When I walked into the studio, it felt different. More familiar. Although it wasn't like I was a permanent member yet - I'd be happy when I was!
Yesterday, I kept on thinking about what Jill had said about me. And Leslie, for that matter. They both said that I wasn't any good, and that I wouldn't last long here, and I definitely wanted to prove them both wrong.
I waved at Abby, who was sitting at the front desk. "Hi, Miss Abby!"
"Hello!" Abby said. I walked through to the dressing room while my mom stopped to talk to Abby.
When I got to the dressing room, I waved at all the girls and sat down, putting on my half soles and sliding into my split. I winced - my hamstrings were tight.
Paige sat down by me, as did Maddie. It didn't seem like Chloe was there yet. "Hi!" I said, dragging out the "I".
Paige laughed. "Hi! How's life? Y'know, since your win."
"Pretty good. Although what Jill said kinda ruined my weekend. But y'know. Okay."
"Ugh. Don't listen to the parents. Most of them are probably just jealous." Maddie said.
"One time, a lady told me that I couldn't turn to save my life. I proved her wrong, though." Paige said, shrugging.
I nodded. Paige didn't seem like a person who would take crap from anyone. Except Abby, apparently.
Just about as soon as Chloe walked in the door, Abby yelled, "Come on, girls! Time for pyramid! Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
I ran into the studio, standing between Brooke and Maddie. Brooke had become something of a big sister to me - even within the short time that I've known her.
"Okay! Energy dance competition. Some really good things happened..." Abby said, nodding at me. "And some not-so-great things happened." She looked at Kendall.
"On the bottom of the pyramid, we have..." Abby removed the white slip of paper. "Kendall. You were okay in the group dance, but you were completely off the music. And your mother, obviously, doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut. Needless to say, you're still on probation." I saw Jill roll her eyes.
"Next we have Nia. You did well in the group dance, but it's simply that one mistake in the choreography." Nia nodded, and I remembered that Nia had gone the wrong way at some point and tried to go the right way at the last minute and kind of ended up in the middle.
"Next...Paige." I frowned. I thought that Paige had done well. "You did fine. You didn't pull my eye negatively. But you need to start standing out in a positive way."
"Next we have...Mackenzie. You won't be in this week's group routine, but you will have a solo." Mackenzie smiled.
"Moving up, we have...Maddie." I could almost hear dramatic music playing in the background. Maddie's not on top of the pyramid? Holy crap! That never happens! "I need you to stop resting on your laurels. You need to keep getting better with every routine you do and every class you take."
"Next is...Chloe. Chloe, you did well in the group dance. You didn't really have any other places to shine, so that's why you aren't higher up."
"Brooke," She said. "You danced, really, really well in the group dance. But I need you to start being more of a leader." Brooke nodded.
"And on top of the pyramid, we have..." Abby paused for dramatic effect. "Hailey!" I smiled, and Brooke hugged me. "You got the overall high score in the junior solo category, and you had the second highest scoring solo of the entire competition. You're still on probation, but...maybe not for long."
From the corner of my eye, I saw Jill rolling her eyes again, but she quickly got over it.
"This week, we'll be competing at Starbound Dance Competition in Nutley, New Jersey!" The girls and I all clapped.
"Mackenzie. Your solo is an acrobatic jazz routine called "Bigger Isn't Better"." Mackenzie grinned, and I could tell she was happy.
"Maddie, you'll be doing a jazz solo called "Lights, Camera, Action"." Maddie nodded and raised her eyebrows. Skeptical about doing jazz, but happy about getting a solo in the first place.
"Chloe. You'll be doing a solo called "Don't Catch Me". It's a lyrical piece." Chloe gasped, happy she was doing lyrical.
"And Hailey. I want to see if you can keep this winning streak up. So you're doing a solo called "Better Late Than Never". It's lyrical. I need to see if you can become one of my top dancers, which is why I'm putting you against my two best." I smiled.
I saw Jill cross her arms, obviously not happy with even the thought of me being one of Abby's top dancers.
