Chapter 57

Melissa cried all through, getting to put a lot of makeup on her face made her look less of a lost drunk girl.

    About thirty minutes to their dance, Jake her partner decided to take their intro routine with her.

   "We are dancing FADED by Alen walker, not Salsa!" Jake said in surprise as Melissa missed the step again "You are not yourself, Melissa" Jake whispered as Melissa danced to him.

   According to the dance, they spilled and walked towards each other slowly on their toes.

   "Don't tell me you are nervous!" Jake seem pissed, he tried to hold Melissa but she stepped on him "Ouch!"

  "So sorry" Melissa stopped.

    Melissa kept breathing hard as she looked at his face, her shoulders dropped. She moved a tiny bit of stray hair behind her and sniffed.

   "What's wrong Melissa!" Jake seems worried, he rushed to her and hugged her "It's okay to be nervous"

   Melissa collapsed more in his hug and open her mind. Since she got Molly's gift, she had been crying until she had to prepare to leave the house. She couldn't just get to see herself as the monster she had become or the hidden monster she is.

   Her arms tightened around his body and he does the same. His jaw rested on her head as he stroked her back, telling her that she would be fine and stage fright is something everyone can overcome.

   Deep down the road to reality, Melissa knew things would never be fine with her. Not when she knew she couldn't face Williams or her friends with a clear conscience.

   She hasn't set her eyes on them and she was grateful for that, hopefully, they should miss the event. Even if anyone would not want to come, she knew her friends would want to, just to stand with her as the way every other good friend would do.

    Adulthood is not an easy hood, especially when you are not ready to participate yet. It's not just about the age, but about the mental state of the person.

   But for Melissa, she felt she was mature long ago! Even when she was still in high school, and thought her stepdad was the worst person on earth, she had always wished to live on her own and be the best adult she wished to be.

   When people are young, they do things they didn't plan for or even thought they could do. But in rare cases, the young person has every right and opportunity to change the bad things they were about to let happen or correct mistakes they made.

   But for Melissa's sake, she couldn't understand if she was blinded by too much independence, abandonment, lack of funds, love, lust, money, and school work. She just did things she never thought about before doing them now it might hurt her for the rest of her redheaded life.

   The last thing Melissa expected was to be yanked away from Jake's arm and pulled into a familiar one. The Cologne filled her nostrils as one needled to tell her things are about to get twisted.

   "Hey, dude!" Jake yelled "I was only consoling her"

  From Williams's tight grip, she could see Jake raise his hands in surrender as he move back, not after he glared at Williams for the last time.

   "Please don't make me feel jealous again" Williams plead, he kissed her forehead and attempt to dust off Jake's touch "Are you okay?"

   Melissa nodded, she kept avoiding his gaze and lips as he try to kiss her.

   "What's wrong Melissa?" Williams became worried, especially as she silently slipped off his grip "Talk to me baby"

   Melissa fake a smile sniffed and began to blink back the tears in her big brown eyes.

   "I'm sorry I couldn't make it last night" Williams took her hands in his "I had to tell my dad about Michael and how to get him but unfortunately, he died before we could finish the meeting"

   Shock spread across Melissa's face as she cupped his face, she tiptoed to peck his cheek but he kissed her lips instead.

   "I am sorry," she said. Not knowing if she apologized for being a pretender, a bad person, or about his late father "I am sorry for everything"

   "It's okay," Williams said "We knew his days were numbered but no one wanted him dead yet"

   His gazes traveled to her cleavage and he noticed the necklace that she wore. He took the cold pedal in between his thumb and index finger then smiled.

    "It's a gift from a very wonderful woman that was once in my life," She said.

  Williams nodded, he smiled as he bent and kisses her lips again "It's beautiful, and I know that the person is also beautiful"

   Indeed!

Melissa opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted as Sam and Leah rushed to the room, dragging her.  She looked straight to see Jake, staring at her with mixed feelings.

   "It's time, Redhead" Leah pushed her into Jakes's already open arms "Sorry I am late! Spencer is a guy with high moral values"

   Melissa smiled, she blew kisses at them, then Williams whose face looked like an angry Viking.

