DANCING THROUGH LIFE, dance moms

Chapter 5: New Teammates

Monday, I ran into the studio with Paige as our mothers trailed behind us, chatting about something completely unrelated to the dance studio or Abby Lee Miller.

I was glad - dance seemed to have taken over most of my life recently, so it was refreshing to hear someone talk about something that wasn't that. We walked into the studio, and everything seemed normal - kids running around, teenagers comparing dancewear, moms passive-aggressively talking to each other. It was all as it should be, except one thing - no Brooke.

Brooke tried out for cheerleading last week during competition, and I'd seen her once since then - yesterday, when I went to their house to hang out with Paige. I asked her if she'd ever come back to dance, and since there were no cameras around, she could actually give us an honest answer.

"Probably. I mean, I'm not as good at it as I was at dance, and it's not as fun. But the coach doesn't yell as much as Abby, so that's a plus."

I really did wonder how long the producers would make her keep up this whole cheerleading charade. I hoped not for very long - she was like a big sister to me, and I didn't want to like, not see her every day.

The girls and I (minus Brooke) walked into the studio, ready for pyramid. I pulled at my hot pink crop top, then put my hands by my sides.

"Okay, girls. Starbound. We were adequate, at most." Abby said, crossing her arms.

I furrowed my brow. If we were adequate, then how'd we get first place? I wondered.

"Our solos were great, but the group routine? Not so much," Abby said. "Girls, when you go to competitions now, people know who you are. They're out for blood. I need you to be as hungry for the win as the people who go to competitions solely to beat you. Got that?"

I nodded along with everyone else.

"Alright. Let's get to the pyramid," she paused, leveling her hand over the picture on the bottom. "I'm not even gonna talk about this one."

I knew it was Brooke. Everyone in the room knew it was Brooke. Kelly's mouth dropped open. She was about to say something, but Christi grabbed her arm, shaking her head.

"Kendall," Miss Abby said, removing the next piece of paper. "You're a beautiful little girl. But when it comes to showing emotion with that beautiful face, it's just not up to par with the rest of the girls."

"Next we have...Paige," Miss Abby said. "Paige, it's the feet. It's the arms. It's the posture. If you can't get those basic things down, how are you ever gonna become a better dancer?"

"Next is...Nia. You danced well. But...maybe dancing "well" isn't good enough anymore. You need to get better with every performance you do." Abby said. Nia nodded.

"And rounding out the bottom of the pyramid, we have..." Abby paused for dramatic effect. "Maddie."

I could almost hear the big bong! they would play when this moment aired on TV. I could tell this was the lowest Maddie had ever been on the pyramid.

"Maddie, you're amazing. You danced great. You looked like a professional. Wanna know why you're down here?" Abby asked.

Maddie stayed silent. She was taking this really hard.

"Well, it's partially because you got third place, when you are not a third place dancer. It's also because you're not pushing yourself. You've become one of the top dancers at this studio, and I can't have you resting on your laurels."