"Finally, our group routine is called "Born To Dance". It's a lyrical dance. Brooke, you'll be dancing the lead." Brooke nodded. "Moms, head upstairs, girls, spread out! Let's get going!"
~
The day before the competition, Brooke didn't show up for rehearsal. Which was weird, because she was the lead in the group dance. Maybe she was just sick or something?
"Paige! Where's Brookie?" Mackenzie asked.
"I think just at home. My mom said she wasn't coming this weekend. She has cheerleading tryouts." Paige said, whispering the last part.
I raised my eyebrows. Abby didn't like us having stuff to do that didn't involve dance, so hearing that Brooke was going to try out for cheerleading was almost completely insane.
Paige then said, "She wasn't going to do it in the first place, but the producers wanted her to. So it's basically all for the show."
I hoped that the camera people didn't hear that.
"I hope Abby doesn't get too mad at her," Chloe said.
Almost on cue, Abby yelled, "Where's Brooke?"
Gianna told us to keep running the dance while she and Abby went to go look for Brooke. I looked at Paige, who shrugged. I saw Paige's mom, Kelly, sigh from upstairs. Obviously, she was about to be in trouble.
We had been running the dance for quite some time now. I loved it - it was lyrical, which was my forte, and I had already seen the costumes, which were really pretty.
As soon as Abby got back in the studio, Kelly got up from the gray, carpeted bench and walked down the stairs, opening the door to the studio. "Abby, I need to talk to you."
"Yes?" Abby asked.
"Um..." Kelly started off tentatively. "Brooke won't be at the competition this weekend."
Abby's eyes widened and she sighed. "Why not?"
"She has a thing at school that she wants to do, and I told her she could go." Kelly said.
"So...she won't be at the competition?" Abby asked.
"That's correct." Kelly said. I could tell she was trying to mask the fear in her voice.
"Fine," Abby said. She was about to do something drastic. I could tell. "You, you, you, and you-" she said, pointing to me, Chloe, Maddie and Mackenzie. "Are coming with me to the competition and dancing your solos. You, you and you-" she pointed to the rest of us. "Aren't going to the competition at all. No group number. You're dismissed." She shooed them out of the room, and they all walked out.
I could tell Kendall was trying not to cry. Kelly left the room too, and from what I could tell, she left the entire building period. Nia and Kendall, however, went upstairs to their moms - I assumed to tell them what happened.
"Mackenzie, you stay here. Maddie, Chloe, Hailey, I think you're ready for tomorrow. You're dismissed as well." Abby said, leaning her forehead on her hand, closing her eyes.
I wasted absolutely no time getting out of there.
When I got upstairs, I ran to my mom. "Mom! Miss Abby said we aren't doing a group dance and we're just doing solos." I said, crossing my arms.
"I know. I heard. We're all going downstairs to talk to Abby about it. She can't just kick three kids out of a group because one decides to leave. It isn't fair." My mom said.
"Amen to that." Christi said as she stroked Chloe's hair.
I looked over at Kendall and tried to give her a reassuring smile, since she was crying. She smiled back, but Jill glared at me and I looked away, turning back to my mom.
"Well, um...how about you girls wait in the dressing room while we all talk to Abby?" Holly said gently. I nodded and hopped up from where I was sitting next to my mom, walking down the stairs. The other girls followed.
Once we got to the dressing room, the five of us erupted with conversation. The camera people followed us in, and some of them went into the studio to film the moms' conversation with Abby. I tried not to pay any attention to them.
"What are they gonna say?" Maddie asked.
"All I know is that she's gonna get mad at my mom. She always does." Chloe said, taking her blond hair out of its braided ponytail.
Kendall sighed. "I just really wanna be able to do the group dance..."
"Yeah, me too! We worked really hard on it." Nia said, crossing her arms.
"Guys, I know. I really wanna do the group too. I'd much rather do the group dance than just my solo, but it just depends on what Abby wants." I said.
Chloe nodded. "You're right. She's not just gonna give in to all of our moms. She'll have to have some say in the decision or none of us will go to the competition at all."
