the pain and the pleasure-chloe lukasiak

ii. wildly inappropriate

"Hey, guys." Abby said, coming in just a moment later. "Is everybody here for the 'Electricity' competition group?"

"Yes." All the girls responded.

"Yes, okay. Moms, before we rehearse- actually Sandy is here, and she's gonna do a costume fitting, so we can get this finished for today. All right? Excited?"

"Yeah." The very short calm before the storm of questions came rolling in.

"Are they pretty?"

"What color are they?"

"Black and turquoise." Some of the girls gasped in excitement. "Yeah, let's go."

XXX

"Are you nervous at all for your solo?" Mia questioned Chloe as the two sat in the den. Melissa, Christi, Mackenzie, and Maddie were all in the bathroom, leaving the two girls alone together.

"I mean, I'm always nervous for solos, you know? Especially cause Maddie's the favorite, so Miss Abby spends less time working on my dance and more on hers."

"I sort of get it. It's like that at home too. Maddie's the favorite, so my mom spends more time working on her homework than mine or Mackenzie's."

"I'm sorry." Chloe muttered, letting Mia rest her head on the blonde's shoulder.

"I'm sorry too. Even if you don't beat my sister, I still think you're a great dancer."

XXX

Mia had had a doctor's appointment and didn't witness Christi's meltdown at the studio, but she'd heard about it from Chloe and Paige, as the three girls had a facetime call that same night. It made Mia sad, to say the least- the thought that one of her closest friends wouldn't be there every day with her, but then, she got that one text in the groupchat that put the smile right back on her face.

FROM: 3 DANCERS GROUP CHAT

Chloe: I'm coming back today

XXX

Chloe did come back, but entered in near tears, Paige and Mia immediately coming to console her.

"I'm so tired of this." Chloe cried into Paige's shoulder, Mia standing by.

"So tired of what?"

"The yelling and the screaming and the non stop dancing. Sometimes I just wanna stop."

XXX

At the end of the week, it was time for the competition. Though Paige, Chloe, and Mia were all best friends, Paige opted to sit next to her sister on the bus, leaving Chloe and Mia next to each other, not that either of them minded.

"Bus driver, can you hear me?" Abby asked loudly once the group was on the road. "How come you came this way? Why didn't you go down Road 9 right onto the Parkway?" She shouted at him.

"Oh my god. Now she's telling the bus driver how to drive." Kelly chuckled.

XXX

CONFESSIONAL: MADDIE, MIA, AND MACKENZIE

"Miss Abby's always yelling at the bus driver because she thinks that he doesn't know where he's going, but I know he is 'cause we always get there." Mia summed up.

XXX

Soon came the realization that they were running behind, meaning Chloe and Maddie, the two girls with the solos, had to get dressed and warmed up on the bus.

"Bus driver, we're doing eye makeup back here! Steady on the road." And it was pure chaos.

"Don't make those eyeballs at me."

"You're not cooperating with me." Came from both the mothers, along with much more.

"You need to go to the bathroom and put your costume on, but it's really tight in there."

"Stay in one lane, bus driver!" Abby instructed as she did makeup of her own. It didn't help when Cathy started crying as well.

"Oh, well, Cathy, there's nothing we can do."

"I'm sorry." She apologized, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I know how you feel." Abby assured her.

XXX

"Okay." Mia coached Chloe as another girl danced behind them. "You got this. You're an incredible dancer. I know it, your mom knows it, and the judges will know it when you crush your dance."

"Thank you." Chloe muttered as Mia hugged her tightly.

"Always."

Baby Mine-Chloe

Mia didn't have much advice for her sister, as she knew the perfectionist had gotten tips from Abby before she even came backstage. "You got this, Mads."

"Thanks, Mimi."

Cry-Maddie

XXX

Chloe's smile faltered just a small bit as Abby hugged Maddie, telling her how well she did, while ignoring Chloe completely.

"Don't worry, Chlo, I know you did great." Mia whispered in her ear, returning the smile to her face.

XXX

SOLO AWARD PRESENTATION

"And your first place is..." Chloe grasped both Paige and Mia's hands, praying that her name was called. "Number 206.5, Maddie." As Christi shook her head in the audience, the dancers on stage applauded, genuinely happy for Maddie.

XXX

Though she didn't tell anyone, Mia felt uncomfortable in her costume. She was ashamed of what she was wearing, knowing that it showed too much of her, not that she wasn't uncomfortable with that originally. But, fear of being yelled at by Abby or her mother left her in silence, performing the dance with what little of a costume she had on.

Electricity-Abby Lee Dance Company

XXX

SECOND AWARD CEREMONY

"Your third place, number 497, 'Spiderman' from Dance Depot." This was it. The final two. One spot determining whether they'd won or lost. "Second place, 'Rhythm'" That left one final spot. Either the dance number that had outraged the mothers won it all, or they didn't even place. "Your first place junior small group and the winner of $100 is number 468 'Ain't Nothing Wrong.' Dance Depot." The girls sat on stage, more defeated now, knowing that they should've won, each and every one of them feeling robbed of a victory. Needless to say with that, and Holly and Christi yelling at Abby, it was not the best day to be apart of the ALDC.