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

Chapter 9

I wake up at nine o'clock the next morning.
I can't believe I dance at nationals in two days...
I put on a light pink sundress and black flip flops, and I put my hair in to a side braid. I go downstairs where mom is already making breakfast.
The rest of the morning goes by in a blur, and soon enough my dad is dropping Marisa, Mom, and I off at the airport.
We head inside and drop our bags off to be put under the plane. This part always makes me nervous, because I worry that my dance shoes or wig might get lost...
We then go to airport security, and I spot a familiar face.
"Hey Bridget!" I say. Bridget is another girl from my dance school. She got second at nationals last year, but she really, really wants to win now.
"Hi Ciara! I'm so not used to seeing you in normal clothes instead of dance clothes!" She laughs, "How are you?"
"Nervous!" I say. "I'm really feeling the pressure..."
"Don't worry, you'll be fantastic! Just dance your best and the scores will take care of themselves!"
It doesn't make me feel much better, but I smile anyway...
We go through the metal detectors, and then we finally head to our gate.
Since there's a little time before we have to leave, mom gives Marisa and I money to get an early lunch.
We go back to the terminal, and I go on social media for a little while before its announced that our plane is boarding.
We get on, and my stomach tightens with nerves.
Nationals seems to be all I can think about now...
We sit down in our seats, and in twenty minutes we're taking off. I watch the ground get smaller and smaller, and finally all I see are the clouds around me...
Marisa and I watch Jig on my laptop, and the rest of the flight I spend by playing games with Marisa and on my phone.
And before I know it, the plane is descending, and we've landed in Anaheim, California. Nationals is here again just like in 2013!
I excitedly get off the plane with Mom and Marisa. My legs feel stiff as we walk to the baggage claim.
Marisa and Mom's bags are the first ones out, but mine aren't with them. I'm starting to feel a little nervous as more and more people leave the baggage claim, and still I don't have my things...
But finally I spot them. I take a sigh of relief as I grab them off the conveyer belt, and we finally head outside the airport.
A taxi arrives, and we put our bags in the back and pile in. Our hotel is only a few minutes away, luckily!
Even in the lobby, there's many girls wearing their dance school's jacket and sporting orange legs.
It's only two o'clock in California, so even though Marisa and I are hungry for dinner, we can't have any.
Mom gets our room key, and then we go upstairs to put our things in our room.
The hotel room is a beautiful suite, with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. I get one of the rooms to myself, so I put my bags on the bed, and carefully hang my dress in the closet.
"Ciara?" My mom calls from the living room.
"Yeah, Mom?" I step outside.
"Can you go downstairs and buy a program book, please?" She asks. "Would be nice to know way in advance how much time we'll have before you and Marisa dance in the morning."
"Sure," I say. She hands me some money and a room key, and then I head downstairs.
A hall leading out of the lobby opens up into a huge vendor area, where lots of people are roaming around. I notice a huge line coming from where they are selling the books, and I inadvertently groan.
As I'm walking toward the mass of people, I notice someone with a boot and crutches standing at a vendor table with lots of headpieces.
Carly.
Then, I notice that she's talking with three girls with the same Brennan School jackets. The Brennan school is a relatively new school about forty minutes from my house, but they've already produced four world champions.
The strangest thing is that I know all of Carly's feis friends, and I didn't think she had any from that school. And yet, Carly's talking and laughing with them like she's known them forever. I watch as she moves with the group to the next table.
I finally get in line, and after about half an hour of waiting I get my book.
I immediately flip to the Girls under 14 B page and scan through looking for my name...
136. I look at the girls listed next to and around my number. I don't recognize any of them as being really high ranking dancers, so that's a good sign.
As I'm walking back to the elevators, I decide to say hello to Carly, only to see if she's still angry at me for some reason.
"Hey, Car!" I say when I'm behind her.
Either she didn't hear me, or she's ignoring me.
I tap her shoulder this time, "Hi Carly!"
She whirls around, and when she sees me, she frowns.
"Um... Hi..." She says dismissively, and then whispers to the Brennan School girls, who start giggling. She turns her back towards me, and I walk away, stunned.
Why on Earth is she being so rude to me?
I enter the elevator feeling a mix of anger and defeat.