⎼⎼⎼ 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖋𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 ➵ 𝑏.𝑓.

028

mikki

ohio. i was sort of sick of it now. the producers were trying to bait cathy into coming back onto the show to create drama, so we had been in ohio for almost every single competition so far. i pulled my bag off the bus and into the studio abby had rented.

"moms, get in here! let's go! we're competing tomorrow, we're already here in ohio after school hours so everybody could be here. now gianina, you went and did an extra rehearsal so that elliana could get put into the duet."

"excuse me miss abby, i think that elliana does the dance really well, but i feel like i've been here all week and i've worked really hard and i've earned the right to show you what i can do."

i admired her nerve, i could never have done that.

"ok. show me what you can do."

both the girls danced once. it was obvious that sarah wasn't great with her right side, because the dance wasn't choreographed for her. ellie on the other hand, made tiny errors, probably because she'd only practiced the dance a few times.

"i am hesitant to give it to sarah because it wasn't choreographed for her. if it was, you'd be jumping somewhere else."

"alright abby, let's not waste any time, what do you want to do?" yolanda asked, leaning against the wall.

"we're going to stick with our guns. elliana, you're doing this duet. don't make a mistake," abby concluded.

i was in awe of how sarah managed to keep smiling through all of this. i could tell that she was about to cry. she left to get a drink.

"alright girls, let's do the group dance."

"i'll walk you through it," gianna said, "have you seen a video of it?"

ellie shook her head. i wanted to facepalm, just like abby. but it wasn't her fault. she probably wanted to dance, but her mom...ugh.

"i don't want this animosity between you. your timing, your musicality. you've lost twice in a row now. you have to dance as a team. don't make a mistake. you have to be perfect."

perfect. that word again. every time it came out of abby's mouth, i felt the weight grow on my shoulders. 

perfect.

⤎⎼༌·⋱🩰⋰⋆༌⎼⤏

mikki 🐁
hi.
i'm stressed.
ellie just came today and she doesn't know the dance.
we compete tomorrow.
what if i get thrown off?
what if one of the other girls gets thrown out?

farrari 🚘
mikki youll be fine dont worry

mikki 🐁
i'm scared.

farrari 🚘
dont be ull be ok. i promise.
dont be too hard on urself.
ur an amazing dancer mikki
ellie has done this before

mikki 🐁
never in a day!

farrari 🚘
trust me
i can feel it

mikki 🐁
what if i get kicked off?

farrari 🚘
join me in miami haha

mikki 🐁
ok.
sounds good :D

⤎⎼༌·⋱🩰⋰⋆༌⎼⤏

we sat in the dressing room, getting ready for our group dance.

"so are you guys excited for today?" ellie asked, reaching for a packet on her dresser.

"yeah," i replied, shutting my right eye to apply mascara.

"i'm really excited for the duo and the group dance," ellie continued.

there was a long silence.

"well, i feel like we haven't been a team lately. there have been separations between the group, you know?" press said.

"i know there was a situation where everyone was saying that gia was trying to take me away from the rest of you guys and keeping me to herself, but it's not like that. it's just that she was being especially nice to me, since i'm the newcomer," ellie explained.

"i know, but we just felt like we didn't even know you and that you and gia were really close," i replied, putting in my earrings.

"we just have to act more as a team-"

"instead of there being cliques," i finished, "yeah."

"girls, finish getting ready," abby instructed. hannah helped my pin my hair into a tight bun.

i watched kammy put on a huge orange-brown wig. she looked adorable. gia's wig...not so much.

"this is a big deal!" abby said, "kammy, show me that you belong on the aldc team. we also have judge gia."

"is elliana ready to go on stage?" michelle asked.

"yes," i spoke up. i was surprised at my own confidence. everyone looked at me, equally as shocked. but my conversation with both brady and the girls had made me more determined than ever to win. and the only way to do that was to dance as a team. "ellie is ready. she knows the dance and does it well. i think she needs an opportunity to dance and prove to everyone that she is here and she should stay."