Une Fleure Fanée

Week 3 Part 6 (Saturday and Sunday Pt. 1)

     But of course, it now becomes my problem because Mom calls BS on what GiaNina said.

     "Ok, Joanne, seriously?" Mom asks GiaNina's mom, who, as I said before, obviously coached GiaNina.

     Joanne, feeling defeated, instructs GiaNina to tell Ms. Abby how she really felt about the dance. Ms. Abby seems shocked.

     "That is how I feel," GiaNina tells her mom, having that sugary, cutesy, fake voice attached to her statement.

     "Okay. That's not how you've been feeling all week," GiaNina's mom finally admits, and then all hell breaks loose.

     "What? What are you talking about?" Ms. Abby asks with her teeth clenched as the other kids that are not soloists, including me, are ushered to a corner to warm up.

     "That's the exact opposite of the entire conversation of the week and this morning," Mom calls out.

     "You actually called her dance 'cheesy jazz.'" Pressley's mom shouts to GiaNina's mom. Abby must be pissed.

     "Yeah, she is not used to do- Gia does- Yeah," GiaNina's mom is stammering to defend herself and GiaNina and utterly failing to do so.

     "GiaNina, I don't appreciate some 13-year-old kid talking about my choreography and Ms. Gianna's. I don't want a brat on my team. I do not raise brats!" Ms. Abby screams, all hell really breaking loose now.

     "And Gia's not a brat so..." GiaNina's mom tries to defend, but it is pointless at this point.

     "She just said before, she actually doesn't care about Abby's opinions or her words. That came out of her mouth," Pressley's mom declares.

     Oh no. By now, none of the kids are warming up. We are all very tuned into this argument. This is about to go down.

     GiaNina's crying and Brady's trying to comfort her. Brady's really like the big brother to all of us, or at least tries to be. I don't think the other kids notice. It's hard to comfort pre-teens, especially in a stressful environment.

     "You guys have been ripping apart my mom all morning," GiaNina states, trying to compose herself, but obviously failing.

     "Save your tears for the pillow, kid. Wake up. This is real life. And you are not gonna talk about me behind my back or her," Ms. Abby yells, defending Ms. Gianna as well, who's just nonchalantly sitting in a corner with a laptop, very amused.

     "We have raised winners. Winner after winner after winner after winner. And a child who dances for me with my name on your back is gonna talk that way about anything at the studio? No. No way." I wish GiaNina had a pillow she could just pull out.

     Ms. Abby immediately calls us to go to the side of the stage because their solos are soon. I don't understand how GiaNina's makeup isn't smudged in any way, shape, or form. That's because she has all the natural beauty. GiaNina is pretty. You, Lilliana are ugly and fat.

     Now GiaNina is crying for the second time, Ms. Abby is yelling at her. Oh my God. I can't run. I can't run. Shifting closer to Pressley, I see this whole thing unfold. Ms. Abby is yelling at her because she's crying over a dance when kids can't afford to take a dance class. Children who are dying of cancer. Kids that don't have legs to dance. By now GiaNina's mom is getting involved. And I think the final straw is when just because GiaNina is crying, Ms. Abby claims she has issues.

     I want to yell at Ms. Abby so bad. Tell her that she is valid to express her emotions. She's not saying she isn't grateful, she's just nervous and isn't confident in the dance and just needs some encouraging words. I'm the one that has issues, not GiaNina. She is perfect, isn't she? She is perfect. Ms. Abby shouldn't be taking her own problems out on GiaNina.