and her stomach fluttered when she saw Aaron's name flash across the screen.

     "Hello, ballerina. I hope you're not missing me too much," he chuckled lowly. She sat down on one of the foldout chairs and smirked.

     "I'm missing you oh so terribly," she joked. She heard him release a boisterous laugh.

     "Good, I miss you too. Christian called me yesterday. Totally spaced out and forgot to tell him about you and the Academy."

     "He's a good friend. How come I've never been properly introduced before?" Her gaze lingered to the boy being mentioned. He was talking to Kat, who was following after him. Olivia was sure her friend had a small crush on him.

     "You haven't met Kaylah either," Aaron pointed out. "Don't worry, you will soon. I'll call a family meeting."

     She giggled. "Wow, you're so sweet." She felt a tug on her arm and she glanced up, seeing Kat. She was motioning for her to get off her phone and join the party. Olivia sighed. "I've got to go. I'm at a crazy rager right now." She looked around at the quiet party, smiling internally at her sarcasm.

     "Don't forget me, ballerina."

     "I could never forget you."

     As soon as she hung up, Kat had her on her feet. "Ah, the famous boyfriend makes a reappearance." Ethan overheard Kat's remark, jumping in.

     "You have a boyfriend?" He was a little let down. Olivia was a beautiful dancer whom he was interested in.

     "Yeah. He looks a little bit like you, actually. Same blonde hair," she nodded, looping her arm through Kat's. Ethan masked his discouraged expression with a fake smile.

     "Well, maybe we'll have to meet him sometime. Could be a long lost relative." He smiled tightly and left the girls to their own. Olivia frowned and looked at Kat.

     "Did I do something wrong?"

     "He likes you, dummy," she rolled her eyes. "He's not the first one, either."

     Her gaze drifted to Christian and Olivia slapped her friend's arm. They exchanged glares before breaking out into laughter.

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     "In the last week, we've been assessing your technique in the classroom. Tomorrow, for your final audition, we're looking to see how you perform a real dance — how you tell a story."

     "Hey, sorry about last night. It got a little bit hectic," Kat interrupted Miss Raine's speech to whisper her apology to Tara. There was a rumor going around that Tara had changed clothes in the boys' change rooms, leading to her embarrassment at the party. Worst of all, someone had spilled their punch down her shirt. Olivia checked on her after the party had dialed down, but Tara wasn't in the mood to speak.

     Tara kept her stone cold expression, ignoring Kat. "The ballet is Karamakov's The Ugly Duckling and the solo you will be doing is when the duck discovers she is actually a swan." Olivia clapped her hands in excitement. She had been practicing The Ugly Duckling for a long time, one of the dances she was truly familiar with.

     They had all moved to the back of the room, getting ready to do a run through. Olivia had appraised Tara for her dance, which excelled the others. She had seemed to be in a different world, dancing the whole solo instead of the small part they were supposed to practice. Miss Raine had subtly praised her whilst dissing Abigail's performance. Olivia learned Abigail was a dancer of technique, never focusing on the true heart of the dance.

     Olivia's dance was spectacular. Miss Raine loved her technique and the little flair she put into it. She caught Abigail's cold glare from the back of her head. "We're going to ace this audition," she cheered once everyone was done. Kat smiled at her excited state.

     "You really want to get in, don't you?"

     "Don't you?"

     Kat shrugged mindlessly and Olivia pushed her playfully. She didn't understand why Kat never took dancing seriously. Although, her passion must've been enough for her to audition for the Academy.

     "Hey." Christian was waiting for her when she left the change rooms. Kat snickered and fled to the end of the hall, leaving the duo alone.

     "Hi," she greeted warmly.

     "Was wondering if you wanted to head down to see Aaron," he offered, fixing his shirt, which looked like it wasn't the right size for him. "We'll be back before curfew, don't worry."

     "Sounds tempting," she mulled over the proposal. She wouldn't mind seeing Aaron, just to check if he was taking care of himself. "Let's go. Are we walking?"

     "Uh," he held up his skateboard, wiggling it around. "I have a ride. Guess you'll have to catch up."

     She tapped her finger against her chin, blinking rapidly. "Hm, what a gentleman. Maybe I should ride your skateboard and you can run beside me. Looks like you could lose a few pounds." She jabbed her finger into his stomach, giggling. Christian's heart sped up at the sound.

