Three weeks had passed from that loss to Cathy and her Candy Apples because Payton had tripped and cost them the win and day was May the first and even though the ALDC lost that competition to CADC, they redeemed themselves on those three competitions that had just passed and the recent competition, which was Starbound, they faced the Candy Apples again and that time, the girls won, Payton was given a solo and it got first, Chloe's solo was second and the trio by Chloe, Maddie and Paige got a perfect score and when Payton got first with her solo, Leslie thought that Payton would be on the team for good, but little did they know, they were both gonna be in for a surprise.
The time was 2:30 PM and it was a sunny day and at the studio, Connor had come from Studio A after getting the pyramid ready and took a seat next to Abby at the front desk.
"Mom, the pyramid has been set." Connor told his mother.
"Thanks for letting me know." Abby responded and a couple of minutes later, the girls and their moms all arrived and got ready for rehearsal. "GIRLS, LET'S GO! WE HAVE A LOT TO DO!"
Maddie, Mackenzie, Nia, Brookie, Paige, Kendall and Payton walked in and Chloe was early again as they took their spots.
"Well girls, decent job at Starbound, but we could do better. Now let's get to pyramid." Connor said as he and Abby revealed the photos except for one.
Pyramid:
Top - Photo remains covered
Middle: Chloe, Paige and Kendall
Bottom: Maddie, Mackenzie, Brookie and Nia
"And last but not least, on to of the pyramid..." Connor said as he reached up to reveal the hidden photo that was covered.
"Abby's finally gonna make my daughter an official member of the team and Brooke will be off the team." Leslie thought with a smile on her face.
"Looks like i'm gonna be off probation and be a permanent member of this team." Payton thought as she also had a smile on her face, hoping that her picture would be at the top of the pyramid, or so she and her mother thought.
As soon as Connor's hand touched the cover of the photo, he then removed it quick and it was none other than the headshot of Brooke Hyland, causing a lot of gasps of surprise from the moms and the other girls.
"...is none other than the returning Brooke."
Leslie couldn't believe it, she thought that her daughter was good enough to be on the team and Payton was stunned over the fact that she wasn't gonna be on the team as she cover her face with her hands and started crying as Brooke walked in, wearing her ALDC dance wear and the girls all ran to hug her, except for Paige, who found out in advance and she was happy to have her sister back on the team after she recovered from her sprained ankle, then the girls all raced to the upset Payton and hugged her.
"It's gonna be ok, Payton." Chloe reassured her.
"Yeah, you had a good run with us." Brookie added.
"We love you like sisters." Nia said, then the girls all stood in front of Abby and Connor.
"Payton, we love you like family, but you know everyone is replaceable." Abby told her.
"To be brutally honest with you, my mom and i didn't think that you were the right replacement for this particular group. We know you and your mom had a fun time being on the team, you got to ride the train to San Diego, you saw the Alamo in San Antonio and the Space Needle in Seattle, but you should be appreciative and not be upset."
"My daughter should be upset, Abby, because you and your son allowed her to be on the team and she should have been an official member of the team, but you allow Brooke H to replace her after she rolled her ankle, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO LOYALTY?!"
"Look--" Abby tried to speak.
"First you let a stranger from Oceanside be a permanent member of the team and now you use Payton in order for Brooke to return and take her spot back? HOW DARE YOU?!"
"Leslie, don't you "how dare" my mom, it's her team and she makes the final decisions, she was only a part of the team temporarily while Brooke H was recovering from her grade ii ankle sprain!" Connor bellowed, getting really irritated because Leslie was downtalking them.
"Shut up, you hypocrite!" Leslie told Connor.
Connor had a very angry expression on his face from what Leslie called him, he started to head towards her to give her a piece of his mind verbally, but he was held back by the moms.
"It's not worth it, Connor." Hollie said to him.
"Let cooler heads prevail." Melissa added.
"Leslie Ackerman, if you ever insult my son like that again, it will not end well for you." Abby spat darkly.
"But--"
"She got a chance to be in three competitions in San Diego, Seattle and San Antonio! But we have to say, she was too tall for the competition team, get it through your head!"
Leslie glared at them and then she took Payton by the hand and they left Studio A.
"It's great to have you back, Brooke." Mackenzie stated.
"Thanks, Kenz." Brooke responded.
"Girls, this weekend we will be headed to New York City for Xpression Dance." Abby told them.
"I love visiting New York." Connor said with a grin.
"I know you do." Abby chuckled.
"Ok, we've got three solos, a trio and a group dance. Chloe, you'll be doing a solo, it's a lyrical routine called The Beauty Surrounds. Maddie, you will also be doing a solo, it's a jazz routine called Welcome to New York and the last solo will go to Kendall, it's a contemporary routine called Haunt. For the trio, i'll have Brooke, Paige and Brookie and it's will be called Take My Breath Away and the group dance will be called Fields of Gold. Moms, you are dismissed and girls, spread apart and warm up." Connor stated as the girls started warming up and the moms went upstairs.
YOU ARE READING
The Road to Nationals (A Dance Moms Fic)
FanfictionThe Abby Lee Dance Company is ready to defend their national title with Abby and her son both leading them, but there's bound to be drama when they have to deal with the Candy Apples and their crazy moms in the studio.
