Before Dance Moms

Chapter 6 || Over-stretching

-Brooke-

"Brooke, point your toes!"

"Brooke, your legs are bent!"

"Brooke, use your face!"

"Brooke, my grandma could move faster than that!"

I sighed as Abby continued to bark complaints, pushing my already aching body to a breaking point. With Kenzie out of the group number, we had to re-block the whole thing and so far it was not going very well.

I came to the part where the group twirled around to the bouncy tune and I pulled a needle. My back popped in protest as I pulled my leg over my head as far as it could go. Relieved, I released it slowly.

Abby just didn't understand that I was growing and I wasn't as flexible as I used to be. She wouldn't care even if she did understand. So day after day she used me as her "secret weapon" in all the acro routines.

"Girls, you are dismissed." I looked at the digital clock on the wall, surprised to see that it already read 9:30. I was quick to dash out of the studio into the den, where I grabbed my ALDC sweatshirt and slipped it on.

What seemed like an eternity later, a very tired-looking Paige scurried into the den. Sighing, she slipped on her boots and signaled she was ready to leave without saying a single word.

"Paige, you okay?" I questioned, concern flooding my voice. I studied her face. It was paler than usual, and her cheeks were noticeably sunken in. "I'm fine," she whispered.

Shaking it off, I followed her out to mom's car, frost nipping at my ears and nose. "Hi, mom!" I greeted, hopping into the warm seat of the car. "Hi honey, hi Paige, how are you?" Paige responded with an inaudible mumble. I turned on the radio and let it drown out my worries, softy humming along.

I started thinking about Kenzie. She was probably in surgery getting her stomach ulcer treated.

I thought about Paige. She wasn't herself, what was going on? She was definitely skinnier, and she barely ate.

Then it hit me.

I don't know how I didn't realize it before, it was so obvious.

Paige was anorexic.

-

Guilt settling on my chest, I hopped out of the car once we pulled into the garage. I couldn't face Paige, so I ran straight to my bathroom and hopped in the shower before anyone could fight me for it. As the warm water pelted my back, I couldn't help the thoughts that flooded my head.

Of Kenzie.

Of Paige.

Of Kendall.

Of the team.

What was going to happen to us?

After my very short shower, I started getting ready for bed, realizing how tired I was. I thought about Abby, and how she thought I was wearing out. I wasn't going to let her win.

I pretended I was in the group dance and the girls were dancing behind me. I lifted my leg over my head and locked out my knee. As I exhaled, I pulled my leg further until it was almost parallel to the ground.

In an instant, something in my back popped, creating a shooting pain. I released my leg and cried out. "Mom, get ice please!" Several minutes later, my mom burst into my room with a plastic bag full of ice. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," I lied. "I just popped something in my back." My mother sighed. "Brooke, you're not as flexible as you used to be. You need to be more careful." Not in the mood for a lecture, I sighed. "I'm fine mom, good night."

And that's how I fell asleep with excruciating pain in my back and a bag of ice creating a wet spot in my mattress.

-song of the chapter: perfect by p!nk-

-

author's note: hello friends how are you all? lol sorry I'm too lazy to find a song for this chapter oh well. ugh I've had a sinus infection all week and I've been on like three different medicines and none have worked yet someone help :(((

maybe I won't have to go to school tomorrow 😂

happy early thanksgiving!!

-special cai

(ps 700-750 reads before next sunday? thx)