[Closed] Let's Talk

[CHARLOTTE JADE HODGINS]

Charlie smiled as she looked forward in the mirror, shaking her head at the faces Joel was making behind her. “ Look, I know you don’t know anything about ballet. But you do know about dance. And I would use Cole… “ she started off before stopping herself and shaking her head again, “ I just need you here as a body to work with for when I choreograph my routine for my partner and I… who for some reason thinks it is okay to go see his “dying grandma” back in Texas,” she said, rolling her eyes. Some people just didn’t have the dedication she felt you needed in order to succeed in this industry. “Okay from the top,” she said, counting off loudly before she stood pointe on her toes, lifting her left leg into the air before hooking it behind Joel’s neck and dropping to the floor as he did his best to spin her. It was nice of Joel to come in, though she knew how complicated that must be for him. He was after all really close friends with Georgia, had become friends with Cole. And yet here he was, keeping his mouth shut, doing as he was asked. But that was sort of Joel, wasn’t it? He threw himself into work and his relationships. His only real downfall was the alcohol. But everyone knew that, everyone knew the point where it would be that one drink that pushed him over the edge and just made him angry. Like a little pop singing Hulk. And now that they were about four hours into rehearsal she could tell that she was wearing him down. She placed her hands on her hips, catching her own breath as she smiled at him. “ What, your little stadium tours didn’t prepare you for this?” she teased him as he was taking a drink of water. “ Not much ballet going on there,” he said back, flashing that ridiculous smile her way. Cole had that smile….. Hell, Blaze had that smile. All three of the bastards. She glared at him as she watched him, feeling a momentary anger. “ Can we talk about Cole?” he asked tentatively. She could tell by how carefully he approached it that he must have been wanting to ask for a while.

Charlie tightened fingertips over her hips before bringing her hand up and pushing her bangs from her face. “ What about him?” she asked defensively. “ Is it true that you don’t want him in your life anymore? Cause Charlie, that’s not fair,” he said softly, almost wincing as he spoke. “ Cole made his choices. He’s a big boy.” she said, moving across the studio. “ So because he didn’t choose you, you’re going to throw a fit? I mean come on, you’re an adult. This isn’t the responsible and mature way to go about things….” he offered, crossing his arms over his body. “ The mature and responsible way, Joel? He KNEW how I felt.. and knew it was hurting me,..and just kept letting me feel like this. What he did is not okay. I can’t forgive him,” she said quickly, rambling off her own words. “ Can’t or won’t? Charlie, don’t you want him to be happy?” he asked with almost sounded like a pained tone. “ Of course, if he had come to me and told me.. I… I would’ve been more understanding. I feel embarrassed. I feel like I can’t trust him. How am I supposed to know he isn’t keeping something else from me?” she asked with her eyebrows lifted. “Okay, that’s fair. But is it POSSIBLE… that he didn’t bring it up, because YOU hadn’t brought it up? And he thought that if you wanted him to know, you would tell him? And that because you hadn’t said anything he assumed that meant that you wanted to keep things the way they were, too? You sort of sprung it on him.. and I mean, sure yeah… he knew. But you were also making it look like you weren’t going to do anything about it. I mean.. fucking Blaze?” Joel asked as he lift his eyebrows before he smirked. “ Or did you forget that he’s my best friend? Yeah.. so I’m in a spot where I know how Cole sees you, and I know the friendship that you two shared, and how important it is.. and I know how Blaze sees you, Charlie. You gotta keep that friendship with Cole. He loves you more than you know. But that’s different that being IN love. And is it really worth throwing away?” he said, walking over towards her. “ Yes. It is worth throwing away. I can’t watch him love somebody the way I want him to love me. I can’t watch him … watch her the way I wish he would look at me. I can’t… I just…You don’t get it,” she said , trying to fight back the tears as they started. Joel stood there quietly, trying to let it sink in, “ Maybe I don’t. Maybe I don’t know what it’s like to want someone you can’t have.. but I do know that he respects you. And Blaze is my best friend, but I wouldn’t say that he respects you. And… I mean maybe the people you need in your life are the ones that are going to support you and believe in you… no matter what that relationship may be, even if it isn’t exactly what you wanted,” he tried again, but she could tell by his own reaction that he knew it was useless. She’d built up the walls to protect herself, and placed Cole on the other side. But when the door opened, Charlie narrowed her eyebrows, turning and looking over her shoulder at the same time as the sound of heels stepped into the studio.

