A week later, when the Panthers filed into the locker room after practice, they were still talking about Lily’s party. And Lily chatted right along with them. Practices had been tough as they perfected the parade routine, but she was finally feeling truly in sync with her team.
Now it was time for the big Fall Festival parade. The team was in the staging area at the center of town, ready to perform. The place was a mess of people and sound. Brass band music blared. Crowds swirled. Lily and her teammates huddled together near the edge of the big parking lot, waiting for instructions.
“I can’t believe this!” Lily exclaimed. She couldn’t decide if she was more nervous or excited. This wasn’t a competition, but it was definitely the most public event in which she’d ever performed.
“The whole town has to be in this parking lot. Who will watch the parade?” Emily joked.
Finally, the Panthers were called to line up. The dancers followed Coach Smith over to the starting area, then arranged themselves into their three lines.
“I’ll be riding in the cart behind you with the speakers,” Coach reminded the team. She had to shout to be heard over the crowd. “We’ll march in line until we reach the beginning of the route, on the street. Then I’ll start the music. Listen for that intro, watch your leaders for the pace, and stay focused. And most importantly . . .”
“Have fun!” the team finished.
Coach smiled. “See, you’ve got this,” she said. Then she climbed into the cart to make sure everything was ready to go.
A few minutes later, a loud whistle blew, and the procession began to slowly make its way into the street. Lily and her teammates were in the middle of the line, but they could hear loud cheering from the crowds as the parade started. The dancers shook their bodies out, throwing in some last-minute stretches.
Lily folded herself in half and grasped her ankles, feeling her hamstrings stretch. No stiffness allowed today, she thought. This is it!
As they moved forward with the parade, the sidewalk came into view. Then they were in the street. Once the last girls were out of the parking lot, the music began. It was showtime.
One, two, three, punch! Spin, step, spin, step. Lily felt the music swelling above the noise of the crowd. People cheered all along both sides of the street as the team moved confidently with the beat.
On her left, Mia was dancing with big, strong gestures. Beyond the team captain, Jill was performing with a sassy snap in her steps. And behind them was the rest of the team.
My team, Lily thought. A big smile crept across her face as she realized that there was nowhere else she would rather be. She whirled in a perfect pirouette, then crouched low.
Lily, Mia, and Jill marched behind a large trailer carrying a display covered in giant papier–mâché flowers and plants. They all kept an eye on the display as they went forward. It was their job to control the team’s pace. They needed to make sure to keep a wide stretch of space between their group and the end of the trailer.
With the pirouette wave done, the girls did a forward roll back to their feet. They stretched their arms into high Vs, then snapped them down. As they danced forward along the route, their lines crossed once, then twice. They ended back in the original formation with Mia in the center.
Lily took a deep breath — now for the showstopper.
As the team neared the platform where the bleachers for the most important spectators stood, Lily spun to the center and caught Jill’s eye. Jill gave a slight nod. They spun to the outside in unison, then back to face each other on either side of Mia.
The team danced for a moment in place behind them, while Jill and Lily jazz-walked behind Mia. They kneeled so that their raised knees touched.
Mia twirled around, facing her two teammates. Lily braced herself as Mia lifted her hands up and fell forward. The team captain planted her palms firmly on Lily’s and Jill’s thighs and lifted her body into a perfect handstand.
Lily supported Mia by placing one hand on the girl’s hip. The other hand she held out high to the side. Jill mirrored her.
The three girls held the pose for a moment, then Mia kicked down to the ground. She launched straight into a back handspring, sticking her landing with a flourish. At the same time, Jill and Lily crossed behind her with a couple of kickovers. They each came to rest in front of the other’s line. The team fell in line behind them again, marching on to the sound of wild cheering.
Lily breathed hard as they continued forward. She glanced over to Mia. The two exchanged a small smile before focusing their eyes back to the front.
As the Panthers passed the bleachers, something caught Lily’s eye. Someone in a bright pink jacket was jumping around and shouting even more loudly than the rest of the crowd. There, along with her parents, was Amy!
Lily beamed at her old friend. Her heart swelled at the sight of that familiar face. Before she had to look away, she saw Amy’s mom wave and wink.
A new burst of energy moved Lily as she danced down the street with the Panthers. She couldn’t believe Amy had surprised her! And now that she was here, Lily couldn’t wait to show her friend around Wilmington. There was so much that she wanted to share — the great taco place downtown, her cool room, the amazing tire swing in her backyard . . . but most importantly, her new team.