Mackenzie

Chloe   Maddie   Genevieve

Paige   Giselle   Brooke   Nia   Kendall

This week, everyone has a solo, meaning that there's no group dance.

Let's call it "solo week".

Also this week, I was stuck with yet another contemporary solo entitled "Cold As You". Even though I kind of want to do a solo of another style, I get to perform to a Taylor Swift song, so it's all worth it.

When I started learning my solo with Abby, it was a little awkward. She didn't know about my so-called "panic attack", as Maddie and Chloe said. She just knew that I started crying because I decided to overreact. From now on, I'm not making a fool out of myself ever again, and that includes the "save those tears for the pillow" thing.

After the solo rehearsal, I started my "own" rehearsal in-studio "C". I had to stop once I heard Maddie basically yell my name outside and I had to go check what was up with her.

~~~

I sat at the kitchen table, finishing my math homework, as Mom and Giselle looked at some of our old dance costumes in the living room. I could hear them say: "aw, you were a baby back then" or "this dance was so cute" or "remember when--". Basically, it was like they got into a time machine because that's how they were acting.

"Wasn't that costume the one of the chicken dance?"

"What?" I look up from the worksheet, "You still have the costumes from "The Chicks" dance?"

"She's got every single costume in here." Giselle answers.

I stood up and walked into the living room, where the two of them sat on the floor, surrounded by different costumes.

"Is the baby going to dance like us?" Giselle asks Mom, "What's the baby's gender?"

"You'll find out when the baby's born." Mom answers, "And don't think we haven't noticed you guys eavesdropping on nearly every conversation."

"That's unfair." I say, causing the two of them to look at me, "How am I supposed to write a "welcome home" card if I don't know the sex and the name?"

"You think the baby will read it?" Giselle asks me, an amused look on her face.

"I'll read it to her . . . him . . . it!" I answer, "I think the baby will understand."

"Also, how is the baby going to change things around here?" She asks again, "I mean, it's the first baby in nine years, and I'm sure that the current baby loves the attention she receives."

"Ha ha ha." I sarcastically say, "Good one, Giselle."

"We'll just divide our attention between the four of you." Mom answers, "We'll make sure nothing changes between any of us."

"Yeah, it'll just keep being like it's always been, Elle." I add, "I don't think that the new baby will change everything."

"I guess." Giselle says as she grabs a purple cloth that was behind her, "Oh my gosh, my first solo costume!"

~~~

Paige, Nia, and I were all in the viewing room as we tried on parts of our costumes. Nia was wearing a lilac dress, Paige was wearing some orange shorts and I wore a white skirt.

"Look at this, guys." Nia says as both Paige and I looked at the dress, "Look how small."

"You guys are growing." Kelly says as she helps Paige with the shorts, "Isn't that sad? I liked when you was little."

"I really liked that dress." I comment, "It has pretty colors."

"Yeah, now I can barely move with it." Nia comments.

I do a twirl as I watch my skirt flow.

"The skirt is so pretty," Holly comments as she takes out another costume.

"It was pretty hard to work with it." Mom says as she works with the top, "Just like this one."

"I still don't get why you can't just wear old costumes." Jill comments.

"Abby's rules." Mom, Holly, and Kelly all say at the same time.

"And this one doesn't fit me anymore," Nia adds.

"What doesn't fit who anymore?" Christi enters the "room" and sits down.

"My costume." Nia answers, "It's too small."

"She's sad because her costume doesn't fit her anymore," I explain.

"Um, guys?" We all hear Melissa say, "Abby needs us at the front desk."

"Wonder what she wants," Holly says.

"Maybe she'll finally kick us out!" Christi excitedly says with a smile on her face, "Oh, I've been dreaming of this day."

All of the moms leave and the three of us girls laugh.

"Have you guys seen my costume?" Maddie walks upstairs, "I have no idea of where it is."

"Your mom probably has it." Paige answers.

"That's exactly what I was trying to tell her." Kendall says, "But she didn't want to listen."

"You aren't the victim of everything," Maddie tells her.

It sounded a little harsh, and the silence following it definitely proved it. Maddie soon noticed and said:

"I just wanted to make sure. Let's go check downstairs."

The two of them run downstairs as I sit down and watch as Kenzie rehearses her solo.

"Abby needs us." We all hear Brooke say.

"Oh-oh." Nia says, "I've been pointing my feet during my solo rehearsals."

"I don't think it's about that, Ni," I tell her as we walk downstairs and meet up with the rest.

"We have a bit of an issue." Abby tells everyone, "This guy calls and says, "Well, I'm calling you to let you-- from Dance Explosion to let you know that the competition this weekend has been canceled because there's not enough people coming"."

"So, what are our options?" Jill asks.

"We have nine solos, the kids have worked hard, and they're gonna do the routine somewhere." Abby answers.

"Why don't we call around and see if there's another competition that we could go to?" Kelly asks.

"Girls." Abby says, "By all means, do not slack off. I don't care if there's one person against you or a thousand people against you. You should go out and do the best performance that you can. Understood?"

"Yes." We all say.

