It's Complicated

Week One

After landing the gig for Dancing with The Stars, it finally became official when the whole cast list was released. Her partner was Valentin Chmerkovskiy, 2-time DWTS Champion. She was so ready to become a champion herself.

The nerves where starting to hit her when the time came for the first practice. Mani sat in her hotel room texting the girl. They were giving her last minute advice, telling her it was all going to be okay and that there was nothing to worry about.

When she arrive to the studio, Val was already there and he looked just as excited to see her as she was the see him. They exchanged a hug and introduced themselves.

"I'm Normani Kordei from Fifth Harmony. But I'm sure you already had all that information given to you." She said.

"I was, but hey it's always good to re illiterate. I'm Val Chmerkovskiy as you probably already know that." He replied.

The two chatted about themselves, trying to break the ice. But also just trying to get to know each other more, getting a feel for each others' personalities.

"So the dance we are going to be doing is a Quickstep to 'Good Life Good Fun' by Erin Bowman.' It's very upbeat and fun. But there's a lot of work with your feet. That's what the judges will look at the most but also how well you execute each move." He informed her.

"I'm up for a challenge, that's why I'm here. So should be get started?" She replied, standing up.

The rehearsal went better than she expected. He taught her basic Quickstep moves then worked his way up to things that would be in the routine. She felt as if there was an instant click, a bond between them. It was going to be a fun journey.

****

Over the course of the week it was straight to business. It was the first week and they needed to make their statement across. They were prepared to fight and she was wasn't going down without one. But Normani also was just going with the flow and trying to enjoy the ride.

****

The time finally came. It was Week 1's show night. All the time and effort came down to this and they were up first.

Normani was trying to keep her nerves hidden but she ended up showing them as she paced back and forth while their package was playing.

Val grabbed her arm, "Hey, you're fine. Clam down. Do it just like we rehearsed. If you get scared look at me." He said in a hushed tone.

Mani nodded and smiled, feeling herself relax but not the whole way, "Thank you. I needed that."

Next thing she knew, their package was over and it was time for the dance. She went through it like they were in the studio. Normani wasn't paying attention to who was watching her. She listen to the music and went to a whole new world. When she occasionally got scared, she looked at Val and it made it better.

The two scored a 27/40. It wasn't too bad. Normani did want to make a statement but she wasn't going to be perfect in the first week. It all came with time.

Mani went on watching all the other couples perform. When it was over, they did the after show press which involved taking pictures, doing interviews. But the night was cut short because she had to catch her flight to Japan. The girls were already there.

She went and changed, collecting her suitcase and carry on that she brought with her. Val was on a separate flight. Mani had said her goodbye before leaving and it was off the the airport.

Normani got the airport just in time for her flight. She went through security and boarded the plane. Mani hurried to her seat and prepared for take off. Right before take off she received a text from Val reading,

"So proud of you. I hope you're not disappointed. It's week 1 and you made a big statement, trust me. You will get to perfection. I promise. Great work tonight, see you in Japan."

It was little things on encouragement and making other people proud that made her love what she does and keep doing it even if the days get hard.

She replied, "It's all because of you, you're a great teacher. I can't thank you enough. See you in Japan. xo"

She was so ready for what the weeks to come would bring her. Mani shut her phone off and drifted to sleep as the plane took off.

•••••••••••••••

[ Hey guys, I'm new to this. I hope I can bring you enjoyment while reading my story. If you hav any suggestions leave them in the comments. I'll try to get Week Two up tomorrow!! xo ]