𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖆𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖘 𝖒𝖔𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖋𝖆𝖍

"Oh, so that's what this is about."

I looked at Max to see him noting down some things in his own book before snapping it shut. "Here I thought you were actually about to give me something good," He rolled his eyes, stuffing his book back into his bag. "Meanwhile you dragged me away from school so I could come here and brainstorm new ways to feed your ego."

I blinked, completely confused "Excuse me?"

"Don't play dumb," He sat on the arms of my leather couches, "I've heard all about this whole, 'you want to use science to explain the God's' thing," He gave me an eye. "I just didn't actually think you would be that out of your head."

"It would be more productive to chase a pigeon in the park to ask its opinion on science than it would to be to ask you," I crossed my arms over my chest, "You're forgetting I was given a file about you when we first started this," I gestured between us, "Math doesn't even use the letters you get as your grade for it."

"You think calling me dumb makes your idea any less stupid?" He didn't even look slightly fazed.

"It's a good thing I wasn't asking for your permission then, isn't it?" I scoffed, grabbing his things and making my way out of the room to my door. "I wanted you to help me figure this out but if you're going to be a little bitch about it don't bother," I swung the door open, and offered him his bag, "When I figure all of this out I'm going to make sure you're the person who writes my story so that I can read you call yourself a fucking idiot for the whole planet."

"And I wouldn't need to force you to come here to help me with my ego," I yelled after him as he strutted down my corridor, "It's well-fed!"

My limbs burned as I held strong on the final pose, ignoring the feeling of my toes being crushed in my shoes.

The crowd erupted in thunderous applause it made me wonder if they could see the buckets of sweat that was rolling down our foreheads. Regardless of it we held our positions in fear of not looking perfect or rather in fear of dying. Throughout the show, I could feel the beady eyes of that old woman burning holes into me.

As soon as we would dance off stage during the different intervals of the show she'd rush backstage and tear down every last bit of our self-esteem before shrieking at the makeup artists to put more concealer and throwing us back in front of the eyes of the people.

Stasi was the only person who remained on stage the entire time, she had almost five solos and a romantic duet with a guy from the male dance class. They even shared a kiss that had me giggling at the face she made when they pulled away. Due to the intimate choreography, there were parts of the dance that had us near or even touching and each time I'd even come close to her she would hitch her breath like I would burn her.

I let my eyes pass the crowd to look at her. To my surprise, she broke her assigned pose and slowly looked at me, too. The curtains closed with us staring at each other, and with the stage lights not directly at her, I could see her eyes were glossy, a fresh sheen of tears on them.

We all relaxed and people started squealing and jumping on each other with excitement that we managed to pull it off. Stasi stayed still with her shoulders hunched over and a silent stream going down both cheeks. "I knew you could do it," She said, her voice strained with what sounded like a swallowed sob behind them.

I took a step towards her, "Stasi-

She flinched like I'd reached out to touch her and started walking very quickly in the opposite direction, off-stage. She pushed through the other celebrating girls and they looked at her shocked before realising she was crying. As soon as she left they turned to look at me and I sighed wondering if I was really about to entertain this.

Fuck it.

I went after her and this time the girls parted to allow me to run through them. Hearing me coming, Stasi began to pick up the pace and instead of going in the direction of the dressing rooms she took a sharp right and pushed through the doors leading to the ballroom where the guests had begun making their way to.

Ignoring the dull ache in my joints from the performance, I followed her whilst whispering her name as loud as I could. We weaved through the crowd of people with her trying her hardest to get away from me and me only getting closer. I could see frowns of recognition by many of the guests we were passing and groaned internally at the scene we were probably causing until I finally got close enough to reach out and grab the blonde.

"You have some fucking nerve," She spat at me, her baby blue eyes still twinkling with tears.

I scoffed, before taking a step closer to her so the people around us that were throwing us nosey glances couldn't hear. "No no no, you don't get to be mad at me," I held her tighter when she tried to pull away, "You stood me up, remember?"

She looked at me with such pure disdain that it almost made me think I'd done something. What a sight we must have been with our large tutus and sparkly makeup, whispering harshly at each other in the sea of formally dressed wealthy people. "Oh, that's what you're mad about?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"If you didn't want to go out with me that's fine," I dropped her hand, "But don't go around acting like I did something to you when you left me." She frowned taking a step back, swallowing so hard it made her neck bob.

