FLORENITY
The morning the auditions started, I was up super early and had almost all my classwork done from the last week that I didn't finisish and spent most of the morning dancing around my room to early All Time Low songs.
When it was about an hour before the auditions started, I took a quick shower and brushed my hair and teeth, braid a couple of pieces that usually fell in front of my ear before pulling all of it back into a loose ponytail.
I changed into dancewear
and put a pair of Addiads shorts and a Sleeping With Sirens shirt on over them before pulling on a pair of socks and grabbing everything I might need.
I took my pills and rushed downstairs for breakfast, being greeted by both Danielle and Vic who had waffles and a fruit smoothie ready for me.
"Morning speedy Gonzales"
I laughed a little at his joke before sitting down to eat while fidgeting slightly with my phone. I kept messing with the corners of the silicone case and started to zone out, my mind drifining and focusing on the hundreds of ways I could probably mess up today.
I felt a hand on my back and only half brought myself back, hearing somebody ask if I was okay, though I wasn't sure who.
I slowly nodded before I turned back to the food on my plate.
♠
Danielle pushed open the door and we were greeted by a lobby, a woman with dark hair, a horde of kids of various ages spread around, and a table full of papers with numbers.
"Hello ladies! We just need you to sign of few things until you can go stretch and socialise while you wait for Gianna to call you in and get you into groups and things."
I nodded and readjusted my bag that was currently hanging off my shoulder.
After we signed several pages, I found an uncrowded area and ended up sitting next to a couple of girls, June, and boy who looked around my age.
"Ity! Thank God, someone I know!"
I laughed as June came out of an oversplit and stood up to hug me.
"I though I told you to stop with the weird nicknames, Junie B Jones"
She laughed and put my bag with hers as I took off my shoes and overclothes.
I began doing some warms up stretches and ended up talking to some of the people around me.
The girl I intially saw had dark brown hair and seemed to be on the shy side and when I stood between her and the boy, I was in the middle of their heights. The girl was named Hannah and the boy's name was Brady.
And then the last girl was a younger girl, around 7 or 8 I'd say and she was wearing a pastel blue cropped hoodie with a pair of black and gold leggings, with her hair up in a pair of curled pig tails.
As we were talking, I noticied some kids doings different tricks and turns and sighed. They were all trying to psych each other out, it was kind of clear, and I came out of the back bend I was previously doing and decided to do some turns for the hell of it.
I saw a girl with brown hair watching me and she smirked when she saw me slightly falter and fall out of one of the turns before I sighed and went back to just stretching and warming up.
Finally, after about 30 minutes, a guy with a camera comes out and tells us to go in, along with our moms.
The studio itself somehow fits all of us and inside we are met with Gianna, who is smiling.
"Good morning, guys!"
We all say it back before she tells a group of 16 kids, which included me, to go out and get a number.
I grabbed one and pinned it to the bottom half of my dance wear and walked back in, talking to Brady about how nervous I was.
The next group included both Hannah and June, who both came back in talking about nerves as well.
Finally after all gettting our numbers, Gianna got all of our attention.
"Alright! Welcome, dancers! We look to be a very interesting mix here. Let's get started shall we?"
We all nodded and she began teaching us a routine.
It took maybe half an hour for us to fully learn it, another 30 minutes for us to run through it on the right tempo, although a few of the younger ones had difficulty with timing.
We kept re running it in different groups until we were released for an hour break.
Danielle came up to me as Hannah and I were talking about the Strangers Things 3 trailer.
"Hey, Renity, the guys wanna meet you, so we're all going out for lunch and then we'll come back."
"The guys?" Hannah was slightly confused and I just shrugged.
"My adopted dad is the lead singer for a band."
"Wait your adopted? And what band?"
I turned my head to Pressely, a girl I ended up dancing next to during the rotinue and I think I competed against her a few times.
"Y-yeah.... And uh he's in Pierce The Veil...kind of....Danielle how would you describe dad's music?"
Danielle laughed and sat on a near by bench while I pulled myshoes on.
"Post hardcore is it's official genre I guess."
Pressely srunched up her nose just slightly.
"Wait is that the kind of music that's like -
She then procceded to growl unintelligible words, causing all of us to laugh.
"I guess"
"Press, come on!"
Who I'm guessing was Pressely's mom called for her and she waved goodbye as she stood up and headed off.
"Okay, well we gotta go, Renity. It was nice meeting you."
Hannah nodded and I waved as we left. I had just left my bag there as we were coming back in an hour anyways.
♠
Once we arrived at whatever place we're eating lunch at, Vic was already sitting inside with Mike and Tony.
I waved, pulling my shorts down slightly, already feeling the anxiety bubbling in my stomach.
As we sit, I can't help regretting not just putting on a skirt or jeans because at the moment, I looked very out of place.
"Jaime's running a little late but Tony, this is Floreinty, Floreinty, this is Tony"
We awkwardly shake hands before I see Jaime walking in just in time for the waiter to approach our table with drinks.
Jaime sits down but he looks like an excited puppy and I can tell he really wants to hug me.
After the waiter leaves with our orders (I order something off the kids menu because one, im a 5 year old at heart, and 2, i didn't want to eat something huge to go back to auditions and feel sick), Vic introduces me.
"Hime, this is Floreinty. Floreinty, Jaime"
I smile and reach my hand over the table only for Jaime to stand up, walk around the table to get to the side I'm sitting on with Tony and Danielle, and squeeze me in an awakward hug.
