Dancing Queen

by Kelly Starling Lyons

  “Hey, Jada,” they called.

  While Mom worked on a new display, I searched for inspiration. I flipped through books about dance. My shoulders slumped when nothing clicked. It was hopeless. I decided to check out science and technology books, since those always made me smile. I read until I saw something I couldn’t believe. I sat up straight—did I read that right? Motion-controlled video games may help improve real-life skills. I felt the zap of an idea strike me again. What if they could help with dancing?

  “I’m all done,” Mom said. “Ready?”

  I jumped up and nodded. Usually, I want to stay and find new books to check out, but today I headed right for the door. I couldn’t wait to put my hypothesis to the test.

  Mom did workout videos or grooved along with video games like Just Dance when she didn’t have time for a class. I turned on the game and tried to match the steps of the avatar dancers. I wasn’t on beat and my moves were off, but at least now I could see what I was doing wrong. I broke into a sweat as I tried again and again. As I practiced, my moves slowly started getting more in sync.

  “Go, Jada!” Mom said when she walked into the room.

  Before I knew it, I was smiling. For the first time since the dance was announced, I felt a little better. Maybe I wouldn’t be a dancing dud after all.

  Chapter Five:

  A FRIEND IN NEED

  “It’s going to be a cold one today,” Mom said to me and Jax on Monday morning. “Make sure you wear your heavy jackets and take your gloves.”

  Outside, tiny crystals of ice dotted our car’s windshield. I watched them melt as Mom defrosted the window and wondered what I would do if I didn’t have a warm coat to wear.

  At school, I walked Jax to kindergarten and saw the back of a familiar jean jacket on the way to my class. I waved at Hallie when she turned around, but she didn’t see me. She hurried into her room.

  Miss Taylor switched on the school’s morning news. I smiled when I saw Simone’s face on the TV screen. She was one of the announcers that day.

  “Good morning, Brookside,” she said, clear and cheerful. “Today is the beginning of Caring Week. It’s all about being extra kind to each other. And don’t forget to practice for the big dance on Friday. Are you ready for the challenge? I know I am.”

  Classes cheered as the music for “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” played. Simone and her cohost nailed the dances. From their seats, kids joined in. Caring Week was on.

  As I walked down the hall, I saw bins where people could donate coats. There were already a few in there, and this was just the first day. It would be amazing if we raised lots of money to buy some, too. I hoped whoever put the note in the suggestion box would get a new coat soon.

  We had indoor recess since it was so cold outside. As we played Uno, I told Simone and Lena about my video game dance practice.

  “That’s cool, Jada,” Simone said. “Don’t forget to try the dances on the challenge list, so you’re ready. Can you practice this week?”

  I nodded but felt the worries creeping up again. The dance was just days away. I wanted to raise as much money as I could, but having to do ten whole dances? Whew. In my living room, it was just the screen and me. In the school gym, everyone would be there. I tried to shut out the doubts and focus on the good we were doing.

  I smiled as I thought about the kindness I saw spreading through the school. Kids let classmates get in front of them in line, gave one another compliments, and offered to help teachers. It seemed like everyone was making new friends.

  At the end of the day when I went to my cubby to get my puffy purple jacket, Miles put my chair up on my desk for me. I asked Miss Taylor if she wanted me to erase her whiteboard before I headed home. Caring was contagious.

  On the way down the hall, I saw Hallie and was just about to catch up to her and say hi when something hit me. I remembered the ice on our car window. Was it still as cold outside? Hallie just had on her jean jacket. Didn’t she say she had a little brother? I felt a familiar jolt as a thought snapped into my mind: Was she the one who wrote the note?

  Chapter Six:

  DIGGING DEEP

  At home in my room, I thought about Hallie. I didn’t know for sure that she needed a coat, but someone did. I looked at my pledge sheet. Mom, Dad, my uncle Rob, and my babysitter were already sponsoring me. I had to work harder.

