Dancing at the ALDC

Chapter 6

Lucy POV

I watched as Chloe stepped out onto the stage, her left ankle wobbling a little.  How was she supposed to dance?  I knew there had been something wrong with her ankle when I saw her fall, but I hadn't suspected that it would be this bad. 

The music started and she grangetted into a center leap, springing off from her left ankle, a tiny look of pain crossed her face but anyone in the audience would have thought it to be emotion.  She landed normally but I could tell that it was taking all of her will power not to cry out in pain.  C'mon Chloe.  I thought.  You can get through this dance. 

Her dance went fine for the most part, but then when it came for the first set of turns, I couldn't help but send a silent prayer to anyone who would listen.  But then she prepped for turns on her right foot.  Her nondominant leg.  I braced myself for her to mess up her turns, but she finished them a flawlessly as usual, but you could still tell that it was not her dominant side.  I let out a breath that I didn't know I had been holding.  She went through the rest of her dance without too much trouble, but when it came to her second set of turns, my nervous energy was back again.  This time, she didn't finish her turns so smoothly as she had been lucky to do the first time, but at least she was okay.  Her dance ended and she jazz walked off the stage.  I rushed over to her.

"Oh my God Chloe," I started. "Are you okay?"  She shook her head, tears glowed like jewels on her cheeks.  "We have to get you to your mom." 

"What will Abby say?"  Chloe choked, but tried to be quiet so that the cameras hopefully wouldn't hear.  Her foot was resting lightly on the ground, obviously too painful to put much weight on it.  I slung her arm around my shoulder and helped her walk to the green room.  Paige followed us, watching us begrudgingly. 

As soon as we entered the room, everyone broke out into cheers.  But all the festivity immediately quieted when they saw Chloe's tears. 

"What's wrong?"  Christi was the first to ask.  "Chloe, what's wrong?"  There was extreme urgency in her voice now.  She ran over to us and sat Chloe in a chair. 

"My left ankle, it really hurts."  Chloe said, yelping when her mom tried to move it. 

"Where's Abby?"  Christi demanded, a sort of fire in her eyes that made you not want to get in her way.  "Where is she?"  Right then, Abby came in.

"Chloe?  What was that?  You turned on your--"  Abby began, but was interrupted by Christi.

"Never mind what leg she turned on!  The point is she's injured!"  Christi said, practically screaming.

"Melissa,"  Abby said, and Melissa stood up right away.  "Go ask the judges if they have a doctor at the competition."  Melissa nodded in an eager-to-please manor.  She disappeared through the double doors that led out of the green room. 

When the doctor came back in, he went to Chloe's side, moving her ankle this way and that way, asking her what hurt.  Finally he stood up and said, "Chloe has sprained her ankle. It didn't happen right away, someone stepped on her ankle and then she danced on it, making it even worse.  I'm afraid she shouldn't dance for another couple weeks."

"Well I guess that means no group dance for you, Chloe."  Abby said, shaking her head.  "Way to go."