Before Dance Moms

Chapter 18 || Filming

-Chloe-

May 3rd-The first official day we film Dance Moms. True, the show was set to air in July, but for some reason they made us film way ahead of time. I stared at my calendar, all the days crossed off to May 2nd. Tomorrow was the day. And if I did better than Maddie, she'd finally be shut down for good.

I sighed and fell back onto my bed. There's no way I would be able to "out-dance" Maddie, because 1, she was Abby's obvious favorite, 2, the show was about 80% scripted, and 3, well, I don't have a 3 but 3 is just because it was not going to happen. But hey, getting kicked off the show was worth it if I could ruin Maddie for good.

Suddenly a pang of guilt hit me. I knew Maddie was a spoiled brat, and she was also stuck up, nasty, terrible, and beyond mean, but was it really worth it to make her feel like trash? Even after all she'd done to the girls and I, maybe we could just make up. I shook the thought off. Come on Chloe, this wasn't one of those dumb movies where everything always works out. This is war.

I set my alarm to 7:00, took one last glance at the dancewear I had ready for tomorrow, and turned off the light. Tomorrow was a big day and I would not-absolutely would not-mess it up. Maddie Ziegler, prepare for the worst day of your life.

Maybe I was being a little too overdramatic. But hey, that's okay.

---

I woke up to the sound of Nicki Minaj blaring through my room. Groaning, I rolled over and turned off my phone, and slowly--very slowly--made my way out of bed without bothering to make it. I quickly and carelessly changed into my sparkly blue dancewear for the day and pulled my hair into a tight bun. I slipped a sweatshirt and some shorts over my outfit and headed downstairs.

My mom was already waiting for me with a plate of waffles. "Yeah, of course," she mumbled into the phone as she served me a glass of milk. I quickly ate my waffles as she continued talking. "How does 4:00 work for you, Jan?" I mentally groaned. Jan was my insanely annoying grandmother. "Okay. See you then." She hung up and turned to me. "Ready, Chlo?" With a mouthful of waffles I nodded and ran out to the car.

---

ALDC at first sight was a very busy place. There were makeup artists, filming people, and producers running around chaotically, calling out names which I assumed was their way of taking role. "Chloe Lukasiak." I raised my hand. "Here." I looked around the den and noticed all the other girls sitting calmly in spite of the situation. My heart was pounding. Today was the day that I would become a star, and hopefully defeat Maddie for good. I couldn't help but smile at the thought.

Soon we were herded into Studio A, and Abby appeared, giving us a brief smile and a half-hearted pep talk. One of the producers grabbed my arm and pulled me over to a corner of the studio, and I noticed Maddie was being pulled into the other corner. Suddenly the cameras were on, and Abby began to bark. "Maddie, Chloe, improv, go!" I smiled. Improv was one of my strengths and Maddie's weaknesses.

At the start of the music, I became dramatic and sassy, throwing turns in every left and right, as Maddie slowly fell behind. I brought all the energy like I was at a competition doing a solo and kept my form as tight as I could. The music ended and was followed by applause from the girls.

Abby, who looked thoroughly unimpressed, stood up and walked in between Maddie and I. "Okay girls. Time for you to vote." My heart jumped. This was my chance. "Everyone who votes for Chloe." All the girls raised their hands and Paige winked at me. I winked back. Maddie threw me a death glare and cleared her throat. Abby spoke up. "Okay, let's do that scene again, and this time Chloe, water it down. We want Maddie to win, alright?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, but I won't do it again. I won fair and square. You can't force talent, and you can't force a star." I paused for a long while to stare at Maddie. "Especially not on camera."

I walked out of Studio A, and turned to one of the producers on the way out. "Let me know when you need me again."

I turned back to see Maddie sulking and throwing a fit, and I continued walking.

-song of the chapter: not today by twenty one pilots-

author's note:

BOOM OH SNAP I'm back guys!!! there are only a few more chapters and I can't wait to write them. hope you enjoyed ((((:

-K-Lee ilyasm