Chapter 143 Dare You Cross the Leader?
"Bianca, you sure you want to go against the team leader?"
Bianca's lips curved slightly. "Focus on your own skills first. Don't let your team members outshine you."
She turned and walked away without another glance.
Blair glared at Bianca's retreating back. She stamped her heel hard against the floor. "That bitch. How dare she challenge me!"
"Blair, why let her get to you? You're the leader. Who in this team would dare disobey you?" Melissa lowered her voice, a flash of malice in her eyes.
"Hmph." Blair let out a cold laugh. "Obviously. I don't need you to remind me."
She turned and walked off. Her hair swept past Melissa's face like a silent insult. Melissa froze, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
"Bianca, I just remembered we left some props in the materials room. Go get them for us."
Blair stood in front of her, her tone dripping with condescension.
Bianca noticed Blair hadn't asked anyone else. She pointed at herself. "Just me?"
"Of course. There's not that much. If you can't carry it all at once, make a few trips."
"Everyone else is busy training. You're the only one standing around doing nothing. I thought I'd help you feel involved. This is your job now."
She didn't wait for a response.
Bianca was about to speak when a sharp female voice cut in.
"You're not seriously going to refuse, are you? Do you have any sense of teamwork? Why should everyone else work while you do nothing?"
Melissa glared at Bianca as if she'd committed an unforgivable offense.
Bianca pressed her tongue against her cheek, amused by their tone.
"Fine."
She agreed without hesitation.
Not because she was afraid—she knew they wouldn't stop until they got what they wanted. And honestly, she could use the break. She'd already mastered the reception training. There was no point staying.
After Bianca left, Melissa sidled up to Blair, worry creeping into her voice. "Blair, she agreed too quickly. What if there's a problem? What if she doesn't come back?"
"Impossible!" Blair shot back. "Without a professional instructor, how could she learn the etiquette? If she doesn't learn, she won't even get on stage."
Melissa still felt uneasy, but Blair's logic made sense. She let it go for now.
Time passed. Bianca still hadn't returned. Blair kept glancing toward the door, irritation growing.
Then the instructor walked in. She saw the scattered formation and frowned.
"Who's the team leader?"
Blair stepped forward reluctantly.
"Is this how you lead? If you can't handle it, I'll replace you. Look at this mess. Half of you aren't even wearing heels. What kind of team is this?"
"Miss, I—"
"No excuses. I don't want to hear it. I only believe what I see."
Bianca strolled back in just in time to catch Blair getting chewed out. Her spirits lifted, lips curving upward.
Blair spotted her out of the corner of her eye. She immediately pointed at Bianca. "It's her! I sent her to get the props. Who knew she'd take this long? She just got back!"
The instructor turned to Bianca, frowning.
"Why I took so long? You know exactly why." Bianca put on an innocent expression. "You sent me alone to carry all that stuff. How was I supposed to do it in one trip?"
"You made one girl carry all of that?" The instructor's gaze snapped back to Blair. "If you can't handle being team leader, I'll replace you."
After the instructor left, Blair glared at Bianca with pure venom. She started forward, ready to confront her, but Melissa grabbed her arm.
"Blair, don't bother with her. I have a plan."
Blair took a deep breath, forcing down her rage. She shot Bianca one last venomous look, then turned her attention to Melissa.
"Talk."
The training schedule was posted. Bianca scanned her assigned tasks: organizing costumes, checking schedules, hauling props—the most tedious, behind-the-scenes work on the entire team. No stage time.
She smiled faintly, her fingers skimmed the edge of the page. She didn't stop reading.
In the training room, mirrors reflected the team members' upright postures. Blair stood in the center in a crisp uniform, demonstrating proper stance.
"Blair, Bianca's not here yet," Melissa said quietly.
"Some people have no real talent. They worm their way onto the team through connections. Now they think they can coast. They don't even bother showing up to training."
Blair's voice wasn't loud, but it silenced the room.
"Let me be clear. People like that will never get stage time. Not on my watch. Everyone here earned their spot through hard work and skill. I won't let one person ruin this team's reputation. I won't let her embarrass the school."
Melissa slipped to the back of the crowd and lowered her voice. "That Bianca got in through connections. I've seen her at high-end clubs. She drives a limited-edition car."
Murmurs swelled into a storm of voices.
"Why do we have to train our asses off while she does nothing?"
"Must be nice being pretty. Just lie around and get handed everything. How are we supposed to compete with that?"
"This isn't fair! I don't want some clueless idiot dragging us down. People will think anyone can join this team!"
"Bianca, get out of the reception team!"
The chants grew louder. Blair didn't stop them. In fact, her lips curved upward.
When the noise reached its peak, she finally spoke, her expression sincere.
"I know you're upset. I hate people like that too. I'll do everything I can to remove the problem and restore this team's integrity."
After missing a few sessions, Bianca noticed Blair had stopped assigning her menial tasks.
She'd already mastered the etiquette. But she still needed to hear the instructor's formation assignments.
Since Blair seemed to be leaving her alone for now, Bianca headed to the training room.
The moment she stepped through the door, she felt it. The atmosphere was wrong.
Every pair of eyes turned toward her—hatred, contempt, disgust.
She paused, her brow furrowing. Her gaze found Blair.
Blair raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing on her lips.