(formerly all my love) Sean and Kaycee are best friends. They're incredible dancers. As they try begin to navigate the water of teen love, an unspeakable event occurs that leaves the two shellshocked and fighting to hold onto each other as they also...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Kaycee
________
It was Duels day 1. It all seemed normal. I had done yoga with Eva that morning, and she'd disclosed her fears to me as we sipped protein shakes and checked to make sure there were no cameras around us. "Kaycee?" Eva said.
"Yeah?"
"I feel like I made the wrong choice," she admitted.
"What do you mean?"
"Come here," she said, and I got up and followed her. We got to the practice rings, and she gestured to the lone duet that was throwing themselves into their routine. She made a motion for me not to make any noise, just to watch. Their lifts and technique were close to perfection. I was shocked. Who were they? I hadn't seen anyone like them in the Qualifiers except soloists, like Eva, and unfortunately, Charity.
"It's them," Eva said nervously. "Avery and Marcus."
"There's no way..." I trailed off. "They look really good."
"I know," Eva said worriedly. "I shouldn't have chosen them."
"You'll be fine," I said, squeezing her shoulders. "You're Eva Igo. You have exactly what it takes."
"I'm not convinced, Kaycee," she sighed. "I feel different."
"You're just nervous," I assured her. She didn't look convinced, but she turned around and left, and I wordlessly followed her.
********************************
We all crowded around the couch, watching the big TV that streamed the events to us backstage. Sean squeezed my hand and Eva grinned as her name was called out to be next. "Good luck Eves," I said, hugging her. "You got this!" A shadow of doubt flickered across her face, and I shook my head. "Believe, Eves. Trust me." She nodded and ran onto the stage, and I heard the faint "EVA IGO!" from the announcer, and the roar of the crowd. Then the doors clamped shut. I winced at the noise, and turned my attention to the screen. Eva went first. I clasped my hands together and whispered encouragement she couldn't hear. Praying by Kesha was an insane song for contemporary, and with Eva's storytelling skills, the best was only to come. I was sure of it.
Her movements were stunning, and she looked like the Eva Igo that all of us were afraid of, only competing in the Duels with the rest of us to advance to the Cut, the Divisionals, and the Worlds. As her intensity heightened, I was sure that she scored perfectly. And I was also sure that not only Avery and Marcus, but all of us, were in deep trouble. She struck her final pose, and it was angelic. The crowd went insane, as expected, and she turned to the judges.
Then everything went off the tracks. They started off positively, but when you thought they were going to move to the next judge, feedback came back. Deductive feedback. I could see Avery and Marcus giving each other looks on the side. Then suddenly, Eva was off the stage and Avery and Marcus were present. My heart pounded. They were going to have to nail it to beat her, but was it attainable....?
