⎼⎼⎼ 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖋𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 ➵ 𝑏.𝑓.

013

mikki

"trish, you feeling better today?" joanne asked. not now.

"yeah. yesterday was a rough day for me," tricia answered.

"was it the part of the dance that got switched for brady?" stacey feigned confusion.

"what is it that i'm gonna be able to do that will get you off my back?" tricia started yelling as abby wheeled in.

"duets and solo, come line up," abby demanded. i stood next to hannah. "pressley. you picked brady. everyone is going to have eyes on brady, no one will be watching you." i winced.

"i don't think that's fair," ashley said, frowning.

"well you will. brady, your mother said i don't yell at you enough. i think that pressure is from the other moms. lilly, you were second to pick. you chose hannah. because of her 'win' last week. but i don't think she dances to your level. and mikki."

i smiled.

"i gave you a solo on your second week here. you won. i'm giving you a solo now. i'm expecting that you win. but this solo is senior division level. and it won a perfect score. so i'm expecting that you're perfect."

perfect?

"alright, get out there, mikki," she said.

i shook out in the wings with the rest of the team.

"you're going to do great," sarah whispered, giving me a hug.

"up next we have act number 54, tina with can't wait," the announcer said.

i watched tina dance. she had great facials, but bent legs and feet that weren't pointed.

even though we had both danced for club dance, kalani and i were never in the same age division. once we were in a group dance together, but that was it.

"moving on, we have act number 55, mikki with say something say anything!"

"break a leg," brady hissed.

when i finished, the applause was thunderous. i saw mom and some other people standing up to clap. i was on a dance high as i walked off the stage.

"that was so good," press said, sniffing.

"are you crying, press?" i laughed slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"but that was amazing," brady said, his eyes slightly red.

"oh, did i make you cry too, farrari," i teased, trying (and failing) to put my arm around him. why was he so tall? or maybe i was too short.

the duets went next. hannah and lilly did amazing, telling their story.

"good job," i said, hugging them, "that was so good!"

"let's go," pressley whispered to brady.

"break both legs," i said, making them laugh.

it was good. it was very good. it was very, very good. it was- fantastic. they had so much energy, told their story and had good technique. i chuckled as brady played his part and grinned when pressley did hers. and they looked like they enjoyed themselves.

"the lift was bad," pressley panted, "and we didn't turn on the aerial."

"i didn't see that," gia said.

"it's alright, press, i thought it was really good," i reassured, "come on, i've got chocolate in my bag."

"it's fine, we made a mistake, we'll learn," brady said.

"it wasn't your fault, it was mine," press argued. gia and i shared a look.

🩰

when i came back into the dressing room after a toilet trip, it was pandemonium.

"why don't you pick on mikki? she gets handed things too!" tricia screamed.

"don't harp on my daughter!" mom yelled.

"i don't pick on mikki because at least she earns it!" stacey raised her voice, "she got first overall for her solo, but brady..."

"stop. i wanted to do this dance because i want to walk again, with hard work. if i fall forward, my knees will dislocate and i'm gonna fall flat on my face," abby said, "each and every one of you is capable of great things, but these things are never going to happen unless you go out on that stage and dance as a team. so, can i hear a 'hallelujah?"

"hallelujah!" everyone chorused. abby knew how to control a crowd.

🩰

"entry number 88, the healer!"

while we were doing the side aerial, i saw lilly stumble and land on her knees. oh no. she was supposed to be the acrobat!

"i didn't want to do the side aerial because i would have kicked pressley in the face," lilly panicked. we tried to calm her as much as we could.

"stop please," lilly cried. i ran after her.

"abby's going to be so mad," she whispered.

"i'm not going to lie. she is, but she knows you can give so much more!"

"i'm going to be kicked off!" she wailed.

"lilliana belle ketchman, don't ever say that again. you will not be kicked off the team. if you are, i'll sacrifice my spot for you."

🩰

"and our top scoring teen soloist, mikki with say something, say anything!" i beamed as i received my trophy.

"and for our top scoring overall solo and a perfect score, we have mikki with say something, say anything!"

a perfect score! kalani, i hope i made you proud!

"second overall for our duet trio, we have we're breathing, lilliana and hannah!"

lilly went up to get the second place trophy. i gripped sarah's hand tightly.

"and first overall, we have brady and pressley with geek gets the girl!"

"woo!"

now, the award we've all been waiting for...

"in third place, broadway's 'all that jazz!'"

"second place, amen!"

"and our highest scoring group, 'the healer'!

the author speaks:
what is considered tall for a 13
year old girl?