pressure|| the next step [1]

2.16 hazy shade of winter

hazy shade of winter

Kara was packing up her dance clothes into her bag near the cubbies when Giselle and Thalia approached her.

They were the last people she wanted to see.

"Hey, Kara." Giselle greeted.

"Hey." Kara turned around once she heard her voice.

"How you doing?" Thalia smiled.

"Um, great. Why, what's up?" Kara lied.

"Look, we didn't really want the duet. It was a fake challenge." Thalia told her. "We just wanted to push you and James to work harder."

"It makes sense that Giselle and Thalia wouldn't actually challenge us. I mean, it doesn't seem like them to behind our backs like that. And it was sweet of them for trying to push us, but, it just wasn't working."

"Look, guys, I really appreciate it." Kara sighed before continuing. "But I just don't care any more."

"Kara, we're really, really sorry." Giselle said. "Please, we need you to do the duet."

"You have to do the duet." Thalia told her.

"You're lucky I'm even on the team right now." Kara told them.

She had thought about leaving a few times after her and James' break up, though she knew it would put the team in a bad position and it wasn't what a dance captain would do.

"I don't see it as letting the team down at all. By giving the duet to Giselle and Thalia, it gives us a better chance."

"Is there anything we can do?" Giselle asked.

"Yeah, you can practice." Kara told her as she swung her bag over her shoulder. "You're the new Nationals duet. Don't let us down."

"Kara.." Thalia said as she watched her walk through the doors.

"Kara, please." Giselle called after her but she refused to turn.

———

Kara was walking home down a long path with a field beside her, she liked the peacefulness that came with it. It was different then the usual drama at the studio.

She heard running come up from behind her and turned to see James now walking beside her, she got a shock seeing as he wasn't there a few second ago.

"I don't know why James is walking home with me right now. I mean, I don't even want to talk to him. So, we just kinda walk in silence for a while."

The two continued to walk down the path in silence. James would constantly keep looking at Kara, trying to think of something to say.

"So, where's Beth?" Kara broke the silence. "Lately, I never see you two apart. She hangs around you like.. like.."

"Like a moth to a light bulb?" James finished her sentence, causing her to lightly smile.

"Yeah, like a moth, which makes you the light bulb?" Kara asked.

"I tell you, I'm not the brightest light bulb." James laughed and after a few seconds he stopped Kara from walking by holding her arm. "Kara, what happened to us? I thought we had everything?"

"So did I." Kara timidly replied before moving to walk on. "But that's just life, I guess. Look, I have lots of homework, so, um, I should get home."

"I'll walk you home." James told her.

"No, I should go alone." Kara told him before walking ahead of him.

"We both know how we got so complicated."

———

Giselle and Thalia were now approaching James in the music room. They were trying to get his attention by yelling at him due to his loud drumming.

"What?" James stopped.

"Listen. The challenge was a fake. We just wanted to motivate you and Kara." Giselle quickly told him.

"We didn't really want to steal your duet." Thalia added. "We want to give it back to you."

"Did you ask Kara?" James asked.

"Yeah." They both nodded.

"And..." James trailed off, waiting for an answer from the two. "What'd she say?"

"Sh.. she wanted it back." Thalia quickly told him. "Yeah, she wanted it back."

"Yeah, she said that." Giselle nodded.

"Yeah, right." James scoffed.

"No, she did." Giselle told him. "You and Kara are just.."

"Uh, just excuse me. Just one second, please." James told them and started playing the drums again.

The two girls gave up and decided to leave him to it.

"I don't want to the duet back because Kara doesn't want the duet back. If she's not willing to fight, then neither am I. It's not going to work out." James told the camera.

Authors notes
bit of a short chapter but appreciate how much I'm posting and not revising for my exams lol
I'll try and make next chapter longer but no promise <3

written: 2nd may 2021
published: 2nd may 2021

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