"Alright, I received the schedule last night. So, today we're just doing group dances, urban and contemporary. Tomorrow will be the solo's, so that's Elaina, Ryan, Oscar, Sarah for hip hop solo's and Hope, Ezra, Sarah again and Oscar again for contemporary solo's."
Mrs Barlowe confirms as we stand outside the bus. We all did solo's in the qualifiers but only the people she announced made it through to the finals.
"Thursday, the duets; Tess, Mike, Sarah and Zaccai, and Friday the award ceremony. Give it you're all! Make sure all the hard work and hours you put into your practice wasn't in vain."
It sounds like a motivational speech but I'm pretty sure Mrs Barlowe just announced the schedule and told us to win or else everything we did was for nothing. But judging by the way they're cheering, everyone else seems psyched. Whatever works, works I guess.
"Come on Sarah, show a little enthusiasm."
Oscar pleads.
Sigh
"WooHoo... go... whatever our school mascot is..."
I tried.
"SaberTooths"
Hope lets out.
"Oh. Go sabertooths..."
My lack of enthusiasm should have been an indicator that I don't care.
"That's the best you're going to get out of her."
Zaccai joins in laughing.
"I guess some people are just not as committed to the team."
Audrey really is incapable of giving it a freaking rest.
"Okay! How ' bout we just get on the bus."
We all board the bus following Mrs Barlowe's suggestion. I sit by the window again but just before I plug my ears with headphones , I feel something plop down on the seat next to me.
"What do you think you're doing?"
I ask Zaccai.
"Building a snowman, the heck does it look like I'm doing? I'm sitting."
"I don't want you to sit here, go away Dalton."
Zaccai starts sarcastically looking around the seat.
"Oh! That's funny, I could've sworn I had a care to give somewhere... oops! Looks like I'm all out."
"So, you chose death today, huh?"
"Go ahead and kill me cause that's the only way you're getting me off this seat. Over my cold dead rotting body"
The way he tries to mimic me with an annoying high pitch voice irks me. Pretty sure I just felt my eye twitch.
" I don't sound like that."
"I don't sound like that."
"What are you, twelve?"
"What are you twelve?"
This will go on forever and it isn't worth my energy. I don't know why I feel a weird and sudden sense of relief as I turn my head to face out the window and the bus starts to drive out of the building onto the main road.
"Admit it, you're happy I'm here."
I don't say anything, I don't even turn to face him. I just scoff at the idea of me being 'happy' that he's here' with an unintended smirk.
___
"Alright ladies and Gents, we are next. When you get on that stage you give those judges a performance they'll never forget."
Mrs Barlowe hails after suddenly appearing backstage.
"YEAH!"
All 9 yell.
Everyone falls silent and Mrs Barlowe glares at me, waiting for me to say something. I glare back at her and we have a 15 second staring contest before I cave.
"Fine. Yeeeaah..."
"Come on Sarah, aren't you excited?"
"Yeah Hope, I am... on the inside. Trust me, it's just cartwheels and other things people do when they're excited in my head right now."
Hope starts to laugh but Audrey shoots her a disapproving glare which shuts her mouth. The music from the ongoing performance stops and the crowd roar's loud enough to be heard from here. The MC voice replaces the music and confirms the end of the performance.
"That was a lovely and lively performance by Amton High's Ice Breakers, right?"
He starts, causing the crown to roar once more.
"That'll be hard to top. But, I have a feeling the school up next is definitely up for the challenge. Please welcome, the kings and queens of highschool dance, the smoothest criminals around, the biggest cats in our dance jungle! The all star competition's reigning champs; BrightView High's Royalty dance crew!!"
Yes... that really is the name of our dance crew.
The crowd's cheers are even more deafening than before. Our school is pretty famous in the dance scene, all thanks to Mrs Barlowe. We've won overall best crew five years in a row, and last year, we placed first in every category we participated in.
