The second they announced Tabithas name the toddler was bounding down the aisle. She was still in her tutu, and she looked like the happiest ballerina in the world as she rushed up onto stage.
Allison was still a bit too stunned to move.
Someone handed Tabitha a microphone, and she called Allison to stage. "C'mon Alli, you need to come get our prize."
Allison rose slowly from her seat, and began the walk to the front of the theater. She looked out on the crowd to see faces as shocked as her own. One girl, who sat in the back of the room in a wheelchair, looked almost more surprised than Allison. She must have seen their disaster of a performance.
"I am super happy to win this award." Tabitha announced. "Because I am the best ballerina ever and I'm happy you could see that."
Her announcement managed to take eyes off of Allison, and return them to stage, where Tabitha was prying the award from the announcers hand.
"I also think it's good because my dance partner, Alli, doesn't thunk she's a ballerina, and this will prove her wrong."
Everyone was suddenly looking at Allison again, and she almost regretted changing out of her tutu. She couldn't imagine what the crowd thought about her sweatpants.
"And even if I can't come to the next tournament, I think Alli should because she is awesome. And let's listen to her now, because she's smart!"
Allison stepped up on stage, and hesitantly accepted the microphone from Tabitha. Tabitha was the sixth kid from the foundation that Allison had supervised, and none of them had put her in a position like this before.
"Well..."She looked out on the crowd. "I want to thank the judges for this distinction. I know there were a lot of great performances over the last couple of days--"
Tabitha pulled the microphone down to her level. "But none as good as ours!"
With such a dramatic proclamation, Tabitha dropped the microphone onto the floor of the stage, and pranced out of the theater, award in hand. Allison had no choice to follow, but she got caught up in the excite ment of the moment, and did a round off and back handspring down the aisle. She would likely never be back, so she ought to leave in style.
She caught up with Tabitha in the quiet hallway outside the theater. The toddler was grinning wildly, though she was also puffing on an inhaler.
"We won." Allison said, and she pulled the toddler into a hug.
She knew the judges only gave them the distinction because if Tabithas leg, but there was still something magical about seeing a little girl achieve her dream.
"That's because we were the best."
Allison smiled. "That's right. Now how about some ice cream?"
"From the place where they don't stare?"
Allison smiled. "We just won a ballet competition. We can get ice cream wherever you want."
YOU ARE READING
Practice Makes Perfect (Completed)
Teen FictionBallet is a lifestyle, not a hobby. Anastasia has known that since she could walk, and has never wavered from her personal regimen of hard work, sweat, and constant practice. The way she sees it, she has an all but assured victory at the United Ball...
