Fiction/Young Adult/Betrayal

Worth the Risk — Chapter Eleven

Are you willing to lose it all

All period long, we wrote. Of course, that was what journalism was, but after about twenty minutes, my hand started to cramp. If our teacher would’ve let us use our phones or something not involving a pen, it would’ve been a lot better.

Marcus kept writing without any pause, whatever he chose to submit for this assignment had his attention. We had to write about a recent event that may have changed our lives. I elected to write about my current dance rehearsals that piqued recruiters' interest from the film clips submitted by my instructor.

Now, I was curious as to what Marcus was writing. What was something that may have changed his life?

“Stop trying to look at what I’m writing.” He pretended to cover up his paper so I couldn’t steal any peeks.

“I’m not.” I looked away but then looked out of the corner of my eye when he moved his arms away from shielding the paper. I think I saw my name.

How could I've impacted his life in a way that would change it?

We’d only known each other for a short time.

Now, he had my full attention, and I didn’t need to see what he wrote, I had to see it.

"Chelsey, pay less attention to what others are writing.” Our teacher must’ve seen me looking at Marcus’s paper.

“I am.” I lifted my pen back up and started writing again. There wasn’t too much to say since my thoughts were now on Marcus and his paper.

This went on for another ten minutes, then she told us to stop. I was the only one who raised my hand when she asked who hadn’t finished the assignment. Of course, Marcus snickered. He knew I was too busy trying to look at his paper to complete my own.

We turned them in, and I got notified I would be docked ten points for not finishing the assignment. The bell rang for the last class, and we all scampered out of the hell class we were in.

“Okay, what did you write?” Marcus took my hand and walked with me down the hall. His next class was on the third level, which was up the next flight of stairs and down the hallway.

“You’re gonna be late.”

“I’m good.” He lifted my hand and kissed it. "And I’m not telling you what I wrote until you say what you wrote.”

I felt bad I’d picked dance over him, but that had been my life forever. “Mine was about dance and how recruiters are excited about my audition tapes.”

Marcus had a big smile. “I can’t wait to see you dance, especially if you wear those cute, tight leotards.”

“Nope, sorry. Just short shorts and a small little t-shirt.”

“Mmm,” Marcus said, backing me up against the wall. “I like.” He kissed my neck and slowly moved to my cheeks and lips.

After a heated minute or two, I leaned back away from him. “Okay, spill.” I wanted to know what he wrote.

“I wrote about this past weekend.”

I needed more. I waved my hand at him to keep telling me.

“I wrote about this beautiful girl.” He gave me a peck on one cheek. “Who always seemed so distant.” His lips caressed the other cheek. “Until I got to know her. Then I found out, she’s not so different after all.” He brushed his lips on mine. “I wrote of our beautiful night together and how you made me feel oh so good.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“I did. Don’t worry, I didn’t mention your name. You weren’t indited for anything.”

“I’m not worried about my name being in there. I can’t believe you wrote about me. Why?” It was my turn to initiate the kiss that went on past the warning bell.

“You were the first thing that came to my mind, so I wrote about our time together.” Marcus gave me one last kiss, then stepped back. “I’ll meet you at your car.” He waved, then took off on a jog to get to his next class on time.

I walked to class in a daze. This guy, one that I shouldn’t be falling for, was turning my life around. All I kept thinking about was how much more time had to pass before I saw him again.

The parking lot was crowded when I finally made it outside after my last forty-minute class, which seemed like hours. I stepped outside and saw Ricky, Amber, and Marcus waiting for me on the sidewalk. Amber motioned me over, I waved and picked up my pace.

“Rehearsal, right?” Amber leaned back against Ricky and wiggled her butt at him.

“Yeah. Why? What’s up?” I smiled at Marcus and went to stand beside him. He put his arm around me once again and kissed me on the cheek.

“Ahh, how sweet.” The sound of Gabby’s sarcastic mouth came from behind us. “No more Ken dolls for you Barbie’s to play with.”

“What the fuck are you talking about, Gabby?” This time, Marcus confronted her first.