Immediately the stage lights go out, we run up onto the stage and stand in the zigzag formation we rehearsed; the guys in the front and girls in the back. Once the crowd's cheers die out, leaving the room dead silent, the music starts and individual spotlights shine on the five boys in front as they breakdance in unison to the first half verse of teeth by 5SOS. Our cue to start is when they remain in a gentleman's 'may i have this dance' pause facing their right. We catwalk to the beat of the second half verse and fill the spaces between the guys in complete sync, taking each of us exactly eight steps to stand to by our individual partners, then we do more of a contemporary dance to the rest of the verse. We cue the guys back into the dance by taking their hands and we all enter ballroom duet dance stances in slow motion during the pre chorus before drastically increasing the tempo of our dance to match the tempo of the chorus by falling back quickly and dramatically, trusting the guys to catch us by our arms, pull us back up then twirl us into a back hug. We {the girls} break from it by spreading out our arms and taking a step forward then we all {girls and boys} do a collapse move before quickly rising with the song {like air dancers}. The guys stay still after and the girls turn to face them on the high note. The rest of the dance is similar but more chaotic. We practiced the moves so fiercely they became second nature and our synchronization perfect. You'd think were edited clones of the same two people, considering all the girls have the same red bucket hats white shirts and read pants and the boys have the same white caps red shirts and white pants; we're also all wearing black Nikes.
___
After 6 minutes of dancing, we finally get into formation for the last dance; A single horizontal line at the front of the stage, as we wait for the final song to play in the mix. The crowd's cheers have been loud and piercing, but now they've fallen silent once again as we stand absolutely still waiting for the next song to start but the cheer sounded once more as soon as the intro to Light it up by Major Lazer began to play. Our moves are simple but require a certain level of fluidity to make them look cool which is hard to achieve but easy once mastered. Like the rest of the dance, the movements are second nature to us. Tess Ryan and Eliana exit from the right with Zac, Hope and Ezra exit from the right during the chorus leaving Mike, Audrey, Oscar and I to do what Mrs Barlowe likes to call the 'mic drop finish'. We dance Fuse ODGs part until the countdown, which is when we get into formation; Mike and Oscar backflip closer to the exit and Audrey and I prepare ourselves for the next part. I can feel fear start to creep in as I think of all the ways this could go wrong but instead of letting it take over, I fuse myself with the music, breathe in deeply with my eyes closed and open slowly as I exhale calmly. The song stops cuing Audrey and I in. We simultaneously perform a roundoff and smoothly transition into cartwheels before performing synchronized aerial cartwheels and finally allowing Oscar to catch me and Mike to catch Audrey both in catch lift for a second before they turn and set us down just as the beat of the second chorus drops sending the crowd into chaos. The four all exit nonchalantly; Oscar and I from the left exit, Mike and Audrey from the right.
"That was perfect!"
Mrs Barlowe starts as soon as we regroup backstage.
"You four stuck that landing like superglue!"
We all frown at Mrs Barlowe in confusion.
"What does that even mean?"
Hope voices on all of our behalves
"You know... coz... glue sticks... and they stuck the... Oh nevermind."
We all laugh at Mrs Barlowe sad attempt at making up slung before being suddenly interrupted by the MC's announcement
"OH MY GOODNESS! The Royalty Dance crew has done it once again!!!"
He starts, feeding the crowds excitement.
"They came up on this stage and absolutely dominated! They really are the true and rightful heirs of their dance throne. Let's find out if there are any challengers worthy of taking that title from the out Champions. What do y'all think?"
There are mixed responses from the crowd but the majority are for us continuing as the reigning champs. Not going to lie, I feel all squishy inside.
We decide to head back to the hotel immediately after our performance so that the solo dancers can get some practice in then rest.
___
My heart races as I stand before the crowd, alone, in the center of the giant black stage, the spotlight highlighting all my movement. The seconds seem to take longer and longer to pass as I wait for the crowd to quiet down and the soft intro of the song to sound. As I breathe in, the words i received before coming up on stage echo in my mind.