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[MARGARITA JOSEPHINE RIVERA]

Georgia popped her bubble gum as she walked across the dance studio, bringing her hands up in fists as she did a double fist bump to her choreographer. “ Where you goin’ now baby?” he asked in his flare. She took in a deep breath, changing out of her sweaty shirt and pulling on a new one. “ Recording studio now..” she said, faking a smile. She reached down into her purse, taking out a make up remover to use as a quick cleanser to clean up her face and picked up her water bottle. Instantaneously as she stepped out into the hallway, a long arm was draping over her shoulders. Georgia looked up, smiling at the tall blonde and rolled her eyes. “ Hey Parker,” she said, wrapping her own arm around her waist. “ Have you seen that new guy that was tickling the ivories down in the lobby? God he was hot…” she said, walking down the hallway, causing Georgia to double her pace since she was so much shorter. “ Why don’t you let everyone else see you this way? Aside from Parker? How much longer are you going to be America’s Sweetheart before dropping an F bomb or saying “ yeah I’d screw the hell out of that guy” she said, stopping short as Blake stopped. “Okay, he’s hot…. But he’s not on the shelf at Home Depot. I wouldn’t “screw” him. But he was really hot…. And talented… God that’s hot,” she said before walking again. “ Hey… so Parker is friends with that Charlie girl. And she’s best friends with Cole… is she really going to stop being best friends with him because of you? Cause… poor Cole,” she said, giving a slight frown before bouncing her shoulders. ‘ I gotta go. I found a new recipe for butter crumble apple pie and I need to make it before Parker comes over,” she said, leaning down to give Georgia a kiss before disappearing just as quickly as she arrived. Georgia frowned, narrowing her eyebrows as she stepped into her studio, finding Cole behind the switchboard. He was working on the track for ‘Music Feels Better’. Since it was inspired by him, it felt nice to have him work on the beat as well. “ Hey,” she said as she came over to him, sliding into his lap and laying her head against his shoulder. He had been so supportive after her interview, and he hadn’t even had to deal with the public eye yet regarding the ‘rumors’ of them being together. He had a whole mess waiting for him ; that scandal PLUS his best friend fighting with him. Georgia sat up, giving him a quick kiss before she grabbed the sheet of lyrics and made her way into the sound booth. Georgia pushed up the sleeves to her shirt, adjusting the headphones as she spread the papers out that had wrinkled up and stepped closer to the microphone. She did her best to smile and make the song sound lively ; thankfully she didn’t think it came off as too forced. She had been an actress after all, albeit she wouldn’t say she was a necessarily good one. But when they wrapped the song and were listening to the track play back, judging by the smile on Cole’s face she was guessing it was alright. But she knew she had to make it right, what was going on with him and Charlie. Sure, they could deal with some fans being mad at them, or paparazzi being rude. They could handle that because none of it was personal. Charlie turning her back on Cole was personal. They needed those that were close to them to support them. And while Georgia was a kind person, she was also someone who would do things if they needed to be done. She lied to an entire population about dating Joel so far to the point that she lived with him. Her sense of moral code didn’t always point north. And she knew that if it meant getting Charlie back into Cole’s life, she’d do anything. Which is exactly why she placed a kiss on his lips, went home and took a quick shower, and planted herself right in route to the little dance studio that Charlie used for rehearsal. A slow smile crept upon her lips as she stepped into the studio. Hello,Charlotte,” she said tensely , placing her hands on her hips as she stood firmly in place, “ Let’s talk…”

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