   "I won't touch her too much" Jake teased "Besides, she is mine for the next few minutes"

   Leah giggled along, she nudged Williams who in return glared at her.

  "Don't give me that look, tiger!" She hissed "Wish her luck"

Before Williams could finish getting mad at Sam and Leah that now stands in front of him with their hands on their waist, Melissa had already left the room to the stage.

   "You didn't sit anything, Dickhead!" Leah yelled at Williams "Break a leg" she shout after Melissa and Jake.

   The hall went silent as the stage light went off. Everyone went still, both friends, families, foes, and strangers, just to watch the last dance of the year's audition.

   "I present to you the last but not the least contestants of ILLINOIS BALLET BIRDS of Loyola University. Melissa Harts and Jake Jared, dancing an original made by Michael Hughes their pianist"

   The stage light opens to reveal Melissa and Jake's surprise to the core. At the corner of the stage is Michael seated with a piano in front of him. He raised his left hand a little, his fingers spread indicating he is counting from 3-2-1!

   Deliberately the solo started, leaving Melissa and Jake in great shock of not even knowing what to do since they had practiced a different dance.

   Like as if Michael wants to give them time to think of dance steps to use, the stop the music. His gaze locked with Melissa's who look as scared as a lost kitten. His gaze moved to the terrified Looking Jake and he smirked.

   Without further warning, the music started with a full hint, causing Melissa to flinch. Since she had made the first move, she had no idea what to do or how to do it until she got an assuring look from someone at the back of the stage.

   MOLLY REEDS!

Hope! Hope spread across her face as she gingerly took her official first step. She got to her toes and walked to Jake, she got hold of Williams's Mean face and missed her step.

   Hell would have crashed open if she haven't fallen Into the strong arms of Jake. He stare at her for a while, thinking of how she got the courage to attempt what she knew nothing about.

    "Take the lead" she whispered as she got herself to her feet quickly, dancing along with the solo with her hands on Jake's shoulders "Trust yourself" she blinked back tears.

   An assuring smile displayed on Jake's face as he smiled again sweetly, his hands went to her back as he bent her sharply and raise her immediately.

   She gasps as their face meet, their breath hot on each other's faces and she smiled.
Not a real smile actually, but for what Williams would do to jake when the dance is over as. From the corner of her eyes, she sights him at the corner of the stage with their men in black, Sam and Leah were busy, chatting and eating chips.

    From the look of everything, she knew something is wrong especially as Michael had decided to surprise them. Not knowing what else to do, she followed Jake's lead, just as Williams had taught her, but in this case, she pretend to be dancing with Williams so she would have to keep feeling nervous, scared, and insecure.

   The way Williams kept ordering the men around and watching her intensively made her melt. The sweet look on his emotionless face and his finger on his slightly parted lips made her lost.

   Maybe she loves Williams for real after all.

    It was indeed a big wonder when she found herself bowing and the crowds cheering. She didn't know she dances absentmindedly and still didn't have so much time to step on him.

   The cheering was so loud that Melissa couldn't hold back the tears burning in her eyes. In all her wish to be a celebrity and best ballerina, she had never thought she would be cheered over such dance.

   "Nice to see you again, MELISSA HARTS" She heard Michael's voice close to her ear.

  It was when they finished bowing and the commentator arrive to hug them that she noticed she had been holding hands with her worst fear.

   She turned around, searching for Michael but she got nothing. Not even his shadow was seen but his voice in her ears still felt real and loud that it send cold down her spine. She felt something in her palm and look at it.

   It was a brown paper with neat handwriting she assumed must be Michael's.

   "Hello, goddess" the paper states "Nice to feel your touch again"

   Her heart skipped a beat and nearly exploded. She could hear her heartbeat as it threatened to escape. Everything began to become blurry and she began to find it difficult to breathe.

   "Are you okay?" Jake quickly held her before she could reach the ground and become noticed "You look pale, are you okay?"

   "Yes!" Melissa said in the midst of tears "I and just nervous"