Catch Me

Ariel- My Point of View

I spent most of the auditions staring at my phone or doing homework. That sounds so disrespectful, I know, but this is actually what happens every year, or so I've watched. Did you really expect 100+ students to just sit still for more than an hour to watch one person audition? Most students only look up when someone who is known to be excellent goes up, someone does something impressive, or someone is just terrible. This was the Dance Auditions, and since the Dance Category had the fewest students in it, not many students were good. Unfortunately for them, in order to be accepted, you have to be a really good dancer. CeCe was known to be a good dancer, so a lot of people were expecting good results. Her dance was okay. Wasn't great, but wasn't horrible either. But it was disappointing for someone who was known to be a top dancer. Here's the funny thing: I actually have an advantage on this one. No teachers will be holding a huge expectation because I've been here for one day, and I don't have Dance as a category. If I can manage to impress them with something else, they could always train me more. But I'm worried nonetheless. 

"Oo, look at that. That body roll was not it," Winter chuckled during CeCe's audition. I thought my cousin was sort of reclusive and shy, but when she's comfortable around people, she's not afraid to show her thoughts. It sort of was like a shock, but at the same time, my mom's kind of like that too. I guess it runs in the genetics.

"The fans are not having it," Kyla snickered"One of them even said they'd rather watch Mickey Mouse."

Kyla seems sassy and strong-willed. She kind of seems like she has no filter. A very 4D personality.

CeCe's dance was just getting worse. It looked more like a mating call than a dance. She was lacking so much energy, I even cringed.

"Poor CeCe," Chloe said quietly. We all just ogled her. Look, I don't CeCe personally, but from Aisha's actions this morning, or the fact that Alex seems terrified of her, or maybe it's just this horrible excuse of a dance,  I don't like her. Not one bit. 

When her dance was over, we all clapped politely.

"Finally," Kyla muttered. 

"I'm not clapping because it was good, I'm clapping because it's over," Winter said, clapping her hands enthusiastically. I held in a giggle.

"I think she did okay," Chloe murmured. I just stared at her. From the little time I've known Chloe (barely 24 hours), she seems really happy and positive. A little too positive.

"What?" she asked perplexed, having noticed my staring. 

"Nothing," I replied quickly.

So, here I was, starting my third paragraph when all of a sudden people started whispering. 

"What's going on?" I whisper-asked to Winter.

"Look Alex is going out of the gym," Winter said pointing to a moving figure.

"Uh-huh," I muttered, paying more attention to my homework than a girl who obviously just needed to pee, "What's so wrong with it?"

 Alex is an elite," Winter said as if this was obvious, "They usually don't do this."

"And because she's an elite, you care?" I asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Imagine the president walked out on someone's performance," Winter tried to explain.

"She's not the president," I pointed out.

"Still, it's unusual," Winter said, her tone worried. It was obvious that Winter and Alex had history. My eyes drifted to CeCe's group while everyone was busy staring at Alex. I couldn't see their faces, but they were all sitting stiffly, their eyes on their computers. They tried to give off a nonchalant vibe, but their posture was just the opposite. They were on edge.

Why couldn't anyone just see that CeCe's group was off? Then, it clicked. They couldn't. It all made sense now. Why nobody but me hadn't noticed, actually they hadn't even bothered, to see that something was wrong with Alex. Why, even though they hated the Elite, they respected them too. For example, while Winter's eyes glowed with worry, there was a hint of jealousy. That envy also made an appearance anyone talked about CeCe's group. While nobody liked them, at the same time, they wanted to be them. They all wanted to be cool, popular, and perfect. And CeCe's group gave off that vibe. They were literally Elite. They were...plastic. And plastic never changes. The Elite was Marble High School's stability. They were their rock. They ran the school and made sure that chaos didn't erupt became they were literally in power. They created drama, they controlled it to keep them relevant, and they ended it. This is what keeps them in power. That's why, even though they are severely disliked, nobody challenges them. Their bodies refuse to acknowledge something was off. Well, they do, but they blame it on something else, never seeing the real reason. And since I'm new, and I've seen this about a million times before (unconsciously), I'm practically immune to CeCe's control of the school. Plus, I used to be in CeCe's position before the thing happened... Anyways, it just sucks to be them. And once Alex gives the cue, I'll come rushing to expose them. If she gives the cue.

After Alex left, the talking died down. I was trying to juggle doing my essay (that they were forcing me to start doing even though it's my first day, smh) and reviewing my dance in my head (seriously though, did I have to come to school the day the auditions started? Like yesterday would've been great, but nope). I was practically in another world until I heard Kyla's phone go off with a notification. I looked up curiously as she picked up her phone with a confused expression. Then, her face went pale, and then it was serious. Suddenly, her face had a smug expression and she licked her lips. I was so confused, that I spent at least 15 minutes puzzling over her expression when suddenly, the principal called, 

"Could we have Ariel Charming out on the floor please?"

Author's Note: Sorry that I took so long and that this chapter is so short! I was taking a break due to Thanksgiving break and last night I couldn't update. While this chapter is short, it is really important later in the book. Anyways, please leave your favorite quote in the comment section!