Just then, Kenzie burst through the door. "Mommy and the rest of the moms are talking to Abby." She said simply, sitting in between me and Maddie. I gave her a little hug.
"We know, Kenz." Maddie said, nodding.
"I just want Brookie to come back." Mackenzie said, slumping down in her chair.
"Me too." Maddie said, putting an arm around her. "But she definitely isn't gone forever. She'll be back next week. She just had something else to do this weekend that wasn't the competition."
Mackenzie gave a tiny smile. "Good." She leaned into her sister's shoulder, closing her eyes. She was probably super tired at this point.
Just then, Jill poked her head through the door. "Hey, girls, Miss Abby wants to see you all."
We all got up and entered the studio door, where Abby was surrounded by mothers. I skipped over to my mom as Abby explained what we were going to do for the competition.
"Okay. So obviously, Brooke isn't here, but you all want to dance anyway. So here's what we'll do. Tomorrow, Gia will be with you for four hours before the competition, reblocking the number with Maddie as the lead instead of Brooke," Abby said. I saw Maddie smile from the corner of my eye. "You'll all go to the competition - Paige included, so make sure one of you tells her mother - but my name won't be on the number. It'll be Gianna's dance, not mine."
I nodded. I thought it was fine. The girls and I said, "Thank you, Miss Abby!" and exited the room.
As we got into the car, my mom said, "So guess who had their first real Dance Moms blowout today?"
"You? No way." I laughed.
"Yes way! I just couldn't watch Paige, Nia and Kendall get kicked out of that group dance. It was just really rotten of Abby to even go there. So I fought with her about it, cause it seemed like Christi needed some backup." Mom said, starting our car.
"Well, I'm mostly proud of you. Just don't ever fight about something stupid and meaningless, like me not getting a solo." I said.
"Don't worry, I won't. That's Jill's department." My mom
~
The next day, after tirelessly rehearsing the number with Gia for about three to four hours, it was time to get on the bus. I put on my pink, shortsleeved jacket and grabbed my bag, which had all my travel stuff in it - makeup, hairbrush, hairspray, bobby pins, jazz shoes, half soles, a black leo, a pair of pink tights...basically everything a dancer would ever need.
My costumes (plural) should be in Abby's suitcase. I loved my costume - it was sky blue, and there were rhinestones that my mom had put on it after Abby decided there wasn't enough "sparkle" when we bought it.
I thought it was a little weird that Abby was even going to the competition, considering her outburst yesterday, but oh well.
I sat next to Paige on the bus ride, and we listened to music and played M*A*S*H* with Nia and Chloe, who were sitting in front of us. I also would've gotten a nap in, if it weren't for Abby's incessant yelling at the bus driver.
"Bus driver! Are you getting off the highway?" I heard Abby yell.
"Um...yes?" The bus driver (who was named Jim) said wearily.
"Well, don't! You're not going the right way!" Abby said, walking up to the seat behind Jim.
"I'm just doing what she's telling me to." Jim said, shrugging.
"Who?" Abby asked.
"The GPS?"
"Well, the GPS isn't paying you to drive to a dance competition, now, is she?"
"...No."
"That's what I thought."
I sighed. I obviously wasn't going to get to sleep on this bus ride.
Paige and I shared a bag of gummy bears until we got to Starbound in New Jersey. I picked up my yellow dance bag and swung it over my shoulder, waiting for Paige to get all of her stuff. Paige, seemingly, had unpacked basically everything in her bag. Books, a blanket, colored pencils, and empty food packages were strewn across the aisle. I giggled and helped her pick everything up.
I walked through the glass double doors, linking arms with Chloe. "Hey!" I said, skipping as we made our way through the hallway.
Chloe smiled. "Hey! Are you excited?"
"Yeah. But...I'm also kinda sad that I have to compete against you and Maddie. I mean, you guys are my best friends, and I obviously don't wanna go up against you guys. Because I'm scared you guys'll beat me and I'll end up with like, fifth and Abby won't ever give me another solo ever again." I explained.
