The Eldest Ziegler

Return of the Candy Apples

After last week's competition, I was nervous but excited about what was going to happen this weekend.

"Girls! Let's go! Come on, girls!" Miss. Abby says as she claps her hands. Everyone walked into Studio A, ready for pyramid. "I want to start off talking a little bit about dance troupe in Greensboro, North Carolina. That was not the group in Lake Tahoe that just won a national championship. Obviously, cute still works in the Carolinas."

Miss. Abby looked over at Kendall and continued, "Kendall, you did your solos scared to death. That face was not an Abby Lee Miller face, that's for certain."

"Well, Abby, that was her first time out," Jill started but got interrupted.

"Uh, shh. We don't get to talk. It's my turn," Miss. Abby tells Jill before turning back to us, "This weekend, we are headed to Columbus, Ohio. You know who lives in Ohio."

"Candy Apples!" Me and Chloe cheer, making the other girls laugh.

"We are going there, and she will be at the competition. I don't want any squawking between the mothers. You are all on the same team, and we're all going to take a bite out of that big apple," Miss. Abby says as we laugh. Miss. Abby turned to the pyramid and started on the bottom, "All right, we're gonna start with the pyramid, On the bottom: Kendall. You are on probation. That means that I am watching you like a hawk. Do you understand me?"

Kendall nodded and Miss. Abby continued, "Mackenzie, I keep giving you little parts. Your dancing is not up to where the rest of the girls are. When Maddie was seven, she could've done the choreography. Brooke, you knew the number. But the crying and the hysteria, that's not a young adult. Paige, you did a nice job this weekend. Then, on the bus coming home, we told you to sit down 32 times. I counted. That's 31 too many."

"Every single one of them were playing," Kelly says, annoyed, "on the bus."

"It doesn't make it right!" Miss. Abby yells.

Miss. Abby and Kelly spend a couple of minutes yelling at each other before we continue up the pyramid.

"Nia, I left you here in the same spot that you were in last week," Miss. Abby continues, "Maybe somebody from Nia's family could show up at the competition and watch her and clap for her. Next we have Chloe. Chloe, you did a great job."

Miss. Abby then revealed my headshot, "Monica, you were good. I could really tell that you loved your solo last week. You had a great season last year, we need to continue that this season."

"And on the top of the pyramid is Maddie," Miss. Abby says, "You did a great job. I've seen you dance better. I want you to be exactly where you were in Lake Tahoe. Every single person is gonna be in the group dance. It is called Bad Apples."

Maddie

Monica Chloe Nia

Paige Brooke Mackenzie Kendall

Everyone gave a small laugh before Miss. Abby continued, "It's a little '40s, has a little novelty, but it's a little Katy Perry. It's a little kicked up. So I want the pin-up girl look. We have the rat, we have the snood. If you don't know what a rat and a snod is, go Google it and figure it out. When you go onstage for that competition you'd better be on fire.

"Brooke, you're doing a solo. Cathay has a girl entered your age. I want you to make applesauce out of that kid. Backstage, freak that kid out," Miss. Abby tells Brooke, "I want that kid in tears before she ever steps on that stage."

Brooke nodded but I thought Miss. Abby was going a little bit overboard. Brooke doesn't need to freak the kid out backstage, she will freak her out with her amazing talent.