Dance Moms Shorts

Things Have Changed

Megan Hayes watched the stage of Starbound's National Competition as a girl about her age tapped to the beat of a jazzy song. She could barely hear anything but the beating of her own heart as she smoothed down her costume, a light blue lyrical dress with puffy sleeves and a bow in the back. Sound familiar? That's because it wasn't her costume, it was Maddie's.

Maddie Ziegler sat in the dressing room holding her ankle and sobbing uncontrollably. She wouldn't let anyone near her, not even her mother to give her ice for it. All she wanted to do was go and perform her solo, Cry, on stage but she couldn't because she had twisted her ankle while practicing a front aerial. 

(Earlier)

"Ms. Abby, please! I can do this routine, I'm fine!" Maddie stood up and tried to walk but she winced in pain and sat down again. "Maddie, I'm not going to say it again. Megan is going to be performing Cry in place of you." Abby barked. Maddie started to cry, "but why is she competing under my name?" Maddie shot a cold look at Megan, the girl who just recently she had called her best friend. "This is nationals. I am not going to make my studio look unprofessional by pulling a solo and entering the same solo for another girl only minutes away from the performance." Abby barked. 

Megan's POV

Megan watched the scene playing out in front of her in horror. Maddie was her best friend, her twinnie. She couldn't bare to replace her. But at the same time, she had no choice.

The blonde, who looked almost identical to Maddie except with lighter hair and eyes, slowly picked up the light blue costume and moved behind the curtain to change into it.

Megan snapped back into reality when she heard the click clack of tap shoes hurrying off stage. "Up next we have entry number 167, Maddie, performing Cry!" The announcer said. Megan felt her heart in her throat as she glided on stage and took the starting position.

Her fear and shock melted away the minute she got up from the floor in time with the music. The stage had transformed into ALDC's small studio and the speakers into Abby's laptop, which always blasted music during rehearsals.

She finished the number, feeling confident in herself. 

Megan surveyed the audience one last time before exiting the stage. She saw Abby, her mother, the girls, and the moms clapping proudly. And she noticed Maddie wasn't with them so she assumed her friend was still in the dressing room.

Relieved she was able to pull it off, she hurried into the dressing room, prepared to give Maddie a big hug.

"M-maddie?" Megan called softly into the seemingly empty dressing room. She walked in, her eyes sweeping over the room. "Maddie are you okay?"

Maddie was sitting up straight in her chair, her tears had dried and her ankle was now wrapped in a bandage. Maddie turned her head slightly toward Megan and then looked away, "I'm fine." Her voice was raspy and dry. 

Megan made her way slowly over to the girl who looked like Maddie but was acting like a complete stranger. "I'm sorry about your ankle." Tears started to pour down Maddie's cheeks, "it's fine." 

Megan felt her lip start to quiver and tears formed in her eyes as well. She sat next to Maddie, feeling like a horrible person.

"Nothing is going to be the same now, is it?" Megan asked, quietly. "No." Maddie shook her head.