"Yes?" Abby looks over to me, "Do not let me down."

I could feel a knot in my stomach as we went back to the viewing room. I decided to go back to continue rehearsing the routine for the rest of the time that we were there, which was two and a half hours.

~~~

The competition we ended up attending was in Texas, and we had to perform on a gym floor.

Genevieve: Gym floors are slippery and scary.

We all entered the dressing room and started getting ready immediately.

"Obviously, this is not what I had intended." Abby starts talking as I take the makeup case out, "It's a gymnasium floor, so you can handle it. I hope you were guiding your mothers when they made these costumes, yes? I hope you weren't sleeping."

"Excuse me." Giselle whispers, trying to be on an "offended" tone, "I had jet lag, Miss Miller."

I chuckle as we start stretching.

"That costume really has to sparkle, because there's no stage lights." Abby continues, "You know, there's no lights hitting that costume to make it sparkle. It has to sparkle all on its own. So I'm gonna see those before you head out, got it? Hope nobody has to dance naked, ladies."

"We're not showgirls." Giselle whispers, "At least, I don't think so."

Giselle and Brooke were the first to perform, so they got ready, with the help of their moms, while the rest of us worked with something simple.

After they both performed, we went back to the dressing room and started getting ready for our solos. I worked with my makeup as Mom worked with my hair. I changed into my solo costume as Abby gave Kenzie a "pep talk". As I marked my solo, I listened to the moms' conversation about Kendall's solo costume.

I didn't really get the big deal of her wearing one of her old costumes. I think it was the "plot" for the next episode of the show. Kenzie, Maddie, and Nia were all wearing old costumes, so why couldn't Kendall wear one of hers?

Abby entered the dressing room and I looked over to her, immediately stopping as she looked over to Jill:

"Jill, let me see her costume."

"Okay." Jill takes out the solo costume, "This is the white costume."

Abby's facial expression changed immediately.

"You did not whip that up last night." She says.

"Oh, I never said I whipped it up last night." Jill defends herself, "You didn't say go home and whip up a-- I'm not Becky Home-eccy."

I followed Nia and Maddie as we left the room and closed the door.

"You nervous, Kenz?" Maddie asks her sister.

Kenzie responds with a nod as she starts going over her solo. I put on my team jacket as we can clearly listen to Jill and Abby arguing inside. Jill storms out, with Melissa following her as Abby leaves too. As the two moms talk, all of us start our way back inside.

"Where's Abby, girls?" Melissa asks, "Did you see her?"

We all enter and continue getting ready for the solos.

"Kendall K, come on, babe." Jill says from the doorway, "Come on. Get your jacket and your boots. Let's go."

"Oh, don't make her leave." Kelly comments.

"She's with her friends." Holly adds, "Why are you gonna make her leave?"

"Why?" Jill says, "Do you really need to ask why? I think you know why. We will go sit in the auditorium and we will support our friends like our friends support us. Let's go."

The two Vertes leave the room and soon enough, Abby walks back in. I sit down as I watch Paige rehearse her routine and Kenzie just do cartwheels. After everyone gets ready, we go sit on the bleachers at the gymnasium floor.

"She's flipping out." Holly says as she sits down behind us, "She has, like, a panic attack."

I could feel Maddie's gaze on me for a second before she turned back to Holly.

"Is she okay?" She asks.

"Not really." Holly answers.

"Please welcome to the floor, from Abby Lee Dance Company, Nia!" The announcer says and Nia runs to the center of the floor.

She gets into her starting position as everybody cheers.

After Nia, Kendall performed after Abby and Jill seemed to come to an agreement. Next was Chloe and then Maddie, who slipped during her solo but finished before rushing offstage. After some "drama with the hip", I was the next to perform.

"Please welcome from the Abby Lee Dance Company, Genevieve." The announcer says and I walk up to the center of the floor.

You have a way of coming easily to me
And when you take, you take the very best of me
So I start a fight 'cause I need to feel something
And you do what you want 'cause I'm not what you wanted

Oh, what a shame, what a rainy ending given to a perfect day
Just walk away, no use defending words that you will never say

You put up walls and paint them all a shade of gray
And I stood there loving you and wished them all away
And you come away with a great little story
Of a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you

Oh, what a shame, what a rainy ending given to a perfect day
So, just walk away, no use defending words that you will never say
And now that I'm sitting here thinking it through
I've never been anywhere cold as you

You never did give a damn thing, honey, but I cried, cried for you
And I know you wouldn't have told nobody if I died, died for you, died for you

Oh, what a shame, what a rainy ending given to a perfect day
Every smile you fake is so condescending counting all the scars you made
And now that I'm sitting here thinking it through
I've never been anywhere cold as you

Everyone cheers as I walk off to the side and Paige hugs me.

So, let's talk about awards.

Kendall, Kenzie, and Nia didn't place. In the 1-3 Elementary solo category, Maddie was third and I was first. In the 4-6 Elementary solo category, Chloe was second and Paige was first. In the Junior 7-8 solo category, Brooke was third and Giselle was first.

According to the moms, the mamas are going to be at the top of the pyramid next week.