CHAPTER 8
A few days later, Sarah stood next to Mandy at the recital auditions. Mandy was biting her nails nervously as they watched together from the side of the studio.
In the center of the room, Alex was performing her routine. Ms. Rousseau sat in a chair near the front of the room, watching the auditions closely.
“Are you nervous?” Sarah whispered to her new friend.
Mandy nodded in reply. Sarah reached over and squeezed her hand in encouragement.
“You’ll do great,” Sarah said. “Just take deep breaths, and stay calm. Getting nervous isn’t going to help anything.”
“Right,” Mandy replied. Her voice sounded shaky.
Just then, Ms. Rousseau called, “Mandy Evans, you’re up!”
“Good luck!” Sarah whispered as Mandy made her way to the center of the room.
Mandy turned around and smiled. “Thanks,” she whispered back.
When Mandy reached the center of the room, she nodded to Ms. Rousseau. The music started, and she began her routine with a series of pliés.
In what seemed like seconds, Mandy was finished. She walked back over to Sarah.
“My timing was off,” Mandy complained, shaking her head.
“But your jetés were really high,” Sarah replied. “Ms. Rousseau is going to love that.”
Just then, Ms. Rousseau called, “Sarah, you’re up next.”
Mandy smiled at her. “Your turn,” she said. “Don’t forget to track. You’re going to be awesome.”
Sarah took a deep breath and made her way to the center of the room. The polished wood surface looked huge spread out before her. She focused on the corner of the window frame across the studio — that’s what she would track back to.
“All right, Sarah, whenever you’re ready,” Ms. Rousseau said.
Sarah nodded, and the music started. She moved first into a gentle plié, then ran in a small circle of waltz steps, keeping her arms held wide. She leaped into her jeté, remembering to turn her head to follow her leading leg, and landed solidly back on the floor.
So far, so good, Sarah thought.
She was starting to relax now. She performed a solid arabesque, followed by a second jeté. Sarah felt her heart pound as she positioned herself for the pirouette.
Sarah glued her eyes to the window frame across the room. Steadying herself, she balanced on one foot and lifted into the pirouette.
Sarah began to spin, whipping her head back around with each rotation so that she stayed focused on the spot she’d chosen. She spun once, then twice, solidly.
As Sarah spun for a third time, her eyes darted away from the window frame for a brief moment, and she wobbled slightly. She caught herself a little clumsily but managed not to fall.
Despite her mistake, Sarah felt calm as the music ended. It hadn’t been a perfect audition, but it hadn’t been a disaster. And she’d managed to make it through the pirouette . . . with a little help.
Mandy hugged Sarah as she made her way back over to the side of the room. “That was awesome!” she said. “You nailed the pirouette!”
Sarah smiled back at her new friend. “Thanks to you,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
* * *
An hour later, the dancers gathered in the hallway as Ms. Rousseau taped a sheet of paper up on the wall. As soon as the list was up, everyone pushed forward to see their parts.
Sarah’s heart pounded as she ran her finger down the list until she saw her name.
“Sarah O’Claire, supporting fairy, spring,” she read out loud. “Mandy Evans, supporting fairy, winter.”
Sarah scrolled back up the list. Alex had landed the role of Spring Fairy.
Sarah turned to face Mandy. “Well, neither of us got leads,” she said.
Surprisingly, Sarah realized she wasn’t as upset as she would have thought. “But at least we both made it into the recital,” she said.
“That’s a good way of looking at it,” Mandy agreed.
“I probably wouldn’t have landed any role if it hadn’t been for your help,” Sarah said.
“Does that mean maybe we can rehearse together for the recital?” Mandy asked hopefully.
Sarah grinned and put her arm around her new friend. “Absolutely,” she said. “Let’s start now.”
