Xander and his crew are already waiting for us in the location he texted me, their smug faces making my blood boil. They seem to be anticipating our arrival, eager to see us falter and fail in our attempt to save Theo. Fuck them.
"Look who finally showed up," Xander sneers, his arms crossed over his chest. His crew follows suit, leering at us as if we're nothing but a joke. My fists clench painfully at my side and my jaw aches from the tension.
"Let Theo go, Xander. This isn't about him; it's about the competition," I say, trying to maintain some semblance of control over my emotions. I don't see Theo, and that concerns me. What have they done to him?
"Ah, yes, the competition," Xander muses. "You know, it's funny how you think you stand a chance against us." A sinister grin spreads across his face. "But sure, go ahead and try to save your precious friend."
"Don't fuck with us, dude." Mark steps up beside me. I can feel the anger radiating from his pores. The atmosphere is electric as if one wrong move could ignite a firestorm of violence. Despite my efforts to keep calm, I find myself tightening my fists, ready to fight if necessary. Xander smirks at us, surrounded by his crew, all of whom seem to be basking in our desperation.
"Xander," I begin, trying to keep my voice steady. "We don't have to do this. There's still time for you to let Theo go and walk away. We can settle this on the dance floor like we're supposed to."
"Very noble of you, Danny," Xander replies, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he looks me up and down. "But I think we both know that's not going to happen."
"Then what do you want? What will it take for you to let him go?"
"Here's the thing," Xander says flatly. "We don't want you to dance. Pull out of the competition, and you can have your fucking friend back."
Mark's face turns crimson with rage, and without warning, he lunges at one of Xander's crew members. I wince as I hear the sound of fists connecting with flesh, knowing that this is not the way we wanted things to go. Mark's impulsiveness has always been a double-edged sword, and now it's cutting right through our chances of resolving this peacefully.
"Stop!" I shout, trying to pull Mark off the guy he's attacking. "This isn't helping!"
"Let me go, Danny!" Mark snarls, his eyes wild with fury. "I won't let them get away with this!"
Desperation takes hold of me as I try to wrestle Mark away from the fray. The situation is spiraling out of control, and all I can think about is how we need to save Theo without making things worse. My thoughts churn, searching for a solution, but all I can see is the violence unfolding before me.
"Enough!" I scream, finally getting Mark's attention. He looks at me, his chest heaving with exertion, and I lock eyes with him, trying to convey just how much is at stake here. "We need to find another way."
"Look at these pathetic fools," Xander sneers, his eyes scanning us with disdain as we struggle to regain our footing. He laughs cruelly, motioning for his crew to join in. Their mocking laughter echoes around us, filling the air with a palpable sense of humiliation.
"Where is he?" I ask. "Just give us Theo and stop fucking around before I call the police."
"Ooooh," Xander taunts. "Not the po-po." He and a few others step to the side, revealing our best friend on the ground, semi-conscious. "Did you really think you could just waltz in here and take Theo back?" he demands, stepping closer to where Theo lies on the ground, battered and bruised. A wicked grin spreads across his face as he kicks Theo in the ribs, causing him to let out a pained cry. "You should know better than to fuck with us."
"Leave him alone!" I shout, my heart pounding in my chest as I watch helplessly from the sidelines. But my plea falls on deaf ears, and the cruel laughter only grows louder. Mark and I jump forward at the same time, but Xander's crew outnumbers us by five. Xander kicks Theo again, and I spot blood pooling on the ground under Theo's mouth.
"Here's the deal," Xander says, getting in my face. "Pull out of the competition and we won't kill one of you the next time we get a hold of you."
"Fuck you, Xander."
"Oh, and I promise I won't fuck your girl if you pull out of the competition, too." He pulls back and laughs, and I ache to punch his stupid fucking face. He leans into me again, his lips close to my ear. "I can't promise she wouldn't like it, though."
Before I can wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze, Xander motions to his crew and they all flee, leaving Mark and me alone, Theo still groaning on the ground.
"Damn it," I mutter under my breath, clenching my fists so tightly that my knuckles turn white as Mark and I rush to our friend's side. "How did we let this happen?"
Mark's face is a mixture of anger and frustration as he hauls Theo up under one arm. "We should have known Xander wouldn't play fair," he growls, his voice thick with emotion.
"Maybe," I admit. "But we had to try." I grab Theo's other side and help him gently to his feet. He's barely conscious and looks like a mob has beaten him up, but he's alive. Barely.
"Come on," Mark murmurs. "Let's get you out of here."
My heart is heavy as I watch Theo wince in pain, his face a canvas of bruises and swelling. The weight of our failure bears down on me, crushing any hope that we might have had. With Theo injured, it's painfully clear that our dance troupe is far from whole, and things only get worse as we help him into the car.
"Faith," he breathes, coughing with each raspy word. "Call her. She—Xander—"
"What did he do?" Mark demands, once again looking furious.
"Sasha called her parents—they're going to take her home."
"Fuck." I whip out my cell phone and dial Faith's number, expecting her to pick up on the first ring. When she doesn't answer, I hang up and try again, putting the call on speaker.
"Danny?" Faith says into the phone. "Is Theo okay?" She sounds anxious, and I can't blame her.
"He'll live," I say, not wanting to frighten her. "What about you? Are you okay?"
There's a silence on the other end of the line that stops me short, and I shoot a concerned glance between Mark and Theo.
"Sadie picked me up from school," Faith whispers softly. "Sasha—Sasha called them. Xander made her. She told them all about the team, and Sadie is having none of it. I'm banned."
"Banned? What in the fuck are you talking about, baby?"
"She won't let me out of the house."
"That's bullshit—"
"Danny, I have to go. She's going to take my phone."
"But Faith—"
"I'm sorry."
The sudden dead line is deafening, and an uncomfortable silence settles over us, punctuated only by Theo's labored breathing. Mark grits his teeth, his eyes dark with frustration.
"We'll just have to find someone else," he declares, his tone betraying his own uncertainty and turmoil.
"Who?" Theo asks, his voice small and defeated. "No one can replace Faith. There's a reason we brought her in. She's—she's family now."
I feel a lump forming in my throat as my eyes scan the faces of my friends, taking in their shared despair. We've worked so hard and poured our hearts and souls into this dream, and now it seems that it's slipping through our fingers.
"Maybe we can find a temporary replacement," I suggest half-heartedly, knowing deep down that it won't be the same.
"Or maybe we should just accept that this is over," Mark says bitterly, his words cutting through the air like a knife. "We gave it our best shot, but we lost. It's time to move on." I can see the hurt in his eyes, the way he's trying to mask his pain with anger. But it doesn't change the fact that he might be right. As much as it hurts to admit, our dream might be dead.
"Mark, you know we can't just give up," I insist, my voice trembling. "Not without trying everything we can to make this work."
"Like what?" he snaps, clenching his fists. "We're out of options, and we're running out of time."
"Maybe there's still a chance," I murmur, my eyes drifting toward Theo. His unwavering determination has always been an inspiration to us all, and I can't help but hope that he'll find the strength to rally once more.
"Look at him," Mark says softly, following my gaze. "He's barely hanging on. We can't ask him to push through this."
"Then we'll find another way," I assert, my resolve growing stronger by the second. "We owe it to ourselves."