Sous-Sus: Premier Jewels

Chapter Thirteen: Brooke's Turning Point

MYLA

"Hey, girls?"

I hum behind my newest Magic Tree House book, Dogs at the Dead of Night. "Yes, Daddy?"

"I noticed that Kelly and her family weren't at my party last week. Is everything okay between you guys? Did your Mom do something?"

"Yes," I nod, while Ilse just shrugs. "Mom is yelling at Paige and Brooke a lot, so Kelly is yelling at her a lot. They hate it."

"They hate each other," Ilse says simply.

"They don't hate each other," Dad denies.

I look at Daddy weirdly. Maybe before, they didn't-- we used to spend so much time at Paige's house, and now Mom doesn't let us go there anymore. It sucks.

"Dad, they hate each other," Ilse tells him. "They argue about the same issues every day, and it's the most insignificant issue in the world. It's petty. They're both trying to get back at each other for something that happened years ago."

Dad shakes his head. "You two would know more than me; just don't let any arguments between your mom and the other moms affect how you treat the girls."

Dad pulls into the studio parking lot.

"We will," I promise. Ilse and grab our bags before getting out of the car.

"Don't forget to remind your Mom you're leaving early today!" Dad yells.

I grin at him. "We won't!"

We're taking holiday pictures for Christmas, which are so much fun.

"Girls, come on, let's go!" Mom yells as we walk into the studio. "Let's have a big round of applause. I think we made applesauce, don't you?"

We all cheered and whooped.

"Now the group won. They won the overall. But you know what? That was one competition. For this week, we are going to Starbound in New Jersey. When we walk in, you need to be those national champions."

"All right. On the bottom..." Mom reaches over and reveals Nia's headshot. "Nia. Simply because of the mistake in the choreography. And that dance is easy. It's simple. Next, we have Kendall. You need to learn to read music, and you need to learn to hear music."

Mom looks over at Jill. "I'm gonna keep her on probation. Until I hand her that jacket, she's still proving herself. Paige. I've seen you do the press better. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt; I thought you did an excellent job. Next, Mackenzie. This week you are not in the group. You are going to do a solo. All right. Next, I have Maddie. I want you to stop resting on your laurels; I want you to keep improving for the next 20 years. Not for one competition. Do you understand?"

Maddie nods. "Mm-hmm."

"So you impress them. I want you to impress me." Mom tells her before returning to the pyramid. "Next, Myla. The same thing, you and Maddie did a duet, and the judges loved it, but you know, as your mother, I'm always gonna want more from you."

Myla smiles. I'm a little older now, so now Mom is going to be harder on me; that's okay because I'll only get better from it. Like Ari and Ilse. "I know."

"Okay, next... I have Chloe. Chloe, you didn't do a solo last week, and you didn't have a duet. You were great in the group. People recognized you from the video, but I want them to recognize you for your dancing. Understood? Next... Ilse. Ilse, you, and Tadd were the highest scoring routine of the competition. You need to keep that going. You got that?"