"Your name's too hard to know."
"You can always call me Flora or my middle name."
"What's that?"
"Oh, its Valeriy"
Jaime nods and goes back where he was before.
The whole time everyone just asked different questions about me, while I kept checking the time on my phone.
When I saw we had 20 minutes to be back, I tapped Danielle on the shoulder and her eyes went slightly wide, seeing as we were 30 minutes away, and we walked.
"Hey, Vic we have to get back to the audition things in 20 minutes but we walked."
"Oh, Mike can drive you back, right?"
Mike jokingly groaned but gathered his stuff and I hugged everyone quickly as we left.
I waved Mike off as I got out, noticing Hannah and her mom heading into the building as well.
♠
As we got to the building, I was fidling with my Firebird hoodoe strings. It was raining, which was a little odd, but I ignored it as I set my stuff with June's and waved Pressely, Hannah, and Brady over. I was super nervous today becuase today was the day we were performing the rotinue over and over for Abby. She could send anyone home for any reason and I was terrified.
"Hey, Val, calm down, you're an amazing dancer, there's no way you'll be the first out."
I gave June a smile but still shakily pulled hair into a ponytail all over again to try to realease some of the anxiety bubbling up in my chest.
As I went into a full split, I noticied my breathing paterns falter and change pace. I started getting a small hedache and an overwhelming desire to tap every limb I had.
Brady noticied this and handed me a water bottle, standing up with me and we went into an empty room, while a camera guy followed us.
"You okay?"
I nodded as I tried to even out my breathing and wiped my teary eyes.
"I'm just super nervous, and I didn't take my medication this morning and"
I started to ramble but Brady cut me off and gave me a hug, rubbing my back gently before I calmed down and we headed back to everyone else.
"What happened? Is dad okay?"
I laughed at June's comment and nodded, rolling my wrist around to pop it before popping my knuckles and get back to stretching.
"Just had a mild anxiety attack. I'll be fine. Just a little shaky is all."
"Dancers! Miss Abby will here soon so let's get in here and go over the routine again."
I took my hoodie off then, leaving me in dance wear as I grabbed my number and pinned it to the bottom half of the dance wear.
We filed in and then were paired out into groups. I got put in a group with June, Brady, Pressely, Hannah, a girl named Robin, and another boy named Alexei.
We went through the routine two more times until Abby showed up.
And my brain went into automatic fight or flight mode. I bit the corner of my lip and stood back with Danielle as Abby spoke. I reminded myself of all the corrections I've been given and when Abby called a group out first, it was mine.
We ran through it three times until she stopped us.
(Making up numbers)
"Numbers 56, 89, and 25, step foward please"
Brady grabbed my hand and sqeezed it in good luck and I let go as I stepped foward, trying not to dig my nails into my palm.
"25, name?"
"Alexei Hopper"
"You're free to go, you were behind 3 counts the whole dance."
Alexei nodded and I gave him a sad smile as he walked out with his mom.
"Number 89, name?"
"F-Florenity Fuentes"
Oh god she's going to cut me.
"I want to see you do the dance as if it were your solo"
I felt my throat tightining and I hesitated before everyone moved and I nodded, going into the starting position and running through the dance. When I finished I heard a few people clapping and I saw Abby smiling.
I stood up and at attention to her.
"Now everybody, that is what I'm looking for! Florienty, you and your mother can join those three over there."
She pointed to the three dancers she's previously had on the show. I was shocked and raised my arm, not wanting to be rude.
"Yes?"
"May I step out for a minute?"
Abby made the motion for me to go and I did, heading to the bathrooms quickly, hoping that none of the camera people followed me.
I sat against a wall and stared at my hands.
That was way too easy. There was no way it actually happened. Why would she not cut me? Why would she pick me so early?
I hadn't noticied I was crying until someone came in.
"Hey, are you okay?"
I looked up and it was the girl who had smirked when I fell out of one of my turns during the first day.
I nodded and hugged my knees closer.
"You really don't look okay. Your'e Florenity, right?"
I nodded heistantly, scared this girl was gonna attack me or something because I was picked so early.
"I'm GianNina. What happened?"
I sighed and let my legs fall before sitting criss cross.
"I-I don't understand why she picked me so early. I mean I literally fell out of my turns earlier this week! And it's not even fair to the others."
GianNina nodded and sat next to me rubbing my back trying to comfort me.
"Well Abby can obviously tell that you're an amazing dancer, so of course she picked you!"
I grinned slightly and nodded, thanking her.
GiaNina helped me up and I fixed the light amount of makeup on my face along with my hair, Bobby pinning any flyaways down as I headed back into the studio where everyone else was.
Brady, June, Pressely, Hannah, and Danielle all gave me concerned looks but I just gave them all a thumbs up and sat on the ground beside Danielle.
After I watched people leave, including June who I hugged the life out of, Abby told us to stand with our moms.
She went down the line asking kids different terminology, some did know it, others didn't. She got to me and I stepped foward.
"89, brise"
I nodded and excuted and she carried on.
She was eliminating people again and I was growing tense again. Danielle grabbed my hand and sqeezed it to help me relax.
Finally, with the remaining people, she said she'd announce in two days who was all going to be on the team.
I gathered my things and talked to GiaNina, Pressely, and Brady before Danielle said we needed to go home.
When we finally did, I went straight to bed because holy shit was I tired.