Mountain

1.2

We all started the year with a group dance. We have such a strong team. Chloe, West, Eldon, Riley, Emily, Michelle, James, Daniel, Stephanie and me.

Tiff and Giselle didn't make it. It was really sad but... that's life. We gotta move on. I think Tiffany is leaving but Giselle is going to B- Troupe.

All of the girls sat in the juice bar. It's comfortable as it just downstairs from the studio.

"Welcome. Not only to A troupe but also E girls." Emily said to Chloe.

"Thank you. I'm really excited to be a part of you." Chloe said.

"You should be. We're like a family." Stephanie said.

"You know the rules, right?" Em asked.

There's about a hundred rules in the E girls.

Emily: Number one, E girl always has another's E girl's back.

"Number two, an enemy of any E girl, is an enemy of all E girls."

"Fair enough."

"Number 3, know the handshake."

You start with an e and then you connect it with another person's e. It's a secret so don't tell.

"We have sleepovers. We're always together." Em said just when Giselle walked in.

"Hey guys." She said, sitting next to Emily.

"Hey, how are you? Yeah, we're just talking."

We could all feel the tension when she walked in.

Em took her aside.

To be part of the e girls you have to be in A troupe. So it's a bit awkward. I disagree with Em, but these are the rules.

I walked upstairs back inside the studio when I overheard Chris and Kate talking about who should be dance captain.

"Emily. She's done it before." Kate said.

"New year, fresh start. I'm suggesting Michelle." Chris said.

I knocked on the office door. "Hey guys." I said to them.

"Hey, Isabel, you okay?" Kate asked me.

"Yeah. Umm, I kinda overheard you talk. I just, umm..."

"You agree with me, right? Emily should be the dance captain?" She asked me.

I swallowed and nodded. "Oh, yeah, totally. Yeah. See you tomorrow."

Emily is a good dance captain. I just... I always wanted to be a dance captain. I guess not yet.

I walked inside the studio with James and we started warming up. Soon, everyone else joined.

"Yo, where's Michelle?" James asked.

"I don't know." emily said.

Something is definitely off.

"Okay, dancers, before we get started I have a question, is anybody seen Michelle?" Chris asked when he walked in.

"She's pretty late to her first day, though." Emily said.

"Alright so—" we heard a door slam and Michelle walked in. "How you doing?" Chris asked her.

"I'm so sorry. I got lost." She said.

"I know you're new, but this can't happen again." Kate said.

"I'm sorry."

"Ever again." Emily emphasis on this.

"Thank you, Emily." Chris said sarcastically.

"It's a new dance year so that means it's time to pick a dance captain." Kate said.

"Well, I guess we should just vote and get it over with." Emily said, walking inside the circle.

"Iz—" James whispered to me. I shake my head no.

James is the only one who knows I want to be a dance captain.

"Actually we're doing this a bit differently this year."

"We wanna see what else is out there, and the dancer we had in mind was actually captain in her last studio and we wanna see if she can lead our studio. Michelle." Chris said.

I'm angry for Emily, but I'm hurt for myself. She's new, I've been here since I was 4.

"No thank you." Michelle said.

"See? She doesn't even wanna do it." emily said, obviously offended.

"Listen this is my dance studio and I decide what's best for A troupe. So Michelle, are you going to audition to be dance captain?" kate asked her.

"I... yeah."

"Yes, perfect. Great. And Emily?"

"Oh yeah." Em said.

This is gonna be tense.

"Each of you will lead a group. You come up with choreography you perform the routine before Chris and I and then we'll decide."

"Fine. E girls, let's do this."

"And I'm deciding the teams." Chris added.

Chris took a step forward. "On this side, we have Chloe, Isabel, Eldon, Daniel and Emily."

Oh no.

"On the other side, James, West, Riley, Stephanie and Michelle."

"Fine, we get studio a." Emily said.

"So we get studio b." West said.

"Great. Have fun with that."

"We will." James said.

"Thank you." Michelle said.

Michelle's team walked away but I catch up with James. "Hey." I called him.

"Third year in a row, Iz."

"Stop, James."

"No. You're gonna be great. Why do you let her step on you?"

"Isabel!" Emily yelled for me.

"I'll see you later, okay?" I walked away from him.