What It All Comes Down To (Book 2 in the Irish Dance Camp series)

Chapter 2

I wake up the next morning with the sound of my alarm clock blaring. I slap it with my hand to turn it off, and roll over to face the ceiling.
I have a feis today!
I feel my stomach fill with nerves. There are supposed to be forty competitors in my age group, and my friend, Grace, the national champion from the split opposite to mine, is going to be there, too.
Annie thinks I have a shot at winning nationals, so I should definitely be winning  feises, right?
I gulp and groggily stand up. I change into my usual feis outfit, black yoga pants, my school's jacket, and a loose tank top that says Just Dance in sparkly letters. I pull my hair up into a bun and start to work on my wig.
My dark brown hair is usually in a full wig, but my dance teachers decided I should try a bun with little tendrils going down the sides.
An hour later, I've finished my hair and makeup and I head downstairs for breakfast, where Mom is working on Marisa's blonde full wig.
"Hi sweetie! Sleep well?" Mom asks.
I nod and open the refrigerator. I decide to make myself a fruit smoothie.
After I finish, I sit down at the counter.
"Are you excited for the feis, Marisa?" I ask.
"Uh-huh..." She says, staring at her iPad. Mom rolls her eyes.
Marisa won the u8 oireachtas last year as a u7, and everyone thinks she has a really good shot at winning nationals. Marisa doesn't really care how she does at feises, though, she's just there to have fun.
Sometimes, I wish I could be that way, too.
When mom finishes Marisa's hair, we all pile into the car and start on our way to the feis. Fortunately, it's just a forty-five minute drive from our house. I mostly just text people and listen to my set dance on the way up.
Finally, we arrive at the venue, which is a pretty nice hotel. I'm dancing in one of the ballrooms at 8:45, and Marisa's dancing at 12:00, so we'll be here for awhile.
When we enter the ballroom, I see familiar blonde hair bobbing in a corner. I let out a little squeal and run over.
"GRACE!" I yell, practically tackling her in a hug.
"Ciara! Hi!" She giggles. She has one of those wigs that poufs in the back and has loose curls going down. "How are you?"
"Nervous. Forty people is like, a small oireachtas!"
"I know, I was just saying the same thing. It's insane!" She sighs. And then, another familiar face enters the ballroom.
"Hi Carly!" I said.
"Hey! Wait, Grace! Hi!" Carly says, hugging Grace.
"Guys, I was just thinking," Grace says, "wouldn't it be so cool if we took the top three?"
"Oh my gosh, yes! We so need to do that!" I say excitedly.
"You guys will, but that might be a bit of a struggle for me..." Carly says.
"Stay positive, Car!" I say, trying to cheer her up, "You never know what could happen!"
We warm up for a little while, until the announcer calls: "I need all competitors in 506, girls open championship under 14, to come side stage, please, to check in."
I hurry over with my number, 720, and find out I'm dancing 36th in line.
At least the judges will remember you, I think to myself.
I sit down next to my mom and Grace, and we watch Carly dance with the third group of dancers.
I hold my breath during the eight bar introduction, and then Carly starts.
And my mouth drops.
She seems to be floating around the stage. Every beat is spot on, and the judges can't take their eyes off of her.
"She's doing incredible. Holy cow." Grace whispers to me. When she finishes, everyone applauds.
"Well, I better get my dress on, I'm up soon," Grace says nervously.
"Good luck!" I hug her before she walks away.
Carly comes back over to our seats, panting. "How did I do?" She asks.
"Fabulous!" I hug her, and in a few minutes Grace takes the stage.
She stands with confidence, and the judges are already watching her, probably because they recognize her.
Grace's hornpipe if flawless, not surprisingly, and when she takes her bow, I notice the judges nodding to each other.
After another fifteen minutes or so of warming up, I put my dress on and head side stage.
I make a little bit of small talk with the girls around me, and after discussing which directions we go, I head on stage, ready to dance my first round.