Chapter 198: Beyond the Limit

Meanwhile, at the exact same time on the fourth floor of Eric’s new office, in a practice room that looked like a dance studio used for choreographing talents,

"Boom!"

"Hey... are you alright, Jade?"

Emma, Ruby, and Tania, who were practicing together, rushed over to Jade after she tumbled onto the floor while attempting a new synced movement.

"I’m okay... but it’s so tough... I’m feeling really stiff," Jade said as she stood up with the help of the others.

"Yeah... it really is hard. I’m having a tough time keeping up with it myself," Emma added.

"Ruby, you and Tania have got it down... I don’t think I can do this," Jade replied, hanging her head gloomily.

"Don’t talk like that, you can do it too. You’re the one who suggested a few of these moves in the first place," Ruby countered.

"Yeah... don’t give up on us," Tania added. "We’re running short on time here," she continued.

"If you girls are exhausted, you really should take a quick breather. Don’t push yourselves too hard. You already have the song memorized and your moves look great, it just needs a bit of polishing, so don’t rush it. You still have a whole week left."

The four of them turned to look at a black woman in her thirties who was gorgeous, with shoulder-length short hair. She wore a yoga outfit that showed off her lean yet toned figure. She walked over to the four of them after speaking, tapping away on a tablet in her hands.

"Take a look at what you just practiced," she said, holding out her tablet.

Emma, Ruby, Tania, and Jade stared at the tablet screen. The song they sang echoed through the room, Emma’s voice as the center, backed up by Tania and Ruby, followed by Jade’s solo with the rest supporting her. They also watched their choreography, which was actually already solid and just needed repetitions to make it flow smoothly. The four of them turned back to face the woman, who was their trainer from Trinity.

"What do you think, Ms. Keisha?" Emma asked.

"What do I think? You girls are ready to perform. Vocally, choreo-wise, and physically, you’re good to go, even your debut outfits are ready. But your real problem isn’t any of that," Keisha answered.

"Where is it, Ms. Keisha?" Jade asked.

"Mental. The four of you practice late into the night, to the point where you sometimes forget to eat, and you only take a break when I yell at you to stop... You’re pushing yourselves way too hard, and this is the result: you’re starting to second-guess yourselves," Keisha answered.

Emma fell silent, merely wiping her sweat with a towel. Tania couldn’t say a word either, simply wiping the sweat off her face with her shirt. Ruby and Jade stood frozen in place after hearing Keisha’s words. Keisha looked at the four of them and smiled softly.

"Go home for today. Tomorrow, those of you still in school need to head to class, and don’t bother coming in to practice for the entire day tomorrow," Keisha replied.

"Wait... why, Ms. Keisha? We can’t afford to mess up during the show," Emma said.

"For once, I agree with Emma, Ms. Keisha. There’s no way we shouldn’t practice, besides, I already called out of school," Tania added.

"Please let us come back tomorrow, Ms. Keisha," Ruby begged.

Jade remained quiet, but she stared at Keisha with the exact same look as the others. Hearing the three girls speak up and seeing their expressions, "sigh," Keisha let out a heavy breath. She used her tablet to scratch her head, though it didn’t even itch.

"This is precisely why I’m telling you to rest. Right now, your heads are filled with fear, fear of failing, fear of letting people down, fear of underperforming, and so many other fears... Tomorrow, you are still forbidden from practicing. Decompress whatever is cluttering your minds and just chill for one day. Rest and get plenty of sleep if you really don’t want to go to school, got it?" Keisha asked, her tone taking on a slightly firmer edge this time.

Emma, Tania, and Ruby opened their mouths, but not a sound came out because what Keisha said was completely true. Then Jade, standing behind the three of them, rested her hands on their shoulders until they turned to look at her.

"Ms. Keisha is right. Honestly... I’m feeling overwhelmed right now. The reason is simple... even though I’m a pianist at church, performing on a stage in front of so many eyes staring up at us... honestly... I’m just not ready, and I’m scared," Jade said.

"Oh... as for that, don’t worry. The second you step onto that stage, everything changes. Right now, if you’re scared because your head is spinning, that’s completely normal. That’s why rest is necessary, calm yourself down and just think about how much fun this all is... because up on stage, it’s going to be a blast," Keisha said.

