DANCING THROUGH LIFE, dance moms

Chapter 15: Fire and Ice

A few days passed, and it was finally the day of the competition. My solo rehearsals had gone better since the first one, and I felt mostly confident that it would go well. I had gotten in much better physical condition, even since the beginning of this week, so all of the turns and leaps that Abby had put into my choreography were much less challenging and I was less stressed about everything.

Still, I felt bad to be going against Nia in the overall. It wasn't that I didn't think Nia could beat me - I just knew that Miss Abby had given me better choreography and had put more effort into my solo than hers this week, which made me feel bad, considering that Nia was on top of the pyramid. It was supposed to be her week. Nia rarely got chances like these and I kind of felt like I was taking it away from her by doing my own solo.

Still, I brushed it off. This must be how Maddie feels all the time, I thought. If she can handle it, so can you. Plus, you guys aren't even in the same age category. She'll win her division, for sure.

After only fifteen minutes of driving (as the competition was in Pittsburgh), we were in the lobby of the competition. We were told where our room was and Abby led us there through the mob of screaming fans.

Paige, Chloe and I grabbed hands and ran down the hallway before Abby turned around, sending us each a death glare.

Right. The competition starts now. I looked at Paige and Chloe regretfully before letting go of their hands. They shrugged and did the same. We all kept the smiles off of our faces until we got to the dressing room.

The way to the dressing room was relatively uneventful. That is, until we all caught sight of two people we never thought we'd see again - Jill and Kendall, along with Cathy from the Candy Apples.

Chloe met my eyes. She furrowed her brow, giving me a look that said, what are they doing with Cathy?

But I knew exactly what they were doing with Cathy. Jill would do anything to get on top (according to mine and Chloe's moms) - she wanted to win, and she wanted Kendall to do so as well, no matter what team they were on.

I immediately felt bad for Nia. While the two of us weren't in the same age group, she and Kendall were. It wasn't that I didn't believe that Nia could beat Kendall - it was just that I knew that Cathy probably pulled out all the stops for Kendall's solo, catering to her strengths and only her strengths, while Nia had some moves sprinkled into her solo that were still challenging for her. I was upset for her, and upset that Kendall and Jill had essentially betrayed our team.

As Abby, Cathy and Jill argued in the hall, I nudged Chloe. "Let's go." I whispered.

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

Chloe and I left the group of fighting parents and dance teachers, the rest of the girls following soon after. "Why would they go to the Candy Apples?" She asked, sounding somewhat hurt. "They knew that it would be, like, a betrayal of trust."

I shrugged my shoulders. "They probably didn't care. They left, you know? It's not like they're coming back."

"Yeah..." Chloe trailed off, looking lost in thought.

Despite my initial thoughts in the moment, I came to the conclusion that I wasn't mad at Kendall, just Jill. Kendall had no control over her mom's actions. It just sucked that those actions directly impacted us.

I brushed it off. Whatever. You'll dance great. Nia will dance great. You'll both beat the Candy Apples.

~*~