I'm Okay ➵ madison ziegler

Chapter 10

"Up next, we have entry two seventy-six, Brynn with Breathe."

I watched Brynn calmly walk onstage and lay down into her starting pose.

{watch video}

Brynn was astounding. Everything she did was perfect, I'm not joking.

"Oh my gosh, Brynn, you were amazing!" I gushed to her as she exited the stage.

Hugging me, she said, "Thanks, I think yours was better though."

"Stop being so modest," I replied as we pulled away from eachother. Brynn blushed, but didn't say anymore.

"Good job, girls!" Kalani congratulated. She must have been sitting in the audience to watch us, because she's still wearing her solo costume, but I didn't see her backstage at all.

"Thanks, Kalani," Brynn answered.

"Yeah, thanks," I responded.

"I guess I'll see you later, probably at awards," Brynn told me.

"Yeah," I sighed. Heading back to the dressing room, I purchased a bottle of Mountain Dew from one of the consession stands.

As I approached the dressing room, the doors burst open. I jumped back, almost being hit.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kenzie apathetically apologized.

Rolling my eyes, I opened the doors and walked into the dressing room. "Great job, Maddie!" Jill exclaimed.

"Oh, thanks," I blushed.

"You were awesome, you're gonna win for sure," Holly remarked.

"Thanks," I responded. Apparently, my mom was watching dances, so I didn't get to talk to her, not that she would say anything good about my dance.

I headed over to my costume bag and changed out of Chloe's costume and threw on some leggings, a sky blue Lululemon sports bra, and my Abby Lee jacket.

Hurrying to the stage, I searched for my mom in the audience. I finally spotted her sitting in off to the side in one of the middle rows. As I approached her, I greeted, "Hey, mom."

"Hi, honey. You looked great onstage!"

Woah, is that really my mom? She sounds like a total stranger.

"What's wrong? Do you not like me acting normal or something?" she confusedly questioned.

"No, it's just that, well, I don't know how to say this lightly. Um, well, I guess you've never really acted nice towards me, it was always Kenzie you were kind to, never me," I spat out.

"Yes, I finally realized that while you were onstage. I watched you dance and I thought about how I've been treating you compared to how I treat Mackenzie. It's not fair, so I decided that I'm going to try to spend more time with you, be nicer to you, and get to know you more, because I should know things that you like considering that you're my daughter."

Hugging my mom, I confessed, "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too," she answered. "Now get onstage! Awards start in three dances!" Mom explained, checking her program.

While I walked backstage, I thought about the differences in my mom. From now on, things are going to be different and maybe even a little weird between my mom and I, but things are definitely going to be better.

Backstage, I waited for the last three dances to be over with the rest of the Abby Lee Dance Company. After the dances finished, the announcer rolled out a red carpet in the middle of the stage, starring from the table golding all the trophies, and meeting another red carpet rolling the other way across the stage.