Relevé to the Top

Chapter 25. Lexie & Maddie's Secret

"Energy Dance in Waterford, Michigan. Again you were second. Any other teacher would probably think an overall higher score second place is wonderful," Abby's words are dripped with disappointment, telling Lexie exactly how she feels about them getting second. "And now the pyramid. On the bottom Paige and Brooke. Once again, you're still on prohibition. You never came to me and said, 'Hey can I do my solo?' Brooke, you should wanna do that acrobatic routine. It was beautiful.

"Next... Nia. Nia, you did a great job on your solo; you made the top ten, but pay attention to the technique. Apply your correction. You don't always do that. Next, we have... Chloe. Chloe, great job in the duet. Came out, your back leg was up on the arabesque, you fixed your problem. You had a good weekend. Next on the pyramid... Maddie. Maddie, you had an outstanding solo. You did a beautiful job on the duet. Second, on the pyramid is Lexie. You went to LA, you came back, and you got second place. Maybe you had a lot on your mind with the audition, but that routine should have won."

Lexie nods, mouth twisting to the side. Maddie gets first place, and her routine is called beautiful. I got second, and I need to do better. Not that I didn't know that. But still, it's not fair.

"On top of the pyramid, this week is Mackenzie. She won the overall high score and was crowned Petite Miss Energy Dance. Let's give her a round of applause," Lexie claps for her sister, smiling down at her. "This week, we will be attending Starpower in Woodbridge, Virginia. This is the largest dance competition in the United States. I'm excited about the group dance. I've been preparing it for weeks.

"Mackenzie, you proved that you're not a little baby. You must be advanced enough to be in the group dance. I'm not watering down the choreography. You will be expected to do what everyone else does. Maddie, you will be doing a routine called 'Looking for a Place Like Home.' It's a little spin on 'There's no place like home,' a modern-day version. Chloe, you will also be doing a solo. Your solo is entitled 'What Goes Around Comes Around.' Lexie Beck as a solo for you called, 'Seven Hours.'"

"Ohhh," Lexie coos. It's probably lyrical; Beck has really been obsessive with them lately.

Abby gestures to Brooke, whose hand is in the air. "Yes, Brooke?"

"This weekend is my first formal school dance, and I was wondering if I would be able to go to it?" Brooke asks.

Lexie tilts her head. Is Abby going to say yes? She doesn't really like us doing things outside of dance.

"I think if I was in your position, I would be making a different decision. However, if you have decided that this is something that you wanna do, far be me to keep you from it," Abby tells her. "You will not be in the group number this week; you will not be joining us on the trip."

"Thank you," Brooke smiles.

Abby turns to the Moms. "Moms, you're dismissed, Girls, spread apart; we're gonna warm up. See ya."

Spreading out, the girls go through warm-ups for twenty minutes before Abby moves on to the choreography.

Sitting on her square, Abby addresses them. "Girls, obviously, I'm going to replace Brooke. Maddie, I want you to go get Payton. Do not make a big deal out of it. Just tap her on the arm, and say 'Come with me.'"

"Okay," Maddie agrees before leaving the room. A few minutes later, she returns with Payton.

"Brooke is going away this weekend, so I'm looking to replace her," Abby explains to Payton, who grins.

Lexie chews the inside of her lips. She likes Payton, but recently she hasn't been so nice to everyone-- she kept telling Maddie what to do the other day, and she shoved Paige and didn't apologize. But if Abby wants her on the team, there's really nothing Lexie can do about it.