when you least expect it | sean lew

[ fifteen ]

***

It was the end of another immaBEAST practice. Kailani was starting to get the hang of things and the practices weren't as overwhelming to her anymore. She genuinely looked forward to going to them and it was just more time she got to spend with her friends.

"Hey, Kailani!" Janelle called out to her as she was leaving practice. Kailani looked up and turned around to approach Janelle.

"Hey, Janelle, what's up?" she asked.

"I wanted to talk to you about something.." she begins.

Kailani slowly begins to panic. "Oh, have I been doing something wrong?? I know I just joined but I can fix whatever it is—"

"What?!" Janelle exclaims, cutting her off. "Oh god, no! Honey, you're doing great! You don't need to change a thing." she smiles.

She breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh.."

Janelle laughs. "I just wanted to talk to you about a little assignment I have for you." she smiles.

"A-Assignment?" she repeats nervously.

"Yeah! Just like.. a little challenge. We give them out to specific dancers to help them improve and step out of their comfort zone. It's usually just a piece we want them to choreograph and then perform in front of everyone." she explains.

Kailani nods. "Oh.. so like.. a solo?" she asks.

"Yeah, exactly!" she says. "Since you're new, I figured this could be your week. So for next week's practice, I want you to create a piece that is completely out of your comfort zone and not hip-hop. I mean, it can be hip-hop but not the usual styles you normally do. I want it to be different. This is just to help you push your boundaries and be more out there. It helps you advance more as a dancer because everyone has to do it at some point." she pauses. "And I want you to perform it in front of everyone to showcase your talents. No one will judge you.. we're not here to do that. But we're your family and we do it as a way to support you. Everyone can do more than just hip-hop.. they just need that little push and that's what we're here for."

Kailani nods again. "Okay.. sounds good. So.. anything I want besides hip-hop?"

"Basically.." Janelle smiles. "You have full creative license here. Here's a list of times the studio will be free if you want to practice." she says, handing her a piece of paper.

"Okay, sounds great! I'll see you next week." Kailani smiles.

"I look forward to it.. I know you're gonna impress us." she smiles.

In a way, Kailani was grateful for the challenge. Ever since she started helping Sean with choreography, she's been dying to create choreography of her own. Sean inspired her.. and she's been wanting to do a piece completely on her own as an outlet.

****

The next day, Kailani was in the studio, working on her piece. She was practicing her pirouettes when she heard a low voice by the door.

"I didn't know you could dance like that."

She quickly stopped and turned around, seeing Sean leaning up against the open doorframe that lead into the studio. "Jesus, Sean.." she says, holding her hand up to her pounding chest.

He laughs, walking into the studio and setting his backpack down.

"What are you doing here?" she asks.

He shrugs. "Just chilling, I guess. I was going to work on new choreography in here but I can see it's occupied." he says, giving her a cheeky smile.