I enter with the rest of the girls to studio A, to pyramid.

"Vivi-Anne, where's you dance clothes?" Miss Abby asks Vivi as we all sit down on the floor.

"It's in the car." Vivi answers.

"You need to be dressed and ready to dance when you walk in this building, yes?" Vivi nods.

I don't know what Cathy was thinking.

Miss Abby starts talking and I just wonder, will Vivi get a solo before me?

"Your mom was upset about the costume." We look over to Nia, "Your mom was upset about the costume even before you went onstage." We look at Chloe, "But that cannot happen again."

I look over to Holly and Christi, and back to Miss Abby.

"Let's talk about what we're gonna do this weekend. We're going to New Jersey, and we are going to do an acrobatic gymnastic routine." Miss Abby announces, "Overall, I evaluated all of your performances. So, Maddie, you won that competition and the title. So I'm gonna leave you right here where you were." Maddie nods.

Maddie

Chloe  Brooke

Nia  Paige  Mackenzie  Vivi-Anne  Melanie

"Brooke, I expect you to help the younger students. And I expect you to know the choreography first and help everybody else." Miss Abby tells Brooke, "All right, Nia, Paige, you'll be doing the tumbling part and the acro part. Vivi-Anne, because you're new here, and you really don't know all of our terminology, I'm gonna work with you privately this week. And so you're gonna do a solo at the competition this weekend."

My mouth opens in shock, why does Vivi get to do a solo before Kenzie and I?

