Melanie Ziegler || Dance Moms

New Season, New Rules

Let's do this!" JoJo exclaims as almost all of the girls are on their hoverboards.

"I'm going through!" I exclaim as I go past JoJo.

"I'm getting there first!" Kenzie laughs.

"Excuse me?" I laugh, "I'm gonna be first!"

When I got to the door, Kendall was laughing as she waited for us on her hoverboard.

"I won." Kendall smiles, "Kendall K does it again!"

Holly opens the door and we all go inside. All of us girls sit on the bench as the moms talk outside.

"I miss Maddie." Kalani comments.

"She's living the celebrity life." I comment with a smile and we all laugh.

"You lived it the entire summer." Kenzie says.

She wasn't exactly lying, I did film another movie, I did some magazine stuff, I did get on the red carpet, and I absolutely did some voice acting work. Pretty busy summer, I guess.

I sit beside Nia and take off my sweater, revealing my dance top.

"Do you think Abby's gonna come back?" JoJo asks, "I mean, she stormed out at nationals."

"Yeah." Kalani answers.

"Um, last time we came to LA, I feel like she was a little crazy because the new studio." Kendall adds, "And we lost nationals, and I just feel like this new season is really gonna help her, because look at this gorgeous studio. It's done."

Nia and I look at each other confused.

"Like, I think she's set. and I hope this season's gonna go well." Kendall finishes.

I get down and start stretching at the same time that as I style my hair into a ponytail.

"Girls, let's go."

That voice.

I slowly get up and follow the girls inside the small studio area.

"All right, I need everybody to stop, stop fooling around." Abby starts, "Here we are. This is the sixth year in a row. I have told you, children, you are only as good as your last performance. We're fighting, struggling to stay on top of our craft. After nationals, after that debacle, never in my life have I gotten up and walked out of that competition, and I felt that you, as my students, were being humiliated on that stage." I look over to the moms and back at Abby, "Dance is the priority. They need to work harder. I know you're back in LA, and I'm contradicting myself, mothers. Right now, this season, there's a moratorium on all the extra activities."

Wait, what? Do you even know where Maddie is right now? I thought that all of this LA drama was for us to do those 'extra activities'.

"Abby, that doesn't make sense." Holly says, "The original reason why we got to LA was to take advantages of opportunities. Like, why wouldn't you allow them to have those opportunities? I mean that--"

"I don't want it to interfere with their dance training." Abby interrupts.

"So they can't get an acting job?" Jill asks, "They can't go do anything?"

"And where is Maddie right now?" Jess adds, "Then, with her?"

"Maddie is shooting a movie." Abby answers and I roll my eyes.

She's really contradicting herself right here.

"So that's okay?"

"Well--"

"It's inequities." Jill argues, "Why? Why is it okay for one of them, and not all of 'em?"

"I know Maddie's not here. In that film, she's a dancer." Abby says, "That's why she got the part. From watching her solos from the Abby Lee Dance Company. That's where it started."