max ziegler | dance moms

Brooke's Turning Point

We safely made it back to Pittsburgh, and I was actually excited and ready to dance. Is the world ending?

School was shit.

My new favorite word.

Shit.

"Girls, come on! Let's go!" Miss Abby shouted, summoning us into the studio. "Let's have a big round of applause."

We did as told, clapping.

"I think we made applesauce, don't you?" Miss Abby asked, and we laughed. "Now, the group won. They won the overall. But you know what? That was one competition. For this week, we ate going to Starbound, in New Jersey. When we walk into Starbound, you need to be those national champions. Alright."

Miss Abby then turned her attention to the pyramid, pulling off the first paper.

𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚

𝘾𝙝𝙡𝙤𝙚  𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙚

𝙈𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙯𝙞𝙚  𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙜𝙚 𝙆𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙡𝙡  𝙉𝙞𝙖  𝙈𝙖𝙭

"On the bottom...Max. You made lots of mistakes in the group dance. We took out the ariel, yet you still did it. Why?" Miss Abby asked, and I kinda froze.

"I think it is because I forgot not to do it," I responded, nervous as heck.

"Okay. You can't do that. I change the choreography, you do as told. Got it? No more forgetting. And, your feet were sickled for over half of the routine. Do better," Miss Abby spoke, and I nodded.

Don't cry don't cry don't cry don't cry.

"Nia. You're here simply because of a mistake in the choreography. And that dance is easy. It's simple. Next I have...Kendall. You need to learn to read music, and you need to learn to hear the music. I'm going to keep her on probation. Until I hand her that jacket, she's still proving herself," Miss Abby told Jill. "Paige. I've seen you do the press better. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. I thought you did a nice job. Next...Mackenzie. This week, you are not in the group. You are going to do a solo. Alright. Next, I have...Maddie. You were the highest-scoring number in the entire competition. Why do you think you're not on the top? I want you to stop resting on your laurels. I want you to keep improving for the next 20 years. Not for one competition. Do you understand? So, you impressed them. I want you to impress me. Next..I have Chloe. Chloe, you didn't do a solo last week. You were great in the group, people were recognizing you from the video, but I want them to recognize you for your dancing. Understood? And on top of the pyramid this week...is Brooke. You went out there, you proved yourself. I mean, you went from worst to best. In one week. You're the oldest person in this group. You need to be the role model. And that needs to continue."

I was getting bored. Too much talking for me.

"Mackenzie, you're doing a routine called 'My Parade.' And it's all about you, kiddo. You're gonna march out from that corner like you're the leader of the big parade," Miss Abby explained, and Kenzie smiled. "Maddie, this week you're going to be doing a jazz routine to 'Lights, Camera, Action.' Chloe, you're going to be doing a lyrical routine to 'Don't Catch Me.'"

"Chloe's so happy she's having a lyrical solo," Maddie said to the moms, smiling. Some of them laughed.

"Now, the group dance that everybody's in except Mackenzie, is 'Born to Dance.' And it's about a child being born. There's a little mystery to it..." she trailed off as Christi made a weird face.