Chloe laughed. "You'll be fine! I think that we just all need to do our absolute best and...I don't know. Just like, be happy for each other no matter who wins."
I nodded. "That was super philosophical of you, Chloe."
"I try." Chloe said, giggling.
Soon enough, I was laughing right along with her.
Later, in the dressing room, I went up to Abby and Gia and asked, "Miss Abby? Can I run my dance in my costume?"
"Oh, sure. Let me just get it for you." Abby said, opening up her suitcase.
I walked back over to my mirror and pulled out my eyeliner, running it over my eyelids. I had done all of my makeup when Abby said, "I can't find it."
That made me pay attention. I looked at her and saw that she'd emptied her entire suitcase. What I didn't see was my beautiful blue costume.
"Can't find what?" Gia asked.
"Hailey's costume. I must've forgotten it at the studio." Miss Abby said simply.
My eyes started to prick with tears and Maddie and Kendall started to hug me and try to make me feel better. Still, I blinked the tears away. Because you know what Abby says - save your tears for the pillow.
I shook myself off and said, "It's okay." I guess I just wouldn't dance in my solo.
"Well, Abby, can't she just dance in her leotard and tights?" My mom asked, standing up.
Abby got a thoughtful look on her face. "That's fine by me. As long as you don't let it throw you off onstage."
"It won't! I promise!" I said, skipping off to change into my black leotard. It wouldn't get me a ton of points in the costume section, but I was just happy that I was still dancing.
I went behind the curtain and changed into my leotard and tights, and pulled my hair up into a bun, securing it with twenty seven bobby pins. It seems pretty hardcore, but if my bun came out onstage, Miss Abby would probably put me on probation for the rest of my life.
I skipped out from behind the curtain and twirled around in my leotard. I might as well own it instead of being sad. I walked over to my mirror and turned to Maddie. "So? How do I look?" I asked.
"Perfect." She said, smiling.
"Great!" I said, turning back to the mirror and smiling at my reflection.
I stood up and walked in front of Miss Abby so I could run my solo. I remembered all of it, but Abby's corrections were kind of throwing me off.
"Higher, Hailey."
"Point those feet!"
"Shoulders down, Hailey!"
"Hailey, look at the judges!"
Just as I was about to run my dance for about the sixth time, the competition director walked in. "Hi! We need Chloe, Maddie, Hailey and Mackenzie at the stage."
"Don't screw this up." Miss Abby said before letting us go.
I was a little bit shaken up by that, but I skipped all the way to the stage, excited to perform my solo - even if I wasn't wearing a pretty costume. When we got there, Mackenzie was up first. Chloe, Maddie and I stood in the wings to cheer her on.
"Please welcome to the stage Mackenzie with Bigger Isn't Better!" The announcer said as Kenzie sashayed onto the stage. I clapped as hard as I could before the music started.
Kenzie danced really, really well. There's really no topping her energy level, and her tricks were all great. Everything was super sharp, and she was really good. I'd be surprised if she didn't win the mini division.
Once Mackenzie got off the stage, she ran into Maddie's arms and gave her a hug. Aww. Siblings! I thought.
Kenzie grabbed both my and Chloe's arms. "Beat my sister for me!" She said before skipping away from backstage, I assumed to go sit with her mom. I laughed and shook my head.
Chloe was on next, after the few little kids that were left to perform their solos. Chloe had a really pretty lyrical routine with a custom-made costume and headpiece. I'd be surprised if she didn't win our division. Then again, Maddie did usually beat her (and probably me today), but since Maddie was doing jazz, I had no idea what to expect.
I hugged Chloe before I heard, "Please welcome to the stage, Chloe performing "Don't Catch Me"!"
"Go, Chlo!" I yelled. An adult (like a dance teacher or a competition director? I don't know) looked at me and shushed me. I dropped my shoulders and sighed, turning back to the stage.
As I expected, Chloe danced beautifully. She always had a God given ability that couldn't be taught at any studio. She had a natural turnout and really long, clean lines, and with good training, that made for a great dancer. Abby honestly didn't give her enough credit for all the amazing things that she did and always focused on the bad ones.