...Alverez...
You got this!
Stalker...
Too bad Mrs Barlowe didn't allow us to come and cheer you guys on. I even bought a foam finger and an 'i love you Sarah' t-shirt and everything. But i'll be cheering you on from the livestream chat.
Stalker.
*Attachment*
In case you don't believe me.
I actually did think he was joking but I should be used to the fact that Dalton really is a crazy person. Even the words Oscar said to me before I got on stage come to mind.
"I know we've never really spoken. Honestly it's because I found you really intimidating. But I just wanted to say I admire you as a dancer. I always have. I can't wait to see you kill it out there. And, even though you don't show it, I know you love dance just as much as the rest of us, so I know you'll give it your all. Those judges don't stand a chance.
I feel a smile form across my face as I slowly open my eyes while exhaling. The crowd is now silent. The soft piano sounds from the song I chose to dance initiated my transfer from the stage into my own little private world where dance is the only form of communication. My body, almost completely on its own, starts to move with the flow of the music to guide it. Isak Danielson's words open the gateway to all the memories i associate with the song, the ones i keep locked away about Dez; From the beginning of our relationship to the end and even after. Now that I know what happened, I don't know if it's fair to still be mad at him, but I don't know that I want to be with him either. It's obvious I still care for him but, it'll never be like before. The song ends and the distant cheers slowly become louder as I'm teleported back to the stage and back to reality. I remain in the fetal position where the choreography ended and wait for the spotlight to go off so I can exit the stage.
"That was beautiful Sarah!"
Mrs Barlowe compliments through her tears.
"Uhm than-"
Before I can finish, I feel the weight of six people hugging me.
"Uhm... guys... what are you doing?"
"Hugging you... duh."
Ryan, who's voice I'm pretty sure I've never heard, quivers.
"Why?"
"Because that dance was so... so... heartwarming but at the same time heartbreaking. How'd you even manage that?"
Ezra, another voice I'm pretty sure I've never heard, joins in.
I don't really even remember dancing to be honest. It was all just muscle memory.
___
We arrive back at the hotel at around ten pm because all our dances were placed in the last set. We're welcomed back by Audrey, Tess and Mike's smiling faces that are hiding their bitterness and Zaccai clueless self standing beside them.
"Oh my gosh, you guys were great!"
Tess starts.
"Yeah, no wonder you guys made it to the finals."
I don't think I've ever heard a more threatening compliment before.
"Sarah! You chose to do that song!"
Dalton announces while pulling me into an unwanted hug.
"Get off me weirdo."
I demand with a limp body too tired to push him away.
"Come on Zac, it's not fair to only give one dancer a compliment."
Audrey points out in a more threatening tone than her compliment.
"I haven't even complimented her yet."
Dalton argues while switching from a full hug to a side hug allowing me to flick his hand off and start walking away.
"Wow Sarah. Zac is always so nice to you but you treat him like trash. How he can stand you, I don't know. Maybe he's just that nice, but it reaches a point where toxic people have to be called out."
I turn to face with a black expression and sigh.
"I'm not forcing him to be nice to me. In fact, I've told him to leave me alone on multiple occasions. If anyone's toxic it's him."
"Now you're gaslighting?! Unbelievable."
"But she's right..."
Dalton interviens.
"No she isn't. You're not toxic so don't let her make you believe that."
Why does her concern sound scarier that her compli-threats
"I may not be toxic but neither is she. I chose to hang out with Sarah despite how mean she is because she's fun too. Not everyone is secure enough to handle her personality and that's fine, but don't make her seem like the bad guy for being someone you can't be around."
Ooooooh, oh no he didn't.
I cover my mouth before I let out a loud obnoxious laugh after seeing Audrey's eyes widen so much.
"Now that was mean..."
I let out because I simply had to.
"She's fake! And you're falling for her act! Why can't you see that."
Audrey whines.
