Toni had booked a small extra room for the girls to run their routines, but Jane had other plans.

“I got you the Crystal Ballroom.” She smiled. “It’s much bigger and has such a wonderful ambiance.”

Toni sighed. “The room I booked would have done just fine, Jane,” she said. Then added through gritted teeth, “But thanks.”

Rochelle was the first one up for practice. She still had no idea what she was wearing for her solo. Toni loved to keep her guessing.

“So, am I dancing in this?” she asked, pointing to her red crop top and shorts. “Or you got something else for me?”

J. J. carried in a black wardrobe bag and unzipped it. “I thought this would do the trick.” He pulled out a black leather jacket, black leggings, and a colorful graphic T-shirt—just like the outfit he’d worn the first day she met him. “Ya like?”

“It’s so cool,” she said, trying the jacket on for size. “It rocks.”

“Then it’s perfect,” Toni said. “Now let’s hope your dance is perfect as well.”

Rochelle ran through the moves over and over, with J. J. shouting out the counts. When she was done, she collapsed on the floor waiting for Toni’s feedback. Instead, there was silence.

“Well?” J. J. finally said. “Say something.”

“Good,” Toni replied. “It’s good.”

Rochelle sat up. “Good? Just good? It’s awesome! It’s crazy amazing! It’s gonna knock those judges out of their seats!”

J. J. nodded. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

But Toni refused to elaborate further. “Let’s just hope it’s good enough to beat City Feet.”

The Divas had never seen a dance competition quite like Electric Dance. The teams pulled out all the stops: there were lights, there were tricks, and there were over-the-top costumes.

“What is that supposed to be?” Bria asked as a giant white marshmallow suit made its way past her. Three boys trailed behind it, in beige jumpsuits, wearing backpacks.

“I could be wrong, but I think it’s Ghostbusters,” Rochelle said.

“Ooh, I love that movie!” Anya added. “Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!”

Scarlett surveyed the backstage area. There were a lot of salutes to Hollywood—both old and new. She spotted a teen duet between “Scarlett O’Hara” and “Rhett Butler,” a group dance to a Harry Potter theme, and a Shirley Temple Junior Solo.

“What’s with the giant lollipop?” Rochelle asked her. “And all those curls?”

“‘On the Good Ship Lollipop,’” Scarlett explained. “We have some serious competition here.”

Toni looked just as concerned, especially when she saw Justine and City Feet take their places in the wings.

“What is that?” Liberty asked, noticing the stagehands decorating the ceiling with giant gold rings. The girls were each dressed in a simple gray cloak.

“Lord of the Rings,” Toni said, and sighed.

Liberty studied the drab costumes and made a face. “Don’t they have any mirrors at Stinky Feet Studios?”

“You know Justine always has a trick up her sleeve,” Scarlett said.

As the music thundered over the speakers, the girls burst onstage. Mandy reached up as a pair of gold rings floated down from the ceiling. She whipped off her cape to reveal a gold sequin leotard.

“She’s going to do a gymnastics routine on the rings,” Anya marveled. “Wow. This is like Cirque du Soleil!”

Gracie pushed through the Divas to get a better look. “I can do that,” she said. “My gymnastics teacher taught me how.”

“Now you tell us?” Liberty complained.

While Mandy twirled high above the stage, the rest of the girls de-cloaked to reveal gold-fringed skirts and halter tops. They raced around the stage doing an impressive acro routine of leaps, splits, and jumps. Regan and Addison performed a series of one-handed cartwheels while Phoebe showed off her fouettés.

“I lost count. How many turns was that?” Bria asked.

“A gazillion.” Rochelle sighed. “They are really kicking our butts.”

At the end of the dance, the judges gave them a standing ovation. The team strolled offstage past the Divas.

“Top that!” Addison boasted. “If we were in the Olympics, that would have been a gold medal.”

Rochelle elbowed Liberty. “You want to answer that one, or should I?”

“Be my guest,” Liberty said, fuming. “I’m too disgusted.”

Rochelle cleared her throat. “If you think your Lord of the Losers number is going to even come close to touching us, you’re sadly mistaken.”

“We’ll see.” Phoebe grinned. She looked at Bria’s Charlie Chaplin costume. “Too bad that other team seems to have the same idea as you.” She pointed to the wings where a group of boys were waiting to go on. They were dressed in black suits, hats, canes, and mustaches.

“Oh no!” Scarlett exclaimed. “It’s the Little Tramp!”

“It’s actually five of them.” Bria gulped. “An army of Charlies!”

“Let’s not panic.” Scarlett tried to calm them down. “Our routine is really amazing.”

“Performing a jazz routine called ‘Funny You Should Mention It,’ please welcome the Oh Boy! Dance Studio from Omaha, Nebraska.”

The five Chaplins lined up onstage and launched into a slapstick comedy jazz routine. One of them even sat on a judge’s lap!

“Oh, this is just awful!” Bria cried.

“No, it’s really good,” Gracie said. “These guys are so funny!”

The number ended with one of the boys getting hit in the face with a whipped-cream pie.

Gracie burst out laughing. “I love them!”

Scarlett looked out at the audience, which was applauding wildly. “Yeah, the audience loves them, too. And you know Miss Toni always says that the judges like to see boy dance teams.”

“I saw them and I don’t like ’em,” Rochelle said. “We’re gonna look ridiculous following them with another Charlie Chaplin routine!”

Unfortunately, the Divas had no choice. The stagehands were already setting up their props, and the announcer called them to the wings.

“Dancing a contemporary routine called ‘Listen Up,’ please put your hands together for the Dance Divas!”

It was so silent as Bria waddled out onstage that a pin drop could have been heard. She began to worry that having no music might have been a huge mistake. The audience looked confused.

“Go! Go!” J. J. whispered, pushing the rest of them out onstage. As Scarlett did her grand jeté, a strobe light pulsed above the stage. The effect made it look as if they were all in an old film from the 1920s. The sound of wind whistling came over the speakers, then cans being kicked and crows cawing. It was eerie and sad at the same time. Bria crouched down as the girls closed in around her. They tugged at her clothes and taunted her. Then, there was a single clap of thunder. Bria stretched her hands over her head and stood up. The Divas shed their black-and-white dresses to reveal rainbow-beaded leotards beneath them. The entire stage lit up in a kaleidoscope of colored lights. Anya and Liberty lifted Bria up and hoisted her onto Scarlett’s and Rochelle’s shoulders. Gracie pulled a red rose from behind her back and handed it to her. Their fingers touched as Bria took the rose and sniffed it. The words DIGNITY, COMPASSION, and LOVE flashed behind them with images of the Divas working at the soup kitchen. Then the entire stage went pitch-black except for a single spotlight shining on the rose in Bria’s outstretched hand.

When the lights came on for their bows, the audience was already on its feet cheering. Miss Toni looked pleased.

J. J. greeted them backstage. “You girls kicked it!” he said. “That was cray-zee to the tenth degree!”

Bria peeled the mustache off her lip. “It was pretty good, huh?” she said breathlessly.

“It was so good that there’s no sign of those Feet anywhere,” Rochelle said, looking around for their rivals.

“We must have scared off those Lord of the Ring-Dings!” Liberty added.

But if there was one thing the Divas had learned in the past, it was to never underestimate their rivals. The announcer had already called for the solo and duet competitors to line up backstage. Yet there was no sign of City Feet and their coach.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Bria whispered to Scarlett. “A really, really bad feeling.”