Cluttered {Watty Awards 2016}

Three

Three

Emily skips happily beside me, wearing her favorite outfit—a pink shirt featuring glittering ballerina slippers, a matching tutu, and silver ballet flats. Today her hair is up in a high ponytail. It swishes as she skips like we're off to see the wizard. I feel slightly under dressed in my dark jeans and faded Dr. Pepper T-shirt.

"Emily, wait!" I suddenly call as I notice one of my neon green shoelaces has come untied.

She stops, glancing back at me as I kneel to redo my laces on my black converse. I finish and stand just as her foot begins to tap impatiently. Then she smiles and continues skipping a few inches ahead on the sidewalk. The performing center is just ahead. After I hand over our tickets, Emily and I make our way inside the darkened auditorium to find good seats. Luckily the front row still has plenty of empty seats and we take the ones in the middle. Emily squirms in her seat with excitement, her head turning this way and that to take everything in. I'm glad that Rory could spend the day with Holden, otherwise he would be here grumbling the entire time.

About ten minutes later, Abs and Mai's older sister, Lea, join us. Lea is a senior and basically looks just like an older version of Mai with chin-length hair. She shoots Emily and I a friendly smile as she sits down.

"Hey, great seats," Abs says, making herself comfortable on my other side. She looks around me and waves. "Hey Ems. What's up?"

Emily just smiles back, her white teeth shining in the dim light.

Abs opens her mouth again but before she can say anything, the red velvet curtain on the stage opens. Blue lights shine down as a line of beautiful dancers in glittering ballet costumes make their way gracefully across the stage. Abs leans back in her seat as the show begins.

Mai is right in the center. She flashes us a quick smile before she begins to move with the others, her long, lean body stretching with the movements. Her shiny black hair is up in its usual bun, held in place by the silver hair sticks that Mai has been wearing since seventh grade. She moves as if she is water. When I glance over at my little sister, she is transfixed on Mai and the rest of the dancers, her mouth slightly open.

After the performance, my quiet little sister suddenly cannot shut up. She keeps chirping nonstop about how great the performance was even by the time we make it outside. She's still going on when Mai joins us in her street clothes—a worn gray tank top with the words LET'S DANCE! on the front in glittery rainbow colors, a short black skirt, thin gray leggings, and white ballet flats.

"Did you like?" Mai asks, smiling down at Emily.

Emily beams up at her, eagerly nodding. "Yes! Yes! You're the best dancer ever!"

Mai's smile widens as she looks up at me. I smile back, feeling very grateful that Mai had invited us to this performance. It has been a while since Emily has been this excited. It's nice to see her looking so energetic and alive after her episode, which still lurks in the corners of my brain.

"Thanks. I love your outfit," Mai tells Emily.

I'm not sure it's possible for Emily's smile to get any bigger, but somehow it does. Emily is going to have quite the ego today. Hopefully it will make up for all the times that Emily gets depressed over the knowledge that she will probably never become a dancer herself.

"How about we get some ice cream? It's on me," Lea announces.

"I need all the calories I can get," Mai says with a laugh.