Backstage: Third Time's the Charm

Jenna Cristinziano

Jenna Cristinziano
Grade 11
Dance Program

"Jenna, stay away from Austin," my brother, Jake, warned. "I don't want you getting into trouble too."

"He's harassing my friends!" I pushed past the flutter that said Carly was no longer my friend. "He's a bully. We've already stalled as much as we can."

Bianca and Carly kept getting Austin to push back the filming day, but he was insisting we finish before spring break, which was only a few days away.

"And if you aren't careful, you'll be next." Jake stopped in front of a classroom. "My next class is here. If you have any problems come get me."

"Jenna."

I turned and saw Vanessa standing behind me. "Have you found anything out about Austin?"

"Nothing helpful," I admitted. "Maybe... we should talk to a teacher."

"We can't!" Vanessa exclaimed. "What if Carly loses her scholarship? We can't snitch."

I remembered when I'd done the same thing for Sasha. He'd promised me he would do the stupid workout regime. But he had ended up having a super unhealthy lifestyle and had injured me in the process.

"What if Mindy gets hurt?" I asked. "Carly isn't thinking straight. She might agree just to keep her scholarship. I don't want to get her into trouble, but I can't let anyone get hurt either."

Vanessa nodded slowly. "Like when I danced on my injured ankle. People are more important," she said. "But we can't do this without proof."

I smiled. "What did you have in mind?"

*************

I watched as Carly and Austin argued again.

"Sasha's sick," Carly said. "We can't do the routine without him."

I looked around. Sasha was nowhere in sight. But he wasn't sick. We'd asked him to skip Prima practice today so that we would have another excuse not to film.

"I don't care." Austin gritted his teeth. "We're weeks behind schedule. If we don't film today, then we won't get it done until after spring break."

Vanessa casually walked over, holding her phone at her side, but angled upwards.

"You should care," Carly gave Austin some attitude. "Someone could get hurt."

"Who cares?" Austin exploded. "You think I'm interested in their health? I want this film finished. Stop being so difficult."

Carly shook her head in annoyance and turned away.

Austin looked back at Vanessa. "What are you looking at?" He snarled.

Vanessa hurried back over to me. "Do you think it's enough?"

We looked over the footage again. She had perfectly captured Austin's face as he said. "You think I'm interested in their health?"

"It has to be enough," I said. "With this, and our complaints, Austin's sure to get in trouble."

"What teacher do we take it to?"

"We could take it to Principal Durani," I said. But he might be interested in a full investigation. We needed someone who was interested in the well-being of the Primas and wouldn't potentially listen to Austin's side of it.

"Ms. Staut," I said. "She's the head of the Primas."

"That woman scares me," Vanessa said.

"Jenna." Sasha poked his head in the dance studio. "Is practice over?"