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brady
abby didn't make it yesterday. the moms continued to fight. you know, it's extremely distracting when a bunch of women are in clear view fighting while we dance.
"how's di?" the moms clamoured in the reception.
"they're putting in a pacemaker today," abby sighed, clicking her phone. "kids, let's go!"
"brady," mikki tugged at my sleeve, "nationals are in two weeks."
i felt my stomach drop. i hadn't thought about nationals. ever since coming to pittsburgh, i had been living day to day, hour to hour. you never knew what was coming next, or how long you'd be at the aldc. i didn't have the time or the energy to think about lunch, let alone nationals.
but now, it was two weeks away.
"it'll be fine," i reassured. i wasn't so sure though.
"i'm not doing pyramid because i want to get straight into this dance," abby told us, looking each one of us in the eye. "paris!"
she started slightly at abby's yell.
"welcome to the aldc. you blended in the group dance. good job.
"group number is based on bob fossey's iconic frug. he's my hero and i think it's important for any dancer that you understand the forefathers of dance.
"gianina you have a solo this week."
she looked stunned. gia hadn't had a solo in a while, i think.
"it's a traditional lyrical piece, titled crossroads. sarah, you also have a solo. it's about a princess, who has made a bad decision and shamed the town."
subtle abby, real subtle.
"both of you are competing against..." abby paused, probably for dramatic effect. "mikki."
she gave a weak smile. "now, the mothers have said that you got the best dances, the best treatment. so this dance is to challenge you. it's called breaking point, and it's ballet and musical theatre."
there was sharp intake of breath and hannah even patted mikki sympathetically. ballet routines were probably the hardest of them all and musical theatre almost never placed. glancing over at mikki, i saw that her face was set. she knew what abby was doing and she would obliterate abby's every hope.
i felt proud of her.
"for gia and sarah, this is your opportunity to show me that you should do a solo at nationals. for mikki, this is your redemption. if you win again," she pointed at the other two girls, "you can try for a solo at nationals too."
mikki nodded.
we all knew she was the best dancer on the team by a long stretch. she'd never come second. mikki could beat sarah and gia with her wrists tied together, but there was only the tiniest of chances she could win with this kind of routine.
mikki and i traipsed through the corridors, trying to out-tumble each other. i nudged her with my shoulder as she executed a perfect aerial. "i see you haven't lost any of your skill."
she smiled. suddenly, she threw her arms around me.
"hey, hey," i said, patting her back, "are you ok?"
she shook her head. "i'm going to miss everyone when this is over," she said, her voice muffled in my sweater.
"you're not coming back if there's another season." it wasn't a question. i just squeezed her tighter.
mikki was like water. perfect, pure and steady. always running out of my hands, no matter how tightly i held on.
she let go. i noticed a flush on her cheeks. "sorry," she muttered.
"what are you sorry for?"
"jumping on you so suddenly," she sighed, collapsing into a left split. "i don't want to go, but i can't stay here for another season. it's too much. lilly can take it because she's done it before. hannah can take it because, well, she's hannah. pressley can take it because she's really strong. paris is only new, so she's not burning out anytime soon. i- i'm not good at this."
it was even harder than i had expected. it seemed like the whole routine was crammed with content. leaps quickly followed by turns, then fast-paced choreography. ballet was exhausting, but put with musical theatre, it was almost too much.
i had to admit it was a beautiful dance though. the story was intense and rich, the movements precise and springy. the music was lovely as well.
"turn your foot out! walk right, 6, 7, 8. good."
i heaved a breath. "go and take a drink," abby directed, motioning for sarah to come next.
gianna patted my back as i walked to the dancer's den. i had a far shorter practice than gia, but i felt so much more tired.
brady smiled as i walked in. stop that, you idiot heart. you're meant to be working with me, not against me. i felt a little embarrassed about the moment in the corridor, but he seemed unbothered.
"mikki!" press launched at me and squeezed me tightly.
"hello," i laughed, "i'm about to call connor, you wanna join?"
she immediately let go. "uh-"
i smiled to let her know it was ok. she nodded and flushed.
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the author speaks: i demand comments. unless you don't want to comment. but please do because i wanna say hi to my readers!
i am most definitely high.
anyways, i'm back. again. follow my spotify moon_wish because it's very cool. also follow me follow my account if you want. we recently reached 50 followers, thank you all. big hugs and a lot of love to everyone out there.
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