Dance With Me.

Chapter 1

“Mom… what day is it?” I asked my mom who was driving me to my dance practice.

   “Jeanette, it’s only Thursday. Please stop annoying the piss out of everyone just because you and Marissa are going to audition as background dancers for that  dumb boy band on Saturday. I don’t even remember what it’s called…. Five Directions? Wand Erection? Whatever. Saturday will come eventually. Don’t forget to find a babysitter for Joey because Quinn and I are going out to the bar and get drunk off our rockers and then crash at a motel.” Quinn is my mom’s girlfriend; they adopted me from Puerto Rico when I was a baby and when I was around 12 baby Joey was adopted from Kenya.

   “Oh my god mom, they’re called One Direction. And yes, I already told you… Anne said she would babysit Joey on Saturday night.” I said reassuringly as we approached the dance studio. “Bye mom, I’ll see you in two hours.”

   “Alright, Jeanette. Don’t forget to work hard in there.” My family is really tight on money so I’m always pressured to do my absolute best in dance class; we’re riding on me getting a dance scholarship into college.

   Dance is my entire life, my birth mother was supposedly a famous dancer and I guess I dance to feel closer to her. When I’m on stage… I feel like I’m a whole other person; and like everything will be okay.

   “Jeanette. Jeanette. Jeanette. Jeanette,” my best dance friend Marissa said to me as I walked into the studio, “do you realize that in two days we will be auditioning to be backup dancers to my five husbands?” Marissa found out about the auditions from the boys’ twitters; they needed 15 new young dancers to dance for them during their upcoming tour, Up All Night.

   Marissa is a hardcore directioner and I have grown to be quite fond of them ever since our jazz teacher taught us a combo to ‘I Want’, but I don’t stalk their daily routines or anything, I just enjoy their music that’s all.

   “Girls, put on your hip hop sneakers, it’s time to learn a new combo.” exclaimed our hip hop teacher Darrell; and I just lost myself in the music.

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     I was a bundle of nerves as I drove myself and Marissa to the studio where the auditions would be held in New York City. According to the website, we would all learn a routine to ‘Up All Night’ and then perform it in groups. The top 30 dancers would then be sent to a top secret location where the boys would pick the 15 dancers to join them on tour, leaving the other 15 heartbroken. Welp.

     When we finally arrived, I looked around the studio at all of the fellow contestants warming up and realized that I wanted this more than anything, and not for the reason why some very obvious girls were only doing it; to possibly see One Direction. I wanted this because I could finally make a name for myself and start my career as a professional dancer.

      The routine we had to learn was really tricky but I nailed it after a couple run throughs and felt confident in the way I performed it in my group.

      “OKAY,when I call your number step forward. Step forward contestants number 1, 4, 5, 7,” the choreographer read a list of contestants that will be making it through to the next round, “and finally, contestants number 83 and 84.”

       “JEANETTE. THAT’S US.” Marissa nudged me and gestured for me to get in line with the 28 other hopefuls.

          We made it through the first round!