The week in L.A. flew by, and before she knew it, Anya was back at the Divas Studio Monday afternoon. Gracie was running up and down the halls in her Mickey Mouse ears from Disney World, and Liberty was showing off the selfies she’d taken on the set of Pitbull’s new video.
“Did you have a fun vacation?” Scarlett asked Anya.
Anya tried to smile and sound convincing. “Yeah, it was great.” But she was dreading having to break the news to her dance coach. She could just picture Miss Toni’s face: stern and hard as a rock. She hoped she wouldn’t explode and start screaming at her. Everyone wanted to be on the Dance Divas Elite Competition Team. There was a line a mile long of girls just waiting for a spot to open up. And here she was, quitting! How could Toni not be furious and insulted?
“I guess I should get to rehearsal,” Anya said, taking a deep breath and steeling her nerves.
Rochelle had promised with a double-pinky swear that she wouldn’t say a word to anyone until Anya broke the news to their teacher. “You want me to come with you and talk to her before class?” Rochelle asked her.
Anya shook her head. “No, thanks. I want to wait till the time is right.”
As the girls began stretching at the barre, Miss Toni took her seat at the front of the studio and began studying her notes. Anya knew better than to interrupt her when she was concentrating. Maybe after class was a better idea?
“Welcome back, ladies,” Toni said. “I hope you haven’t picked up any sloppy habits on your week off.” She looked at Rochelle. “Like sickled feet.”
Rochelle quickly corrected the position of her foot and continued with her tendus.
“I’m going to go over our plans for Smooth Moves,” Toni continued, glancing at her clipboard. “Scarlett, I’m giving you a solo,” she said.
Scarlett’s face lit up. “Thanks! What is it?”
“It’s a modern routine called ‘Superstition,’” Toni replied. “You’ll dance barefoot.”
“Modern?” Scarlett whispered. “I’m not that great at modern.”
“Not being great has never stopped you before,” Liberty said, smirking. “Why should it stop you now?”
Toni mulled over the duet with Rochelle and Anya. “This is a very complicated Broadway routine with real magic tricks in it,” she said, facing Anya. “But I think you’re ready for it. Anya, how do you feel about pairing with Rochelle for ‘Magic to Do’?”
“Um,” Anya hesitated. “Miss Toni, I think I need to tell you something . . .”
Rochelle elbowed her. “Not now!” she whispered. “This is an awesome duet and we get to do it together.”
Toni raised an eyebrow. “Yes, Anya. What is it?”
“I, um,” Anya said, twirling a strand of her ponytail nervously. “I really like your lipstick. It’s so pretty. What do you call that color?”
Toni looked surprised. “My lipstick? It’s red,” she said. “And if we’re done chatting about cosmetics, can we get back to the specifics of our group dance number?”
Anya nodded. “Sure. Thanks.”
Toni rolled out a platform consisting of three steps on all sides and placed it in the center of the studio floor.
“Think of a deck of cards being shuffled,” she instructed her pupils. “Gracie, you are front and center at the top. Rochelle, you stand in front of her; Bria behind her, and Liberty and Scarlett on either side. Anya, the ace starts offstage in the wings.” She pointed to the right side of the studio.
The girls took their formation. “Now duck down like this,” she said, tucking Rochelle’s head into her chest. “Gracie, you do a straddle jump over her shoulders like you’re playing leapfrog.”
Gracie obeyed and landed a few feet in front of Rock on the floor. “The rest of you, stretch your arms up and to the sides. Then touch the ground and come up into a handstand.”
Anya waited patiently as Toni perfected each girl’s balance and posture. Then Toni motioned for her. “Anya, chaînés,” she commanded. Anya spun gracefully until she reached the center of the studio.
Toni chewed on her pencil eraser. “Not bad. Not bad. The spacing is off, but I think it’ll work. The question is, is it strong enough to win?” She went back to scribbling notes on her clipboard.
“My mom heard that Justine is hiring some big-time guest choreographer from Hollywood for the Smooth Moves competition,” Liberty reported. “The guy’s unbeatable.”
“When you say unbeatable . . . ,” Bria asked.
“I mean he has never choreographed a dance that did not take home first place,” Liberty replied. “Ever.”
Rochelle groaned. “Thanks for the news flash, Liberty. That makes us all feel great.”
“I’m just saying what I heard,” Liberty defended herself. “I could be wrong—but then again, I’m never wrong.”
Miss Toni didn’t like the sound of that. “We’ll just have to beat the unbeatable then,” she said.
“How do we do that?” Gracie asked.
Toni crossed her arms over her chest and looked determined. “With no distractions. Each and every one of us must be focused and at the top of her game. Is that clear?” All heads nodded. “I’ll be right back,” she said, “I think I’m going to need to break out the trampoline . . .”
When their teacher was out of the studio, Rochelle breathed a sigh of relief. “Phew! It’s a good thing you didn’t tell her, Anya. Toni is really focused on taking Justine down. You heard what she said: no distractions. You can’t tell her now.”
“Tell her what?” Gracie interjected.
“Nothing,” Anya insisted. “It’s a secret.”
Gracie’s eyes got big. “A secret? What kind of a secret?”
“Uh-oh. Now you did it,” Rochelle said. “Never say the word ‘secret’ around Gracie.”
“Hey! I’m a good secret keeper!” Gracie protested. “Aren’t I, Scoot?”
Scarlett shrugged. “It depends. If the secret is something you want to keep—like when you hid my favorite pair of leg warmers—then yes, you’re really good at it.”
“See?” Gracie said. “I didn’t even tell you that Miss Toni is helping me with my costume. Oops!”
“I can’t tell you my secret, Gracie,” Anya replied. “Not now.”
Scarlett looked worried. “Are you okay, Anya? Something isn’t wrong, is it?”
Anya didn’t know what to say. She hated lying to her friends.
Gracie pouted. “Well, when can you tell us?”
Anya looked to Rochelle for help. “I don’t know.”
“She can tell us all after Smooth Moves is over,” Rochelle suggested. She squeezed Anya’s hand. “Right now, we have some Feet to beat.”