Flying (Fight Song Book 2)

Chapter 31 - Small Group

I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated. I've really not been good mentally and I'm still not but I really need to update the story, so I apologise if it's really bad haha, however I did enjoy writing this chapter.

Joe's PoV
I have to admit, I'm pretty concerned about the small group. Initially it had Zoe and Lola in it, then Zoe left and they reblocked as just four dancers instead of five, but then Lola left too, which meant the entire dance had to be scrapped. After that the small group was Anna, Ellie, Chloe, Poppy and Jack, but then Chloe injured herself and we didn't feel like we should just shove Zoe in as a replacement, so instead they've literally had a week to reblock and learn it with a different concept. It's going to take a miracle for this thing to win.

I've only seen the small group once, and when I did, it was pretty damn good. Unfortunately, that was when we still had Chloe. I haven't seen it since then and I know it's not been the priority. So, we don't have the luxury of being able to just go for it and hope for the best, because this is the first round of cuts and we're using our most under-rehearsed dance.

We'd put all our stuff into the hotel already, settled down and unpacked so our costumes weren't creased and gone straight back to our dressing room. On a brighter note, I'm sharing a room with Neil, which is brilliant. He's my favourite roommate.

Not everyone is here yet, as the small groups don't start until 5:30pm which is another hour and so people are still napping. I wish I could nap too, but I'm the dance captain and have to be present.

"Everyone got their costumes?" Alesha asks. "If anything needs adjusting or refitting, now is your last opportunity. We cannot have anything falling off onstage. One costume malfunction could cost us the whole competition."

"Who are we against?" Anna asks, adjusting the wings on her back.

"Alice Debney Dance School," I say. "They got to the semi-finals last year, remember? So don't expect this to be easy."

"Okay," Ellie nods confidently. "We got this. Believe and you can achieve."

"Yes indeed," I grin at her.

"I can't believe I'm dancing in a tie," Jack moans, coming out from behind the curtain fiddling with the black silk tie around his neck.

"You danced in a tie at Regionals last year," I point out.

"Yes, and if I recall correctly I said I would never do it again," he says.

"Well, we are where we are," I reply. "Suck it up."

Jack glares and me and shakes his head, walking to the mirror to fix it.

"I've got to say, I adore this outfit," Poppy smiles, twirling in her short white skirt.

The girls' costumes are pretty simple. They're wearing white ballet leotards decorated with silver and black sequins with white silk dance skirts, pastel light up fairy wings, white tights and pointe shoes. Ballet isn't a style usually performed at Nationals, because unlike other dance styles where you can tweak stuff, there is a right and a wrong when it comes to ballet. But, all of them wanted to do pointe, so they were doing pointe. It was that or tap, and I refused to let them do tap because every time someone has done a tap routine at Nationals, it's lost.

As far as I'm aware, the concept of the dance was taken from the original concept of our Fix You dance about life struggles, and I'm pretty sure they got some inspiration from The Ugly Duckling too. Anna, Poppy and Ellie are these majestic fairies, showing their true colours because they believe in themselves. Jack is in a white shirt, a black tie, a shabby brown scarf, a black bowler hat, grey trousers and a long grey jacket. For the beginning of the dance, the girls are trying to cheer him up, but it doesn't really work. Eventually, Ellie realises that to help him they need to carry some of his burdens, and so some of his costume gets taken and put on them, revealing these fantastic bright colours as Poppy removes the tie from around his neck, and he becomes the most beautiful and ethereal fairy of them all. He's happy until he looks and sees that the girls now need help, so he turns and together they share the burden of pain while also being beautiful and allowing their true colours to shine through.