  I picked up the phone and called my pop pop.

  “Hey, Lady Bug,” he said when he heard my voice. I smiled at his special name for me.

  “We’re doing a ten-dance challenge at school to raise money to buy coats for kids,” I said. “Would you be one of my sponsors?”

  “Sure,” he said. “Sounds like a great cause. How does it work?”

  After I filled him in, Pop Pop pledged one dollar for each dance I completed.

  I thanked him and wrote his name on my sheet. With pledges from fifty cents to one dollar per dance, I felt good about the money I was raising. But I knew I could do more.

  I looked at my dragon bank. I had been saving up for a rock tumbler for months. It would make the rough stones in my collection shine like gems. But this was much more important.

  I twisted open the bottom. Coins tinkled as they spilled onto my desk. I reached inside and pulled out the dollars, too. I counted the money—quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies. They all added up. I counted again just to be sure. I had forty-one dollars and fifty-one cents. Was that enough?

  “Mom, can we please go to the store after dinner?” I asked and filled her in on what I wanted to do.

  She gave me a hug.

  * * *

  I headed right for the girls’ department when we got there. I saw racks of coats and wasn’t sure how to choose. There were sleek ones, fuzzy ones, long ones, short ones, all different shades. I finally decided to pick something I would love to give a friend. I found a fluffy light blue jacket with a furry hood. It was warm and soft. Cute, too. I flipped over the price tag and put my head down. It was twice what I had.

  “How much is it, Jada?” Mom asked.

  She looked at the cost and put the coat in the cart.

  “It will make someone really happy,” she said. “Your dad and I will pay the difference.”

  * * *

  The next morning, I dropped the new coat in the bin. I was glad it had warmed up and we could have recess outside again. I found Hallie and invited her to jump rope with Simone, Lena, Carson, and me. She missed and tripped a few times, but she didn’t care. She smiled and kept going. Seeing her reminded me of Daddy. I could hear his voice in my head. “Don’t worry about what everybody else is doing. Just do you.”

  “Are you ready for the dance?” I asked as we waited for our next turn.

  “I guess.”

  “Let’s do it together,” I said.

  “Watch out, feet, here we come,” she said, laughing.

  * * *

  After school, it was our last student council meeting before the big event. Everyone was pumped.

  “Our coat drive is going great,” Chelsea said. “We have coats for kids and adults. The PTA will put out bins on dance night, too. We have volunteers to sell snacks and the tissue-paper roses. We’re almost there.”

  We all clapped, smiling at one another.

  “Caring Week ends Friday, but I know we’ll keep showing kindness all year long. I’m proud of all of you, of our school,” Ms. Flowers said. Today’s T-shirt was night-sky black and, in rainbow colors that twinkled like fireworks, read: “Be the Change.”

  I knew I wouldn’t be the same when this was over. It started with one wish for a coat and turned into so much more.

  Chapter Seven:

  ON THE FLOOR

  The Council Crew helped set up the gym for the dance. We decorated it with silver and blue balloons and a matching banner. Signs around the room reminded everyone of our cause: Co
ats for Caring. When we finished, I stood back and looked at the room. Wow. It was amazing to see our dream come true.

  “This is going to be the best dance ever,” Miles said, admiring it next to me.

  I knew he was right.

  When the doors opened, the crowd was ready. A friend’s mom, DJ Smooth, worked her magic with the music. She had skills. The dance floor stayed full with all the hits and old-school classics she played.

  I saw my dad selling snacks and ran over to say hi.

  “You ready, baby girl?” he asked. “I know I am. Been saving some special moves just for today.”

  He put on his I-mean-business face. Uh-oh.

  “Daddy, I have to find Lena and Simone.”

  He laughed.

  I walked through the crowd. There were so many people. Parents, teachers, kids from different grades. Friends bought yellow paper roses for each other. I saw Jax and waved. He waved back and jammed with his buddies. Everywhere, people smiled and danced.

