Tina's Life: A Dancer's Dream Come True

Chapter 1: Homeschool for Tina

" Tina. Grab your textbook and your pencil bag. I'll be down there in a minute." Mom says. " Alright. I'm grabbing my books." Tina says. After 3 hours of one-on-one teaching, Tina writes down some final notes in her workbook and closes it because she's done with all of her schoolwork and her schedule. " Nice job, Tina. You completed all of your math homework, and you've completed that short fiction story... now you've got time for pleasure and relaxation with friends or scrolling through your socials while chomping on some grapes before we get going to your training session. You must make time to relax and enjoy yourself or else you're gonna be focused on work and not being a regular teenager." Mom says. " That sounds like the perfect thing to do when school's over and before we go to one of your activities. " Tina says, grabbing a bowl of red grapes and heading upstairs to her bedroom to have some much-needed, quality Tina time without her siblings interrupting her with ridiculous demands. " We're getting nice and comfortable... the grapes are on the side table, and without further ado, it's time for grapes and hours spent scrolling on Twitter and listening to good Christian music until dinner's ready... and Mom has to call me 4 times loudly because of how actively noise-canceling my headphones are," Tina says. At dinner, Mom brings out some spicy chicken and hot sauce casserole and chicken covered in honey and marshmallows that she made. " It's so nice to see all of my beautiful children under one roof and not in separate places on Zoom or those other interactive platforms." Mom said. hugging her 3 kids extra tightly so that they have to suffocate for air. " Homeschooling is the best opportunity for a flexible schedule that allows more free time and less time doing homework after schools are closed," Tina says. " We're trying to be better teachers and make sure that you have an amazing schooling experience with us getting teaching lessons twice every week to give you the education that you deserve... you know, top-notch professors and the best learning materials that are perfect for your status as an up-and-coming artist who makes performances look effortless and you have to go to those huge, expensive luxurious stores with the beautiful dresses and the makeup collection is fantastic and I can afford it all. I love the makeup from Paris because all of the makeup makes me look like a dancing doll who looks like she's 22 years old but she's a 13-year-old who loves her life but she wants to be more normal... like a non-famous teenager who loves hanging out with friends, eating food, and living life to the fullest every day." Mom said. " The worst time of the day is the afternoon because I'm going to choreography, contemporary training, and being an older sister while juggling my role as a celebrity/performer who makes performances seem effortless and easy to do... but the choreography is grueling, and there are shows and other appearances that I have to make like red carpets, music videos, and other promotional opportunities," Mom says. " Homeschooling is the perfect way to learn and make this constantly performing-based life a lot easier and better for everyone in the family, especially you, Tina," Dad says. " Performing without that many breaks is my life, so I'm getting quite used to always being on the road and never being home that much... but it's very sad when I can't be home for Christmas and other holidays that are important to our family... so it's important to have all of the kids in the same house or else we can't celebrate properly because all of the family is at a distance when it comes to the locations of each child," Mom says.
" But my career takes me to different places, and my schedule has to be open to work on weekends, holidays, and Friday afternoons when I wanna relax," Tina said. " This is the best way for our ever-growing family. Homeschooling is the perfect way to learn and bond with you over similar interests in certain school topics." Dad says. " Plus. I have a more flexible schedule than regular school... and all of my teachers are nice. They don't push me too much, and they let me do fun things despite always being in the eye of the paparazzi and industry professionals." Tina said. " What are you doing, Tina? Can we play together... like we use to do?" Micah, Tina's 8-year-old brother, asked.
" Sorry, Micah. I can’t spend time with you right now I'm about to hop onto a Zoom class with my Social Studies teacher. Can you and Patrick go to the living room and watch TV?" Tina asked, hugging Micah and watching him and 6-year-old Patrick, Tina, and Micah's younger brother who has autism, turn the TV on to their favorite show, which let her focus on getting all of her schoolwork done and organized for the next day so she could spend more time with them instead of worrying about work getting done that should get done when she has off days from performances. " Universal World is a big party with tons of familiar and new Christian radio artists gonna be the make-or-break concert that shows you what you're capable of when you're performing and making people happy." Mom said. " This is gonna be an event where you're wearing multiple props and singing new songs that the audience doesn't know about yet," Tina said. " We know that you're a person who can reach their pivotal level of success in the industry while maintaining the roles of sister and superstar," Dad said. " Homeschooling is the best way for you to have a balanced schedule and get your education... all in one place." Mom said. " But I'm far away from my friends and I don't get time to see my family because of my busy schedule that takes me away from my hometown and everything familiar to me like my bedroom or my annoyingly adorable brothers," Tina said. " It's hard but I'm getting used to it since I've been on the road for 2 months performing countless shows and making sure to get an adequate amount of sleep to function properly because how much sleep you get determines how much energy you have to take on the day... because you're super busy and you don't have time to check a schedule and grab the right props before we head out the door. You've gotta be able to manage your schedule without having to rely on us." Mom said. " That’s a skill that I'm working on, and I'm getting there every single day," Tina said. " That’s the important part of all this. You're becoming a better person every day because of the little mistakes that you make during the day that tell you what not to do the next day." Mom said. " Universal World is very important for your career to elevate even further before you become an adult and you have your own life, managing your own money and figuring out how to use it effectively without wasting it," Dad said. " You need to show these professionals that you can be a boss during Universal World or else... everything that we've been doing since you were 4 years old was a complete waste of your time and our money, which we put aside for you and your career," Dad said. " I promise I won't let you guys down, even if I mess up 25 times during rehearsals," Tina said. " We know Tina. You're so strong and young... and you have a certain personality when you're on stage." Dad said. " Universal World sounds exciting. How did you know about this?" Tina asked. " Your manager called me a few months ago and told me that you were selected as an artist showcase. I was so thrilled that I wanted to hooray out the window into space. That's how excited I was... and it was affordable since you're career brings in 7 figures a year." Mom said. " How many months do I have until Universal World?" Tina asked. " You have 3 1/2 months... which isn't a lot of time to learn everything that you need to learn to pull off a concert where you’re performing in front of thousands of people watching your every move. It's a lot of pressure but we’re believing in you every step of the way. No matter what happens." Dad said. Looks like my schedule is gonna be packed, Tina thought. " Your schedule is gonna be full of choreography, stretching, and technique sessions. No time for a break or a day off. Are you okay with that?" Mom asked. " Um.... yeah. I'm fine with that." Tina said. " Great. Because dancers never take a break unless they have to, and you'll be surprised by how rare it is to see dancers enjoying themselves." Mom said.