Bulletproof

by Melissa Pearl

  My throat burned as I listened to her, hating how much the words resonated with me. Where was my Dean? Why hadn’t anyone told me not to quit?

  It was too late now. I couldn’t.

  I’d never dance like I did before. It hurt too much.

  Isabella twirled back to the stereo and pressed play again, running to the center of the room and resetting her stance as “Mmm Yeah” by Adam Mahone and Pitbull began playing. I clicked my fingers in time with her and watched in the mirror as she slunk across the room. Once again, I followed each of her moves, slipping up every now and then, but catching on easily.

  I couldn’t believe how quickly it all came back to me. My hips swayed, my feet moved, and I grinned as I dipped to the floor and back up again, sliding into a set of robotic moves that were tight and sharp.

  The song came to a finish and I clapped.

  “I love that one.”

  Isabella nodded. “Thank you. It’s actually a piece for the show. The guys are doing a response dance to the girls.”

  “And ‘Please Don’t Stop the Music’ is the girls’ dance?”

  “No, actually, for the first time ever I’ve been given a bit of free rein.” She looked to the ceiling. “My instructions are a number that’s sensual, tight, and explosive.”

  “Wow, okay. What songs do you have to choose from?”

  “I have to give them a list by tomorrow so they can check out rights to see if we can use the song. To be honest, I’ve been so busy with the big final number for the current episode, I haven’t even had a chance to think about it. It’s on my list.”

  My brain began spinning the way it used to when I studied dance. There was always a move or two playing in my mind back then.

  “What’s your setting for the song?”

  “The cafeteria. Basically the girls come in with this sexy little number. Violet is trying to prove to Nixon that she’s the better dancer, and Sasha’s still upset by Harley’s rejection from the episode before, so she wants to do something wild and shocking.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Does it work?”

  “Well, the students are fully into it, and Nixon and his crew respond with ‘Mmm Yeah,’ because Nixon’s actually hot for Violet, and he kind of wants to let it show. Harley only catches the end of the number and he’s not impressed. He likes his sweet little country girl, you know.”

  “Something sexy and shocking enough that the teachers won’t approve.”

  Isabella nodded. “I was initially thinking of ‘Break Free’ by Ariana Grande and Zedd, because it’s kind of like a well if you don’t want me then fine type number for Sasha, but this is actually Violet’s song, and I think it’s the wrong message. And I really want that shock value to be strong.”

  I tapped my lip and then clicked my fingers, my lips quirking with a smile. “Do you think you could get away with ‘Lady Marmalade’?”

  Isabella’s eyes rounded, her face starting to shine. “OMG, that would be freaking perfect!”

  “I can just kind of picture them, you know, slinking into the lunch room.” I moved my shoulders and body, cruising across the floor. “And then somehow incorporating the tables or something.”

  “Yes! Yes, yes, yes! I’m loving it!” Isabella ran to her iPod and quickly found the version done by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Pink.

  She turned and with the moves of a professional, traveled toward me just like I’d described. I laughed, nodding my head. Damn, she looked hot. The girls doing that in the cafeteria would send the crowd wild.

  As the song played, Isabella came up with a run of smooth steps. I couldn’t believe how quickly she put it all together. By the end of our session, she’d basically choreographed the entire song, using me in different positions to make sure the spacing worked.

  “Yes, I’m loving this.” She clapped her hands and then checked her watch. “Sweet. The girls should be here shortly for rehearsal. I need to get me a table and chairs in here so I know it can work.”

  “Don’t you need to get the song approved first?” I felt bad for being the cold water on this super-hot idea.

  “Hey, even if it doesn’t get approved, I want to see these girls do this dance. Don’t you?”

  “Ah, yeah! But I don’t want to get you in trouble for wasting rehearsal time.”

  “We’ll call it warm-up.” She winked.

  “Okay, then I’ll go find you that table and chairs.”

