--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Happy Birthday, @MadisonGrace18!!!! This one's for you. Hope you like it, especially since I was seriously considering not writing this after you killed off Zoey.
(Btw, I'm a little surprised you didn't think to write something like this yourself, especially since you're such a big fan of Sofia Wylie and her music.)
And again, unlike you Maddie, I'm not a professional dancer like you are, so please cut me some slack and go easy on me if I got a term wrong or something. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Balance. You need to find the balance.
Ever since the loss of her best friend and dance sister, Zoey Campbell, that's all Harper Dunn had been hearing from Coach Lotus at rehearsals. And it was really starting to take a toll on her. After being released from the hospital following her forced poisoning by Griffin, she really didn't have that much time to recover at home since it was time for the Sulphur Springs Competitive Team to begin rehearsals for Nationals next year and since Zoey was now gone, the team just really wasn't the same and Harper was having trouble focusing.
Sighing tiredly, Harper stretched her arms and grabbed her tote bag before she started to walk back to the dressing room with Matt, Heritage, Saylor, River and Emmie. "I hate this." said Harper as soon as they were all out of earshot of Coach Lotus.
"What?" asked Matt quizzically as he raised an eyebrow up in the air.
"Zoey being gone. The team hasn't really been the same without her, and I don't think Coach seems to realize that yet. I've been having trouble just getting out of bed in the mornings lately. I'm always tired, super hungry and just plain exhausted and yet, he really doesn't seem to care." she said in a sleepy voice as she let out a loud yawn.
Saylor shrugged. "Eh, what can we do? We all miss her, Harps, but it's like Coach said: We all need to find the balance. If we wanna have a shot at winning Nationals again next year, we need to stay on the top of our game."
Harper frowned, but realized she had a point. Sighing heavily, she went into the girls' locker room to change before she sat down on one of the chairs in the waiting room before Griffin arrived to pick her up. "Well, I gotta go. See you guys on Monday." she called to her friends/teammates before she walked out to Griffin's car and climbed into the front passenger seat.
It was a Friday night, which meant that she and Griffin were gonna go see Zoey at the cemetery and just check in with her before they would either go back to the Dunn's house or the Tremont and just spend the whole weekend together, which was something they had been doing ever since she was released from the hospital.
With a heavy sigh, Griffin turned to face Harper. "Let me guess? Another rough day today?" he asked gently as he rubbed her shoulder blades with his free hand that wasn't gripping the steering wheel. She nodded wordlessly and leaned over to hug him. They both missed Zoey a lot and even they both knew what they were doing wasn't healthy by any means at all whatsoever, they couldn't seem to stop. They were basically just going on autopilot and not really even living at this point, much to the concern of both their parents.
"Coach said that I need to find the balance between missing Zoey and staying focused as we prepare for Nationals next year, but I just don't know if I can do it. None of us have really had the same fire for dance burning in our souls like we used to, and I just wish there was some way I could fix that." she said in a tired, whiny voice.
Griffin sighed sadly and wished there was some way he could help get Harper out of her funk, but he really wasn't sure how he could do that. He was kinda feeling the same way she was, and unlike having dance to turn to for an escape/coping mechanism following Zoey's passing, he didn't have a healthy way of letting out all of his angers and frustration and had taken up stress eating, driving around town and disappearing for hours at a time and playing way more video games than what he should've been allowed to, which unfortunately meant for him that his grades in school had severely fallen by the wayside.
Squeezing her hand to comfort her, he started up his car again and backed out of the parking lot of Sulphur Springs Dance Studio. "Come on, Lovey. Let's go." he said forlornly as he began to drive down to the cemetery on the edge of town. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The next day, a Saturday, it was almost 12:00pm and Harper was still in her pajamas as she mindlessly scrolled through TikTok on her phone with bags under her eyes when a sudden, sharp knock on her door jolted her out of her thoughts as she sat up and put her phone on her nightstand as Jess walked in with a small, cardboard box in her hands.
"Hey, honey." said Jess sweetly as she sat down on her daughter's bed and brushed a few stray hairs out of her face.
"Oh, hey, Mom. Sorry I was sleeping so long." said Harper apologetically as she stretched and yawned before swinging her legs over the bed so she could sit next to Jess and raised her eyebrow in confusion when she saw the box in her mom's lap. "What's that?" she asked in a curious tone.
