A Dream During Day

She's a Fighter

"Hadley you need to be downstairs now so I can put your hair up!" Mom yells from downstairs.

"I'm coming!" I yell back. I hustle down the steps with my big dance bag. Mom brushes my hair tightly into a ponytail.

"Ok we have to go or we're gonna be late. Go hop in the car" She taps my head. I open the big car door and buckle myself up.

"Oh my goodness you're getting so big!" Mom yells seeing me get in the car myself. I giggle.

"When do you think the Cast List will come out?" I ask mom.

"I hope soon. But don't get your hopes up honey, you might not get her."

"I know. I'm just excited" I shrug.

"I know you are"

We pull into the parking lot. Mom grabs my hand and I skip inside.

"Hey guys!" Gianna greets sitting at the front desk.

"Hey G" Mom waves.

"Hi" I smile.

"Go and head into the den, the girls are just waiting for Abby to start the Pyramid."

I nod and walk in and sit with Maddie.

"I wanna do some musical theater dances soon," Maddie says.

"We do jazz dances that are sort of musical theater" I say putting my jazz shoes on.

"Yeah, at least we don't do hip hop," Paige says gagging.

"Oh yeah" I laugh.

"Girls come on let's go!" Miss Abby yells.

"Oh here we go" We mutter

"Last weekend we were in Province an hour outside of Boston. Some of the best dance studios in the country are there. Tough schools, tough competitors. And you all held your own. You won that victory cup. You killed it, I'm very proud"

"Yay!" We all clap.

"Now let's talk about this week's competition. We are going to. What?" She asks, pointing at the board.

"Star Power!" We yell.

Maddie

Hadley Chloe Brooke Paige

Nia Mackenzie Mia Vivi-Anne

"It's at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, and it's a resort. It's all self contained. We can't forget anything. So we will have a wardrobe for each day that they are going to be there, just like the old school days."

"And you will pack here in front of me so that I know you have everything."

"Mom's. We are doing another new number!"

"Yay!" We all say but the moms look annoyed.

"Another new costume!" Miss Abby adds.

"Mom, thank you very much. Ladies, let's get up." The moms leave and we get ready to dance.

We all go onto the ballet bar.

"Tighten your abs. Stronger arms, stronger arms, stronger arms. Posse" Miss Abby tells me continually hitting my arms.

"Arabesque let's go. And up!"

"Fold Change! Hadley arm's up! Let's go!"

***

"All right now remember, you're isolated, you're abandoned, whoever you used to have left you so you're telling that story on stage, yes? You just auditioned for a musical about a little girl who is abandoned by her parents, yes? So show me"