max ziegler | dance moms

Brooke's Turning Point

I raised my hand, since I had something very important to say.

"Yes, Max?"

"How are babies made?"

Speechless. I heard Paige snort from beside me, and Chloe shook her head.

"Uh..." Miss Abby trailed off. I just looked at her, waiting for an answer.

"Max!" Mommy exclaimed, and I looked over at the moms. Christi and Kelly were trying not to laugh. "We'll save that conversation for when you're older, okay?"

"Okay," I shrugged. Paige give me a high-five.

"Nice one."

"Brooke, you're going to be featured in this number, but you should be the glue that's holding it together. And Maddie has been the glue that's holding it together. You need to be the most advanced one in the group, not looking around to see what these two are doing. Understood? Brooke...don't let me down. Moms, please go. Girls, stretch out. Let's go," Miss Abby finished, and we went to start stretching.

We started learning the group routine, and I liked it. It was different.

"That's what I want to see. Smile! Brooke, back up!" Miss Abby shouted. "Go onto your stomach. One...two..."

Brooke was crawling on the ground, and she looked like a worm.

"Five, six, seven, go. Now. You need to plié, Chloe. You do. Sauté and sauté and run, run, temps levé, grand-jeté shoo..ba-ah," Miss Abby instructed Maddie. "Up, up...roll, Brooke. Plié, plié, lock the back of your knee, Brooke. It's bent. One, two, three, four. Where are your feet? Look at your feet, Brooke. Ball change, plié. The lower you plié...and get your butt underneath you, Brooke. And one, double plié two..."

Poor Brooke. Miss Abby is being very hard on her.

After rehearsal today, Brooke told us she was going to watch a football game at her school. How fun.

What if I tried playing football. I'd smash everyone to the ground. Is that allowed? Or would I get, like, kicked out?

I think I'll stick to dance. I don't wanna get a concussion and fourteen broken bones. No thanks.

"Can I get some fucking Cheerio's?" I asked once we all got in the car.

"You were doing so well. You haven't swore in months," Mommy stated, and I shrugged.

"A boy says it."

"A boy?"

"Yeah."

"Max, you seriously have to stop swearing. I mean it. Where are you learning these words from?" Mommy questioned, looking back at me.

"The fucking TV," I told her, and Maddie laughed.

"Don't laugh," Mommy scolded her. "If you swear one more time, I'm taking away your iPad. For a week."

"Well shit. That fucking sucks," I smirked, and she reached back and took my iPad.

"Hey!"