Jess smiled and opened up the box, which had several photographs inside. "Some pictures of you and your dad. I figured seeing them might help you feel a little better. After he passed, the only thing you ever did was look at all these pictures." she said as she pulled a photo out of the box and handed it to Harper, who began to cry.
It was a picture of her second birthday. She was sitting in a high chair and her dad was helping her blow out the candles on her cake.
"You were awfully quiet and had become very distant after he left us, but you were able to find a balance between missing him and living your life to the fullest by pulling one picture out of the box and looking at it each day when you woke up in the mornings. I know you miss Zoey, sweetheart, but you need to get back to your life. Feeling sorry for yourself and shutting us out isn't gonna help you feel better. Believe me, I was the exact same way you are right now after your dad passed." said Jess with a faraway look in her eyes as a few small tears fell down her face.
As Harper continued to look at the photo, something stirred within her and she realized Jess was right.
"Mom, you-you're right. What I'm doing to myself isn't healthy. I need to find a balance so I can be my best self, and I now know what I need to do. Thanks for the help!!!" she called to her as she grabbed a clean change of clothes and went to the bathroom to hop in the shower.
"You're welcome?" asked Jess in confusion as she put the photo back in the box before she set it on Harper's nightstand and then left her daughter's bedroom. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Meanwhile, at the Tremont, Griffin had just gotten out of the shower and was combing his hair when he got a text from Harper.
"Hey, Griffin. Good news: I think I was finally able to find the balance Coach Lotus kept asking me to find. Anyways, if you're not busy, could you drive me down to the cemetery so I can talk with Zoey?"
Griffin smiled warmly and quickly finished combing his hair before he shot a reply to her.
"That's good to hear, Lovey. I'll be there in about twenty minutes. See you then."
After getting dressed and looking over his appearance in the mirror, Griffin grabbed his car keys, picked up Harper from her house and drove down to the cemetery. "You sure you can do this on your own?" he asked worriedly as he looked over at her. "I can come with you if you'd like." he offered kindly, only for Harper to raise her hand up in the air to silence him.
"As much as I appreciate the gesture, Griffin, this is something I need to do on my own. Don't worry, I won't be long, though." she said with a calm expression on her face as she got out of the car and walked towards the back of the cemetery, where Zoey had been laid to rest, and put some flowers down in front of her gravestone before she knelt down to talk to her.
"Hey, Zoey. I hope you're doing good up in Heaven. I just wanted to let you know that even though it took me quite a while, I think I finally found the balance that Coach Lotus was asking me to find. I know that my life will never be the same now that you're gone, but I shouldn't have thrown myself a pity party that whole entire time. I should've just continued to live my life to the fullest and kept you in my heart, which is what I'll make sure to be doing from now on. I love you so much, Zozo. Bye." she said quietly as she wiped away a few stray tears and stood back up and walked back to Griffin's car with a content smile on her face. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------On Monday afternoon, Harper walked into Studio C with the rest of the team with a newfound determination as she set her bag down on the floor and then walked up to Coach Lotus. "Good news, Coach. I think I was finally able to find the balance you've been looking for." she said with a confident smile on her face.
Coach Lotus looked up from his clipboard and smiled at her. "That's good to hear, Harper. And I apologize if I seemed to be giving you a hard time lately. I miss Zoey just as much as you guys do, but I've never been the best as showing my emotions." he admitted sheepishly.
Harper chuckled. "It's fine. Now, let's get this show on the road!!!" she exclaimed happily as she rejoined Matt, Heritage, Saylor, and River in the center of the dance floor. Harper closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths in and out as Coach Lotus got his phone out of his pocket before stepping to the back of Studio C. "Okay. Ready? And....begin!!!" he called to the students as he played a song and Harper opened her eyes, a confident smirk on her face.
"I can be sweet (Sweet), then I can be sour (Sour)
I could be dancin' solo, then step back into the crowd
I can go high, then get back down to Earth
Never gonna dim my light or power "
Harper did a few simple pirouettes to start with as she kept in time to the rhythm of the music and stole a quick glance at Coach Lotus, who was watching with a thoughtful smile on his face before she continued to dance.
