Bound to the Bar. Crowned as the Moon Dance Queen Chapter 06

Bound to the Bar. Crowned as the Moon Dance Queen Chapter 06

I ended up walking over to Rhys anyway.

He stood in front of me, his face deathly pale. “Why… did you transfer?”

“None of your business.”

“What do you mean it’s none of my business?” He panicked. “We promised we’d do this together! You

just transfer out of nowhere!

“Maren, I’m sorry about what happened that night. It was my fault.

“But you don’t have to storm off and transfer! Do you know what this means?

“It means all twelve years of gymnastics we trained together is wasted!”

Of course I knew that.

It meant twelve years of hard work went down the drain, meant I had to start over from zero.

But so what?

It was still better than staying there and being treated like a performing monkey, a plaything to toy with.

“Rhys,” I looked him straight in the eye, “do you know how long you guys left me up there before you

lowered me down?”

He avoided my gaze.

“Three hours,” I said. “Three whole hours.

“The coach stopped by twice, and Delia sent him away both times, said we were doing flexibility training.

“A freshman girl tried to help me, and your team guys shoved her away.

“Do you have any idea what it felt like, hanging there for three hours?”

I pulled up my sleeve, showing him the scars on my wrist. The ropes that tied ine had silver poison on them, and these marks would never fully fade.

Only then did Rhys see the horrifying gashes, and his face drained of all color. “How did you get hurt this bad?”

“Thanks to you.”

His hands started shaking. “I… I really didn’t know this would happen…”

equipment room. Why would you care that I was hanging alone in the gym for three hours?

“Do you have any idea how many pack members gathered to watch and take photos? Do you know what

all said?

“Do you know I held my pee for three whole hours, just hanging there like that?”

I couldn’t finish. The humiliation washed over me all over again.

Rhys was white as a sheet. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I really…

“I just thought, Delia said she’d never seen that kind of punishment before, she wanted to see it… I thoug

we’d just hang you for a minute, take a photo, and let you down…”

“Enough.” I cut him off. “Rhys, we’ve known each other for twelve years.

“You said you’d protect me when we were kids, said we’d stand on the top podium together. Now you’ll throw me away like a toy just to impress Delia.

“I get it now. I’ll never be as good as her to you.

“So this is it. We’re done.”

Rhys panicked. “No! Maren, just listen to me!

“I really don’t have anything going on with Delia, she’s just… just a teammate from the team… I messed up that day, I swear it’ll never happen again!”

I laughed. “A teammate? Rhys, how much longer are you going to lie to yourself?

“You’ve loved her for ages, haven’t you? Ever since the first day she transferred in.

“That’s why you let her push me around, that’s why you used my dignity to win her over.”

Rhys tried to argue, but he couldn’t get a single word out. Because we both knew it was the truth.

I gave him one last look. “I hope you and Delia are happy together.

“We’re done. Don’t see each other again.”

As I turned to leave, I heard Rhys snail behind me. “Maren! You’ll regret this!

“You’re nothing without me!”

I stopped, and turned back to him. “You’re right. I’m nothing without you

“That’s why I’m going to find out exactly who I can be, when I don’t have you.”

I trained even harder after that. My aunt cried every day watching my bruised legs.

“It’s okay,” I squeezed her hand, quietly comforting her. “I don’t have a dance background, so I have to

work twice as hard as everyone else.

“And I’m happy. I really am I love dancing, I love the stage, and I love… the version of me that’s trying.

My aunt wiped her tears and didn’t say anything. She just lightened the pressure of rubbing the ointment

into my skin.

A month later, I got a message from Rhys.

It was a new number.

[How are you holding up? I heard the dance academy training is brutal. How’s your knee doing?]

[I kicked Delia out. Can we start over?]

I didn’t reply.

He texted again. [The cafeteria had really good beef today. Reminded me it’s your favorite.]

[The gymnastics team is prepping for the inter-pack tournament, no one has any motivation without you.

[The coach asked when you’re coming back, said he’ll forget all about what happened.]

[Delia got kicked off the team. She set up a teammate and used performance-enhancing drugs.]

[Maren, can you just reply to me? Even if you just yell at me, it’s fine.]

I stared at all these messages, and felt absolutely nothing.

Delia got kicked off? None of my business.

Rhys was sorry? Didn’t affect me.

I’d already started a new life. I wasn’t going back.

Then I blocked the number.

Time flew by, and finals rolled around before I knew it.

Per Moon Dance Academy rules, all students rehearsed for the end-of-term recital.

As a new transfer, I never thought I’d be good enough to perform.

But after class one day, Mrs. Odette called me over, “Maren, come here.”

When I stood next to her, she turned to the rest of the students and smiled as she announced.

“For this year’s solo performatice, I’ve made my decision. The spot goes to our new student-”