Where Dance Fits In

Chapter 23: Stage Presence

Reagan 

I am backstage with all my friends:Maeve, Conner, Kyle, Brooklyn, and Joe. Miss Laurie is doing her sppech before the show starts. We are the first group and we are performing a big battle type dance. Maeve is the Good Sun Queen and I'm am the Wicked Snow Queen. We are the stars of the show. Kyle and Brooklyn are Maeve's minions and Conner and Joe are mine. 

The lights dim and I see Kyle on the other stage wing. I smile at him and he waves back. "Good luck." he mouths to me in darkness but soon we have to go onstage. I see Maeve's silhouette scurry onto the satge, along with five other little dancers. Maeve goes behind a wall of flowers and the babies get ready to do their eight-hand. 

The lights flicker on and the music plays, and they do their dance perfectly. Then Maeve merges from the flowers and does her set dance, Vanishing Lake. Kyle and Brooklyn come out when Maeve finishes and they do an amazing three-hand. And that's my cue. The three of us dance on when the lights are flickering and we do this really amazing three-hand to really dark and scary music. The little kids go on infront of us and we do this super cool treble reel. Then the music changes and the six of us have a full on dance battle. We end with a bang and the crowd is roaring. We head off the stage in oppisite directions.

"OMG!" I say to everybody as we walk off stage. "We were amazing!" We all watch the footage of us on the T.V. backstage. Then Kyle takes me outside. "So Reagan." he starts. "I have some really great news." Kyle begins to tell me about Miss Laurie and how much he has loved it at her house. "Long story short, they're adopting me!" 

I can't believe this! I'm so happy for him. "Kyle, you're gonna have a normal life!" I say. "And it's all thanks to you." he says as a hugs me. This time he doesn't just hug me:he kisses me. Everthing that is happy is rolled into one in this very moment. I'm doing what I love, with the people that I love, and Kyle Gray is kissing me...AGAIN! I pull away when I hear snickering behind us. I turn around to see Conner and Maeve mocking us with kissy faces and noises. "Oh shut up!" I say.

Soon we have to do the next dance. It's all about my plot to destroy the Good queen. This time I do my set, the Blackthorn Stick, which is perfect for my character. I feel so good doing it that I almost cry when I finish. As the crowd roars, Maeve enters the stage, and we have a one-to-one dance battle. I wouldn't want to be dancing with anyone else but her right now. We can barely keep straight faces as we go head to head. In the end Maeve turns me good and I have to do a quick costume and makeup change before I go back on stage. Then our whole school does a final number, and, when we've, finished, we all hug and almost cry. This has been our best winter show yet!

Then everyone comes out for curtain call and I'm paired with Maeve. We get the most cheers. And we head backstage. Then theres's a party at Miss Laurie's house. But before we leave, Maeve, Brooklyn, Conner, Joe, Kyle, and I go across the street for icecream. We get the funniest looks walking on the sidewalk because we're all in our costumes and makeup...even our shoes!

Nothing is awkward between Kyle and my friends anymore. I even see Conner and Kyle talk their differnces out and they do a 'bro hug'. We go back across the street and get into our cars to go to Miss Laurie's house. It's party time!