Relevé to the Top

Chapter 19. Melissa Pleads the Fifth

I know it's not updating month for Dance Moms but I was supposed to update this yesterday and I forgot. Surprisingly this chapter isn't as short as I thought it was going to be original. It's still pretty short though, but I hoped you guys enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.

Stay Safe. Stay Healthy. Do What's Right

#Blacklivesmatter

#StopAsianHate

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"Wow, this mothers association is dwindling into a trio, huh?" Abby comments.

"Holly's at work," Melissa explains.

"Of course," Abby says shortly.

Lexie was a little surprised that Holly wasn't here; ever since her fight with Abby... well, the first fight with Abby, Holly hadn't missed a single pyramid. It must be something important.

"First, Nia. Honey, my heart stopped," Abby starts the pyramid as expected. "You guys always think I'm the bad guy, but I don't want any kid, even if it's not my student, to stop. I just don't want it to happen again, and I don't think it should have happened in the first place. You're better than that.

"Moving on, Mackenzie. Mackenzie, there are some things to improve on. Next, I have Brooke. I thought you did a great job. And next, we have Chloe. Chloe, the solo was excellent; however, the trio was a little shaky. Next, Paige. Paige, you worked through the pain in your feet, even in the dressing room.

"When you should have had those feet up and icing them, you were doing the dance over and over. Next Maddie. I told you where those judges were, and you never took your eyes off them. If you can, get the judges to look you in the eye and suck them in. Then you have them in the palm of your hand.

"And on top of the pyramid... Lexie. Lexie, I challenged you to see if you could stay on the top for the fifth week in a row, and you did. You have mastered the emotional part of dance. When it's a sad piece, you make the people cry, and when it's entertaining, the audience has fun with you. That's what a dancer is."

Chewing on the bottom of her lip Lexie suppresses her smile. "Thank you."

"Now, each and every one of you are very lucky little girls. You have beautiful homes, you have everything you need. Some kids aren't that lucky," Abby looks over at the moms. "So our group routine this week is about a homeless child. Now there are two solos this week. Maddie and Lexie, you will be doing solos.

"You'd better dance your heart out and dance your butt off," Lexie nods as Abby moves on. "I have a trio, this is a new trio, and I'm gonna start mixing things up. So, Chloe, you're in the trio, Maddie, you're in the trio, and... Nia, you're in the trio."

Abby stares Nia down. "Nia, you have a lot to prove. If you don't keep up with Maddie and Chloe... Now listen closely, girls and moms. I found out that we will be competing against Candy Apple at Company Dance. I'll tell you what; I am not going to lose to Cathy or Jill or Kendall."

"Okay, moms, thank you, you're dismissed," Abby waves her hand towards the door. "You don't have any jobs to do. Girls spread apart, start stretching, Gianna's gonna come in, and we are starting this dance right now."

Later that night, Lexie sat in Maddie's bed, watching her sister finish her homework. "You should have done it during the breaks."

Frowning, Maddie stuck a tongue at her. "I know," her face shifts into an emotion Lexie couldn't recognize. "Are you nervous about your solo?"

"I'm always nervous," Lexie shrugs. "Sometimes a lot nervous and sometimes a little nervous."

Maddie looks up at her from her notebook. "This time?"