Are we here to stay?*Rewriting*

13-The Bus Ride

Hey guys, sorry for not updating in years. I know not a lot of people will read this but I still wanted to finish this story, so if anyone's still interested make sure to read, comment and vote :))

Five days later, at eight in the morning, Chloe checked her dance warm-ups one more time in the foyer mirror. Her black leggings boasted not a hint of lint or tears, and clung to her muscled calves and thighs. Her ALDC jacket was thin, with a red, white, and black circling design. On the front, over her chest, was her name: Chloe Lukasiak. On the back, red letters spelled out Abby Lee Dance Company. She wore diamond earrings, bright fuschia lipstick, and her hair was up in a sleek curled bun. She looked more than ready, but she knew she wasn't.

She'd barely gotten a chance to rehearse her dance this entire week. Abby had spent some more time on the group dance, but she'd saved the rest for the new girls' solos. She'd even worked with Autumn and Sophia on their duet, while doing nothing with Chloe and Maddie. They'd practiced by themselves, with instructions from Kendall, but it was awkward, because although Kendall was talented and older, everyone knew Maddie and Chloe were both better dancers than she was.

"Chloe!" Christi shouted from outside. She was sitting in the car with her window open, and had been for a while.

"Sorry! I'm coming!" Chloe yelled back. She locked the front door behind her, and threw her suitcase and dance bag into the backseat.

"Now, are you sure you don't want me to drive you?" Christi inquired. "You seem way too worried about traveling with Abby, and I don't want anything to mess up your big day."

"No thanks," Chloe responded softly, smiling at her mom.

"If you're sure!" Christi drove slowly to the ALDC, where the bus that would take the girls to the competition waited patiently, spewing exhaust out the tailpipe. "I'll be right behind the bus the entire way," Christi promised. "Now scoot, before you're late."

A welcome blast of air conditioning welcomed Chloe as she climbed in. Her luggage was in her mother's car, but she held her dance bag over her shoulder, just in case.

Maddie and Sophia Lucia were flopped on the same seat, both texting. Kendall and Kalani were sharing. Autumn wasn't with anyone, but the way she was lying down with her feet splayed out in front of her made it pretty clear that that was her own seat. Mia was also alone, smiling as she read a book.

Mackenzie was sitting next to Asia. They were playing some silly hand game and laughing their heads off. It looked like Mackenzie hadn't gotten any more threatening notes, but sometimes the younger Ziegler could be very good at hiding her feelings. Chloe was still determined to figure out who had sent that message. After this week, no one was going to get away with shit like that.

Chloe froze for a second in the aisle, knowing that this meant she would have to sit alone until Nia boarded. Which was okay, but what if Nia chose to share with Mia instead? That would just be humiliating.

"Lukasiak! Can you make up your mind? There are people trying to get on the bus!" Abby spewed from her spot in the front.

"S-sorry," Chloe wavered, but she doubted Abby heard her. She sank into an empty seat, lifted her bag to the side of her face, pressed her other cheek against the bus window, and sobbed. She didn't know why she was so emotional today. Usually she was calm and collected before competition. But right now, she was freaking out over all the things she couldn't change.

But she did know one thing: they would find out who had hurt Mackenzie Ziegler, and the original girls would stay on Abby's team.

They all knew those bitches weren't there to stay.