Carolina Leaps for the Stars /ON HOLD/

Chapter 8: Practice Makes Perfect

"Elijah...What are you doing here?" I said.

"Well, this is a gym," he replied.

You're an idiot, I thought to myself.

"Right," I replied, through an embarrassed smile.

"The real question is, what are you doing here? It's almost midnight," he said, staring down at me from the top of the stairs.

"Yes, well," I started, while climbing up, "I wanted the extra practice for my audition tomorrow."

"Wait, you're not already a student here?" he asked, with fake shock etched all over his face.

I playfully shook my head no.

"Right, you were part of that group yesterday in the Living Room," he said, following me towards one of the empty dance studios. "What time's your audition tomorrow?"

I set my bag down on the studio floor and answered, "It's at 10:30."

I fiddled with the music player for a couple of seconds before turning to him.

"Do you know how to work this thing?"

He didn't waste any time showing me how to manage the controls. Or how to play music from different apps. Because as I'd come to find out, that's just the kind of person he was.

I thanked him and started stretching. Instead of leaving, he leaned into the wall, with his knee lifted onto a chair to prop himself up and watch me.

"Um...what are you doing?" I asked.

"Well, I was thinking I could see what you came up with," he said, nonchalantly.

"I don't think th-"

"I could give you some honest feedback, seeing as we just met and I can offer an objective opinion," he cut in.

Well damn. Couldn't argue with that. 

And so he stayed. I tried not to be self-conscious as I felt his eyes fixated on my back while I completed my stretches.

When I felt ready and warmed up, I walked over to the stereo and pressed play on an acoustic and theatrical version of Ariana Grande's No Tears Left to Cry.

I focused on my breath as the intro rolled in.

Elijah watched intently.

As soon as Ari's voice blessed the speakers, it felt like no one was around me at all. I focused on extending my body, contracting my muscles and just going with the flow. 

It's a bit hard to explain but my brain zoned in on my feelings. My fingers led the dance, my body followed suit and my feet were trying to break the rules.

The pre-chorus kicked in and I rolled and popped my body in a more 'hip hop video vixen' way. I thought I heard a gasp, but it could've been Ariana's riffs.

After the chorus, I did what I believed to be an impressive 'floor dance' like Shakira and hit my final pose.

I sat up and stared at Elijah from the mirror, without saying anything. 

Slowly, he walked up to the stereo and stopped the music. 

He paused for a brief moment before turning around and saying, "That was absolutely incredible."

I shot up from my seat and said, "Really?"

"Yeah. This is exactly what CNCA is about. Authenticity and a dancer's ability to perform different types of dances. You nailed the combination of contemporary with hip hop," he continued. "The only comment for improvement I have is on your shoulders."