ℒ𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒪𝓃 𝒯𝒽ℯ 𝒟𝒶𝓃𝒸ℯ ℱ𝓁ℴℴ𝓇 [𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏]

𝟐.𝟐𝟓- 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐨 𝐅𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫

Authors Note!

Hey, y'all!
For those who celebrate it...
Merry Christmas! 🎁🎄

- Emms

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˚✧.⋅₊˚ ‧ 🩰⋅୨୧ ⋅🦢  ‧₊˚ ⋅.✧˚

["Dance To Express, Not Impress"]

Katie stood in the hallway, her mind spinning, as the producers exchanged glances before continuing. The sudden shift in tone had caught her off guard. She had been expecting something routine, a quick check-in or an update about the competition. But this? This was something else entirely.

"Let's be clear, Katie," one of the producers began, her voice calm but authoritative. "Emily signed a contract with us for six seasons, and that's a big commitment. We understand Broadway is a huge opportunity, but if Emily takes the role in Annie and is gone for a year or two, that's going to affect her involvement in the show."

Katie felt a knot tighten in her stomach. She had always known that the show was a major part of Emily's life, but the producers' words suddenly felt like a weight pressing down on her. She had signed that contract for Emily, Emily signed it too of course, fully aware of what it meant, but this was something different. Broadway was something she had never anticipated when they first agreed to join Dance Moms.

Katie's heart raced as she tried to process what the producers were telling her, "But this is Annie," Katie protested. "This is Broadway. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Emily."

The producer nodded, a gesture that seemed to show understanding but also a firm resolve, "We get that. We truly do. But you have to understand from our side- if Emily goes off to Broadway, she'll be gone for a significant amount of time. A year or even two. And we can't have that sort of disruption to the cast and the filming schedule."

Katie clenched her hands into fists, fighting the frustration building inside of her. She had seen Emily struggle to get this far, and now that her dreams were so close to coming true, it felt like the show might be holding her back. She wasn't sure if she should feel angry, betrayed, or just resigned.

"I didn't sign Emily up for Dance Moms just to have her dreams crushed," Katie muttered, more to herself than to the producers. "She deserves this. She deserves to chase after this."

The other producer, a man who had remained mostly silent up to this point, finally spoke. His voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable firmness to it, "It's not about crushing dreams, Katie. It's about keeping promises and commitments. If it were just six months, we could make it work, but a year or more is a different situation altogether."

Katie felt her chest tighten, "Are you telling me that if Emily takes this opportunity, she'll have to choose? That she can't do both?"

"Essentially, yes," the producer replied. "It's not just about Emily. It's about the show as a whole. The cast needs to be consistent, and if one of our core dancers isn't available for an extended period of time, we can't keep filming the way we need to."

Katie opened her mouth to respond, but the words caught in her throat. She had to admit, on some level, the producers were right. The show was more than just Emily, more than just her dancing. The filming schedules, the other dancers, the production- it all had to be in sync.

And if Emily was off on Broadway, filming would be a logistical nightmare. A year away would be too much for the show to handle. Katie knew that much.

"I don't want Emily to feel like she has to choose," Katie said quietly, her voice tinged with regret. "But she's worked so hard for this, and I don't want to stand in her way either."