  “Perfecto!” She spun away from me, snatching up her phone as I left the room. “Yeah, Lisa, hi. I was wondering if you could please check with Travis and the writers to see if I can use ‘Lady Marmalade’ for the cafeteria number.... Yeah, for the next episode.”

  I skipped down the stairs feeling light and energetic. I’d helped Isabella come up with an idea...a really good one.

  This was going to be a good day. I could feel it.

  CHAPTER SIX

  SEAN

  The dance studio was buzzing by the time I got there. Strains of “Lady Marmalade” filtered down the stairwell as I made my way up for rehearsal.

  “Yes, and contract then rise slowly, pushing your hips out. Nice!” Isabella’s enthusiasm was effervescent. “And the pirouettes!”

  I looked over at Ashlee. She was standing on the table with the other girls, her body spinning quickly. She came out of the move and stepped back so Trudy (aka Violet) could take center stage again. The song came to a sizzling finish and a swift cheer rose from the dancers.

  The girls stood, puffing and elated, on the table. They looked smoking hot, even in their sweats. That song, in full costume, was going to be amazing.

  “You girls think you can do it for Travis and Con?”

  They nodded. “Let us run through it one more time.” Ashlee raised her finger, and they jumped down from the table to reset.

  I dropped my bag and leaned against the wall next to Quinn.

  “Hey, man. What’s this dance for?”

  “The next episode.”

  “I thought we were working on the big final number today.”

  “We’re supposed to be. Isabella got distracted.”

  “She’s gonna get in trouble,” I sing-songed and we both chuckled.

  “Lady Marmalade” cut off our laughter, and I studied the girls as they shimmied through the number again. It was a really good dance; everybody felt it.

  I loved that buzz running through all of us as we got excited about future scenes. The song ended and we all clapped again, Quinn whooping extra loudly.

  “You’re happy.” I grinned.

  “Yeah, well, if you read the script for next week, I get to make out with that hot young thing in the next scene.”

  I shook my head. When fiction became reality. I knew Quinn liked Trudy. Lucky for them their characters were into each other, too. I glanced at Ashlee, struggling to imagine feeling that way about her. She was cute and pretty, plus a real sweetheart. It wasn’t hard for Harley to be in love with her, but she definitely wasn’t my type.

  A firm throat-clearing grabbed everyone’s attention, and we looked over at Travis McKinnon as he stepped into the room. Conway stood beside him and Lisa hovered behind. The girl who I was pretty sure was exactly my type slipped into the room and leaned against the wall. She had her clipboard at the ready and was lightly tapping her pen on the wood.

  “Okay, show me.” Travis nodded at Isabella.

  A hush of anticipation spread across the room as the girls took their positions.

  “Now, it’s still a little rough.” Isabella raised her hands at the men. “We’ll obviously shine it up, but this will give you an idea of what I have in mind.”

  They both nodded, their eyes narrowing critically as the opening clicks of the song echoed through the room.

  Having seen the dance twice, I actually kept my eyes on Travis, Con, and—I couldn’t help myself—Morgan. The edge of her lip kept rising into that lopsided smirk. Her eyes were glued to the dancers; I could feel the energy flowing out of
her as if her body wanted to move with them.

  I turned back to the girls and pictured Morgan up there. The image was so damn sexy my groin started twitching. I stood up straight and crossed my arms, deciding it was best not to look over at the tall blonde again.

  The girls clustered together for their end position as the song finished, and once again a roar went up. We obviously weren’t sick of seeing it yet. All eyes turned to Travis and Con. The director was grinning, his head bobbing with approval. Travis remained staunch for a few agonizing beats before finally giving a stiff nod.

  “I like it. Sexy as hell. It’ll be perfect for that scene. Lisa, can we get the rights?”

  “I’m working on it.”

  “Good job.” He nodded at Isabella.

  “Actually, it wasn’t just me.” She pointed toward Morgan with a smile.

  The showrunner’s face turned hard as he looked over at his new gofer. “Her?”