“Really, Marcus. Do you think the beauty queen is going to play with you very long?”

She, Alexia, and Selena walked past us on their way to the bus. Gabby turned around at midpoint on the sidewalk, so she now faced us.

“Don’t come crying to me when this all falls apart. I’m not picking up the pieces again.” She shook her head at Marcus, then turned and walked away.

“She’s such a bitch.” Amber voiced my thoughts exactly.

I knew there was much more to the whole Marcus and Gabby story. Her little comment about picking up the pieces proved it. He and I were going to have to have a long talk on the way to the dance rehearsal.

“She’s being Gabby.” Ricky moved out from behind Amber and tapped her car on the roof. “Ready, baby.”

Amber walked around to the driver’s side and waved to Marcus and me. “I’ll call you later.”

I nodded okay and watched as she and Ricky took off in her car in the opposite direction we would be going.

“Ready.” I patted the passenger’s side door, then walked around the car to claim my seat as the driver.

It was a long, silent five minutes before Marcus began to speak. I kept quiet about what Gabby had said and hoped he would explain and not blow it off.

“I know you’re probably wondering what Gabby was talking about, right?” Marcus’s focus kept looking straight ahead as I weaved the Jaguar around the masses of traffic heading into the core of the city.

“Care to explain.”

Marcus let out a long sigh, like whatever he was going to tell me could affect the whole course of humanity.

“This all happened like two years ago.” Then he stopped talking.

I waited for like ten seconds, as he kept me hanging on to what had happened two years ago.

“What?”

“Ricky and I beat up some kid and were in juvie for six months.”

"Like, how bad?”

“He was in the hospital for a while.”

“Why?” I knew somehow a girl had to be involved with this.

Marcus seemed like he was considering what to tell me. A wide range of emotions crossed his face, most indicating a lot of anger was involved with this story.

“I was involved with Gabby’s cousin for over two years, I was fourteen, and she was fifteen when we got serious about each other. She cheated on me for almost a whole year before I found out. The guy posted shit on Facebook showing him and her in some fucked up pictures, saying they were leaving town that night.” Marcus cracked his knuckles and rubbed his face hard with his hands.

“What happened then?” I turned off at the next exit as we got closer to our destination.

“I knew who he was and where he lived. Ricky and I went over that night and kicked the shit out of him when he and Lorena were leaving.”

“Your girlfriend, Lorena?” I clarified who this name belonged to.

Marcus nodded I was right. “Even though we kept our hoodies on, she still recognized Ricky and me. She’s the one who called the cops on us.”

“Wow.” I mean, what more could I say? I’d never been around anyone who spent any actual time in jail, even if it was juvie. I guess I understood why they acted like that, but what was the whole story? That just couldn’t be all of it.

“What did Gabby mean she wouldn’t pick up the pieces again? What’s with you and her before we go any further in a relationship?”

I pulled up to the valet parking lot and motioned for Marcus to exit. I handed the attendant my keys.

We had two blocks to walk to the theater, so there should be enough time for him to finish his story.

“Like I said, there’s nothing romantically going on with Gabby and me.” Marcus took my hand and held it tightly as we fought through the crowds on Broadway. “Long story short, Ricky and I got arrested, Lorena left with the other guy after he got out of the hospital, I lost custody of my little girl with her, and Gabby was the one who helped me get into school and my life back together.

Wait…wait…wait a freakin minute. A little girl, when the hell did this all come into play?

“Okay, more explanation is needed. You have a daughter?” I stopped outside of the studio. It was almost time for practice, but this was one thing I needed to hear again, or else I wouldn’t have any concentration.

“I do, or I did. Lorena took her to live in California. I’ve only seen pictures of her when she sends them to Gabby. Adrianna is three years old, her birthday is in July. I don’t think she knows I’m her dad.” Marcus’s eyes traveled up the building we stopped outside of. “Is this your practice place?” He whistled when I nodded yes. “This is some high-end class shit going on here.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Ready?”

There was so much more I wanted to ask him but now was not the time. I still had to change and begin the grueling routine I’d created.

