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mikki
"alright, everyone!" abby called. we all stood in front of her, dressed in our costumes. "remember, this dance is called 'broken hearts', so i need emotion and facials, ok? brady, you are the only boy on stage, you will stand out. mikki, you are the lead along with brady, do you understand? both of you will stand out, so you better be fantastic.
"trios. lilly, this is your chance to show me what you learned in the elite team in the past seasons. you mother complained that you weren't getting mature dances, but this is your forte. win. the rest of you, this is your chance to show me that you deserve a jacket and a place on the team. right. go. mikki, come here."
i suddenly felt a cold wash of dread. i fumbled for excuses for something i didn't do.
"don't look so scared, you're not in trouble." relief. "i want you to come with me."
i followed abby to the section of floor just behind backstage. "do something that will intimidate the others."
"can i do some turns?"
"go ahead!"
i saw a couple of people glance my way and then turn around quickly and a couple looking downright uneasy. abby motioned for me to do more, so i kept going, flaunting my flexibility. i could feel my muscles shaking, so i placed my leg back on the ground. abby beckoned to me, grinning and i followed her out to the dressing room.
"that was really good, you freaked them out." she gave me a side hug.
"thanks, miss abby," i said, holding my body upright.
"can you do that every competition?" i was about to laugh when i realised she was serious.
"if you want me to," i answered, focusing on making a good impression.
"good girl."
i plopped down onto the seat next to mr sports car.
"hello farrari," i smirked, crossing my arms and looking directly at him. everyone's head snapped to brady and they began laughing.
"i hate you," he hissed. i grinned at him.
"nah, you love me," i replied, wishing my hair was out so i could flip it. but it was in a tight bun that took mom ages, so that was out of the question. tricia, brady's mom, chuckled and whispered.
"farrari, why didn't i think of that one earlier?" to which brady groaned and slumped into his chair.
"alright, trios, get out there! brady and mikki, you can stay here, or you can come with us, it's your choice."
"let's stay to warm up," brady whispered in my ear. i nodded and went to give the girls a hug each.
"just focus, and dance, ok?" i whispered. they nodded and left.
"are you guys nervous?" mom asked as i ran through the choreography again and again.
"no mother," i replied, my voice wavering. "i'm only dancing with the most famous studio in america and on national television, i'm not nervous."
the trios looked like they did well, apart from lilly, who sobbed that she'd fallen over during the dance. i wrapped my arms around her as she regained her breathing.
"it's fine, lilly, everyone falls," i assured her. she went back to her chair to grab her costume, still crying.
"ok, let's go do the group dance," abby said, clapping her hands. ten minutes later, we were in the wings and doing our final shakes as the group wearing ivory leotards walked off.
"next up from the abby lee dance company, we have 'broken hearts'."
the dance was incredible. of course, there were minor mistakes, but overall, it was powerful and full of emotion. i loved it and i think i saw abby's eyes become a little brighter than usual.
"we did it!" i yelled, as soon as we were backstage. we collapsed into a hug, arms were everywhere and laughed together. somehow, i ended up hugging brady twice.
"you were amazing," i said to him, letting go a little awkwardly.
"you too!" he replied. we made our way back into the dressing room to pack up and get ready for the awards.
⤎⎼༌·⋱🩰⋰⋆༌⎼⤏
"now for our top three junior duet trios. third place, 'the favourite', is lilliana, pressley and sarah from abby lee dance company! second place, 'encouragement', it's taylor and kelly from middletown dance. the top overall junior duet trio give it up for savannah, gianina and hannah from abby lee dance company!
"and the top overall junior group, give it up for 'broken hearts' from abby lee dance company!"
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the author speaks: why did anyone read this. it is so damn cringey.
