5

Naomi stood outside the dance studio, confused that it was locked, a taxi pulled up next to her, and Skylar jumped out.

"Hey."

"Halo." Skylar chirped, unusually happy this morning.

"What are we doing here?" Naomi couldn't help but notice no one was around.

"Apparently, the princess had a great idea last night and wants to torture us today with it."

"Doesn't she know we only have today and tomorrow to ourselves until kick-off?"

"Oh, she knows..." They heard the black SVU pull up, and the tinted window hid the girl about to jump out.

"I said no, Sof!" The growling brunette was unexpected.

"But I wanna come with you!"

"No!"

"Sofi, let your sister hang out with her friends." Gabriella's dad was dropping her off.

"Hi, Mr Diaz." Skylar waved.

"Hi, girls." He reached his arm out, stopping his youngest from flying out the door. "Hey, come on, we'll do something she can't, like go to the mall or the beach."

"Yes!" Gabriella turned around, seeing the gloat on her sister's face. Mr Diaz leaned over the seat as Sofi buckled herself into the front seat.

"Just let us know when you finished, and someone will come to get you."

"We'll drop her off." All eyes fell on Skylar. She met those brown eyes looking at hers through her sunglasses. "Yeah." She shrugged. She glimpsed at Naomi.

"We have each other's number, and I have your home number and Mama's, so..." She glimpsed at the younger Diaz behind her big sister. "Hey, get your sister a book or something for her trip to remind her of you. Something to keep her from annoying the hell out of me!" She laughed, getting a smile from all.

"Ok." Sofi smiled, turning her attention to her big sister holding the truck door. "What do you want me to get you?"

"Um." Gabriella glimpsed at Skylar, thankfully. "There's a book I want. I'll send it to you." She picked up her phone and scrolled through. "Can you get me a new journal and pencil set? Oh, and a charger for my iPod. And maybe a new set of headphones, the ones I like." Skylar caught the smile from Mr Diaz directed toward her. She gave him a nod.

"Alright, let's go. It looks like we have a shopping list to get."

"Thanks, guys." Gabriella shut the door to the truck stepping onto the curb next to Naomi and Skylar.

"Have a good time."

"You too!" Gabriella waved, watching them leave.

"So what are we really doing here?" Skylar asked, crossing her arms. The singer turned around, looking at the two girls.

"I have an idea; it will be good for all of us; come on!"

Gabriella pushed open the door to the dance studio that had become one of her favourite places to hang out. The two older girls dropped their bags, dreading the work they were about to do. "Oh, come on, guys!" Gabriella spun around with a massive grin on her face. "Relax! We're going to have some fun!"

"Ok." Naomi moved closer, glimpsing at the confused Skylar beside her.

"Alright, so." Gabriella looked between them, trying to hide her excitement. "So I had this idea. A vision, really." She tilted her head. "Well..." She turned towards the mirror wall seeing the imagery in her head. She started moving into a well-practised dance routine.

"The last bridge of 'Into It', you two come up from the back." She took Naomi by the hand cat, walking her towards the mirror, singing the verse. 'The gravity can't hold us; your hands are outer space. I can't make sense of anything, oh.' So we have a little moment together, then." She looked back, seeing Skylar just standing there. "Come here." She waited till she was beside her. "Then we have a little moment. 'This couch is getting smaller, but it's my favourite place. Don't even ask the question; you know what I'm going to say." Skylar blushed uncomfortably with how close Gabriella was dancing with her in front of Naomi. "Then we dance with the crew till the end." She stopped taking in the two different reactions from her singers. Naomi's little smile got bigger.

"You want us to dance with you on stage?" She beamed. Gabriella hoped the dark girl would be excited.

"Hell, yes! And I thought we could do Real friends as we did on the Late Show too. I just need your help with the routine for this. It needs to be different from the group. A little sexier, more playful."

"I get ya!" Naomi started nodding, ideas running through her head. Gabriella drew her attention over to the green-eyed girl quietly standing there. Sighing, she stepped closer, tucking her hands in her back pockets.

"Sky?" She spoke quietly, searching her face. "Come on." She glanced over at Naomi, trying out different moves in her head. "I know Naomi wants to dance. She needs her moment to shine." Skylar shook her head, leaning closer.

"It's weird dancing with you like that in front of Naomi. And you wanna do that in front of everyone?!" Gabriella smiled a little at her worry. She reached out and tugged Skylar's hoodie.

"Will you do this with me?" Skylar looked over at the young singer in front of her. She knew this was for Naomi. She sighed, giving in.

"I so hate you right now." Gabriella smiled innocently. She quietly was doing this for Skylar too. She was doing this for them. This was her way of saying thank you.

They spent the next couple of hours playing around with Naomi's ideas and working out a little sexy routine for themselves. Though casually dressed, the three looked good together, representing Gabriella's largely targeted audience of young women. Gabriella watched Skylar struggle again with the simple dance moves. She laughed to herself. Every time Naomi suggested a sexy move between them, the green-eyed girl would get nervous unable to control her laugh.

Watching her now, Gabriella knew what this girl needed. While Naomi was resetting the music, Gabriella went to talk to Skylar, painfully practising a move.

"Seriously?"

