Trying → A Dance Moms Fanfiction

Melissa Pleads The Fifth

After a long drive to the competition, finally we arrive and almost immediately we have to run to get ready for Maddie's solo, 'Reflections'. Immediately I can tell she is nervous, because her hand is doing the slight shaking it does when she is worried. Chloe and Nia stay with her backstage, because the trio is fifteen minutes after, while the duet still has two and a half hours.

"Everyone, please give a warm welcome to Maddie with 'Reflections'!" the EMCEE calls and we all cheer and clap for my twin. Beautiful as always, she walks out onto stage and the music begins.

Is this just a dream?
Are you really me?
Can it truly be?
This vision I see?
Reflections of you
And me

Oh, what can I do?
Can I pull her through?
Those broken glass eyes
Reflect enmity
Reflections of you
And me

This mirror divides
That girl that's inside
I'm trying to find
She's trying to hide
Reflections of you
And me

Mom and Miss Abby were over the moon with her solo, but when are they not? Paige and I start to head backstage to watch the trio and Justice from Crabby Apples' solo before we get ready for our duet.

"Justice, ladies and gentlemen, with 'Keep the Faith'."

When the rain is coming down
And the night is long and cold
And bitter
A roaring sun will rise

When the world has got you down
And you're reaching out for
Something better
I'll help you touch the sky

In the end, I thought Justice did okay, but his costume wasn't right and the dance had no difficult choreography, which was a shame. If Cathy had of actually put in work towards Justice, he probably could've nearly beaten my twin. I have no idea how my mom manages to stay friends with Cathy, but hopefully soon she realizes she has to chose between ALDC and Cathy. We all know what choice she'll make.

"Entry number 275 in the junior division is 'Whatever I Want'." the trio walks out onto stage and Paige and I exchange excited glances. Everyone wants the trio to go well so that Nia can be in more trios, because Miss Abby excludes her a lot from any dances bar solos and group.

All the men in this club want my love, want my love
All the ladies know I'm hot, they don't have what I got
All the men in this club want my love, want my love
All the ladies know I'm hot, they don't have what I got

You know you want it
You know you want it

We hugged them all backstage and than ran to the dressing room in order to make it on time for our duet. Mom tied my hair up into a messy bun and put the green choker around my neck, which I couldn't stop playing with,  because for some reason or another it was really, really, really itchy and uncomfortable.

After Miss Abby consistently running the routine and being unhappy with it, basically changing the whole routine in the end, Paige and I were ready backstage, makeup, hair, costume and fully stetched.

"Let's do this, Paigey Mack." I say as the trio before us finishes.

"Let's do this, Kinny." she replied and we hugged and got ready.

"Now up, please welcome McKinna and Paige with 'Money, Money, Money', jazz-acrobatic." the EMCEE calls us onto stage and Paige and I do our tumbling sequence onto stage. The music starts and I take a deep breath.

I work all night, I work all day to pay the bills I have to pay
Ain't it sad?
And still there never seems to be a single penny left for me
That's too bad
In my dreams I have a plan
If I got me a wealthy man
I wouldn't have to work at all, I'd fool around and have a ball
Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man's world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man's world
Aha
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It's a rich man's world
It's a rich man's world
A man like that is hard to find but I can't get him off my mind
Ain't it sad?
And if he happens to be free I bet he wouldn't fancy me
That's too bad
So I must leave, I'll have to go
To Las Vegas or Monaco
And win a fortune in a game, my life will never be the same

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man's world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man's world
Aha
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It's a rich man's world

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man's world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man's world
Aha
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It's a rich man's world
It's a rich man's world

We finish in our poses and everyone claps. I can vaguely pick out Miss Abby and the girls in the audience. The moms must be waiting in the dressing room. We do our aerial sequence off and hug. Now, we have to wait until tomorrow to find out our results as well as complete the group dance. No doubt Miss Abby will have us practising like maddogs.

-Second Day of Competition-

We're all gathered in the dressing room, rehearsing the group dance 'Trapped' and Miss Abby is causing mayhem. Nothing is right and everyone keeps making mistakes in her eyes. In mine, this is a beautiful soulful piece that in all real sense, shouldn't be perfect because there is nothing perfect about the issue we're dancing about.

"McKinna, where are those beautiful facial expressions I'm relying on? Don't land on that right heel, Maddie, you know better. Paige, right there when you laid on the side, your foot was completely sickled. Chloe, have you forgotten your technique for-" she yells at us and I can just see Cathy smirking through the walls.

Dehydrated, I grab some water and gulp it down. But, instead of finishing it like my throat desired, Miss Abby grabbed us all and took us down to the backstage area.

"Hurry up, girls!" she nearly screams. For some reason, she seems to be under a lot of pressure.

"Next up on the Company Dance stage, we have entry 84 in our junior division, 'Trapped'." the EMCEE says and Maddie and I prepare ourselves inside the box.

Trapped inside these four white walls
Waiting for someone to call
Something's gonna have to give
And I don't know when

Seems it's taking far too long
I've been stuck on this same song
I've been standing on the edge
And I'm gonna fall

Promise me
You won't follow me
'Cause I've gone down the wrong road
And I've lost my own way back

We finish the routine, poor Brooke got her hair caught on Maddie's jacket, but they aren't going to show that on the show. What else happened? Well, at one point, my part was to jump onto the box and do a series of la seconde turns and then backflip off. When I backflipped off, I landed it but there was so much pressure on it, I think it had too much tension and I can't tell what's going on. 

-

Awards time! We're all sitting on the stage, with me icing my ankle and the EMCEE is about to do the junior group division.

"In third place for the junior group, 'Trapped', Abby Lee Dance Company." Maddie jumps up and collects the award. I think all of us are dissapointed by the result, because so far, that has been my favorite group dances. The Crabby Apples didn't place, because in the middle of it, one of the dancers ran off stage and they had to adjust the whole routine- on stage. Turns out she broke her ankle, so I'm thanking my lucky stars that wasn't me.

"In our junior duet/trio, third place, 'Money, Money, Money', Abby Lee Dance company." Paige goes and shakes the EMCEE's hand, but not before the two of us exchange dissapointed looks. I really liked our routine, but it wasn't really choreographed to win in the end. The trio wasn't announced, so they didn't place, which I'm pretty sure Miss Abby will be upset about, because she took a chance on Nia.

"And our Petite solo winner, as well as our Spotlight Challenge winner, Miss Maddie with 'Reflections', Abby Lee Dance Company." we all cheer in enthusiasm for my twin, because she totally deserved to win, as well as she was the only routine that did win today.

On our way out, Crabby Cathy tried to come over and give mom a wedding present and celebrate, which of course, mom, being as secretive as she is, completely denied and took us home.

In the end, the only highlight of this week was my twin's solo, and I think that's a pretty good highlight.