I opened the door, and Marcus went in before me. He followed me up the flight of stairs leading to the studio's open area.

I heard the crisp clap of one pair of hands coming together, which echoed throughout the vast open space. I knew the sound was meant for me.

“Chelsey.” The sound of my instructor’s harsh tone boomed out above the whispers of the others. “Get changed and into your place, now.” She pointed towards the changing area, which was a small room off to the side.

Ms. Berkshire was a petite woman, standing less than five feet tall and weighing about eighty pounds. To look at her, one wouldn’t be easily intimidated by her appearance.

She wore the standard dance attire of tights and bodysuit for every rehearsal, not the same but never varying from the style.

She was one individual I wouldn’t want to piss off. She’d gotten me so far in this industry and had faith in everything I did.

“I’ll be right back.” I motioned to the side area where Marcus needed to go and sit down. He nodded and went, seemingly a bit overwhelmed by Ms. Berkshire and the rest of the dancers.

I made my appearance back on the floor and took the center spot. I waited for instructions or for the music to begin. Nothing else was said as everyone else took their positions, and our warm-up session began.

Two and a half hours later, we finished one of the best practices in months. I don’t know, maybe I tried a bit harder since I had someone on the sidelines watching me.

I didn’t make any eye contact with him during our practice. If I had, my concentration would’ve been destroyed.

When Marcus and I first came into the room, I saw some of my dance partners’ eyes flicker from me to him. The questions were gonna hit me as soon as I stepped foot into the changing area.

I gave Marcus a small wave, then held up one finger, indicating I’d be back in a minute. He smiled and nodded he’d seen me.

I walked into the side room and just as expected, the questions began.

‘Who was he?’

‘Where’s he from?’

‘What’s his name?’

‘Does he have any brothers?’

I answered them as best as I could while trying to rapidly change out of my dance clothes. I told them he was a schoolmate, his name was Marcus, he was from Sunset Park in Brooklyn, and I didn’t answer the brother question because I didn’t know the answer. We never talked about siblings or any of his family, except for the daughter he never sees.

I waved goodbye, told them I’d see them tomorrow, and hurried back out to where Marcus was waiting.

I thanked Ms. Berkshire before I left, and she congratulated me on a well-done rehearsal. She even hinted that if the boy made me dance that well, maybe he should attend every day and come to the recitals. I said I would talk to him about it, then motioned for Marcus to meet me at the front door.

As soon as we got outside, Marcus wrapped his arms around my waist and spun me around. “Damn, you were awesome.”

I apologized to the people walking past and my feet accidentally smacked into. Like always, they gave us dirty looks and continued their hurried way.

“Think so?” I liked having approval for something I loved to do.

“It was more than awesome. You owned the whole freakin floor, Chelsey.” Marcus smiled down at me, then took my hand as we walked back down to the parking area. “I loved the tight little outfit.” He lightly squeezed my hand and winked at me when I looked up.

“Guess you’ll like the real costumes for the performance, they’re practically not even there.”

Ms. Berkshire had costumes designed that were nude, meaning they matched the color of our skin and gave the appearance we were dancing naked.

“Are you inviting me?”

“Of course, I mean if you can go. It’s two more weeks away.” My stomach did flip-flops knowing the big-time scouts were coming.

“I’ll be there.” Marcus let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist. “Just try to have those male dancers not touch you so much in places they shouldn’t be.” He snickered, but the look in his eye made him appear dangerous.

“Lighten up.” I poked him in the stomach, which was rock-hard with muscle. “They have to, that’s part of the routine I created for our showcase performance. They were the only steps that fit with the music. Don’t worry, most of them would prefer to be touching each other and not me.”

Marcus laughed aloud at my reference to my male dance partners liking other guys, not their female counterparts. “It’s all good.”

We returned to the valet, and I gave him my ticket. He called out to one of the attendants and motioned for him to hurry up as his step was too slow.

A minute later, my car came into sight, and I handed the attendant driving a tip as I thanked him for his service and opening my door.

Marcus patted the other guy on the shoulder as he opened the door for him.

