Underneath the Spotlight

Chapter 8

After the last duo performed, we were lined up to find out who got into the recital. I was definitely nervous. I didn't care so much about if I got in or not, but moreso that I got in over Courtney. If she got in and I didn't, I would be pissed. Her ego doesn't need that. Miss Andrea first announced the winning trio, which was Bea's. Nobody was at all surprised, especially since Anna's partners didn't take any of the critiques they'd been given. The solos were given to Tara and Bea, who had performed to the same song she used that opening day. This routine was clearly iconic in our teachers' minds. I was happy for both my friends. I didn't care that they didn't choose mine, I knew they wouldn't.

    Then she announced the duets. The first one would be Ramsey and Jordan. This made sense because they were the only pair with a technical ballet dance. It was unique. Next would be Logan and Lucas, which was practically guaranteed. Their tap dance was outstanding. As she began to read the name of the final pair, I held my breath. It was probably going to Tara and Matt, of course, since their dance was incredible.

    "Abigail and Andrew."

    All I did was smile, but my heart was leaping out of my chest and the ground felt further and further from my feet and the room seemed to get so much brighter. I was so proud of us. Right after the announcement, the guys left our studio and we spread out to work on the group dance again. We'd learned all the choreography, but it wasn't close to being ready yet.

    I couldn't figure out how my duet got chosen over Tara's. Tara is a much better dancer than I am, and Matt is better than Andrew. Everyone knows it. Their routine was so haunting and deep that it brought tears to my eyes. I knew that Andrew and I weren't bad, but we weren't as good as Tara and Matt, and our choreography was inferior as well. Neither Tara or Matt seemed too surprised, and they were smiling to us, so I guess that meant it was okay.

    I also couldn't help but look towards Courtney, I had to see her reaction. She wasn't phased at all, and wasn't paying attention to Andrew and I. Instead, she and Bekah were trying to comfort Presley, who couldn't fathom how her trio wasn't chosen. Courtney looked so stunning there with her spandex and sports bra that I couldn't believe we were picked over her. She and Harley are both so perfect, and compared to Andrew and I, it almost didn't seem a fair fight. Yes, our dancing was better, but wouldn't they look better on stage? Who wouldn't want to see them on stage?

    With that, Mr. James took his team of boys to their own studio to rehearse, while we sat down to discuss the costume situation for the recital. I sat down next to Tara and Bea, who both seemed very excited for me. I hugged them both for getting in with their solos, although it wasn't surprising at all.

    "As you all know, during competitions, you are expected to wear the school's leotard. We don't use costumes there because it could distract from your dancing itself. That shouldn't be an issue, you don't need a crutch like that," Miss Claire began, "I trust you all have tried on this summer's leotard, it's the black one with the white stripe across the stomach. If you have any fit difficulties, please tell us as soon as possible. For your hair, we need buns, as always. Use as many bobby pins and as much hairspray as necessary, loose hairs are distracting and take away from your performance. In a competition, points will be deducted, and we don't want that, now do we?" With that, we ran through the group routine once, stopped for corrections, and ran it two more times before heading to lunch.

    After lunch, we returned to the studio to receive the piece of news that would change my life forever, but I didn't know it yet.

    Miss Andrea began, "So now, the biggest project of the final summer is consistent every year. Each of you will pick a member on this team to be your partner for the season. You will be competing at least one duet with this partner, so choose someone you have a similar style to. For example, Anna and Noah, don't screw yourselves over and choose each other. Not only will each pair be dancing together, they will have a series of other projects that will not involve performing. Every year, the partners spend so much time together that they generally become very close. Any questions?"

    There were none, so we began to pick our partners. This is where my life turned into every cliche movie possible. First, Bea and Noah walked over to one wall, which was extremely surprising to me, since they always hated each other. Then, Tara chose Ramsey. I looked across the room to Anna, but she was talking to Logan. And then of course there were Hayden and Carter, and then Presley and Bekah. There was only one person left.

    "Abigail, wanna be partners?"

    And that was how I ended up spending my summer with Courtney O'Quinn.

A/N

Surprised at all? Are you happy for Abigail and Andrew? Why do you think their dance was chosen over Tara and Matt's? And what about Abigail and Courtney's partnership?