"Her or me?" A tear rolled down Michelle's puffy cheek, "You have to make a decision."
For Michelle, life has always been about control-control in the studio, in her friendships, and even in the secrets she hides. But with an unexpected pregnancy...
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Summer, Emily, Michelle and I are walking into the foyer of the competition. We flew here last minute and I don't even feel like I've had a second to process the fact that we're actually doing this.
Summer and I worked on our routine during the week, and although our rehearsals were filled with tension, we actually got the dance finished and clean. Summer and I have one thing in common and that's winning.
The two of us follow Michelle and Emily to the front desk, pulling our suitcases behind us with great struggle.
"Girls, hurry up!" Michelle complains about how long we're taking.
"Ugh!" I roll my eyes.
When we eventually catch up to them, we stand beside them as they check-in.
"And what are the names of the dancers that will be competing?" The man sitting behind the registration desk asks Michelle.
I watch as Michelle hesitates for a second. She turns her head and glances at me before turning back to the desk.
"Summer and, uhm, Richelle." She tells him.
I watch as he inspects a sheet of paper until he finds our names.
"Ah, got it!" He announces "Summer and Richelle."
"Yes, that's everything sorted. If you can have those two dancers backstage for 10 am Sunday morning that would be great."
Emily then asks him "And what time do you think they'll be performing? I want to make sure they're ready."
He pauses for a second, checking a sheet of paper, before saying "I have their names down for 1 pm. It could be a little earlier or later but you'll find out on the day."
"That's great." Emily smiles at him.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?"
Emily looks at Michelle and Michelle shakes her head.
"No, I think that's everything. Thank you for your help."
"Of course." He shakes her hand "Good luck!"
And as the both of them walk away from the desk, Emily turns to us and ushers for us to follow her "Girls."
I roll my eyes, grabbing my suitcase and slowly beginning to follow them.
I look around and I see so many dancers; most of them I don't recognise. I see a lot of younger dancers too and they look thrilled to be here. There are teams already stretching in the foyer despite the competition being two days away, and I begin to wonder if we should be taking this more seriously.
"Wow, this place is huge!" Summer scans her eyes over the room.
