CHAPTER 13- TOUGH CALL

Chloe was still basking in the euphoria of being in the Honeybloomers Dance Academy. She hadn't even closed her eyes long enough to savour the aesthetics of the structure or even imagine its layout before she heard a distant chime that brought her out of her reverie.

"A bell?" She asked aloud.

"Of course, there's a reminder every hour to keep you in sync with your schedule." Lopez responded with a laugh.

Chloe couldn't help but stare at how beautiful her lips curled when she smiled. It reminded her of her late twin sister.

"Lopez, you are really beautiful." Chloe blushed.

"Awwwwn, thank you girl. You are too." She responded.

Chloe felt this closeness with Lopez, she was instantly drawn to her and she could sense her sister's persona resonating around her.

This gave her an exciting experience to look up to in the coming years as a ballerina 💃.

In a bid to continue with small talk; Chloe asked, "how long have you been here?"

"You have a funny way around questions. You mean, am I a senior or not? No need to be very formal." Lopez winked.

"Haha, okay sure. Are you a senior then?" Chloe rephrased.

"I am in my penultimate year, meaning I have a year to go before rounding off the course."

"Congratulations, you have a graceful and beautiful poise." Chloe complimented.

"You praise me too much, I'm honoured. I can see potential in you. You'd do great things. Come on, let's go."

With a laugh, she agreed to be half dragged to her dorm.

Outside the dorm, Lopez fumbled with the lock and soon enough they were in.

"Phew, what a day. I'm burned out." Lopez relaxed into her partly made bed, leaving Chloe standing.

"Come on girl, loosen up. You are one of the early birds to arrive this dorm room, you are at liberty to pick a bed. Then, we can proceed with the rules of this room and the Academy." Lopez said.

Chloe liked a lady with confidence and she was thanking her stars Lopez was the one to revive that part of her beautiful self.

Looking around instinctively for the most comfortable bed available, she opted for the one close to the window, it had a little corner she could squeeze in and read without being spotted and she loved this secret compartment, "her mini closet."

"Wise choice indeed, someone who likes her privacy. Let's get you set for orientation tomorrow.

"Honeybloomers Dance Academy has been in existence since 1995, the school began as a little club made of six dancers, you'd see their photos hanging in the hallway when going to the orientation venue. They have become renowned examples and role models to a lot of us here. The school has an organized system of administration; you breach any rules and you get your scholarship zapped and on the next plane to your home town. Are you following?" Lopez looked at her closely for the first time after they got into the room.

"Definitely, I understand everything. Quick question, are the students here mostly just on scholarships or something?"

"Haha, you really are naïve sweetie. No need to feel bad, we are all a product of continuous improvement. So, the school has a scholarship scheme but, those who want to apply are free to. This is an Elite academy, kids with very rich parents are those who get to be here by application. I don't mean to down talk anyone but it is the harsh truth. Now, the rules are a little stringent but not impossible to follow;

*No smoking, we all know the health implications.

*No drugs, even drinking is affected.

*No excessive drinking or you'd banned from practice and expelled.

*No late nights, it affects one's performance either at rehearsals or on stage.

*No hate speech, we appreciate everyone's unique talent. This is similar to a fight, or you risk expulsion and a refund of your tuition.

*No sex on the rooftop, don't ask why. So many crazy things have happened before but, we're in the clear now.

Any other questions?" Lopez asked.

"Wow, that's a lot of simple yet stringent rules. I can live by them." Chloe smiled.

"Great, let's get you settled in."

"Yes, one more thing. Do we get to go on breaks? Like, a short trip back home? Take a day or few days off classes?" Chloe chewed the insides of her mouth.

"Sure, but it shouldn't be a norm. Newbies get a few days off upon application to the directorate, which is usually a week before the supposed day of the trip. If you get sick, you can be checked by the school nurses in the clinic. Don't worry much, as time goes on, you'd adjust." She gave her a reassuring smile.

"Thank you for your kind words ☺️." Chloe mused.

"Of course girl, you are very welcome."

Just then, the bell chimed again.

"One hour has swiftly gone by." Chloe giggled.

"Haha, you are following already. Impressive." Lopez grinned.

Chloe couldn't help but laugh and start arranging her things neatly.

Soon enough, she was done. She had a disgruntled expression on her face when she brought out the map, it was like a maze and she couldn't read it. She hated Geography in high school and she couldn't imagine how the basic knowledge was needed to decipher the locations etched on the coloured paper.

"Need some help? I recognize that look, I had the exact same look when I got here." Lopez said with a low laugh in her throat.

"Please help me, I can't figure out where I'm supposed to be." Chloe's voice was breaking, she was close to tears.

"Hush now, don't cry. I'd help you. First you need to find the admission office to submit your letter. I hope you have everything written on the application here." Lopez was genuinely concerned in the vulnerable little girl's happiness.

"Yes, I have everything." Chloe sniffed.

"Alright, very good." Lopez was glad she could make her feel better. She had no one to help her except a roommate that was expelled because, she was found with drugs. Lopez knew it was planted but she couldn't prove it, she cried bitterly when Stacey had to go away. She had loved her dearly and they were mature enough to acknowledge that fact and work on building a great friendship. Everything went up a notch when Lopez returned from a hectic lesson and walked into the room. Stacey was just out of the shower and was drying her hair, something in Lopez was ignited when she beheld her glowing naked skin.

She instinctively walked up to her and cupped her breasts from behind surprising Stacey who was unaware of her friend's presence because of the loud music blasting from the music box.

Stacey's eyes sparkled and Lopez got the "go ahead" cue when Stacey covered her lips with passionate kisses. Everything went wild and they were both all over each other in a romantic frenzy. None knew they had a biased sexuality, they willingly embraced this change and fell more in love with each other until, a guy who had a massive crush on Lopez bumped into them in the dark hallway, he had stayed back to read in one of the classrooms because it was quiet. Ray was shell shocked when he saw Stacey kissing and fondling the girl he had fantasized having in his bed, his books dropped with a clatter and both girls gasped upon seeing him.

They just buttoned up their shirts and gave him killer eyes, those eyes carried a lot of weight. He was to be silent or risk expulsion.

He didn't say a word, he was scared of getting on Lopez's bad side, but he resented Stacey with great passion. His revenge ploy was in view. When Stacey was expelled for supposedly being in possession of drugs, Lopez cried all night because she knew it was substantial evidence to send her packing from the Academy. They both slept in each other's embrace, the only shot she had at deeply loving someone was blown by falsified claims and her anger grew.

Seeing Stacey pack her belongings for the next couple of days left a deep gash in her heart, she promised to never forget her.

Two years had passed and she hadn't felt that level of attachment to anyone since Stacey, now she's roommates with a sweet little girl who is clearly vulnerable. Lopez didn't want to take advantage of Chloe or distract her from her goals, she'd make her come to her willing and if they didn't have a chemistry together, they'd forget it ever happened. She resisted the urge to kiss her rosy lips, she smelled like peaches mixed with sweat. It was a turn on for her but, she exercised a deep level of control.

"Lopez, easy girl. She's new. Don't scare her off. Be friends, easy does it." She had this conversation with her inner self and heaved a sigh.

"Are you alright?" Chloe's voiced sliced through her racing thoughts.

"Oh goodness, I'm fine dear, just tired. You should get some rest. I'd show you around school tomorrow, it's the weekend. Good night, see you in the morning." Lopez refrained from hugging her again for she feared her scent would haunt her in her dreams. "Thank you again Lopez, good night." Chloe turned off the lights and slept as soon as she landed on the soft mattress.