"Up next, we have entry two seventy-six, Brynn with Breathe."
I watched Brynn calmly walk onstage and lay down into her starting pose.
{watch video}
Brynn was astounding. Everything she did was perfect, I'm not joking.
"Oh my gosh, Brynn, you were amazing!" I gushed to her as she exited the stage.
Hugging me, she said, "Thanks, I think yours was better though."
"Stop being so modest," I replied as we pulled away from eachother. Brynn blushed, but didn't say anymore.
"Good job, girls!" Kalani congratulated. She must have been sitting in the audience to watch us, because she's still wearing her solo costume, but I didn't see her backstage at all.
"Thanks, Kalani," Brynn answered.
"Yeah, thanks," I responded.
"I guess I'll see you later, probably at awards," Brynn told me.
"Yeah," I sighed. Heading back to the dressing room, I purchased a bottle of Mountain Dew from one of the consession stands.
As I approached the dressing room, the doors burst open. I jumped back, almost being hit.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Kenzie apathetically apologized.
Rolling my eyes, I opened the doors and walked into the dressing room. "Great job, Maddie!" Jill exclaimed.
"Oh, thanks," I blushed.
"You were awesome, you're gonna win for sure," Holly remarked.
"Thanks," I responded. Apparently, my mom was watching dances, so I didn't get to talk to her, not that she would say anything good about my dance.
I headed over to my costume bag and changed out of Chloe's costume and threw on some leggings, a sky blue Lululemon sports bra, and my Abby Lee jacket.
Hurrying to the stage, I searched for my mom in the audience. I finally spotted her sitting in off to the side in one of the middle rows. As I approached her, I greeted, "Hey, mom."
"Hi, honey. You looked great onstage!"
Woah, is that really my mom? She sounds like a total stranger.
"What's wrong? Do you not like me acting normal or something?" she confusedly questioned.
"No, it's just that, well, I don't know how to say this lightly. Um, well, I guess you've never really acted nice towards me, it was always Kenzie you were kind to, never me," I spat out.
"Yes, I finally realized that while you were onstage. I watched you dance and I thought about how I've been treating you compared to how I treat Mackenzie. It's not fair, so I decided that I'm going to try to spend more time with you, be nicer to you, and get to know you more, because I should know things that you like considering that you're my daughter."
Hugging my mom, I confessed, "I love you, Mom."
"I love you too," she answered. "Now get onstage! Awards start in three dances!" Mom explained, checking her program.
While I walked backstage, I thought about the differences in my mom. From now on, things are going to be different and maybe even a little weird between my mom and I, but things are definitely going to be better.
Backstage, I waited for the last three dances to be over with the rest of the Abby Lee Dance Company. After the dances finished, the announcer rolled out a red carpet in the middle of the stage, starring from the table golding all the trophies, and meeting another red carpet rolling the other way across the stage.
Once they finished setting up the stage, everyone chased eachother onstage. All of the ALDC sat in our normal spot up in the front.
"Okay, dancers, are you ready?"
"Yeah!" everyone around us shouted. The rest of the girls and I joined, but just a tad bit late.
"First off, entry one, The Rose received a high gold!"
The rest of the awards were solw, because we weren't here early in the morning, which mean we didn't have any awards yet.
Finally, about a hundred dances later, the announcer called, "Entry number one forty-two, Frozen Together achieved a high gold!" I watched as Kalani stood up was handed the bag of pins by a lady standing further back than the announcer.
A high gold wasn't the best we could've done, but it's definitely not the worst, either.
About another hundred dances later, the announcer said, "Number two sixty-five, Out of My Mind received a platinum!"
"Great job, Kenzie!" I shout/whispered to her as she stood up to receive her award. Mackenzie doesn't always get platinums, so this is really good for her.
"Entry two seventy-two, Swan Solstice earned a platinum!" I'm not surprised, Kalani always hers platinums. Even though she always gets platinums, I'm still happy for her. Now I'm really hoping I can get a platinum because both Mackenzie's and Kalani's solos got platinums.
Finally, two dances later, my solo gets announced, "Entry number two seventy-four, Happiness achieved a platinum!"
Beaming with delight, I skip over to the lady handing out the awards and she gives me a pin that has the Nuvo logo on it, with "Platinum" underneath it. "Thank you," I tank the lady when I receive my pin.
As I sat down, I hear Brynn's award get announced, "Number two seventy-six, Breathe receives a platinum!" I clapped and cheered for Brynn. I knew she had to get a platinum, her solo was one of the best dances I've ever seen.
Eventually, they start calling out our overall placements. "Fourth place goes to entry number one forty-two, Frozen Together from Abby Lee Dance Company!"
Kalani hopped onto her feet to receive the plaque and pins. The announcer points her over to where she should stand on yhe red carpet in the front. I giggled because she almost sat down.
In the junior category, Kenzie won first place. "Good job, Kenzie!" I shouted as she took her trophie.
Everyone in her age group bowed and took a seat while the announcer started my age group overall placements.
Tenth, ninth, eighth, seventh, sixth, fifth, fourth, third.
If I don't get second or first, I didn't place at all, which would make Miss Abby pretty mad.
"Second place," the announcer started, "goes to entry number two seventy-four, Happiness!"
I shrieked and ran up to the red carpet. The announcer handed me my trophie and pin that said "Finalist" on it. I beamed at the judges and the rest of the audience.
"And your junior first place winner goes to," the announcer started ands he looked down at his paper, "Entry two seventy-six, Breathe!"
I applauded Brynn. I just knew she would win. Now, it doesn't make me feel bad that I didn't win, because my friend won it.
"What's your name?" the announcer asked Brynn.
"Brynn," she replied.
"What studio do you dance at?"
"Club Dance!"
"And finally, who choreographed your solo?"
"Alexa Moffett," Brynn answered.
"Let's give it up for Brynn!" the announcer yelled as the audience cheered.
"Thank you, dancers. Please take a bow and head back to your seats."
∞
"Good job, Maddie!" my mom exclaimed as I waved into the dressing room.
"Thanks, Mom."
Miss Abby burst into the door, "Congratulations, Maddie, Kenzie, and Kalani! You all placed very well. As for the group dance, that didn't go so well."
Minding my own business, I kept on packing up my things. Suddenly, my phone turned on. I looked over to see that I got a snap from Brynn. I unlocked my phone, opened Snapchat, and looked at what it read:
Brynn: good job maddie!
Maddie: thanks! you too❤
Brynn: thanks
Maddie: so did you just enter your dance in the comp? or did your studio enter it?
Maddie: just wondering
Brynn: my studio owner entered it all the way up here cuz we told her that we would be up here
Maddie: that's cool!
Brynn: yup
Maddie: it was fun to do a solo this week
Brynn: I have to go, congrats again!
Maddie: take to you later
Brynn: bye
Maddie: bye
I locked my phone, shoved it in my Abby Lee jacket pocket and grabbed my costume bag. I met my mom by the door who was waiting for me with Kenzie.
"Are you okay?" Mom asked. "You took a while to get just one costume ready."
"Yup, I'm okay," I assured my mom. Truthfully, I am okay. I'm not depressed anymore, and I'm happy for my mom, because eshe finally realized what her actions can do to people. Usually, when I say "I'm okay" to someone, I'm lying, but I think that from now on, I'll be telling the truth, because I am beyond okay.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Two updates in one day! Yay! Oh, and the story's over! I think this was the longest chapter yet. No, I don't think, I know. Geez, I have a headache right now cuz I just wrote those two chapters. Oh yeah! And I made a new cover:)
I might start a new story, so please comment ideas below. Ilyasm!❤
xoxo,
dancer634♡