Freestyle (Academy of Stardom Book 1)

After two days of dance lessons that I should’ve enjoyed, but didn’t, I head towards Madame Tuillard’s studio for more rehearsals. It’s past five pm and I’ve just hoovered down a cheese sandwich and an apple to appease my growling stomach. It’s the first thing I’ve eaten all day. Breakfast consisted of coffee and thin air. Lunch was no different, and I’m still feeling lightheaded, my modest meal barely sustaining me. I’m running on empty and a little jittery from all the coffee I’ve consumed but I push on knowing that I can’t fuck this up. Monday might have been torture being paired up with Dax, but I’ve got to get over my shock at the Breakers returning if I’m going to survive the year here. Suck it the fuck up, basically.

Swigging down water to appease my still growling stomach, I jog along the corridor on the third floor, already late. My phone vibrates against my arse, and I yank it out of my back pocket. The second my eyes land on the caller ID, my quick meal decides it wants to break free from my stomach. Swallowing hard, I push open the nearest door into Studio Five and am relieved to find it empty. I don’t need any witnesses to this conversation.

“Hello, Penelope,” the voice from my nightmares says.

“David,” I respond, making my voice sound strong even when the rest of me is shaking. My legs give way and I slide down the wall, landing on my arse.

“How are you?”

I almost laugh at the question, at the normality of it, as though he really is just a relative concerned for my well-being. I know better, but I humour him anyway. “Fine, and you?”

“Oh, you know, keeping busy with work. Business is booming, Penelope. Perhaps one day I’ll bring you over to Mexico and show just how well I’m doing.”

Over my dead body. Slamming my lips shut on those words, I choose not to respond. My silence is deafening. David laughs, the sound affecting me the same way as nails scraping down a blackboard would.

“I hear that the Breakers are back. You know what that means, don’t you?”

“It’s not what you think. I have no control over what they do, or Jeb does, for that matter,” I blurt out quickly, panic rising. Surely he can’t blame me for something his leader has set up. It’s not as if any of this is in my control. David laughs again and the sound sends me hurtling back to that night that I wish I could change with every cell of my being.

“Oh, I don’t know. I think you like the fact they’ve returned. You never were as happy as when you were with them. Such a slutty little girl, aren’t you?”

“It’s not like that. It wasn’t like that. They were my friends and now they’re not. You got what you wanted, David. Why can’t you just leave me the fuck alone!” I shout, anger overriding the fear I feel.

The line remains silent for a moment and all I can hear is the rushing and pulsing of blood in my ear. David would often fall silent before the rage took over. I wait for it to come. The inevitable tidal wave of destruction.

“Except I don’t have what I want, Penelope,” he responds, deadly calm. If it weren’t for the fact I know it’s impossible, I would almost believe that he could reach down the phone and throttle me right now. His words are laced with violence that reaches me across miles and miles of ocean. Will I never be far enough away from him?

“David, please. They’re not my friends. They’re not anything to me anymore. They won’t ever be anything to me again. You got what you wanted. I hate them,” I force out, putting all my hate for David into that one sentence and hoping he believes me, because I certainly don’t.

“Let’s see, shall we? Let’s see just how much you hate them, how far you’re willing to go to prove to me that I can trust you to keep your promises.”

“What do you mean?” My voice is shaking now, and I hate that I can’t hide my fear from him.

“Remember the deal we made. One false move and I’m cashing in, Penelope.”

“Please, you can’t. I’ve done everything you’ve asked. What else can I do?”

“That’s rich. You’re nothing but a lying bitch.”

“I don’t understand…”

“I know everything, Penelope. You must think I’m fucking stupid. I know that I wasn’t the only one you made a deal with that night!” He’s shouting now, the precarious hold on his temper gone.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” I fumble, my body trembling.

“Don’t fuck with me, Penelope. I’m not an idiot. You think I’m a fool. I’m here in Mexico because I wanted to be here, not because you made a deal with Jeb to send me away. He’s not as powerful as he thinks he is.”

“David, I…” Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. He can’t know. How can he know? I was so careful.

“Don’t try and fucking deny it, Penelope. It’ll only be worse for you if you do.”

My stomach rolls over and there’s nothing I can do to stop myself from retching. My quick meal spills out over the floor beside me, a steamy pile of sick that ruins the perfectly polished wood. He knows what I did. He knows about the deal I made with Jeb. Why am I even still alive? All those thoughts ricochet inside my head as he continues on ranting.

“Three years might have passed. You might think you’ve gotten away from me, but my reach is far and wide. I can get to you all with one fucking word! You’d be wise not to underestimate me again. I still own you and don’t you fucking forget it.”

“David, I swear to you, I’m not involved with the Breakers…” I swipe at my mouth with the back of my hand, swallowing the bitter aftertaste of my scared seventeen year old self’s poor decisions. I was a fool to ever believe I could outsmart my brother.

“But here’s the thing, Penelope. You’re going to be.”

“What?!” I snap. “I don’t understand.”

“Jeb is up to something and I don’t fucking like it. I’m the reason his business is booming, and the motherfucker thinks he can leave me out of the loop? No. No fucking way. So you, dear little sister, are going to do something for me.”

I can’t even question what that something is, because little black dots start to spot in front of my eyes. Any minute now I’m going to pass out.

“Penelope, you fucking better still be there…”

“I’m here,” I croak, blinking my eyes rapidly and willing myself not to faint. It would be so easy to allow the darkness to take over, to let the silence pull me under so I don’t have to listen to him anymore, but I breathe in deeply through my nose, forcing myself to do as he asks.

“Good. Listen to me very carefully. You’re going to befriend the Breakers once more. You’re going to make them fall in love with you again, and you’re going to find out every last secret Jeb is keeping from me. Then when the time is right, we are going to destroy them once and for all. I will stick to my side of the deal, so long as you stick to yours.”

If I could throw up again, I would, except there’s nothing left inside of me. “David, I don’t know how… They don’t…” They don’t even like me…

“I don’t give a fuck how you do it. Just get me the information I want or pay the fucking price. I’ll be calling for regular updates.” With that, he clicks off the call and I’m left with the deafening sound of my heart breaking all over again.