Collecting our massive order from the breakfast take-away place down the road, Faith and I walk back to the car.
The annual Showcase is a big thing. We get to the hall at 7:15 to start the long process of setting up. We need to set up all the chairs, make sure the sound system is working, get the lights working, put up signs so each act knows where they are supposed to go, mark out holding areas, practice items, and so much more. No doubt there will have to be some reblocking of dances or songs because kids get sick last minute.
Coral and Mia went earlier to the hall, unlocking everything with the key Ms Blakeson gave us. Faith and I got stuck with the breakfast run.
Pulling up to the hall, I grab first my dance bag, slinging it over my shoulder, then carefully balancing the food bag on my good hand. Faith followed, with the drink tray in her hands, leaving the rest of the stuff in the car to get later.
It's a surreal experience walking into the hall every year. Although it is completely empty, I can already start to feel the excitement for tonight start to build in my chest, completely squashing the nerves that also tend to pile up.
"Gimme the food!" Coral shouts from the stage. Rushing up to her open arms, I drop the bags into her lap for her to distribute. Placing my bag on the hard wooden flooring, I sit down gently.
"So," Mia says, picking up her coffee and bacon and egg burger order from in front of her. "How are we all feeling? Are we ready for tonight?" Nodding in approval I grab my similar order and pull them closer to me.
"When is your brother getting here, Faith?" Normally Ms Blakeson's sons do it for her, but since she was not running the show tonight we all felt bad asking, and Sam, Faiths older brother offered to help.
"At 12 I think. He has a course on this morning so he said he would come with some lunch." Nodding in approval I open up my burger and start eating. The delicious insides melt in my mouth, and as they glide into my stomach, my hunger is quickly diminished.
"He also said that he can strap your wrist, because if you are going to be stupid, might as well do it with a small amount of protection." Sam is training to become a physiotherapist, so he is always treating our injuries with excitement. I nod at Faith.
"That's so sweet!" Coral coos. A slight blush forms on her pastel cheeks as her crush is mentioned.
"You know, I wish you and Sam would get together already. I have given you my blessing more than enough times by now." Faith states. It's not a secret that Coral likes Sam. She has for years. And there is only a 2 year age gap so it isn't a massive age difference either. It's also commonly known to everyone except Coral that Sam likes her. They just can't seem to admit it to each other.
"Well he doesn't like me so it doesn't matter..." Sighing heavily, throwing her arms in the air in defeat, Faith gives up.
Finishing up our meals with light chatter we clean up the stage and get to work. As the girls start to clean and set up the wings, it's my job to lay down the expensive dance flooring. Although most dancers wear shoes for their performances, we did not want any injuries to happen because of the ruff wood, so with majority of the dance budget a couple of years ago, Ms Blakeson purchased the flooring that makes a dancers life so much easier. The only problem with it is that once the flooring is laid out, unless you have socks, bare feet, or dance shoes on you can't step on it. So I get started, slowly laying the floor with my one hand, in preperation for the rehearsals later on in the day.
The only problem with the flooring is that you can't walk on it with normal shoes on, so every year at interval we take the flooring off, and the last couple of dances need to dance without it. We do this so it is easier to return the hall into its normal state at the end of the night, but also because all the kids come onto the stage to bow in the end, and of course, getting everyone to take their shoes off is a major hassle.
After an hour or so of laying the flooring down, my phone is violently chucked at me.
"What is with my phone at the moment? Do people want to get it smashed?" I grumble under my voice as I pick it up. Not bothering to look at the caller ID I answer the phone
"Hello?"
"Dani. We're did Mum and Dad put the tickets for your concert tonight?" Taylor demands. No pleasantries from her.
"Why do you want them?" I thought since Mum and Dad cancelled she would go to a party somewhere. They all got tickets, for some unknown reason. Taylor was reluctant when they mentioned that they got her a ticket.
"It doesn't matter. I have a ticket, I want it. Mum and Dad are away, so they don't need their tickets."
"Why?" I ask again.
"Cause I can. So where are they?" My mind goes blank. How would I know where mum kept the tickets?
"I have no idea." Hearing the phone line cut out without even a goodbye, I throw my phone back expertly into the pile of bags on the floor. Although doing the flooring was hard without the use of my left hand, it was manageable, and by the time I was done, the girls had finished the wing preparation.
"It's 11 o'clock. I think maybe we should start bringing in all the things from my car for the band down the front, so that when Sam gets here we can set up the platform and just move it all up quickly." Students were getting here at 1:30 so that we could all have one more full run through.
"Dani, if you could start putting up the signs, that would be really helpful. Once Sam gets here it's gonna be go go go, so let's get everything else ready. Also, with your luck you will break the other hand." Laughing, I grab the folder of printed signs and some blue tack and walk to the back of the hall to get started.
YOU ARE READING
In Your Company
Teen Fiction--Re-written-- When I was 8 we were playing hide and seek in the little park surrounded by bush down the street from my house. It was a large group of us. It was always fun down at the park, since our parents never really came and checked on us. Bei...
