Olivia 'Livvy' Johnson has been dancing at The Next Step her whole life, with her older sister Amelia. Going to Regionals and following in her sister's footsteps has always been her dream, and now, finally, it stands a chance at coming true.
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"Livvy!" Giselle exclaimed, bursting into Studio B and nearly breaking the door down in the process. Olivia flinched at the sudden interruption to her rehearsal, wondering what Giselle was so excited about.
"Emily and Stephanie left the studio, there's two spots open on A-Troupe and they're holding auditions! Me and you, we'll get it for sure!" Giselle continued. Olivia's stomach began to knot as she thought about it. She had another opportunity to go to Regionals as her sister did the previous year. But she wasn't sure.
"That's great, Giselle, you should definitely audition," She smiled, sitting down on the bench to put her shoes back on.
"And you? You're auditioning, right? You'd be crazy not to," Her friend replied, sitting down next to her.
"You think?" Olivia frowned, uncertain if Giselle was lying to spare her feelings or telling the truth.
"Livvy, you've improved so much since the first auditions. A-Troupe is where you belong,"
~
"Why do you dance, Livvy?"
"Um...well I got into it because of my sister, Amelia. I always wanted whatever she had. And then watching her at Regionals for the first time, I just...I knew that's where I wanted to be. On the stage, sharing my love of dance,"
~
Olivia had worked on her solo for months after the first A-Troupe auditions. It was full of her best tricks, every move displaying her craft to the best of her ability. She was determined to win one of the two spots no matter what. Failing the original audition was bad enough; it would be even worse if she were to fail again. Regionals was exactly where she wanted to be, and she was going to make it happen. She began with a jete, before transitioning into pirouettes. The only thing going through her mind was Regionals. I have to get to Regionals. She moved to a back handspring as the music flowed through her body. She was at one with the song. Time seemed to slow down as everyone around her faded away. Olivia wasn't dancing for them. Not for Miss Kate or Chris, not for Michelle, not for the other B-Troupers watching. She was dancing for two things - herself and Regionals. I have to get to Regionals. Finally, the song ended, and she could do no more except wait to hear if she made A-Troupe.
-
Olivia, Giselle and Beth sat in Squeezed, the juice bar on the ground floor of the same building The Next Step studio was in. All three of them had danced their absolute hardest in their auditions, but there were only two spots available. Plus, some of the other dancers like Charlie and Sarah were also incredible. A-Troupe was such a prestigious place to be, such an honour to join, that Olivia wasn't sure she'd even get in. She'd failed before, there was nothing stopping her from failing again. Olivia's phone buzzed suddenly, making the three girls jump in anticipation.
"Well? Did you get in?" Beth exclaimed. Olivia turned her phone over anxiously. She sighed, slightly disappointed in the message.
"It's not about A-Troupe," She said, causing the other two girls to also sigh in dismay. The message was from Daniel, one of the A-Troupers who was on B-Troupe with Olivia last year. He was asking to meet her in Studio B. The two of them were best friends and had been since they were little kids. They were next-door neighbours for the first 10 years of their lives until Olivia's family moved to a different part of town. The only reason Daniel started dance was because he wanted to spend more time with Olivia after school, and he ended up falling in love with dance in the process.
-
Olivia arrived in Studio B to see Daniel marking his solo for the Regionals routine. She was so proud of him for getting it, for proving he deserved his place in A-Troupe.
"Hey, Liv," He greeted, "Heard anything yet?"
"No. I just wanna know either way. I hate waiting, it's like I'm stuck in limbo," She replied, sitting down on the bench and placing the two drinks she'd bought next to her. Strawberry for Daniel, raspberry for Olivia. That was the way it had always been.
"Thanks," Daniel smiled, sitting down next to her and taking his juice.
"So why did you wanna see me?" The girl asked, taking a sip from her drink.
"I uh...well two reasons. I wanted to know if you were on A-Troupe yet," He replied, beginning to tap the side of his cup anxiously.
"Okay, and the other reason?"
"Never mind," He frowned.
"No way, you can't say that and then not tell me. What is it?" Olivia asked, putting down her drink.
"It doesn't matter-"
"Yes it does, if you felt the need to get me here but didn't want me to tell anyone who I was going to meet. Such a cryptic text by the way. So go on then, tell me," Olivia replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"Fine...if you promise to keep it a secret? Hair swear?" Daniel said uncertainly. Olivia sighed, knowing she had no choice but to keep whatever secret he told her. She nodded, leaning to the side so their hair could touch.
"I might've...slightly accidentally landed funny on my ankle the other day. But it's okay! It's fine, it's just..." Daniel trailed off, trying to downplay his injury. He knew he couldn't hide it from her, as they always told each other everything. But he was also worried about getting kicked off of A-Troupe. He finally made it to where he wanted to be. He was finally recognised for his talent. He had the solo in the main Regionals routine. Everything had fallen into place and he was not about to let his ankle ruin that.
"Wait, what? How bad is it?" Olivia asked, her stomach knotting. If it was bad and he danced on it, he could make it worse. He could ruin his whole dance career.
"It's not bad, I promise. It just starts to hurt a bit if I don't wear this tenser bandage. It's healing though. I'm okay," He replied, although it was as if he was trying to convince himself, not her. Before Olivia could say anything else, she got a text from Beth, saying she hadn't made A-Troupe but Miss Kate had asked to see her ASAP. This was it. The final decision.
-
"You wanted to see me, Miss Kate?" Olivia said nervously as she entered the office.
"Yes, please sit down," Miss Kate nodded. Olivia sat on one of the chairs in front of the desk, her knee bouncing up and down slightly as she waited for Miss Kate's decision.
"So, let's talk about your A-Troupe audition. I talked with Chris and Michelle and they both agree with me. We think you'd be the perfect fit for the 10th member of A-Troupe," Miss Kate revealed. Olivia's face lit up. She'd done it. She was going to Regionals.
"Oh my gosh, seriously? Thank you!" She beamed, "Who else got picked?"
"Nobody, just you, Olivia. Stephanie came back so there was only one spot available, and we all agreed you were the best. Your audition was outstanding and you should be very proud of yourself."
-
"The tenth member of A-Troupe is...Olivia!" Miss Kate announced. The whole of A-Troupe turned around to see Olivia standing behind them. Everyone started clapping for her, a couple of the girls embracing her in hugs. It was still surreal to her. She was actually on A-Troupe. She was going to Regionals. And even better yet, she could do it all with her best friend.
