| Chapter 59: Missing You 1 month later “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7… no, no, no!” Swoop grunted. He put his hand to his forehead. “Girls, you need to get that kick on the 7 count, not the 8!” “Damn!” Laura squatted down and put her face in her hands. “I think we need to take a break,” Swoop said. “You have 10.” They all sat down on the floor of the studio. Rehearsals were in full swing. Pushing nearly 15-hour days, they were doing intense dance rehearsals, vocal rehearsals, fittings, photo shoots, hiring of their band and meetings with coordinators on every single aspect of the tour. It was about 3 in the afternoon, and they had been rehearsing since seven that morning. Not to mention that they hadn’t nailed the choreography, but Bianca was dealing with a pretty nasty cold. She was taking a strong prescription from the doctor, so her head was cloudy. “How you feeling Bi?” Laura took a swig from her water bottle. Bianca blew her nose with a tissue and rubbed her temples. “I feel like there’s a traffic jam in by head.” They all gave her a sympathetic look as Lauralee’s cell phone rang. She ran to her bag and answered it. “Hello?” “Hey darlin’.” “Hey you, what’s up?” “Just got back to the room, what’s up with you?” “Ugh, just caught me in the middle of my break. Swoop is nailing us for the routine.” “How’s Bianca feeling? Nick’s worried.” “She’s had better days.” “Poor kid. Listen I have some bad news. Looks like we won’t be out for another month.” “Another month!” she whined. “They extended the tour a little more, plus we want to get some more promotion in.” “Oh,” she sighed. “I know that we had plans, but at least we’ll be there for the opening show in Orlando.” “I know,” Lauralee noticed Swoop coming back into the studio. “Listen I have to go, Swoop’s back and I don’t wanna piss him off more than he already is. I’ll call ya later.” “OK, tell the rest of them for me, and tell Bi I hope she feels better. Love ya.” “Love ya too. Bye.” “Bye.” Lauralee turned off her phone and turned to the girls. “Bad news. The guys won’t be here for another month.” “Oh shit,” Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “You’re kidding,” Veronica looked smug. “Yeah, but they promised they’ll be in Orlando for the opening show.” “Well, if you don’t get this routine in, we won’t have a show,” Swoop walked up to them. “Come on ladies, on your feet. Let’s see if we can make something out of today.” ~*~ Lauralee practically fell on to the bed and looked at her clock, which read 11:30. She lay in bed, looking up at the sky. She was counting on Alex being there, wanting to hold him again, feeling his lips on hers. They were going to go away for a weekend, something they hadn’t done in a very long time. She was used to being away from him in their relationship, but this was somehow different. They now had the pressures of the public, with press following them on their every outing as a couple, articles in every magazine talking about their relationship as if they knew who they were. She just wanted to be with him, but lately she hadn’t even had the time to breathe. Her thoughts drifted to Alex’s proposition when they were in Orlando. It was a huge step: moving to a new place, leaving her family; making a whole new transition of sharing her independent life with someone. But on the other hand, she truly loved Alex, and not being with him made her heart ache. She was torn between him and her family, and didn’t know how to make the right decision. She went to the phone and dialed a number. “This better be important or you’re dead,” Laura’s groggy voice was on the other end. “Hey Laura.” “Lee? What’s wrong?” “Listen I have a problem.” “OK, now that I’m up, go ahead.” “When we were in Orlando, Alex asked me to move in with him.” “You’re kidding! So, what did you tell him?” “I told him I would think about it, and I have, but I’m so confused. Do I move to Orlando to be with the man that I love, or do I stay here and be with my family?” “Oh boy, that’s a tough choice to make Lau. I know that you feel bad about leaving your Mom and stuff, but you are old enough to make your own decisions. I think that your Mom would understand if you do decide to live with Alex. She knows that you’re not a little kid anymore.” “But to leave home?” “Home is where you hang your hat. You have to decide where home is.” “Thanks Laura, for everything.” “That’s my job. See ya tomorrow.” “Later.” “Bye.” ~*~ 1 month later Sandy came in Lauralee’s room, zipped up Lauralee’s suitcase and sat on her bed while Lauralee was on her computer IMing Brian. NYNYGrl6397: So are you guys ready to come home finally? Liz says she’s been taking cold showers at night LOL LuckyBBall: LOL me too… actually we all have been taking turns in the bus :) we’re coming home in a week… so tell her she won’t have to freeze her ass off for too long. NYNYGrl6397: Will do. See ya tomorrow… gotta go cuz my mom’s in the room LuckyBBall: K. Better turn off the porno sites then Lau LMAO NYNYGrl6397: Who’s the one with the porno Bri? LOL Later. LuckyBBall: Bye She signed off and turned her chair to face Sandy. “It was so nice to have the last day off.” “Me too. Glad we got to spend some time together. So, you all ready?” Lauralee got up and looked around. “Yup, all set. I’m so nervous and excited at the same time. Riley said the tour sold out in half an hour.” She took a seat next to her mother. “I’m gonna miss you so much,” Sandy put her hand on the back of Lauralee’s head. “I will too, more than you know. Um, Mom, I need to talk to you about something.” “Sure honey, what’s up?” “I’ve been putting this off for a while, so I might as well just say it while I have whatever courage left,” Lauralee took a deep breath. “OK, here goes. Alex asked me to live with him in Orlando.” She quickly looked up at her mother. “Oh, he did,” Sandy had a look of concern. “Well, honey, you are 21, have made a life for yourself, and can make your own decisions, but did this come up suddenly or has this been coming on for a while?” “No, for a while, the last time we were in Orlando he asked me.” Lauralee took another deep breath. “I’ve really been thinking about it. But one thing has stopped me.” “That is?” “That I don’t want to leave you alone.” Sandy enclosed her hand with Lauralee’s. “Lau, I always knew that you would go off on your own, be your own woman. Although I thought I would be spending those days with your father, I realized something. When you were gone, I thought that I would be miserable without you. But, I was actually fine, not in that way of course. I have friends, Charlene, your grandmother, and a great job. I don’t need to feel like I have to depend on your company. So you understand what I’m saying?” “Not exactly.” “Do you love him?” “Yeah.” “Do you want to be with him?” “Yes I do.” “Then I better start packing your things while you’re gone.” Lauralee enveloped Sandy with a hug. “Thanks Mom.” “I will miss you though honey. For the tour and when you move.” “Looks like you’ll be putting those frequent flyer miles to good use then,” Lauralee laughed. “You bet I will. Well, I’ll let you finish your packing,” Sandy got up and stood in the doorway. “I love you.” “I love you too Mom.” Chapter 60 Contents Chapter 58 |