Une Fleure Fanée

Week 9 Part 2 (Monday)

     Today is our promo shoot, so no dancing. I wish my family would've stayed, but I would just be shooting all day and not hanging out with them. My alarm goes off an hour early. I need extra time to cover up the 16 cuts. I anxiously make my way to the bathroom, praying that the cream worked.

     I examine the painting that I drew on my wrists. The old scars are starting to fade. The newer ones are white. The fresh ones are purple-pink. The cream works. But I can only use it on occasion so I don't run out.

     I apply three heavy layers of foundation, then a concealer. The new ones are still a little visible. Thinking quickly, I apply some yellow eyeshadow to negate the purple and then apply a new level of foundation. It works. Nobody can see the artwork that you paint on your skin, Lilliana. They won't like it.

     It's only 4:45. I decide to get dressed early. For once, I don't have to wear any ALDC merch. I decide to grab some black leggings and a black and white long-sleeved striped crop top. Mom wakes up early too, I guess. She curls my hair, leaving it down, and adds an LK clip on the side.

     I take my medicine and try to remember my calorie count. 200 calories. Well, at least there isn't a chance they'll get takeout. It's almost certain. Mom's packing lunch for me. I'm sorta grateful. It's easier to fake.

     Mom gives me a bowl of Cheerios dry. We must be out of milk. I'm a lucky kid today. They're 102 calories, so I only eat half, which means I only consume 56 calories. You can't eat half your calories in one sitting if you wanna make it through the day, Lilliana. If you eat all of the calories, you're so dumb.

     I grab my shoes, my dance bag, my phone case with the razor secured inside, and my water bottle before rushing out the door. The shoot starts at nine o'clock, and we have to be there by eight. It's seven-fifteen. We're not carpooling today, just driving alone.

     When we arrive at the studio, I see Ms. Tricia's car. What? She and Brady are back in Miami, right? Mom doesn't seem to take notice, but I can see a smile creeping onto her face. What's going on? I walk into the studio and see Pressley and Hannah and Elliana are already there.

     Soon, Kamryn, Sarah, and Gia arrive. Once we all arrive, we all get in a van driven by a crew member to this foreign location for our promo shoot five minutes from the studio. I have butterflies in my stomach, desperately wanting to chat with my friends. They aren't your friends, Lilliana. They just want to use you to get closer with Ms. Abby. After all, for some dumb reason, you're her favorite. It won't last long, though.

     We all pile out of the car into a small studio. We all start getting our hair and makeup done. Since mine is already done, I go first for the first part of the interview. After I get wired up, I take a deep breath before I am given instructions on what to say.

     "I want you to say your first name, how long you have been dancing, and your favorite dance move then you demonstrate the move," the interviewer tells me.

     She gives me a nod and I state, "Hi, my name is Lilly. I've been dancing for eight years, and my favorite dance move is a contortion handstand."

     I then bend down and into a single stag handstand, my right leg in front of me. I then bend my left leg forward parallel and smile, looking up.

     "Great. Now, Mom, I want you to come here and Lilly, can you 'teach' your Mom how to do a trick that she already knows," the interviewer tells us.

     Once again, a nod, and I say, "This is my mom Stacey, and I'm going to be teaching her how to do a front walkover. So the first thing you're gonna do is stand like this, and you're gonna put your feet, with your hands on the floor, and you're going to kick over and come back up."