I Won't Let You Close Enough to Hurt Me

Chapter 25

     All of the girls leaned in eagerly. "What is it?!" Paige begged.

     "Well, tomorrow there is an audition to be an extra on the Disney Channel show 'Shake it Up'. I have signed all of you up to go. The audition is tomorrow, so we will be staying one more day than planned. Also, there was no age range given for the audition, so I have invited the senior company to fly out here and audition as well," Abby said proudly.

     The room erupted with high pitched, excited screams from the girls. They all began to hug each other and jump up and down. "Now, don't get too excited, they're only looking for one dancer. However, I hope you realize how big this opportunity is. Even if you don't get chosen, your name is still out there in Hollywood. And that's a huge deal," Abby told them.

     "When does the senior company get here?" Brooke asked. She was so excited, because this meant that she would get to hang out with Nina and John. They had been some of her best friends over the summer, but they had drifted apart recently.

     "Well their plane is scheduled to land in about 15 minutes, so I would guess about half an hour. We'll probably get a chance to see them right after awards, so let's head to the stage now," Abby instructed.

     As Brooke started to walk down the hall with the other girls, Nick grabbed her hand and pulled her to the side for a second. "I'm going to find a vending machine and buy a water. I'll meet you on the stage in a few minutes," Nick said right before kissing Brooke's forehead.

     "Alright, I'll see you there," Brooke said. Then she turned around and caught up with the other girls.

     As Nick was walking down the hall, he was hit on the arm by someone. He turned around to see Brandon standing there. "Listen Brandon, it's been a good day. Don't ruin it," Nick warned, and then attempted to walk away.

     Brandon stopped him. "I'm not trying to ruin your day, I just think that there's something you should know about Brooke," he began. Nick shot him an angry look, but Brandon continued. "I know you think that Brooke really likes you, and that may be true, but you're not the only guy on her radar. She's been flirting with me a lot lately. After you fell asleep on the plane, we talked for awhile," Brandon lied. "Even when she started to fall asleep, she asked if she could rest on my shoulder."

     "You liar," Nick hissed.

     "Nick, I wouldn't lie to you. We used to be best friends. I even took a picture to prove it," Brandon said as he pulled out his iPhone. When he went to his camera roll, sure enough, there was a picture of Brooke sleeping on Brandon's shoulder on the plane.

     Nick looked devastated. "And that's not all," Brandon started. "She's started hooking up with this kid from school named Ryan. They text practically 24/7. I've known Brooke for a long time, but I never believed that she would do something like that."

     "I don't believe you," Nick whispered.

     "Fine, don't believe me. But next time Brooke gets a text, why don't you try and see who it's from," Brandon shot back. With that, he walked away.

     Nick found a vending machine, bought a water, and began to walk back to the stage for awards. He didn't want to believe the things that Brandon had said about Brooke, but he did have a picture. The one thing that Brandon didn't have was proof of Brooke liking Ryan. Nick decided that until that could be proved, he would completely forget the things that Brandon had said to him.

     When he got to the stage, he sat down right next to Brooke and kissed her on the cheek. "Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked.

     "A little nervous. I really want to win," Brooke admitted.

     Nick slid his arm around Brooke. "Me too."

     Just then, the announcer walked to the front of the stage with a microphone. "Who's ready for awards?"

     Everyone began clapping and screaming. He started with the solo awards. When he got to the 9-12 age category, Maddie and Chloe started to hold hands.

     "In 3rd place," the announcer paused. "We have Chloe from ALDC with the number 'Lost Get Found'!"

     Chloe smiled and walked to the front of the stage to receive her award. He announced 2nd place, and it was a little girl from another studio. "And in 1st place, we have Maddie from ALDC with the number 'Skinny Love'!"

     Maddie beamed. She ran up to the front to get her trophy. "And who choreographed this dance for you?" the MC asked.

     "Abby Lee Miller!" Maddie answered proudly.

     After the solo awards, the announcer moved onto the duet awards for the 9-12 age category. "In 4th place, we have Paige and Kendall from ALDC with 'Somewhere Only We Know'!"

     Paige and Kendall tried not to look too disappointed as they walked to the front and accepted the award. Fourth place wasn't bad, but they knew that Abby wouldn't be too happy.

     "Now we're moving on to duets in the 13-16 age category," the MC stated. He announced 5th through 2nd place, and none of them were Brooke and Nick. While his arm was around her, Nick squeezed Brooke's shoulder. He had a feeling they were going to win.

     "And our 1st place winners are Brooke and Nick from ALDC with 'Turning Tables'!" the announcer screamed. Nick lifted Brooke off the ground, hugged her, and spun her around. They did it.

     Brooke was still having a little trouble walking, so Nick helped her to the front of the stage. When they were presented their award, the MC asked, "Who choreographed this wonderful dance for you two?"

     Nick gave Brooke the microphone, and she responded, "Abby Lee Miller!"

     They returned to their spots on the stage and waited for the group awards. When it got to their category, all of the girls held hands. Each time a new place was announced, the girls squeezed each others hands. They got through 5th, 4th, 3rd, and 2nd, and they hadn't been called. They either won it all or won nothing.

     "Our first place winners are the ALDC with 'Superstar'!" the announcer yelled. All of the girls hugged each other and went to the front of the stage. Brooke had to limp, but she didn't care. She was so happy. When the announcer asked who choreographed their dance, all of the girls leaned into the microphone and screamed, "ABBY LEE MILLER!"

     Nick laughed. He was so proud of them. Suddenly, he heard a phone vibrate. Most of the girls had left their phones there while the accepted the award. He looked beside him and noticed that it was Brooke that had a message. It was from Ryan, and it read, "We need to talk."