Une Fleure Fanée

Week 13 Part 6 (Friday)

     "Girls! Studio A! Time for clean up!" Ms. Gianna yells, and we all book it to Studio A, grabbing our water bottles.

     I hope I don't get another cramp during dance. They're debilitating. I stand to the side and we start with our solos. Stigmata is up first. Hannah is great, but without the costume and all the makeup, I can't envision it. It seems like she's really angry. And portraying an atheist may drop some points off her score.

     Next is Elliana. She's sort of right. I think it may just be the stress of this solo, but she's tense and stiff in her movements, and for a lyrical, it's not as fluid as it could be. The music is cool though, and I like the ocean sounds in the beginning and the end.

     Last is Sarah before the group dance. To be honest, I don't like the acro. It seems everywhere. I know Sarah probably got the solo to show Sarah Ms. Abby isn't mad at her, but it seems that she put less thought into this dance than others. But it's alright.

     Last is the group dance. I can tell Hannah looks nervous. Pull through, Hannah. Hannah can't seem to keep her knees together on some stuff, Brady can't seem to put in enough emotion, and it's a tad bit of a mess, but honestly more put-together than some other group dances we've performed on stage. You're gonna

     "All right, let's get going quick," Ms. Abby tells us, and I quickly get up off the ground, making myself feel nauseous and dizzy, and stumble to the dancer's den.

     I grab my bag and my backpack, and Ms. Abby and the moms all converge in the dancer's den.

     "Sarah, you'll get on the bus as normal. Um, Michelle, you're welcome to ride the bus with us. I just don't wanna hear you. Balance your checkbook, do something," Ms. Abby says.

     "I won't say a word," Michelle agrees.

     "Thank you," Ms. Abby exclaims, heading to the bus.

     "Bus time! I call sitting next to Lilly," Brady cheers.

     I get closer to him. Hannah is sitting with Pressley, Sarah is sitting next to Ellie, and Gia. Well, Gia, I guess is just there. She'll find a place to sit. We all go out to the bus and it's raining. We all run onto the bus, screaming. I get the window seat.

     As I open up my laptop and Brady sits down, a rush of something I've never felt before. I freeze. Like literally. I feel frozen. Chills run through my body. Visibly, I shiver. But the chills just don't go away. I'm so cold. I feel like I'm in snow.

     "Lilly, are you okay?" Brady asks, not shivering.

     "Aren'ttttt y-y-y-you c-c-coldddd?" I chatter, trying to pull my hoodie closer.

     "No. Are you?" Brady asks, and I nod.

     He hesitantly touches my hands and he quickly retracts it, whispering, "You're ice! Here, I'm going to grab a blanket."

     Brady gets a blanket from one of the overhead compartments, and now Hannah's invested in what's going on. My head hurts so much. I'm so cold. I feel like a block of ice, and when I get the blanket, it marginally works.

     "Thanks for the blanket. I don't know why I'm so cold," I joke, but Brady's face remains serious.

     Brady whispers, "Maybe it's because you have so little fat and muscle that your body can't retain heat."

     "Impossible. I still have like, twenty pounds of fat to drop. I'm sure this is a fluke," I remark.

     He sighs, and finishes our conversation by muttering, "One day you're gonna see."