Put On A Brave Face (A Kendall Vertes Fanfiction) [ON HOLD]

Chapter One

Published: 8th of August 2013

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I get ready for dance on Saturday morning with a sinking heart. SHE'S going to be there. And I'm not looking forward to it.

I don't know what to wear. I don't want to stand out too much, because of HER. But I don't want to blend in either, because after I won the photoshoot Abby finally started to notice me as a dancer and a person, and I'm hoping to get a solo this week, or at least a duet or trio.

Eventually I choose a kind of neutral leotard- sky blue in colour with wispy clouds on it, a low neck, and thin double straps which cross over at the back. I try to do my make up perfectly with glittery blue eyeshadow to match the leo, eyeliner, mascara, and lipgloss.

"Keeendaaaall! Ryleeeiiigh!" Mom shouts up the stairs. I know she was just trying to wake up Ryleigh, but I'm pretty sure she woke up the whole neighbourhood.

"Coming!" I shout back. I grab a bag with a change of clothes in it and hurtle downstairs.

"Your drink and lunch are in the fridge, Kendall," Mom tells me. "Ryleigh!" she shouts again. "You need to get up NOW or we'll be late to dance again!"

I pick up my drink and lunch, along with a smoothie for breakfast. I'm going to attempt to do my homework for the whole weekend in the car, so I hope Ryleigh's not too grouchy and moany and lets me concentrate. You may have noticed she doesn't like mornings. I grab my three homework folders and my purple pencil case. It's going to be a long journey.

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"Too much make up on, as usual," SHE says, as she brushes past me in the doorway like I'm nothing. I flinch at her words, and as I walk past the bathroom I resist the urge to go inside and wipe the makeup off my face... the makeup which I spent so long putting on.

Mom, oblivious to HER, wishes me good luck with pyramid and goes upstairs to the viewing area. When she steps one foot onto that first step, she ceases to be 'Kendall's mom', who's sweet and caring and kind, and becomes a Dance Mom, brattish, bitchy and self righteous.

I go into the bustling dancer's den, where Maddie is waiting for me.

"Kendall!" she yelps, and gives me a big hug. We didn't see each other yesterday, because Miss Abby gave us a free day after we did super well at the last competition, Intensity dance. That's a recrd for us. We haven't not seen each other for one day since I joined the ALDC, except in holidays. Intensity dance DID go well. We got all the firsts we could get and pulled tons of seconds too.

SHE glares at me across the room as I hug Maddie. 

I guess now is a good time to explain who she is. You're probably wondering by now.

Her name is Natalie. She joined the ALDC fairly recently, and is given regular jazz and musical theatre solos, like me. We could be inseperable friends, except there are three problems.

The first is that she is horrible. And I mean horrible. The second is that, even though I have huge competition already with Maddie and Chloe, Miss Abby seems to think that I need someone who's more my level to compete against, which is why she always gives me and Natalie similar solos and costumes. The third problem is that I rise to the competition. I always beat her. And Natalie hates me for it.

I go into the studio for pyramid, pulling my leotard straps straight self-consciously. Abby's there already, tapping her foot and waiting. She gives me the death glare for being late. I stare at the ground and wish I could disappear into it.

"We'll start at the bottom," Miss Abby says. "That's easy. Nia. You were terrible. I didn't give you a solo, but you were still floundering in the group dance. You've had exactly the same amount of time to learn it as everyone else, yet it should be easier for you than for them since you did't have to remember a solo as well."

My heart aches for poor Nia. I catch her eye and mouth 'Sorry'. She shrugs, but I can tell she's upset.

"Next, Mackenzie. You tripped up at the end of your roundoff back tuck. You've been doing back tucks for years. They're simple. Grow up." 

I'd like to see Miss Abby try to do a back tuck! How can she talk to Mackenzie like that? She rips off the next card. It's Asia.

"Asia, I gave you a lyrical solo to challenge you. We all know you're very good at hot and sassy, but I wanted to see if you could do mature and full of emotion. It seems you can't. That piece was flat, dull and emotionless. I can't understand how you managed to pull a second, even in the petite category."

That has to hurt. I see Asia's bottom lip trembling and her eyes fill with tears, but she don't cry in front of Miss Abby. We've all learnt not to.

I'm starting to get nervous. Just four more pictures, and one of them's me. It's probably the next one.

Miss Abby's hand pauses over the next picture. Come on, come on, I think. She rips it off, and I'm very surprised. It's Chloe. But she got third! I'd assumed it would be me or Natalie.

"Chloe. You came third in the teen division. I'm very pleased, since it was your first time with the teens and you were one of the youngest there. Well done. You need to have less of a tight smile though. Loosen up. I know you enjoy dancing, so act like it."

I'm firmly convinced I'm the next picture until Miss Abby rips off the cover. I gasp. It's Maddie! But she came first! This doesn't make any sense, and obviously Melissa thinks so too.

"I don't understand why Maddie's third on the pyramid, since she placed first in her category, first overall, AND won Junior Miss Pittsburg!" Melissa says.

"The pyramid this week is based on effort," Miss Abby says, as though that explains everything. Melissa frowns, looking like she's about to say something. Then she decides against it.

"Just because my daughter's perfect without effort..." I hear her mutter. I love Melissa, but that's not fair. What's the definition of perfect? And how can you say to someone else that your own daughter is?

I turn my attention to the pyramid. It's me or Natalie next.

If I'm on top, Natalie will hate me even more. If she's on top, she'll boast about it for weeks on end. I don't know which is worse. I just want to get this over with.

"Natalie and Kendall," Miss Abby begins. I hate it when our names are paired, like we're not individual people. "I know you both only came in the top five in your division. Fourth and fifth, so you didn't technically place. But you worked very hard, and I think that deserves a reward."

No you don't, Miss Abby. Either she's doing this because Lifetime have asked her to, or she's trying to up the competition between us even more. Whichever it is, I'm not happy.

Maddie finds my hand without looking and squeezes it, like she's saying good luck. I feel the cameramen that are scattered around the room zoom in on the hand squeeze. I groan inwardy. Is nothing private anymore?

Miss Abby looks me right in the eye, then rips off the paper.

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