"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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I wait for Richelle and Summer at the side of the stage. I peer out at the audience, and everything just brings me back to when I was a dancer myself. My dance career was short-lived, but in the time that I got to perform, I enjoyed every second of it.
Suddenly, I notice Richelle and Summer approaching out of the corner of my eye.
"Hey, you all ready?" I ask them.
Richelle nods. "What do you think of our costumes?"
I take my time to look at their costumes, spending a little extra time admiring Summer. "Yeah, they actually look good."
"Wait, let me see. Turn around so I can make sure everything is perfect."
Summer and Richelle show me each angle of their costumes, and I agree that they look great. They're wearing matching leotards: Richelle in white and Summer in black. Their hair is loose and curly, and their makeup soft but stage-ready.
"Are we good?" Richelle asks.
"Uh-huh. All looks good to me." I confirm "Now, I want the two of you going over this duet again and again, making sure that it's absolutely perfect. We have around five minutes until you're called onto the stage."
Richelle nods "Okay." before gesturing for Summer to follow her to a quieter area.
I take some time to watch one of our rival teams performing their duet on stage. I notice how clean they are and how much emotion they're showing on their faces. I just hope that Richelle and Summer can blow the judges away.
I glance at Summer and Richelle behind me. They're actually working together to go over the duet, and their faces display deep concentration. I know that the two of them have their differences, but I know that they'll pull this off.
As I continue to watch the performances, I feel a hand on my shoulder.
"Hey, are you okay?" Summer asks me.
"Uhm, yeah." I reply, "I'm just a little nervous."
"You're a little nervous? I'm the one that has to go out on that stage, I'm crapping myself!"
I giggle, "Yeah, I know."
There are a few seconds of silence before a serious look appears on her face. "Hey, I just want to say that I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you yesterday."
"It's fine."
"No, but it's not." She continues, "I do realise that I have a terrible attitude, and I'm really stubborn and often say the wrong thing. I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I mess things up sometimes, and I'm working on it."
I give her a quick smile to show that I appreciate it. "It's okay, really. But, thanks."
"Now, why don't you go and work on the dance? I want you to be perfect out on that stage." I tell her, "Richelle's a really good dancer, but you're the person that I'm drawn to when I watch the two of you dance..."