  “Yes, sir. She had some really great ideas. She was actually the one who suggested the song.”

  I could see what Isabella was trying to do. Travis had been such an ass the day before, any points for Morgan would be helpful...although it really wasn’t having the desired effect.

  “What the hell were you doing up in the dance studio?” He glared at Morgan.

  “I got here early.”

  You could tell she was embarrassed and obviously wanted this to happen someplace else, or not at all, but she stood her ground. She wasn’t blinking at tears; she kept her chin up, and her beautiful gaze didn’t waver.

  “It’s not your place to come up with dance moves. You’re a runner, my second assistant. You’ve been in this industry for a day. You don’t have the right to an opinion. You shut up and you do your job. That’s it.”

  “I understand.” She nodded without a flinch, acting as though the words were just bouncing right off her.

  Isabella rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and firing a few angry glares at our boss.

  “Okay.” He turned back to his choreographer with a sigh. Her glare disappeared, replaced with a forced smile. “So, I still want to use it. Keep working on it, but not today. The big final number needs to be perfect before we start filming in two hours. Run through a few rehearsals and get your asses to makeup.”

  He gave the actors a broad smile and then spun out the door, but not before giving Morgan a few sharp words I couldn’t hear. She kept her dignity, even waiting until Travis left the room before wiping a drop of his angry spittle off her face.

  I wanted her to turn and catch my gaze before she left. I wanted to flash her a sympathetic smile, but she never looked my way. As soon as Travis left, her eyes dropped to the floor and stayed there.

  Isabella gave me an exasperated look before clapping her hands.

  “Okay, people, ‘Don’t Stop the Music’, let’s go.”

  We ran into our positions, ready to start. My eyes traveled to the door one more time, but it was empty. Although Morgan wasn’t there anymore, it was nice to know I’d end up bumping into her again...and when I did, I was asking her out. Anyone who could withstand that kind of humiliating put-down in front of basically the entire cast was worth my time.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  MORGAN

  So my super-awesome start to the day had been completely shat on by the lovely Travis McKinnon. I thought I was going to die when he gave me worm status up in that dance studio. It was so humiliating, I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me. Thankfully, I’d managed to maintain my dignity. I knew how to switch off my emotions when I needed to; it was an art I’d begun practicing at fourteen. Jody was such a mess, I didn’t want her to see me cry as well, so I learned to just switch it off, pretend it didn’t hurt. Life was too short for tears.

  I spent the rest of the day in robot mode, completing every order with a quiet calm. No smiles, no tears; that was the way to get through. I avoided everyone I could, keeping myself busy. I could sense Sean’s eyes on me this morning, in the dance studio, but I couldn’t look at him. His smiles were enough to turn my knees to putty, and after what Travis said to me, I didn’t want to face anyone.

  Clearing my throat, I dug out my car keys and clipped out of the building. It was just on nine p.m. My brain was fried, my feet were killing me...again...and all I wanted was a hot bath and bed.

  “Hey, Morgan.”

  I froze at the sound of Sean’s voice. Glancing over my shoulder, I watched him run after me.

  “Are you okay?” I strove for my quiet calm, but it was damn hard with him standing that close. If I stretched out my hand, I could touch his face, run the pads of my fingers over his goatee. I clenched my bag strap and smiled. “Did I forget something?”

  “No.” He shook his head, his white teeth shining. “I was just wondering if you were hungry...or thirsty. I mean, do you drink…or do you...eat?” He winced.

  I couldn’t help a snicker.

  “That was meant to sound way smoother than that, by the way. I even rehearsed it before chasing after you.”

  My stomach rumbled with mirth, and I pressed my lips together, trying to control it. Sean Jaxon, aka Mr. Cool, was struggling to talk to me?

  I was still trying to get over the shock that he was standing out here in the lot, having chased me down.

  The keys jingled in my hand as I spun them around my finger. “Actually, I do both of those things.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that.” A smooth smile eased over his face. “I’m also kind of hoping you’ll say you’re hungry and thirsty right now, because I could remedy that for you.”