"Thank you, Ms. Keisha. Come on, let’s head home," Jade said.

"Huh... go home?" Emma, Tania, and Ruby asked.

"Yeah... what else is there to do? We need to relax for a day or two. Let me get my things," Jade urged, having fully caught on to what Keisha actually meant.

Finally, having no other choice, they walked over to their sports duffel bags, sat down leaning against the wall, and took a drink from their water bottles. Seeing all four girls finally listen to her, Keisha breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled and walked out of the room. Once the door clicked shut again,

"Going home for you just means heading upstairs, right?" Ruby asked Emma.

"Um... yeah, pretty much. Want to hang out and relax upstairs first?" Emma offered.

"Nah... I... want to head to the hospital," Ruby answered.

"Ah... right. Mind if I come along? I want to visit Eric too," Jade added.

"Yeah... sure. How about you, Tania?" Ruby asked.

"I want to come too, but if possible, I want to stop by home first, not head straight there. I want to change my clothes," Tania answered.

"Huh... didn’t you bring an extra set?" Ruby asked.

"Um... I did, but Eric is sharing a room with..." Tania trailed off, glancing over at Emma.

"Ah... that’s right. You’re a total fan girl for my friends," Emma said.

"Shut up," Tania shot back, turning her blushing face away from Emma so fast her twintails whipped around.

"Oh right, I hear their songs coming from your room all the time, and... you sing along, haha," Ruby said.

"Grr... please stop exposing my embarrassing secrets!" Tania growled at Ruby.

"Alright then, I’m heading to the hospital too to visit my sweetheart," Emma chimed in.

"Sorry if this is a weird question, but is it actually true that you, Chloe, Monica, Priya, Heidi, and Laura... are all engaged to Eric at the same time?" Jade asked, sounding confused.

"Pretty much. It was entirely our parents’ decision, we’re just going along with it and loving every second," Emma answered.

"Wow... that’s pretty wild... so one of you becomes the official wife and the rest of you just live together as side pieces, right?" Ruby replied.

"Hey, we’re not ’side pieces’! It’s totally official, even if it’s not registered with the civil registry. There are prenups and all kinds of other legal agreements involved... but still, we’re thrilled. For the six of us, we get to stay together until we’re old, loving the exact same guy without ever having to fight over him," Emma said, slipping into a daydream.

"Oho... so you girls just gang up on one guy in bed all together?" Tania teased sarcastically.

"Ugh... it’s totally not like that!" Emma yelled in protest.

"Wait... if it’s not like that, then how is it? I actually feel bad for Eric, getting jumped every single night," Tania teased, ribbing her.

"Hey... stop talking nonsense!" Emma said, annoyed, her face flushing bright red.

"Alright, that’s enough. Stop fighting, and please don’t discuss stuff like that in a place like this," Jade scolded.

"Yeah, seriously. It’s embarrassing. Besides, you’re still a virgin yourself, Tania, aren’t you ashamed to talk like that?" Ruby said.

"Huh?"

Emma and Jade instantly stared at Tania, following Ruby’s lead as she turned to look at her. Tania’s face flushed deep crimson, her jaw tightening.

"Oh... so you’re still a virgin?" Emma asked, curious and seizing the chance to pay her back with a wide grin.

"Ugh... shut up," Tania answered, hanging her head in defeat.

"Want me to help you lose it? I can set up a dating app profile for you," Ruby offered, genuinely trying to help.

"Ugh... please shut up. Stop talking about it," Tania replied, her face burning red.

"Huh... of course we’re talking about it. This is all to help out a friend, right?" Emma said, intentionally stirring the pot.

"Great, now the topic has completely shifted to how to lose virginity. Give me a break," Jade said, shaking her head and slapping her forehead with an exhausted look.

They kept chatting and bantering while packing up their things. After that, they all headed out of the room and made their way downstairs to go to the hospital to visit Eric, who still refused to leave. Emma left first with Jade, while Ruby dropped Tania off at home to change her clothes so they could catch up later. They planned to take the entire day off from practice tomorrow, just as Keisha had suggested.