Relevé to the Top

Chapter 8. Cathy Brings It On

The shrill sound of a whistle pierced through the room.

"Let's go, come on," Abby orders, blowing on the whistle again. "No time to waste!"

Following behind Maddie, Lexie enters the room. She was a little surprised by Abby's reaction seeing that last week while they were in Las Vegas, the team hadn't done so well. Lexie was happy that that week was over. Abby had given her and Maddie a break last week, and while it was nice, she was disappointed not to get a chance to prove herself after losing at Orlando. This week she was hoping to get a solo and win with it.

"Ladies, here we are in Los Angeles, California, for the iHollywood National finals, and you are in the city of dreams! There are going to be children that you recognize. The kids that are in the movies, the kids that are on television. These kids here in Los Angeles audition on a weekly basis. They are 'pros.'" Abby tells them. "Lexie, Maddie, your Mom is not here; we all make choices. She chose to be away instead of being here with you. So the two of you are gonna be with us this week. And you may get to do things that not everybody else gets to do. I'm gonna move on to our lovely pyramid and the bottom row, and I have..."

Abby tears the paper of the first two headshots in the bottom row. "Paige and Brooke. You will not be doing solos; you will be in the group number. Now I've had it out with your Mom; she has told me she can find better choreographers. I'm sure she could. This is Los Angeles, not Pittsburgh. But please understand if you go as an independent, you're out, you're finished.

"Next, I have Nia, Mackenzie duet. So, Chloe, you're going to be doing a solo as well as the group routine. Lexie, you will be doing a solo and group routine. And no surprise, Maddie, you're gonna be doing a solo this weekend. Now, remember you are undefeated. People are out to get you. You're the one to beat. Does everybody understand how big of an opportunity this is? Those judges at iHollywood are going to be people that are in a capacity to hire you. They are the people that choreograph for television and for film. So it's very important that you step on stage like pros. Do you understand?"

"Yes," the girls nod.

As the moms took a seat on the couch, the girls chose a pot on the floor to stretch. Unfortunately, Lexie chooses the spot closest to the Moms.

"Um, how about Abby taking care of Lexie, Maddie and Mackenzie," she hears Kelly's comment. "And her saying 'You might do more things than the group.' Well, you know what the hell that's gonna be. Like she's gonna be taking them out..."

"To be 'seen,'" Holly finishes.

Lexie frowns as she folds herself forward. She really didn't like how the conversation was going.

"Oh yeah," Christi agrees.

"Getting their name out in L.A. while we sit at the pool," Kelly adds.

"I really am still surprised that she picked her boyfriend over her kids," Christi admits. "Like her kids, her eight and seven. That's pretty big. Maybe she has to take care of that relationship to make sure that this continues."

Lexie's frown deepens. Her Mom does everything for her and her sister; she deserves this short vacation.

"What about you?" Holly asks Kelly. "How are you feeling about Brooke and Paige being at the bottom?"

Kelly shrugs. "I'm not surprised they're at the bottom just because of my argument with her. I think she thought I was kidding when I said that, like, if my kids aren't doing a solo and she won't teach it to them, then I was going to get somebody else to teach them the dance. I paid all this money to come here, and she wants me to do a group dance. I don't think so."