The Rookies

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I have a few more chapters to post, I warned you it is slow burn hahaha

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The day after filming the No Respect Dancer battles, the girls learned they would be assigned a new mission, consisting in a competition within each range of the dancers' skills. Kirsten was in the leaders' class, Latrice was in the sub-leaders' class, Ling and Audrey competed in the middle class, and Amaia found herself in the rookie class.

As they prepared to part ways from their locker room, Kirsten and Latrice gave some final words of encouragement to Amaia: "Don't forget to really own that space out there and try to find the balance between a choreo that's unique and one that's still replicable for the others to dance on!" They were spot-on, as Amaia had been feeling a bit jittery about the choreographing part, which was not her strong suit. She was determined to give it her all, but she knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park.

When she arrived at the rehearsing room with the rest of the rookies, Amaia scanned the faces of unfamiliar dancers. A girl with long blonde hair flashed a warm smile at her, so she decided to sit next to her. "I'm Tatter, nice to meet you," she said, sporting the blue color that was typical of BEBE team.

"I'm Amaia, nice to meet you," she replied, her nerves easing slightly.

"I loved your battle yesterday!" Tatter exclaimed.

Amaia blushed, genuinely touched. "That's so sweet, thank you so much."

The girls took turns showing their dance combos. Amaia cheered quietly for Tatter when it was her turn and didn't hold back in praising the highlights of Tatter's routine. She had been surprised by the straightforwardness of the girls in their feedback, who sometimes sounded even a bit mean. The overall energy of the class was still positive though, and she could tell they were all a bit nervous about this assignment and the responsibilities it entailed.

Amaia tried not to dwell on the harsh remarks made by the others too much, but her nerves flared up when it was her turn to perform. She was content with the choreo she had put together, but in the final moments, she stumbled over some steps, mixing up the different endings she had planned. She attempted to brush it off, but her mistakes hadn't gone unnoticed by the others. She knew then that her choreo probably didn't stand a chance. Tatter placed a reassuring hand on her back as she returned to her seat. "Don't worry, it was great. I really liked it."

Touched by Tatter's kindness, Amaia's smiled a bit. Tatter added "We all make mistakes, and it wasn't that noticeable, I swear. And you'll have more chances to prove yourself during filming, no matter which choreo gets selected!". Amaia was genuinely grateful for Tatter's support. She really was a sweetheart.

When it came to picking the choreography, the girls took a vote, and Amaia raised her hand for both Tatter's and Rena's choreos. Rena's was a bit more challenging, so she felt it would be a greater accomplishment to dance to it. However, the group surprised everyone by selecting Capri's combo, even though Capri had made even more mistakes than Amaia and had to restart the choreo. They agreed to meet up later for the first rehearsal and left the studio.

Feeling a little defeated, Amaia made her way back to the common room to her team. But before she left, Tatter wished her good luck and thanked her for the support she had shown for her piece. Though her choreo hadn't been chosen, Amaia felt like she had gained an ally in this competition who wasn't on her team, and hey, a win is a win.

Kirsten immediately took note of Amaia sad expression as she entered the room. As she explained what happened, Kirsten was quick to reassure the girl "Amaia it's fine! You challenged yourself, it was one of the first time you were confronted to such an exercise with such little time to prepare yourself." Amaia sighed, acknowledging her point yet not satisfied with herself. "I should have trained a bit more. I'll take extra time now to kind of prepare myself to any kind of extra scenarios". Latrice jumped it "Girl, the very essence of competing is that you can't anticipate everything. The best thing you can do is trust yourself, have no regret, and give the final performance your 200%". The conversation then shifted to happier news. Latrice's choreo had been chosen, everyone cheering proudly for her. Kirsten seemed happy with Bada's choreo being chosen, as she saw it as an opportunity to challenge her for the role of main dancer in her class.

As the day wore on, the girls found themselves creating content for their team's TikTok, determined to boost their audience. They decided to film a series of "Who Is More Likely To" questions, going through questions like, "Who is more likely to eat all the snacks backstage?" and "Who is more likely to get arrested?". All the girls were laughing, but when the question "Who is more likely to have a crush in 30 seconds?" came up, and every girl pointed at Amaia, she blushed furiously and regretted suggesting filming the video in the first place. Audrey grabbed her in a hug, hiding her face "Awww our poor baby's embarrassed about"– "SHUSSSSSSHHH" Amaia whispered-yell, wiping away fake tears," my ego will never recover". Everyone bursted out laughing, and Kirsten concluded the video "the hardest question is who is the biggest dramaqueen between those two". They posted the video without a second thought, happy with themselves, and head to their bedtime routines needing a good night of rest.


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Meanwhile, in Team BEBE, Bada had called for a late-night meeting to "analyze the competition's marketing." Ever the strategist, she couldn't resist the opportunity to do some competitive recognition. Tatter, though proud of Bada's professionalism and dedication to their team's success, couldn't help but wonder if brainstorming TikTok ideas at 11 pm was the most effective strategy. Judging by Kyma and Lusher's faces, she was not the only one questionning what their were doing. Nevertheless, she cherished the camaraderie of her teammates and appreciated their shared dedication.

The girls huddled around their screens, scrolling through the social media content of the rival teams. Eventually, they stumbled upon a video that was just posted by Jam Republic. The video featured the girls having a blast with their "Who Is More Likely To" questions, including a moment when Amaia blushed furiously, after being designated as the one who crushed easily, and everyone erupted in laughter, while Kirsten playfully concluding the video.

Bada was watching the video amused. Their team looked like they had a close bond, and she would have to do similar content to showcase BEBE's own closeness. She had not like the comments on how her team only relied on her fame, and that the members were more Bada's students than actual talented individuals. She knew proving them wrong would be an upcoming challenge. Back in the present, a faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she observed Amaia's endearing reaction to being the center of attention. She had not had the time yesterday to congratulate her on her battle, and everyone today swiftly left for their respective mission gathering. Tatter interrupted her thoughts: "I met Amaia's today during our Rookie's class and she is super nice! She encouraged me and voted for my choreo". Bada's smiled seeing Tatter so happy and sheepish, Amaia must be a good person, she thought, if Tatter spoke so highly of her. 

Yeah, she definitely had to meet the girl. 

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