“Kinda weird to have another dude open a car door for me.” Marcus shook his head at something I never thought twice about.

“One suggestion I have is don’t pat them on the back next time. Just nod your head or something, most people don’t make any physical contact with the attendants.”

Marcus looked at me like I was weird for making that suggestion. “Glad to hear there might be a next time, but how about I open my own door.”

“Marcus, that’s their job.”

“I don’t know, Chelsey. You rich people have some weird customs.”

“That’s what they’re there for. We pay the attendants, and they open doors and drive our cars, it’s a cycle, Marcus.” He was making much more of this than I thought was necessary.

“Okay. Just saying I can open my own fucking door.” His tone was a lot louder and harsher than usual.

“Fine. Open your own fucking door next time. I don’t freakin care.” I took the next exit that would lead me to Sunset Park. After that, I hoped he would give me directions instead of driving around aimlessly.

Marcus rubbed his face once again, then he did a low growl into his hands. “Okay.” He took his hands away from his face and clasped them together in his lap. “We’re not going to get into some stupid petty fight over something so irrelevant, okay.”

“Okay.” I needed a moment to calm my nerves back down. “You can open…”

Marcus’s hand went over my mouth. “We’re not going to talk about this the rest of the time. I acted like an ass. I’m sorry.”

I nodded right on both aspects. We were done talking about it, and he did act like an ass.

Marcus removed his hand. He shook his head and chuckled.

“What?”

What did he find so funny?

“You could’ve said no, Marcus, you’re not an ass. You’re a bit hot-headed sometimes, but not a complete ass.”

“You did act like one. Not all the time, but now you did.”

“Okay. I agree, and I apologized.”

“And I accepted.” I looked up the street and had no clue where to go once I’d gotten to the next red light. “Where do I go after this?”

Marcus squirmed a bit in his seat. “You can let me off at the next stop. I can walk back from there.”

“Uh, no. I said I’d drive you home, so give me the directions.”

Marcus looked a little uncomfortable with my brassiness and determination to take him directly back.

“No, seriously, Chelsey, you can just drop me off.”

I looked around the community we were driving through. It wasn’t the best of what New York City had to offer, but it certainly wasn’t all that bad. I’d taken him to my end of the neighborhood, even when I didn’t want to. I let him come to my dance rehearsal, and yet he still couldn’t take me anywhere near where he lived.

“Are you afraid of what your eses’, homeboys, whatever you might call them, are you scared of what they might say about me? Do I embarrass you, Marcus?”

Now, he started to laugh. It was a loud chuckle, which made him shake and hold his stomach.

“What, now?”

He liked to laugh at everything I said.

“Your.” Marcus laughed a few more times. “Your.” A couple more laughs,

I gave him a dirty look of annoyance, which settled him down a bit.

“Your Spanish accent.” He smirked once again until I shot him another evil glare. “It was cute, Chelsey.”

Now, I had to laugh. He tried to make an impression of Bradley but failed miserably. I guess he tried to sound like one of the rich pricks at school.

“What?” He screeched about as loudly as I did.

“Not nice to make fun of people.”

Marcus gently pushed my shoulder. “Oh, really. This is coming from a girl who spent the last couple of minutes making fun of me.” He waggled his finger at the next stop light. “You have to make a right.”

I got over into the far-right lane and turned on my turn signal. The street went from a double lane down to one lane going each way. Row houses lined the streets, kids were out and about on their bikes, and groups of guys of varying ages stood on different sections of the sidewalk.

As we passed them in my car, which seemed to be about as expensive as all the cars in the neighborhood put together, their eyes followed us down the street.

“Make a left at the stop sign.” Marcus gave me another direction and gave a small wave to one of the guys on the street.

I turned down the next road, which looked exactly like the one we just came off. People were out everywhere. I heard music playing from somewhere and the sound of children laughing and screaming good-humoredly echoed through the car windows.

This place was so unlike my neighborhood, where everything was hush-hush and no one would ever be out hanging about talking with their neighbors. I felt like I was entering another world.