THE OLDEST ZIEGLER | dance moms

nationals 90210

it was nationals!!!

the girls walked into another rental studio, bags slung over their shoulders, nerves and excitement buzzing in the air as they got ready for pyramid.

abby stood at the front of the room, arms crossed, eyes sharp.

"alright girls. in10sity dance was intense. i saw lots of mistakes. and yet this was the week every solo needed to strive for perfection. this was the last competition before we go to nationals you were duly warned. we won that 2011 national title. i want to win it again. now this week we're going to stay right here in sunny los angeles, but we are going to the most famous zip code—"

melissa couldn't help herself. "90210! sorry i'm sorry!"

a few of the moms laughed quietly as abby shot her a look before continuing. "we are going to 90210, beverly hills. we are going to the energy dance national invitational."

the room fell into a focused silence as pyramid began.

the bottom row consisted of paige, nia, chloe, and kendall. the middle row held brooke, kenzie, and maddie.

"and on top of the pyramid is malia. are you glad to be there?"

malia straightened slightly. "yes."

abby tilted her head. "was it better to win or better to sit in the audience while everybody else gets better?"

"better to win," malia answered, voice calm but proud.

abby nodded once. "now everyone is in the group routine, and this group routine is very disturbing. and the title is the last text. this routine should leave the judges feeling something. energy dance is allowing us to do five additional routines."

that led into the routine assignments.

the solos went to mackenzie, maddie, brooke, and malia.

then abby announced that chloe, kendall, and nia would all learn the same choreography and battle for the fifth solo.

with that, the moms were dismissed, and rehearsal began immediately.

the group routine started with the girls packed into a mock car formation on the floor. paige sat at the front, hands gripping an imaginary steering wheel as the others leaned around her, pretending to scroll on their phones, laugh, and goof off.

then came the crash.

their bodies jolted violently as the music shifted sharp, eerie, haunting.

as the routine progressed, each girl "died" one by one, collapsing in dramatic, unsettling ways.

everyone... except malia.

she danced nearly the entire piece, weaving through the fallen bodies, her movements frantic and emotional before ending the routine alone.

honestly, she loved it. acting-heavy dances were her favorite.

once rehearsal ended, the girls burst out of the studio, racing toward the moms, all talking at once.

"never text and drive!"

"this dance is so creepy!"

"kenzie gets sent flying out the window!"

"everyone dies throughout the dance!"

"wait one voice at a time please!" holly called, laughing.

the girls dropped onto the seats between them, still breathless.

chloe took charge. "so like, we're all, like, dying throughout the dance. like one by one."

"so who's texting? who's the culprit?" jill asked.