I can do it with a broken heart

~2~

This has to be a dream, I can't seriously be auditioning to go on tour with Taylor Swift.

"So we actually chose to do the first round unknowingly so noone would get nervous and dance differently from how they would normally, but we will now do solos, so we can see how you all dance under a little pressure. You will all dance the combo you learnt first, followed by a little improv. The people not performing will be waiting behind that screen in the back of the room. First up, number 74."

I walk to the back of the room with the rest of the group and find a quiet spot to sit down and calm my mind down. After a few people have auditioned, I realise that they are going in order that the numbers were called out then sent home. That means I'll be here for a while.

~

After going over the dance in my head for a while, I notice I'm the last person here. I quickly stretch a little before the woman from the organisation walks in. "You're up honey." I nod and quickly get up to walk into the room. Taylor is sitting more to the middle of the room this time, instead of in the corner like she was earlier, still with that clipboard.

"Kiara, hi! Before we get started with anything I just want to make sure you're not injured or anything, that could've been a pretty nasty fall earlier." So she did see it. "Oh no, I'm fine. I was able to catch myself."

"Good, as you may have heard, we like to get to know you a little before you start dancing, so how long have you been dancing?" "Uhm, I believe my parents put me in a dance class when I was 4 years old, like baby ballet, so that would make it 12 years that I've been dancing." "Because you are 16 right? The youngest person auditioning for us, but your agency was really positive about you. So what styles do you dance?" "Well, I'm mostly trained in lyrical contemporary, but I do take classes in every style."

"Alright, so how many hours do you dance in a week currently?" "Uhm I would say about 26 hours a week." "Wow! How do you fit all that in with school?" "Well, I'm homeschooled, so I can do my work in between classes and just send it in to get graded." "I would say that could come in handy, I'm not going to say too much yet, but if accepted, we are going to be travelling a lot, so homeschooling is definitely a good option, especially since you are the only person still in school with all these people auditioning." I just stand there and nod, if noone is in school anymore they're never going to pick me, the age difference would be to big.

"Have you ever done jobs before?" "Uhm, I would say that I've danced about 15 to 20 jobs now, my agency always makes sure that I'm auditioning for something." "Yeah, you've been busy, alright, do you think you're ready to show us the dance?" "Yes," I say, nodding.

I get into the first position and they turn the music on. The whole time I'm dancing, the only thing I'm focused on is not falling on that leg extention. When the moment comes, I stumble again, this time not falling, but this probably looks even worse, I don't know what's wrong with me today, I never fall on balances. I finish the combination and stand straight in front of Taylor again, trying to keep my breathing from picking up, but failing miserably.

"Okay, take a deep breath, calm down. I feel like you may have lost your confidence on the leg extention a little, would you like me to help you balance so you can do it properly?" Taylor asks. "That would be nice, thank you," I respond quietly. Taylor gets up and puts her clipboard on the chair before walking over to me. I start the prep as she holds my hand, steadying me as I do the extention again, not falling this time. "Alright, now you do it on your own." I nod and try again, not falling, even though I'm doing it without a hand. "Thank you." "No problem honey, even though this is an audition, I still want you to leave confident with yourself." I nod and stand back where I was standing before, as Taylor goes to sit back down.