Supermarket Flowers// Road Trip Fanfiction

Regionals

Lexi waited nervously in the wings, fingering the hem of her red dress, her eyes ached for the bright lights of backstage, as it was dimly lit in the wings and her heart beat with anticipation. The last dragged out beats of the routine before hers played, and the thick applause rang out, echoing through the auditorium. It was only then that the scale of what she was about to do real hammered into her.
Lexi had never before had the courage to dance in front of anyone. She'd always been too shy, and too concisous of what people would see. But now, there was no turning back, her dance teacher had put her in for this regional competition and she had to go out there and perform.
The applause died down, and the girl before her ran off the stage, giving her a little nudge as she did to indicate she should go on. Suddenly overcome by nerves, she only just managed to drag herself to her starting position in the back corner, facing away from the audience. She knew once the music started, she'd be lifted and could forget about everything, but until then she was a jumble of nerves.
After what seemed like an age, the first beats of the music rang out, much slower and deeper than that of the girl before her and her routine in turn was much less frantic. She closed her eyes, and the music seeped into her veins, lifting her into the routine and filling her with the pictures of her mother. They were pictures she'd stored far away, only letting them through when she danced this dance.
When the last beat dropped, it was like Lexi was suddenly flung back down to earth, and she could stay on the stage no longer. The faint sound of applause, like the trickling of water, surrounded her as she ran back to the green room, where the other girls were.
An hour later, when all the dancers had gone, they were called back out to the wings. Lexi wasn't sure what to do with herself, having no-one else from her dance school to stand with, so she stood awkwardly behind a group of about 5 others, of a similar age to her.
The applause crescendoed, until it reaches an almost deafening volume, as the host walked out on the stage to announce the winners. Lexi's heart was beating so fast, you could've done a nice to it's rhythm, not having any idea where she would've placed. The host started with third place, and when her name was called, she wasn't sure whether to be happy or disappointed, but she immediately threw a grin on her face as she was pushed onto the stage, for her first competition third was unbelievable.
As the hype died down in the green room after the competition, and almost all of the other dancers had gone, Lexi was approached by a couple. She looked confused at them, not sure what they would want with her.
"Hi Lexi, I'm Blair." The man said.