"All right, girls, get up, get ready to rehearse." Miss Abby says and we all stand up, "Moms, thank you very much. Vivi, don't forget-- You need to be in dance clothes whenever you walk in this room, ready to go."

~~~

We were all at studio A, and we were doing some chin stands.

"May I speak to you a minute?" Dawn asks, entering Studio A.

"No." Miss Abby answers, "I'm in rehearsal."

"I just want to speak to you." Dawn tells Miss Abby, "You don't throw my kid out of class, I paid for class."

"She's not dressed appropriately." Miss Abby says.

"I'm looking at every single kid out here, Abby! They all look like children, isn't that crazy, that children look like children?" Dawn starts yelling, "She's dressed appropriately."

"You're a minister--" Miss Abby tells her.

"Yes, I am a minister!" Dawn yells, "Let's play the bible game, Abby! When Jesus saw things that were wrong, he went after it! And I'll tell you what, I'm not going to do this to my kid!"

We all leave Studio A and go to the Dancer's Den.

"We escaped!" Maddie cheers as we all sit down.

"Reagan, goodbye. Out."

No way.

They both enter the Dancer's Den and I leave with Kenzie again. This time, we went to Studio B, where there was a class with the seniors happening.

"Because I went to school, unfortunately--" I hear Dawn and we both sigh.

It's like they keep on following us.

"May I have your phone?" Miss Abby asks Olivia.

"Call the police! Go for it!" Dawn yells.

"I have an idea." Kenzie whispers and we both go to Studio C, that was currently empty.

"Finally!" I exclaim.

"We're free!" Kenzie adds.

Soon Miss Abby called us back into Studio A to continue.

"​​​​​​Tuck and roll again, put your knees together." Miss Abby instructs us, "Now for the next part, roll upstage to me. Go to elbow, back attitude, arm pretty."

We go over the dance with the music on.

"All right, let's--"

"Abby," Kelly enters the studio, distractions, "I think we need to talk, what's the problem with us?"

They continue talking and I do a back walkover.

After the group dance rehearsal, we pack everything and go back home.

•Three Days To Competition•

"Point your feet there." Miss Miranda instructs me as I do a pose, "Good, Rylee, you're next."

I stand up and go back to the line.

Today Mommy was out for lunch with Cathy, I didn't know why, but she didn't seem excited about it at all, only for the free lunch though.

"Miranda." Miss Abby opens the door to Studio C and peeks her head inside, "I need Melanie for the show."

"Okay, she's done for today." Miss Miranda tells her and I go to studio A.

There, I start rehearsing the group routine with Kenzie, Maddie, Nia, and Chloe. I didn't know where Brooke and Paige were, but it looked like I wasn't the only one.

"You guys are late." Miss Abby says as soon as Brooke and Paige arrive, "You two go warm up over there, watch what we've done so far, 'cause I did a whole bunch."

The Hylands go warm up and we continue dancing.

"Nia, arms over your heads straight." Miss Abby yells, "You keep bringing them up here."

After a while of yelling and correcting, Kenzie and I were dismissed.

The day after was mostly the same.

•Competition Day•

I sit in the back of the bus, besides Paige, and she starts doing my hair.

"Is everyone here?" Miss Abby asks.

"No, we stayed at home." Paige answers and I laugh.

We leave the studio and start our way to New Jersey.

"Bus driver." Miss Abby starts, "If you go out of here, and go to the right, we're gonna take two streets and hit the Parkway. "

"And there she goes." Kenzie comments, "Like always."

Miss Abby always talks to the bus driver like if he didn't know how to drive, but he does, because he always drives us to competitions.

"Do you have my snack?" I ask Maddie, who was watching a movie with Nia.

"Mom." Maddie calls, "Melanie wants her snack."

"Mel, come up here." Mommy calls me.

"Just a second!" Paige says, "I'm almost done with her hair!"

She finishes and I walk over and sit besides Mommy.

"That looks really pretty." Kelly says, looking at my hair, "Good job, PaigeyMack."

Mommy gives me my snack and I start eating while the two of them continue talking.

We soon get to the competition and Mommy gives me my jacket, we get off and enter the competition.

At the dressing room, Cathy gets Vivi ready for her solo while Maddie and Chloe get ready for their off-show duet, and Cathy drops the bomb, she tells everyone that she changed Miss Abby's solo, annoying much.

"Next up is entry 431, this is Vivi-Anne Stein, 'This Little Girl's Now'." The announcer says and Vivi goes onstage.

She starts dancing, and it is . . . Wow.

"If that's called dancing then we're Broadway dancers." Maddie comments as Vivi shakes her arms.

Vivi walks offstage and all of us girls burst out laughing. I know Vivi's capable of being a better dancer, but I don't think shaking her whole body is the way. Maddie and Chloe perform their duet, and we all go onstage for awards.

"At this time I would like to have the following young ladies please step forward." The announcer says, "In seventh place, number 431, Vivi-Anne."

Vivi stands up and walks up to the front.

"And who taught you this number?" The announcer asks, kneeling down on front of Vivi.

"Cathy Jean Nesbitt-Stein." Vivi answers.

"And the name of your studio?"

"Candy Apple's Dance Center."

"No way." Chloe whispers, "ALDC, it was ALDC."

"Are we surprised?" Paige whispers and we all shake our heads.

"Absolutely not." Maddie answers.

The duet was first, we go back to the dressing room, where Cathy and Vivi leave because they have a 'longer ride' than us, maybe if you just went on the bus you wouldn't have any problem.

"Good that we all woke up at 6 o'clock to support her." Kelly says as soon as they leave.

"Six?" Mommy asks, "Five!"

"I'm offended," Christi says, "Like really offended."

"I am too." Kelly agrees.

Mommy helps me get ready, and we all go backstage.

"Where's Brooke?" Chloe asks.

"She's with my Mom." Paige answers, "She'll be here soon."

Brooke arrives and we all get ready.

"Number 433, 'Ups and Downs'." The announcer says and we all go onstage.

All that I've found through the ups and downs

Is that I'd have it no other way

After the dance, the older girls do the dance again for the show, and soon it's time for awards!

We were first with the dance, we received a special award, and we had 294 points, 6 more and it would have been a perfect score, I would love to have a perfect score someday.

We take some pictures, take all of out stuff, and finally get on the bus.

It was a long ride, but at least we had a lot of movies to watch.