"Yeah dude, I know she has a pretty face but that doesn't make it alright for her to treat people how she likes."
Mike adds
I stop Dalton before he can speak again because they have laid a perfect trap for themselves and I am itching to trigger it.
"So I'm fake?"
I ask calmly with a smirk.
"Yes! It's so obvious."
"So, I'm not arrogant, mean, a hater, a bully or any of the other negative verbs you use to describe me?"
She bites her lip in frustration once the realisation that she's stuck in a web she weaved settles.
"Are you going to let her bully us like this Mrs Barlowe?"
Tess tries to rescue, but...
"Bully? First of all, you guys started it and second, all she's done is ask a simple question. You not being able to answer it or rather you not wanting to answer it doesn't make her a bully. Otherwise all my math teachers would've been fired for being the worst, most persistent bullies."
"UGH!"
Audrey heaves before starting to storm off, Tess right on her tail like a good little lap dog.
"You guys shouldn't come back crawling to us once you realize the horrible person she really is..."
Mike warns before following Audrey and Tess. Audrey stops in her tracks and turns to face Hope in anticipation.
"Hope! Let's Go!"
She demands. The confliction Hope feels is evident but she hesitantly responds
"Nah... I'm going to hang here for a while."
Oof... and the blows to her ego keep coming.
"You're all going to regret siding with her!"
And with that, The Aud-Squad was gone... Hmm... maybe i should explore rapping
A feeling of warmth fills my chest as I watch my crewmates all laugh at the dramatic nature of our beloved team captain. It feels like I've gotten something I had no idea i wanted. For the first time ever, the majority are on my side. I can't help feeling like somehow, it's all thanks to Dalton and his oddself. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, probably Mom, Dad or Ace calling. Either way, I know I'll talk to all three of them.
Incoming call
...Alverez...
"Is that Ace?!"
Dalton asks, sounding excited.
"Who's Ace?"
Elaina, yet another voice I am hearing for the first time, asks.
"Sarah's brother."
Mrs Barlowe, who did, infact, also teach Ace dance in middle school, answers.
"No, it's not Ace but I do have to take it."
I say as I walk away.
"Who is it?"
Dalton presses but I answer the call to avoid telling him.
"Hello"
I say as I quickly walk away to avoid further questions.
"Hey..."
Is he... crying?
"You good bro?"
I ask with the little comfort skill I have.
"I'm sorry.... I'm so sorry Bev..."
And just like that I can no longer speak, my body is frozen and my brain is black but in chaos at the same time. Just because of one measly nickname.
"I was watching you dance and all I could think about was us. How we started and how it ended. How badly i messed things up and how stupid I was for trusting Erica and her lies. Nothing can ever make up for what I did to you, I know that. All i can do is apologize for the rest of my life-"
"-okay... hold on. Just breathe, okay?"
I wait to hear him take a deep breath before continuing.
"Listen.... What happened happened to both of us. Yes I was hurt but you were drugged and basically assaulted. But... Even so..."
I turn to face the group who are just talking about the competition, specifically Zaccai, as I think about what I want to say next.
"...Things aren't the same anymore."
I finish
"I know..."
He starts after a brief pause.
"...But they don't have to be the same. I don't want them to be."
"What do you mean?"
"It's true, we were happy back then, but we'd never really been through anything. Our relationship was smooth as a pebble so it wasn't clear if we really did care about each other or if we were in it because it was easy. Now, now we'll know. Despite everything that has happened, despite knowing how hard it'll be, I still want to be with you. I want to put in that extra effort for you. I want to grow because of you. I don't want what we had, I want something new. It's selfish of me to expect you to feel the same way... but... Bev I lo-"
"-Eli... Please... don't say it. If you say it, you can't take it back"
I whisper more to myself but loud enough for him to hear. He chuckles and there's warm silence before he speaks again.
"I know I can't take it back. I don't want to, never have I ever wanted to take back those words. Bev... I love you"
For goodness sake... why me?
*to be continued....*