"Mom, I'm dropping Arielle off at daycare, and then I'm going to the studio!" I yell up the stairs.
"Alright, just pick her up after your practice!" she calls down. I take Arielle's hand and gently pull her out the door.
"Why do I have to go to daycare?" she asks, looking up at me with her big, blue eyes.
"Because nobody can watch you today," I say. We cross the street, and I walk through the giant rainbow doors to the daycare.
"Hi, Arielle! Are you ready to fingerpaint today?" Lisa, the owner, asks. Arielle nods vigoriously, and she laughs before greeting the next child. I kneel down in front of Arielle and look her in the eyes.
"Now, Arielle, if you behave today, I'll let you have a couple of sips of my Starbucks drink," I tell her.
"But-"
"No buts. I have to go. I love you," I say.
"I love you, too." She runs off to find Leila, and I look at the time on my phone. I curse under my breath and rush out the door.
I run down the street towards the studio, my bag weighing me down a little. I ignore the pain and continue, dodging people along the way. I turn the corner and slam into somebody, the contents of my bag spilling everywhere.
"Crap," I mutter, kneeling to stuff it all back. Familiar hands appear as they pick up my things.
"Here you go," he says, handing them to me.
"Thanks, " I say, breathless. I zip up my bag and stand up. I start to run away.
"Wait!" he calls out.
"Sorry, Connor!" I shout, looking back at him before continuing my workout to the studio.
I burst through the front door and run down the hallway to the studio that only I use. Anthony promised that if I cleaned it up, since it was abandoned for twenty years, so it was dirty and nasty, I could have full access to it, and the only other person that would is him. Nobody else could use it.
I unlock the door and set my bag down, pulling everything out. I quickly change in the dressing room next to the studio, and then I walk out and stretch to All Time Low. I dance to a few songs on the classical station to warm up a little. One I'm done, I change the CD and put in a new one. I skip to the third song, and the first few chords of Soldier ring throughout the room. I dance along, remembering the choreography that I created. Before the first run-through of the chorus can finish, I notice somebody standing in the doorway in the middle of my pirouette. I stop and stare at them.
"Connor," I whisper.
He waves. "Hi."
"What are you doing here?" I ask. He motions towards the stereo, and I nod. He pauses the music before turning to me, watching me as I walk over to my bag to grab a towel.
"Well, you knew my name, so I was wondering if we had met. I'm guessing we did for a few minutes at a concert, since you have our EP," he says with a smile, leaning against the doorway.
"Actually, no. This would be our first encounter," I say. I wipe my face with the towel and take a sip of my water.
"Oh," he mumbles. I hold my hand out.
"I'm Foster," I say, flashing a smile. He grins and shakes my hand.
"Nice to meet you, Foster. I think I saw you at Starbucks the other day," he points out.
"You did. It was only for a second, though," I tell him.
"Well, maybe after your rehearsal, we could go to Starbucks for more than a second," he offers. "After all, I would like to get to know the person that practically ran me over on the street."
