Studio 22

Chapter 4:

Beca:

Two weeks after I had given Jo's position to Chloe, I was rehearsing with her alone. We were doing the choreo that I had introduced to my dancers on the night of Chloe's first show. I had picked a new song to sing to it and I wanted Chloe to take the lead in this number. She got along great with the others, and she had really worked on her lack of passion. I wanted to give her credit for working so hard.

"Chloe? Can I talk to you for a second before we get started?"

"Yeah, sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"I thought about this number, and I want to change it up a bit. You're going to take the lead in this one." While I was explaining this to her, her eyes lit up and a huge smile spread on her face.

"Wow. I don't really know what to say, except for thank you!"

"Listen, I want you to improvise. There will be no choreo for you. The others will stick to the routine I taught you all already. I want to see what you can do, when you're not limited by a routine. Let's go."

The music started playing and I started singing. Chloe hadn't heard me sing this before. She only knew the music without the lyrics. She took a moment to listen to me singing before she started dancing. I was in complete and utter shock about how incredibly good she was. She was dancing her heart out. She looked angry, confident, arrogant and sexy. Just what I had imagined for this song. The way she lolled her body on the floor in the most seductive way, made my mind drift off into some dirty fantasies. With Chloe. I dismissed it as really liking her style of dancing in this number, even though I knew deep down that this would sooner or later blow up in my face.

"How was it?" Chloe asked me after the song. I was so absent, that I didn't even hear her question. I shook my head to come back to reality.

"I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"How did I do?", she repeated her question.

"Chloe, you were great. If I'm being honest, I'm at a loss for words right now. That was..." I paused to find the right words, but I really didn't know what to say. I was so turned on by her, her red shorts and bra and the way she had danced, that I needed my whole energy to fight my lust from showing.

                                                                                  

                                      ~

Three nights later, the new number was finally ready to be performed. The stool I would be sitting on while singing was placed in the middle of the stage behind the closed curtain and everyone was on their marks. The curtain opened and the music started playing. I started singing and Chloe began to dance. Again, she was lost in the music, dancing out her anger at my verse.

Did you really think, I'd just forgive and forget, no
After catching you with her
Your blood should run cold, so cold
You, you two-timing, cheap-lying, wannabe
You're a fool, if you thought that I'd just let this go

When I started singing the chorus, Chloe dropped to the floor, all eyes on her. The audience was glued to her. The moment she got up again, I hopped down from the stool I had been sitting on. She came over and started dancing in front of me. I went along with it, for the sake of the show or at least that's what I told myself. We were moving in sync, our bodies so close, but not close enough.

I see red, red, oh red
A gun to your head, head, to your head
Now all I see is red, red, red

Did you really just say, she didn't mean anything, oh
I'll remember those words, when I come for your soul, your soul
Know that you, you dug your own grave, now lie in it
You're so cruel, but revenge is a dish best served cold