     Man, Aaron was going to kill him for this.

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     "Ballerina, don't be upset."

     There was a blur of dark hair before Aaron felt Olivia punching at his chest and kicking at his knees. He quickly grabbed her wrists in an attempt to stop her, but with no avail.

     "I can't believe you!" She shouted, pushing him back once more. "Do you know how idiotic it was for you to go into that servo? You pulled out a knife, Aaron!"

     "I know what I did!" He shouted back, running his hands through his hair. He could feel the guilt washing over him once more. "I think about it everyday, Olivia. It was a stupid mistake and I was dumb enough to get involved. To get Christian involved. He's paying for my actions and I know it isn't right."

     Olivia shook her head. She grabbed her bag off of the floor, ignoring Aaron's pleads for her to stay. "You're not that stupid, Aaron. I know you're not. Christian may not be innocent, but you can't let him take the blame. You know he'll do anything for his friends because you and Kaylah are all he has. Fix this."

     He watched her leave his home, slamming the door behind her. His eyes closed tightly as he recalled that night. They made a damn awful mistake that they both can't reverse. Aaron was stuck in the middle. Christian obviously has a much brighter future than the blonde, but Aaron was selfish for his own reasons. He couldn't take all of the blame. He would never see Olivia again. She could do better than some deadbeat blonde who won't own up to his own actions.

     He grabbed as much clothes as he could before stuffing them inside a duffel bag. He heard the creaking sound of the door, and Christian stepped inside.

     "What happened? I just passed by a crying Olivia. I tried to talk to her and she started screaming at me."

     "I told her," Aaron spoke, clenching his fists around the strap of his bag. "Told her about the servo."

     Christian was horrified. "Are you insane? You're not supposed to tell anyone!"

     He grabbed Aaron's shoulder, but the blonde quickly shoved him away. He spun around, his eyes threatening to spill out tears, but he pushed them back. "But that's Olivia, Christian! She's the only reason why I don't go around doing this crap, and when she tells me she's leaving for that fancy dance school, I fuck up! I let her down again because I'm a selfish bastard."

     "Where are you going?"

     Aaron moved to the doorway, opening it, bag slung over his shoulder. "Away. Take care of her for me."

     Albeit Christian protested, Aaron disappeared into the night, needing time to clear his head.

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     "You okay?"

     "Thoroughly ticked off, but otherwise, I should be fine."

     Olivia checked to ensure her leotard looked fine, taking a deep breath. Christian was awkwardly standing in the middle of the hallway, trying to connect with Olivia to see what she thought of what him and Aaron did. However, the young dancer was only focused on her audition, which she would be performing in the next few moments.

     The door opened, and Miss Raine stepped out. "Number 45, come with me."

     "But I'm meant to be last," Tara muttered, confused.

     "We'd like to see you now."

     The girl smiled, turning to hug Abigail. "Thank you so much for everything."

     "Break a leg."

     As soon as Tara entered the dance room, Olivia leaned over to speak to Kat. "Why would they be calling her in first? Are we going out of order?"

     Kat shrugged, just as perplexed as Olivia. The two pressed their ears against the door to listen in.

     "Hello, Tara. We have some questions." Olivia heard the principal's voice, and his tone signaled that something wasn't right.

     "You are aware it's against school rules to leave the boarding house after hours without permission?"

     Olivia's blood ran cold. She took her ear off of the door, glaring at Abigail. "Is this your doing?"

     The brunette didn't respond, averting her gaze from Olivia's. Kat had already made up a plan, entering the room to save Tara from leaving the Academy. Thankfully, she was able to make up a valid excuse that saved them both.

     "There's always going to be someone that's better, Abigail. It doesn't mean you have to throw them under the bus," Olivia sneered at her competitor. Sammy, one of Kat's friends, turned her around.

     "Don't bother. She won't understand."

     Olivia observed Tara's audition with excitement in her eyes. She performed the dance exactly as she did yesterday, if not better. She gave her a big hug when she walked out of the room, practically jumping with joy.

     Abigail was next. Olivia didn't even dare to watch her dance, anger building up inside of her over Abigail's deliberate sabotage to Tara.

     When they called her in, she felt Christian's hand on the small of her back. "Make their jaw drops in there."

     She grinned at him.

     "Trust me. There's no other option."

i love abigail but damn she was a snake in that first episode