Relevé to the Top

Chapter 11. Return of the Candy Apples

Monday morning Lexie is in the den with the rest of the girls and their mom getting ready for the pyramid.

"So, who do you think is going to be on top of the pyramid?" Paige asks.

"I think I'm going to be on the bottom," Lexie says, taking off her jeans.

"No way!" Melissa objects. "You were excellent."

Lexie shakes her head at her Mom. "Yeah, but I didn't win, and I led the group, and Abby wasn't happy with what we did. There's no way I'll be on top. It's going to be either Maddie or Chloe."

"Probably Maddie," Chloe mutters.

Lexie shrugs, putting on her turners. Knowing Abby, Chloe was likely right, but she knew she wasn't going to be on top either way.

"Let's go! Come on, girls! Let's go!" Abby's voice comes in from Studio A.

Getting off the floor, Lexie races out of the den with the other girls and into the studio. The mothers followed at a sedative pace.

"I want to start off talking a little bit about Dance Troupe in Greensboro, North Carolina. That was not the group on Lake Tahoe that just won a national championship," Abby says as soon as they were all in the room. "Obviously, cute still works in the Carolinas. Kendall, you did your solo scared to death. That face was not an Abby Lee Miller face, that's for certain."

"Well, Abby, that was her first time out," Jill points out.

Abby places a finger on her mouth. "Uh, shh. We don't get to talk. It's my turn. This weekend, we are headed to Columbus, Ohio. You know who lives in Ohio."

Chloe is the first one to get. She waves her hand widely in the hair and shouts, "Candy Apple!"

Lexie's mouth drops when Abby doesn't deny it. "Why are you happy? That's not a good thing."

"We are going there, and she will be at the competition. I don't want any squawking between the mothers. You are all on the same team, and we're all gonna take a bite out of that big apple," Abby orders. "Alright, we're gonna start with the pyramid. On the bottom... Kendall. You are on probation. That means that I'm watching you like a hawk. Do you understand me? Mackenzie, I keep giving you little parts. Your dancing is not up to where the rest of the girls are. When Lexie and Maddie were seven, they could've done the choreography."

Lexie pats Mackenzie on her head. Maddie was always comparing her to Maddie and her, but Lexie didn't think Mackenzie was the same dancer as them.

"Brooke, you knew the number, but the crying and the hysteria that's not a young adult. Paige, you did a nice job this weekend. Then, on the bus coming home, we told you to sit down thirty. Two. Times. I counted. That's thirty-one too many."

Kelly gestures to the rest of the girls. "Every single one of them was playing on the bus."

"It doesn't make it right!" Abby snaps at her.

"So tell them, yell at them, too!" Kelly screams back.

Shaking her head Abby turns back to the pyramid. Lexie let out a sigh; she thought for sure a shouting match was about to take place.

"Nia, I left you here in the same spot that you were last week. Maybe somebody from Nia's family could show up at the competition to watch her and clap for her. Lexie. Now... you are third on the pyramid only because you didn't win. I thought you did great. You had the plainest costume in the whole competition, and you scored higher than 16-year-olds. That tells you, you have something special. Second, I called a break, but instead of going on break, you went and helped Nia with the routine. That is a great leader. You took the center role very seriously."