Dance Fusion was one of the biggest dance competitions in the tristate area and a showcase for the best and brightest studios. As the Divas filed onto the bus, Toni sat in the front seat, reviewing her notes for each number.
“She’s going to switch something, I can feel it in my bones,” Rochelle whispered to Scarlett. Her teacher had a bad habit of reworking dances en route to every competition and springing it on them just as they arrived.
“Maybe she’s finally come to her senses and recast the duet,” Liberty said, kicking her feet up on the back of Rock’s seat. “Anyone can see you’re more of a monkey than I am.”
Scarlett didn’t even have to remind her of Miss Toni’s warning. “I know, I know,” Rochelle said. “Ignore her.”
Liberty smiled—she loved it when Rock couldn’t argue back. “Try not to slip up onstage, Rock,” she added. “That would drive Toni bananas.”
Scarlett suspected it would be a long ride, especially with everyone stressed and angry at each other. Bria was barely talking to Anya. Anya was hardly talking to Liberty. And Liberty was furious at Rock. As for her and Gracie, they’d somehow managed to forgive and forget over the kitten’s name. But there was still the matter of Gracie getting into her stuff.
“That’s funny. I can’t find my pink lip gloss,” Scarlett said, searching through her makeup bag.
Rochelle elbowed her. “You mean that one?” Gracie was happily seated two rows behind them, slicking a wand across her lips.
“Gracie, give that back!” Scarlett called to her. “That’s mine, not yours!”
Gracie quickly hid the tube behind her back. “I don’t have anything,” she fibbed.
“Then why are your lips so pink and shiny?” Scarlett asked. She was about to pounce on her little sister and retrieve her lip gloss when Rock stopped her.
“Remember what Toni said: get along or get off the team.”
When they reached the venue, Miss Toni led them off the bus. “I want to remind everyone to be on their best behavior. City Feet is in the house, and that’s never a good thing.”
She’d barely finished her sentence when a second bus pulled up in front of theirs. Justine Chase, the coach of City Feet and Toni’s frenemy, waved from the window.
“Oh boy. Here we go,” Rochelle said.
The bus door opened and the girls bounded down the steps. There was Addison, Phoebe, Regan, and Mandy—aka “the Tiny Terror.” Rock braced herself and waited for their competitors to taunt them with their obnoxious comments. Instead, the team filed past them without a single word. Not even Justine said anything.
“Okay, that was weird,” Liberty remarked. “I was totally prepared to put that mean little munchkin, Mandy, in her place.”
“That is how a team carries itself,” Toni explained. “Strong and united. They don’t have to mouth off because they know how good they are.”
“Or Mandy ran out of one-liners from her insult book,” Liberty said.
“Or has a mouth full of peanut butter and her lips are glued shut.” Bria giggled.
“Whatever the reason, City Feet just showed you up with their poise and confidence,” Toni said. “I suggest you all march in and follow their lead.”
The convention center in Bristol, Connecticut, was teeming with dance groups from all over the country. Scarlett spotted a few they’d gone up against before: the Fab 5 from Philly, the Hippie Chicks from New Hampshire, and the Groovy Boyz from Long Island.
“This competition is fierce,” she whispered to her teammates. “Did you see the Hippie Chicks? They came with a giant neon peace sign!”
“It’s just a prop,” Anya assured them. “I’m sure our dance is way cooler.”
“Don’t you mean way lamer?” Liberty said. “Bathing beauties. Puh-lease!”
When they found Miss Toni to run their dances by her one last time, she was busy blowing up their giant beach ball with a bicycle pump.
“I know how that beach ball feels,” Liberty said and tugged on her bloomers.
“It’s not so bad,” Scarlett said, adjusting the white ruffled hat on her head. “I mean, it’s comfortable.” The bathing suit itself was a navy belted dress with a white sailor collar and matching navy-and-white striped bloomers.
“Speak for yourself,” Anya complained. Her suit had lacy trim around the puffy sleeves. “This thing is itchy!”
Gracie’s costume was the most colorful: a red-and-white polka dot one-piece with white bow trim and a matching red cap. “I don’t get it. Why did people used to swim in their pajamas?” she asked.
Toni ignored them and applied her red lipstick in the dressing room mirror. She smoothed her black hair back into a bun and made sure every hair was in place.
“I just wish we knew what Stinky Feet was doing for the group dance,” Rochelle said. “They were way too quiet. They definitely have something up their sleeves.”
Bria flipped through the competition program. When she saw the name of their group dance, her eyes grew wide. “Guys, you better come look at this,” she said.
Liberty grabbed the booklet out of her hands. “Lemme see that,” she said. She read out loud: “City Feet will be performing ‘Don’t Be a Diva,’ a contemporary jazz routine.”
Rochelle’s jaw dropped. “They’ve gotta be kidding! That is such a diss!”
Toni clapped her hands to silence them. “Enough. If they want to take a swipe at us, let them. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Scarlett could sense a story coming on.
“Did I ever tell you about the time Justine wore my dress to the Ballet Gala?” she asked the girls.
“No,” Rochelle muttered under her breath, “but I’m sure you’re gonna.”
“I had picked out this beautiful white gown with pearl beading at the waist,” she continued. “The saleswoman assured me it was one-of-a-kind, and I was so excited to wear it. I left it at the store to be shortened.”
Liberty’s hand shot up. “Let me guess: Justine found an identical dress and wore it to the party to embarrass you? That is so tacky!”
“Worse,” Toni said. “Like I said, it was one-of-a-kind. She went to the store and convinced the saleswoman she was there to pick up the dress for me. When I went back to the boutique, the woman who helped me said ‘my friend’ had come to get it since I was ‘sick.’ I couldn’t find Justine anywhere … until she walked into the gala wearing my dress.”
Scarlett gasped. “You must have been devastated!”
Toni shook her head. “No, I found another gown that was even prettier—a pale pink one with a beaded rhinestone bodice. I could have yelled at Justine for taking my dress, but I didn’t. I realized how insecure she was, and I felt sorry for her.”
“I would have dunked her head in the punch bowl,” Rochelle said. “That was low, really low.”
“Maybe so,” Toni replied. “But there’s always a positive way to look at something that’s negative. Just remember that today when City Feet goes out there and does their number.” She gathered her bag and clipboard and held the door of the dressing room open. “Everybody out. Game faces on. And, Anya, that bathing hat is on backward.”
Anya turned the cap around till the big, floppy bow was hanging in her eyes. “How can you tell?”
They walked into the backstage waiting area and Toni gave them a last-minute warning before taking her seat in the audience. “Do not embarrass me.”
Liberty waited until she was out of earshot. “She’s kidding, right? How embarrassing are these costumes? We look like turn-of-the-century marshmallows. I’m sure City Feet will be all sparkled and sequined and glammed up.”
Bria elbowed her. “Not exactly.”
The girls looked behind them to see the City Feet team making their way toward the stage. Scarlett gasped. “Oh no!”
Addison, Phoebe, Regan, and Mandy were dressed in black shorts and black–and–hot pink satin bomber jackets that looked a lot like the Divas’ team jackets. They were wearing black wigs styled in tight buns and bright red lipstick. Gracie said what they were all thinking out loud. “They all look just like Miss Toni!”
“No wonder they kept their mouths shut when they saw us,” Rochelle whispered. “They were planning an ambush! We have to do something!”
But it was too late. The announcer had already taken his spot at the podium. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re ready to begin. Please welcome the first team in the Junior Group Dance category. City Feet from Long Island!”