"I feel, like it, like it, I feel, I feel like it's my time
Not the old me, 2.0 me, know the real me's 'bout to shine "
" On a tightrope, spotlight, gonna make it mine (Make it mine)
I've got the Balance (She got the Balance)
I've got the balance (Oh, oh, She got the Balance, yeah)
I'ma rise up, tip-toes, gonna make it mine (Make it mine)
No doubt about it (No doubt about it)
I've got the balance (She got the Balance) "
"B-A-L-A-N-C-E
I'll show 'em what I mean (Show 'em what I mean)
B-A-L-A-N-C-E
I'll show 'em what I mean (Show 'em, show 'em) "
As the song continued, Harper performed a few Sachets and a Grand Jete and felt proud of herself for being able to get out of her funk and find the balance she had been looking for.
"I can do the most, then go through the motions
I can be this or that, no matter what, it's gonna be explosive
And maybe before, I was only half of me
But now I'm trust in my instincts and I'm lovin' what I see "
Grinning widely, Harper did a series of leaps, jumps and twirls as she retook her position in the center of the studio before doing a combination of a pirouette and a plie, which greatly impressed Coach Lotus.
"I feel, like it, like it, I feel like it's my time
Not the old me, 2.0 me, no, it's all of me combined (Oh, oh) "
"On a tightrope, spotlight, gonna make it mine (Make it mine)
I've got the Balance (She got the Balance, ooh, ooh, yeah)
I've got the Balance (She got the Balance, ooh, ooh)
I'ma rise up, tip toes, gonna make it mine (Make it mine)
No doubt about it (No doubt about it)
I've got the Balance (She got the Balance) "
As the song continued, Harper felt better than she had a long time, and it very clearly showed in her dancing as she did a pique turn into an assemble.
"One foot in front of the other
I'm steppin' out, don't know what I'll discover
Just put one foot in front of the other
I'm steppin' out, don't know what I'll discover
Oh-oh-oh-oh "
With a grand flourish, Harper performed temps lie before doing a Rond de jambe and felt the energy flowing through her as she pictured Zoey smiling up at her from Heaven, which made her feel really good as she did more pirouettes.
"On a tightrope, spotlight, gonna make it mine (Make it)
I've got the Balance (She got the Balance, yeah, yeah, yeah)
I've got the Balance (She got the Balance)
I'ma rise up, tip toes, gonna make it mine (Right now)
No doubt about it (No doubt about it, ooh-ooh)
I've got the Balance (She got the balance, ooh-ooh) "
For her last move of the day, Harper one final pirouette that turned into a tour en l'air and finished dancing with a huge smile on her face, and hoped that she was able to make Zoey proud.
"Wow. Just wow. That was very impressive, Harper. I'm so glad to see that you found the balance I told you to find. I knew you had it in you. Anyways, that's all for today. Great job, everybody." called Coach Lotus with a wide grin on his face as he looked up and down at his clipboard.
Smiling widely, Harper got a drink of water from her water bottle and walked back to the dressing room where she changed back into her clothes before heading back out to the lobby where she sat down in one of the chairs next to Matt, who had soft tears falling down his face.
"Matt, you okay?" she asked worriedly as she put his hand on his shoulder. Matt turned his head to look at her, and smiled softly. "Nothing, Harpie. I just really hope that Zoey was watching your dancing from up in Heaven. I miss her so much, and this team isn't gonna be the same without her." he said in between quiet sniffles.
Harper smiled back at him and took his hands in her own. "I have no doubt in my mind that she was doing just that. I promise, Matt, it'll get better with time. Now, if you'll excuse me, my mom's here to pick me up. See you tomorrow!!!" she called back to him as she left Sulphur Springs Dance Studio and got into Jess' dark gray 2009 Buick Enclave and sat down in the passenger seat, feeling quite proud of herself for doing so well at rehearsals today. And even though Zoey was no longer with them, Harper still felt fairly confident that the team could win Nationals again next year.
And so, that night, she went to bed with a true, content smile on her face for the first time in a long while. She had finally found the balance, and that was enough to make her smile. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Okay, Maddie, since your eyes are probably blurry from crying happy tears, I'll just go ahead and say that as soon as you killed off Zoey, the inspiration for this one-shot hit me like a freight train. So, thanks a ton for the one-shot idea fuel, and I hope you have a wonderful birthday today. 'Til then, Ciao 4 now!!!! Love you 3000, Maddie!!!! <3<3<3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------