Once Chloe got offstage, she hugged me and Maddie. "Break a leg, guys! I'm gonna go watch from the audience." She said, waving. I waved back.
I was up next. I had to get in my zone. I started running through my dance, but marking all the tricks and jumps, basically to assure that I wouldn't forget it onstage.
"Judges, please welcome to the stage, Hailey with "Better Late Than Never"!"
Maddie gave me a last minute hug before I walked onstage, gracefully falling (is that even a thing? Gracefully falling? Maybe I like, rolled to the ground) into my beginning pose.
I ran the dance with almost no problems. My switch leap was a little shaky, but it was a hard move that I'd just learned and it wasn't half bad, so I considered that to be a win in my eyes. I didn't know what the judges thought about me going onstage in a plain black leotard, but it was better than me not dancing at all.
When I walked offstage, Maddie hugged me. "You were so great!" She whisper-yelled.
"Thanks so much! Break a leg!" I said, walking in the direction of the audience. I gave her one last little wave before disappearing behind a wall to where she couldn't see me.
I got to the audience just in time. "Please welcome to the stage, Maddie with "Lights, Camera, Action"!"
Maddie walked onstage, and she was basically a firecracker from the beginning of her dance to the end. She had so much energy. I'd never seen Maddie do a jazz dance before - she always did lyrical, like Chloe - but she did great! I made sure to clap extra loud for her.
Our moms corralled all of us (except Maddie, who was talking to Gia) back to the dressing room to get changed for the group dance. I actually had a costume for this dance - it was a sparkly tan two-piece, and I absolutely loved it.
The group dance went well. It was kind of weird, dancing with Maddie as the lead when we'd been practicing with Brooke all week, but we did very well, and I thought that the judges would've never even known Brooke was supposed to be there.
-timeskippity skip because i'm a lazy writer-
I sat in between Chloe and Paige for the awards ceremony, squeezing their hands.
"Alright, let's start with our petite junior soloists..." the announcer said into the mic. This was Mackenzie's division. "In tenth place..."
I sort of zoned out for tenth through fifth place. Mackenzie hadn't been called yet, which means she either placed really high or she didn't place at all. I, personally, thought she had first place in the bag, but who knows? I'm not a judge.
"In second place, we have...Lynn with "Party, Party, Party"!" A little girl wearing a party hat walked up to get her award.
"And in first place, we have...Mackenzie with "Bigger Isn't Better"!" Mackenzie grinned from ear to ear, and ran up to receive her award. I released Chloe and Paige's hands for a few seconds to clap for Kenzie.
She skipped back to us. "Okay, moving on to our junior solo category..."
This was my category. I knew I probably didn't win, but I was still excited to see who would.
They went through tenth to fifth and still hadn't called any of the three of our names. I was getting worried that I hadn't placed at all.
"In fourth place, we have...Anna with "Believing"!" A girl my age went to go collect her award.
"Third place is...Maddie with "Lights, Camera, Action"!" Maddie seemed a little disappointed with that, but she still put a smile on her face and got up to get her award. I squeezed Chloe and Paige's hands even tighter.
"In second place is...Hailey with "Better Late Than Never"!" I grinned, getting up to grab my award. Second place was great for someone without an actual costume, so I was proud of myself.
"And in first place is...Chloe with Don't Catch Me"!" Maddie and I clapped as Chloe came up to get her trophy. We both gave her hugs. We all took a bow with our awards and went back to our seats.
We sat through all the different solo age divisions and the duet/trio division until finally, it was time for the group awards.
"In first place, we have..."Born To Dance" from the Abby Lee Dance Company!" The announcer yelled. The six of us - Chloe, Maddie, Nia, Kendall, Paige and I - got up to receive our awards, cheering and yelling.
I was pretty excited about our win. Also, weird and bad as it sounds, it actually felt good to beat Maddie, even though she was one of my best friends.
Overall, it was a successful competition.