Skylar looked up, seeing her with arms crossed. "What?" She kept practising. Gabriella glanced over, checking Naomi wasn't listening.

"And you wonder why you are single." Skylar stopped, unsure she heard her correctly.

"Excuse me?" Brown eyes fell back on her. Gabriella smirked.

"If this is as sexy as you get, no wonder I fell asleep." Skylar's eyes widened. "You wouldn't even be able to keep up." Skylar felt her face set on fire. Gabriella walked over towards Naomi knowing full well she would be watching her. Skylar shook her head.

"You cheeky..." She noticed the girl yawn at her as she walked back with Naomi to their positions. Skylar stormed over to her bag, unbelieving the girl had the cheek! She wiped off her hoodie, slipping on her tight t-shirt. If the singer wanted sexy dancing with her backup singers, she would get a damn sexy backup singer to dance with!

"Just here." Naomi pulled over her jeep, stopping just outside the Diaz house.

"Whoa!" She looked up at the house parking up outside. "This is not as big as I imagined." She kind of deflated but was humbled at the same time.

"Trust me; it's big enough. I didn't want to get us one of those big houses where we couldn't find each other. We kind of like hanging out together." She and Skylar smiled at each other, both knowing this was true. The singer sighed. "Hey, um, thanks, guys. I mean, I know I'm cutting into your break time from me before we tour, but..." She paused. She felt Skylar's fingers slip over her arm.

"Don't worry. We had fun with you today, aye Naomi?"

"Hard out, Ella!" Naomi smiled at the girl in the passenger seat. Gabriella looked between them, still feeling Skylar s fingers playing on her arm as she leaned between the seats.

"I promise you won't hear from me until the tour, ok. I mean, you need to do your own thing before you get stuck with me." The hand on her arm squeezed.

"We know."

"Yeah, you're ok, Ella." Naomi laughed. "We just got to hang out today. We needed that."

"Thanks." Gabriella looked between them. Not wanting Skylar to go but unsure how to ask her to stay. "Well..." She slipped her hand casually over Skylar s. "I guess I will see you guys later." Skylar felt her fingers squeeze around hers before reaching for the door.

"Have a good day, Ella!" Naomi started the jeep as the girl opened the door to jump out. Skylar jumped out the back door, intending to jump in the front. Gabriella turned around, seeing her behind her. Skylar quietly touched her arm, running her hand down her fingers as she moved around to the passenger door. She let go of her hand as she jumped up into the seat.

"See ya." She winked, closing the door between them. Gabriella smiled sweetly at Skylar's subtle action.

"Bye, Skylar."

Skylar was trying to pack her bags in her room at home. She still had some gear packed from police training that she had just chucked in the bigger bag. She heard a knock on the open door. "Hey." She looked over her shoulder, seeing Mae.

"Hey!" She turned around. "I didn't expect to see you tonight."

"Yeah, well..." Mae came closer, tucking her hands in her back pockets. "Apparently, my kid sister going to Canada for a couple of months to teach kids self-defence is a big thing in mum's eye."

"Yeah." Skylar chuckled at her white lie. "It was the only thing I could think of."

"And yet she is so proud of you." Mae continued to tease, picking up a sparkly top off Skylar s bed. Skylar saw her eyebrow rise.

"Why are you here?" She snatched it out of her hand, stuffing it in her bag. Mae sighed, taking a look at her sister. She turned around and sat on the bed.

"I just wanted to check on you. You're on your own the next couple of months and..."

"Are you gonna miss me?" Skylar questioned, crossing her arms with a smile. Mae pursed her lips.

"No... I"

"Worried about me, big sis?" Skylar leaned over, shoving her shoulder. Mae relaxed.

"Alright!" She laughed. "Off the record?"

"We're not at work."

"I know." Mae sat beside her, pushing some of her stuff out of the way. Skylar looked her over. Mae had something on her mind. "Spit it out." Mae took a moment.

"I did an undercover gig in my first year at LAPD. The client believed his wife had hired a hitman to kill him off. Anyway..." She looked at Skylar, listening. "I got way too close and..." She sighed. "Just be careful. Keep your emotions and feelings under control. It's not supposed to be real." Skylar watched the emotions come across Mae's face. "When this is finished, you walk away from everything and everyone. Back to the life you left behind." Skylar sat there for a moment. She watched Mae get up and head to the door.

"Did you see him again?" Mae stopped at the door. She shook her head.

"Nah. The thought of me in the uniform was too much. He didn't believe my feelings were real once he found out I wasn't who he thought I was. Don't let the same happen to you."

"Please..." Skylar laughed. "I'm only stuck with Gabriella Diaz." "Mmm..." Mae pursed her lips before she got up and headed down the hall. Skylar sat there a moment, thinking about what Mae had said.

"Keep your emotions and feelings under control." Her eye fell on the Gabriella CD sitting on top of her stereo.

"It's not supposed to be real." She picked it up, looking over the girl on the cover. "You'll go back to the life you had before." She looked at the brown eyes looking back at her. "He didn't believe that my feelings were real anyway." She sighed, suddenly realizing what Mae meant. "Ella." She fell back onto her bed, looking at the ceiling. "Shit, what have I got myself into."