Amber Eyes

FIFTY SIX

Chapter Fifty Six

[ Harley ]

"You nervous?"

Sam simply shakes his head and tries to flash a smile towards me. There's something on his face that tells me there is something going on but I can't point it out. I'd assumed it was probably because of the stress the Debut was putting him under since he's got one of the major positions, but I don't think it is anymore. Nevertheless, I decide not to push it.

"You look nervous," I say. "It'll be okay. You've all like rehearsed this a million times and the routine is as perfect as it can get."

He hums. "You know, I'm worried about Remi."

"Remi?" I honestly don't know why he's worried about that irrelevant piece of shit. "Why the fuck are you worried about him of all people?"

"No, it's not exactly about him. It's more like—because of him." I raise my brows, prompting him to continue. He lets out a breath. "I mean, you know, like, uh, what if he does something to sabotage everything? You know he could do that, don't you? He's got a few screws lose in his head."

"Nah, Remi isn't gonna go that far. I don't think he will. As much as he hates all the other dance students, he needs to come up the ranks and he needs not to ruin the performance for that. He might be an asshole but he's still not dumb."

Sam bites his lip for a moment, then exhales. "I mean—" he breathes in. "Yeah. You're right. But you know, it's just a gut feeling, alright?"

"That Remi's gonna do something?"

"That something's gonna go wrong."

I'm about to say something to tell him that everything's going to be alright even though I doubt it myself, three new people pop up right behind us, joining in on the conversation. They're all in identical constumes, their make up and hair done as immacutely as possible.

Rhea's the first one to speak. "What's gonna go wrong?" She keeps her arm across my shoulder, leaning on to me while looking at Sam. "What are you guys talking about?"

"It's nothing," Sam says. "I'm just nervous."

"So am I," Rhea says with a smile. "But you know what they say, don't you? Fake it till you make it!" The cheerfulness in her voice is what makes me what to push her away because she's literally screeching in my ears at this point. Luckily, she's one of the people I can genuinely tolerate.

"Fake it till you make it, my ass," Freva mutters. "Do you know the last time I was this scared?"

I expect her to continue but she doesn't, letting the question hang. "When?" Sam asks, unsure.

"Don't ask me. I don't know either." She lets her hand reach up to her hair and then clicks her tongue, remembering that she can't ruin her hair now. "Ugh, the costumes are so annoying. The make up is so annoying. Everything is so annoying. The last thing I need now is a fucking mess up during the performance."

"Jeez, chill," Rhea laughs. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"I don't know, music mix up. Formation mess up. Lighting mess up. Wardrobe malfunction." Freva's eyes go wide. "Oh my god. What if there's a goddamn wardrobe malfunction?"

Rhea rolls her eyes and stands straight, adjusting her fit. "There's too much negativity here. I don't want to be in the same room as this girl before a performance ever again." She turns to me. "Harley, make sure that your hand's alright next time or I'll murder you."

Line, who'd been quiet all this while, finally speaks up. "I really wanted Harley to perform this time." She looks dead into my eyes. Normally, if someone did this, I'd get shivers. Everyone at Redville is so competitive that there's always some hatred and boldness in their eyes. But Line? She's calm. She's calmer than most people around us. She's not exactly likeable but I've got nothing bad to say about her.