My girl || New Edition

New edition?

Brooke fetches a folding chair and positions it in front of the kids. "Now, I'm aint sure what you've heard about me, but I'm not making any promises to turn you into stars. That's not my style. However, if you're willing to put in the hard work and heed my advice, I'll help you become professionals," he declares, pacing.

"Let me be crystal clear, you are a group," he emphasizes, pausing to look at them. "Everything you do, you do as one. Equality is the rule, whether you're the Untouchables or the Transitions. All my groups operate the same way. So, if you're thinking of hogging the stage and outshining the others, forget about it," he warns, as Destiny exchanges a glance with Bobby, prompting his curiosity. "What are you looking at me for?" Bobby questions. "Oh, nothing," Destiny dismisses.

"Or you can leave right now, because I don't tolerate that. You're about to work hard... it's about to be real hard work, harder than y'all ever have," he continues, his tone firm as he walks over to the radio. He pauses, noticing Destiny standing a little off from the boys."Can you sing?" Brooke suddenly asks, turning her attention toward Destiny. "Oh, I just dance," Destiny replies, a bit hesitant.

"But can you actually sing?" Brooke presses, not letting it go. Destiny nods slowly. "Yeah, but my mom wants me to just dance," she answers, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness. Brooke studies her for a moment before asking, "Do you want to sing?" Destiny's eyes light up, excitement replacing the sadness. "Yes," she answers eagerly.

"Get in line," Brooke orders, a small smile forming as Destiny quickly moves to the middle, joining the others. He then turns on the radio, and the opening notes of "Holdin' On" fill the room. "Alright, let's fly, let's go," he says, snapping his fingers to the beat. Brooke raises his hands and steps back, setting the pace. "Alright, I'm going to count you in. Okay, and... five, six, seven, eight," he says, snapping on the beat. On his cue, they all raise their hands and slide back.

"Come on back. Come here. One more time," Brooke instructs, motioning for them to return to their original positions. Brooke then raises his hands, does a spin, and counts them in again. They mimic his moves on cue, but he can tell they still need improvement.

As Brooke continues to count them in, they begin missing more and more steps, frustrating him. Finally, he stops the music and instructs them to drop down and do push-ups. "You don't want to miss your marks, and I don't want to waste my time. You'll be doing push-ups all day out here," he warns as they groan in annoyance.

"This is some bull shit," Destiny mumbles under her breath as they begin their push-ups. "Watch your mouth, lil' girl," Brooke snaps, glaring at her. Destiny sucks her teeth in defiance. "I mean bull spit," she corrects herself with a smirk, causing the other boys to stifle their laughter. "Man, shut up," Destiny says, rolling her eyes at their amusement, as she focuses back on her push-ups.

...

They all line up, and Brooke demonstrates the correct spin he wants them to execute. "Get it right," he emphasizes, snapping his fingers to punctuate his command. One by one, they attempt the spin, trying to match his movements as closely as possible.

Once they've practiced the spin, he arranges them in a horizontal line, adjusting their spacing and arm positioning for the next dance move. "Two, three, and..." he trails off as they start practicing the routine together. As the music begins to play—"Holdin' on... and that's no lie"—they finish the dance with a coordinated slide, and Brooke watches with an approving smile, pleased with their progress.

Next, he has them do squats with books in their hands, which proves to be a challenge. Brooke sighs, taking a puff from his cigarette as he observes their struggle. The heat and the workout are clearly taking their toll. After a few more seconds, he looks back at them, his voice firm. "Time!" he announces. At his command, the kids all drop down in exhaustion, breathing heavily as they collapse onto the floor, grateful for the brief respite.

...

Brooke executes a smooth slide across the floor, then turns to the kids, signaling for them to do the same. As they mimic the slide, he nods in approval, satisfied with their progress. "Alright, moving on," Brooke says, moving on to show them the next set of dance moves.

As they continue, their movements start to look sloppy, and Brooke's expression shifts to one of frustration. He shakes his head, stopping them.

"If you can't perform when it's hot, then you can't perform," he declares, unplugging the fan. The sudden loss of cool air causes the kids to groan in unison. Destiny, feeling the heat even more intensely, mumbles, "No way, I'm sweating bullets right now," rubbing her head in discomfort.

...

After a few more rounds, they finally stop. Brooke hands them cups filled with water, which they eagerly drink to cool down, their exhaustion. "I've come up with a name for you guys," Brooke says, his tone serious as he looks at each of them. "See... your name ain't just who you are, it's what you're all about. When you hear names like The Temptations or the Stylistics, or my favorite, Blue Magic, it tells you where they come from. Ya dig?" he asks, his eyes searching their faces for understanding. They nod in agreement, absorbing his words.

"So, what's our name?" Bobby interjects eagerly, only to get a light smack on the head from Destiny. "Shut up," Ricky scolds him. "No, no, no. Bobby has a good question," Brooke says, dismissing the scolding as he grabs a board. "I'll write it down for you, because if I just tell it to you... it's different when you see something rather than just hearing it. Listen to this. Here we go," he says as he writes down the name, then holds it up for them to read.

"New Edition?" Destiny asks, looking around at everyone, the name unfamiliar but intriguing. "Exactly," Brooke confirms, standing up from his chair with a sense of pride. "See... this name lets everybody know where the next big thing coming out of Boston is. They know about the Jackson 5, they know about the Untouchables. They're about to know about... the New Edition. Say it," he commands, pacing back and forth, his energy infectious.

"New Edition," they all chime in, though their voices are unsure, making Brooke pause and look at them with disappointment. "Can we say that the right way, please? Again," Brooke encourages, his tone pushing them to do better. "New Edition!" they say again, this time with more confidence.

"One more time," Brooke urges, wanting them to own it. "New Edition!" they exclaim, their voices filled with enthusiasm and pride this time. "Alright, good," Brooke says, giving them a slight smile, knowing they're finally starting to believe in themselves and the name.

...

Brooke watches Destiny and the boys practice to "Holdin' On," nodding in approval as they dance, sweat pouring down their faces, their voices joining in as they sing the song. The energy in the room is intense, but they push through, giving it their all."Five, six, seven, eight," Brooke counts, facing away from them with his eyes closed, fully immersed in the rhythm.

Suddenly, he interrupts, "Stop." His voice cuts through the music, and everyone freezes in place. "Ricky, I caught you. Okay? You dragged your foot," he explains, still not turning around. Confused, the others glance at Ricky, who looks sheepishly down at his feet. "Start over... I'm counting you in... five... six... seven... and," Brooke orders, his tone leaving no room for argument. She exchanges a glance with the others, knowing they'll have to nail it this time.

Like

Comment

Share!