  Holy shit. He was asking me out. This wasn’t real.

  I swallowed, trying to mask my astonishment. I should have been telling him I was really tired and needed to head home. It might have been Friday, but I still had a full day of work tomorrow. But...

  “Yeah, you know what, that’d be great.”

  “Okay.” His dark lips stretched into a smile. “Well, do you want to follow my car and we’ll go find us some chow?”

  “Sounds good.”

  I watched him walk a few cars down and get into a very lush Camaro. Feeling like the poor cousin, I started up my sedan and followed Sean. I pulled to the side of the road as he ran into a Subway, loving how real that small gesture made him. Celebrities ate sandwiches, just like we did. I shook my head with a grin and followed him to Griffith Park. We parked on Crystal Springs Drive and walked to a nearby picnic spot.

  Taking a seat at the table, he handed me a twelve-inch sub. “Hope you like ham and cheese.”

  “I’ll eat anything.” I took the drink with a smile and sipped from the straw. “Mmm, good.”

  “I figured you could do with some sweetness after your day.”

  I slowly unwrapped my sandwich and let out a half-laugh, half-sigh.

  “Travis is a dick. He shouldn’t have treated you that way.”

  I shrugged. “He just wants people to know who’s in charge.”

  “He should treat his assistants better though.”

  “He treats Lisa okay.”

  “She’s been with him for a couple of years now.”

  “Yeah, she probably earned her way into his good books, I guess.” I took a bite of the sub and let out a happy sigh.

  “Good, right?” Sean took a mammoth bite of his roll and wiggled his eyebrows.

  I smiled around my mouthful.

  “So, Miss Pritchett, do you think you’ll be able to survive the throes of a TV assistant’s job?”

  “I better be able to. It’s the only job I could find.” I shook my head, still baffled and embarrassed by this fact.

  “It’ll be okay. You just have to work your way up the ranks. Who knows, soon you might be a showrunner yourself.”

  I smirked. “Yeah, right.”

  “Come on, now. You were amazing today.”

  “How?”

  “Your idea, for the ‘Lady Marmalade’ song. It was good.”

  I made a little scoffing noise in
my throat.

  “Hey.” Sean’s voice was stern. “It was good. It was sexy. Damn, woman, the show needs ideas just like that.”

  I tried to hide how much his compliment meant to me by taking another bite of food.

  “You used to dance?”

  “When I was a kid.”

  “I could see it today, when you were watching; you looked like you wanted to be up there with them.”

  “What can I say; music does something to my body.”

  “Makes it want to move. Makes it want to groove.”

  I chuckled. “Pretty much.”

  “So, why you being a runner then? Why you not dancin’?”

  I had to bite back my smile at the way he was talking. It was like a part of his old self was breaking through his cool exterior. I had no idea what he was like as a kid, but it definitely made me curious about his upbringing.

  “I had to give it up.” I played with the edge of my Subway wrapper, my throat thickening with regret. This was why I never spoke about it...the thickening in my throat. It came on every time I relived that awful day when I stood in front of my dance teacher and told her I had to quit.

  “You have to what?” Ms. Finnermore’s lips parted.

  “I’m sorry, but I just can’t fit it in anymore.”

  “Morgan, you can’t just quit; you’re one of my best dancers.”

  I ignored the compliment, knowing I had to stay strong. Jody needed me to.

  “It’s not that I don’t love it, and I might pick it up again one day, but right now, I have other responsibilities.”

  “Like what? You’re fourteen?”

  Her incredulous tone was like a whip across my cheek.

  I knew how old I was!

  “Life’s just gotten a little complicated, and I have to be home straight after school now.”

  “What about the high school applications?”

  “It’s not—” I shook my head. “Dad can’t afford it, and it’ll still be busier than normal school. Plus it’s not in Pasadena, and I really need to be near home.”