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She bursts out laughing and just shakes her head. “Don’t sweat it. We got in free, didn’t we? Now we can use the money we would’ve spent getting into the club on drinks! It’s a win-win.” She grabs my coat from me and hands it to the cloakroom assistant along with hers. “You best not have offered yourself up for payment, Clancy,” I warn, not feeling comfortable with that idea at all.
She rolls her eyes. “Chill, I just said that we’re D-Neath’s latest protegees.”
“What? We’re not… And why would the bouncer let us in for that reason anyway?”
“A little dickybird told me that this isD-Neath’snightclub. He owns it, Pen. Besides, we kind ofarehis protegees by extension. Everyone knows that he’s the money man behind Stardom Academy.”
“You’re not the first person to tell me that,” I mutter, wondering why I’m the last person to know anything.
“Come on, stop stressing,” Clancy cajoles, nudging me with her shoulder. “Why don’t we grab a cocktail and check the place out, yeah?”
A couple of minutes later we’re standing at the bar sipping on our margaritas, watching the crowd on the dance floor. Behind the bar is a mirrored wall which runs the whole length of the club, making it appear larger than it is. Around the edge of the dancefloor are half a dozen private booths with purple, velvet curtains wrapped around them, giving privacy to the people sitting within and an extra layer of exclusivity to an already exclusive club. Each booth has a bouncer standing in front of it, blocking our view of the occupants. I can see faint candlelight coming from each booth, and the shadowy figures of the VIP’s sitting within them, but that’s about it. The place is smaller than Rocks and is lit with soft lights in pinks, purples, and reds, giving it a more sensual vibe. Hanging above the dancefloor is a jewelled chandelier in rainbow coloured crystal that captures the light and throws it back out across the space.
Beneath the chandelier are faces I recognise from the academy, including Tiffany who is dressed to kill. She’s wearing a fitted black dress that sits just below her arse and shows off her lithe figure. Right now she’s dancing with someone I vaguely recognise from my contemporary dance class, and even though he seems to be attentive, she looks bored, her gaze constantly wondering over to one of the booths.
“Your sister’s here,” I point out.
“Stepsister,” she reminds me, picking up her cocktail and taking a long drink as she eyes up the crowd. “She’s had a stick up her arse all day and has been shittier than usual.”
“Really? I wonder why.” I smirk, remembering our confrontation in the studio earlier.
Clancy looks at me wide-eyed. “What happened? Spill!”
“We exchanged a few words earlier. She called me a ‘street rat’ and a ‘skank’ in front of Xeno.”
“She did what?! That bitch!”
I wave away Clancy’s anger. “Don’t sweat it. I really don’t give a fuck whatshethinks of me.”
Clancy frowns. “Wait, there’s more, isn’t there?”
“Yeah, there’s more…” I pick up the straw in my drink and start swirling the liquid around and around before finally fessing up. “Xeno cornered me after my ballet lesson today. He asked Sebastian if he could borrow his studio and said that I needed to stay to catch up with what I missed yesterday.”
“Wait, you were alone with Xeno? You didn’t go to your bachata lesson? You never said.”
“I was planning on switching it out for something else but Xeno had other ideas.”
“Meaning?” she insists, narrowing her eyes.
“He pretty much blackmailed me into attending his classes.”
“Blackmailed you?”
“Yeah, he basically said he could get me chucked out of the academy if I don’t attend his stupid fucking lessons. He said that Tuillard might be the principal, heading up the school, but it’s D-Neath that is the money man and whathesays goes. Xeno and D-Neath are…”
“Friends?”
“I’m not sure, but Xeno said D-Neath owed him a few favours. How do you think he got the job?”
“Jesus.”
“Yeah, then to make matters worse, Xeno proceeded to show me what I’d missed in his lessons usingTiffanyas his partner, knowing full well that would hurt me the most. All the talk around the academy is right, he pretty much fucked her with his clothes on.”
“Oh, man. Low blow.”
“Yeah, my sentiments exactly. In all the years we were friends, Xeno never once asked me to partner him in bachata. Never…” Swallowing down the hurt, I plaster on a smile. “Anyway, what the fuck does it matter now. I’ll go to his stupid classes and take whatever shit he throws at me. I’m past caring. He can only hurt me if I let him, right?”
“Atta girl!” Clancy beams, waving over the barman and requesting another round of drinks.