"So that's it? You're not even going to apologise for leading me on?"

My eyes widened with surprise, "Leading you on?" I repeated.

"You have a girlfriend Versailles!" She finally yelled out, causing more heads to turn, "Do I really have to spell it out for you!?"

The lights in the ballroom dimmed to introduce the next entertainment for the evening, the darkness covering up from wandering eyes with the only thing standing out now being shimmer around our eyes and the elaborate headpiece she was wearing. "Stasi," I said calmly, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Really?" She mocked as if she had been expecting me to say that, "You don't know who your girlfriend is?"

"No actually," I tilted my head, crossing my arms over my chest, "I'd be really glad if you introduced me to her."

"Don't act stupid," She put a finger up, "She was even waiting for you outside the dance studio on the very day you asked me out. How dumb do you think I am?"

"Very, considering there was no one waiting for me that day," I laughed dryly, internally wishing I'd never followed her to begin with. She was really making up stories to be angry at.

"She told me she was your girlfriend," She argued, but I could see her eyebrows start to shake with doubt in what she was saying, "She came up to me and told me she was waiting for you-Gods she was even going to buy you flowers."

I sighed, thinking about the food I'd left waiting for me in the dressing room that was currently going cold. "Stasi, did you get my so-called 'girlfriend's name?" I asked, rubbing my eyebrows, "Did she even show you a picture of us together?"

"She was going to but I stopped her because I didn't want to see that," She explained but I could hear her resolve weakening, "A-and I was going to get her name but I-"

"This is what had you stomping around the studio?" I took in a long breath, "You think I had another girl on the side and was trying to get you too?" I asked her, "Stasi can you see the way you're acting? I can barely handle just you!"

"I-I just thought," I could see her face darken with embarrassment, "Because she said-

"A lot of people, say a lot of things!" Someone had gotten on stage and began announcing who was coming on but we both ignored that. "None of this would've even happened if you'd just asked me. Stasi, I've never even had a girlfriend before, ever!"

"Really?" Her eyes were no longer on me, but on whoever had just gotten on stage. "So you really don't know who that is?"

I turned my head ready to deny whoever it was until my eyes ran up the white silk dress to meet the face wearing it. I felt my lips part in shock as she brought the microphone to her mouth and the most melodious sound escaped her vocal chords.

My eyes stayed on her form as she moved through the small stage, interacting with the band surrounding her. My breath hitched in my throat when she turned around to reveal a dangerously low back with the bunched-up fabric resting on her lower hips and strings on each side of her waist. A long chain with a large charm rested on her back and shimmered gold with each movement.

The song she sang was an Arabic one, most words I could understand but the rest I didn't pay attention to because I was staring too hard at her lower lip which was coloured red and the upper one a darker shade. Her makeup was lighter than usual, enhancing her face instead of outlining it like it usually did. It made her look softer, younger, like the girl I knew all those years ago.

Cherubim.

"You can't even pretend you're not in love with her."

The voice coming from my right reminded me that I was not in a room with just me and the pretty girl on stage. I hadn't even realised that Stasi had been staring at me until she spoke and I turned to look at her again. If possible she looked more upset than she had been before but this time dancing with the humiliation and anger in her eyes there was another emotion, defeat.

I didn't follow her this time when she walked away from me and the worst part is I saw her stop to check if I was. Instead, I turned my eyes back to the performance in front of me, wondering how I even got into this situation in the first place.

Cher told Stasi she was my girlfriend?

The memory of her standing outside the dance studio that day came to me, the way she was holding that towel and her darkened damp hair. Why was she still there? Maybe Stasi got confused? The whole situation left a dry taste in my mouth that had me finding one of the waiters and grabbing the bubbling champagne from his tray.

I downed it quickly, not taking a second to appreciate the taste but instead gagging as I realised it tasted similar to the glass I had the day before I died. Bile rose up my throat and my head started to spin until I was dragged out of my thoughts by the sound of heavy applause. 

I turned my eyes back to the stage to see Cher already looking at me, she held eye contact as she bowed with her large blowout falling into her face before she flipped it over her shoulder. I brought my hands together slowly and began to clap for her too, the sound blending in with the others around me.

I needed to talk to her.