Chapter 28

dani’s arms trembled as she gripped her two small suitcases. new york. she was moving to new york. the first few days in new york blurred together.

not because they were fast, but because they were empty. dani learned the rhythm of the apartment too quickly. wake up. sit up. stare at the wall. check her phone. put it back down. go to the studio. repeat. the city outside her window never stopped moving, but she felt completely out of sync with it, like she’d been dropped into a world that didn’t pause for people who left things behind. her bags stayed half-unpacked. clothes folded in the same place she’d left them. she didn’t want to make it feel permanent. like settling in meant accepting it.

one afternoon, she sat on the floor, back against the couch, knees pulled to her chest. her phone buzzed. this time, she picked it up immediately.

her heart jumped before she even saw the name.

sophia.

leader fifi⚓️🥹:
you’re not okay. don’t lie.

dani stared at the message. her thumb hovered.

main dancer dani🛡️👹:
i’m fine.

she hated how fast she sent it.

leader fifi⚓️🥹:
that was the worst lie you’ve ever told.

a small, shaky breath left her.

dani leaned her head back against the couch, staring at the ceiling.

she could hear the faint noise of the city through the window—sirens, distant voices, life happening without her.

her fingers typed slowly.

main dancer dani🛡️👹:
what do you want me to say?

typing bubble.

pause.

leader fifi⚓️🥹:
the truth.

dani closed her eyes.

the truth was messy. the truth was that she missed everything. the truth was that she regretted nothing and everything at the same time. the truth was that she could still feel the weight of that building pressing on her chest like she never left. the truth was that she was teaching dance classes she didn’t understand herself. but she didn’t type that.

main dancer dani🛡️👹:
i didn’t have another choice.

three dots appeared.

disappeared.

appeared again.

leader fifi⚓️🥹:
you always have a choice.

dani’s chest tightened.

because sophia was right.

and wrong.

and it hurt in a way she didn’t know how to explain.

before she could reply, another notification popped up.

not sophia.

unknown number.

her stomach dropped.

she hesitated.

then opened it.

unknown:
new york looks better on you than silence did.

dani froze.

her grip on the phone tightened.

her breath caught somewhere in her throat.

because that wasn’t random.

that wasn’t a mistake.

that felt like someone watching.

she slowly typed:

daniela:
who is this?

the response came almost immediately.

unknown:
someone who remembers you didn’t just leave.
you were sent.

dani’s pulse spiked.

her eyes scanned the message again and again like the words might change.

someone knew. not just about the hiatus, but why.

her fingers shook as she typed.

daniela:
what are you talking about?

this time, the reply took longer. long enough to make her stomach twist tighter.

unknown:
careful, dani. new york has eyes too.

her heart pounded in her ears. she looked up, suddenly aware of the window. the street below. the city.

the possibility that this wasn’t as far from everything she left behind as she thought. and somewhere back in that building, something was already starting to move again. something she didn’t get to escape from just because she changed cities.

daniela:
please… who is this??

unknown:
adrianna

daniela:
as in… megan’s girlfriend?

adrianna:
oh… megan. i should break up with her to be honest, i’ve been cheating on her for the past two years. wouldn’t that break her heart lmao and i don’t even like her anymore

daniela:
wait— cheating ??

dani screenshotted the messages.

main dancer dani🛡️👹:
soph… please show these to mei

main dancer dani🛡️👹has sent four attachments.

leader fifi⚓️🥹:
thank you, i’ll let you know what happens. ilysm dani… we’re all thinking of you here in LA💕

another notification dinged. this time, it was from katseye’s weverse account.

“KATSEYE Daniela has been placed on hiatus…”

dani closed the app and threw her phone onto her bed. and regretted her life choices.