  “Okay, Brookside, are you ready for the challenge?” DJ Smooth screamed.

  Just hearing those words froze me to my spot. I gulped and backed up to the wall. I wondered if I would find the courage to get through it. I had to. But I didn’t know how. Then I saw Hallie. She walked over to me with a nervous smile.

  “Ready to do this?” she asked.

  “If you are?”

  “Together.”

  We walked to the center of the floor, found Lena and Simone, and waited for the first song to start. My heart pounded as I heard the beginning of the Cupid Shuffle. I took a breath. It was now or never.

  I panicked and stumbled at first as the crowd moved in a line to the right. But after we got started, I stopped trying to get it perfect. It was pretty fun when I stopped freaking out. I saw other kids missing a step or just going with the flow like Hallie and me. It didn’t matter if you could do the dance like a pro, just that you tried. Just like that, it was over.

  DJ Smooth called out the next move as a new song filled the room.

  “Who can Floss?” she asked.

  Hallie and I laughed as we tried to get the arm and hip moves coordinated. Maybe we could do it slowly. But fast like Simone? That was a lost cause. Before we knew it, that was over, too. The songs kept changing, with a new dance each time, playing for a minute or two before switching to the next.

  When the last dance was over, we hugged and jumped up and down. We did it! I couldn’t wait to find out how much money everybody raised.

  But DJ Smooth wasn’t finished.

  “I know it’s called the Ten-Dance Challenge,” she said into the mike. “But I’m throwing in one more—an oldie but goodie. Let’s see what you can do in the Soul Train line.”

  I saw some confused faces, but I knew just what she was talking about. My mom gets in the Soul Train line at every wedding reception, every reunion. It’s a time to show off your special moves. I loved watching it, but no way was I joining in. Doing the dance challenge was a big enough step for me. Maybe I’d try a solo dance next time.

  Simone and Lena raced to the line. So did Miles, Carson, Gabi, and Jax.

  “You sure you don’t want to try it?” Hallie said.

  I scrunched my eyebrows and shook my head.

  “Together?”

  I thought about the week of caring and what really mattered. This was about having fun and celebrating one another. Maybe it was time to try something new. I smiled and got in line.

  I noticed something as I watched my friends dance down the middle: No one’s moves were just the same. Some were jerky. Others were silly, flashy, flowing. Everybody had their own style. When it was our turn, Hallie and I danced just like we wanted. We waved our arms and did a double high five, then spun and strutted down the line.

  “Go, Jada! Go, Hallie!” I heard my friends chant.

  I don’t know how we looked, but who cares? We were having fun. Doing us. Together.

  Chapter Eight:

  A NEW GROOVE

  At school the next week, we found out that we raised more than four thousand dollars for coats and collected more than one hundred gently used ones. A local store learned what we were doing and donated hats and gloves. We even had enough to share with a couple other schools, too.

  Something else happened. Though Caring Week was over, someone put a card in my cubby that said: You’re awesome. I saw older kids tying the shoelaces of kindergartners. Kids invited new friends to sit with them at lunch. I remembered the ripple of kindness from the book my teacher read to us during English Language Arts. It just kept spreading and growing.

  At recess, Hallie had on a new jacket. It was just like my puffy purple one, but hers was red.

  “Now we’re really twins,” I said.

  “Yep,” she said, smiling.

  I couldn’t wait to get to student council. As soon as the bell rang, I rushed to Ms. Flowers’s room. On the way there, I saw a light blue fluffy coat with a furry hood. My heart jumped. Was it the one I bought? I smiled to myself and didn’t try to see who it was.

  When I stepped into Ms. Flowers’s room, I saw something new on her “Made a Difference” wall. There was a picture of the Council Crew surrounded by yellow roses. I just kept staring at it. It was the best gift I ever saw.

  “That’s us,” I said in shock when she came over.

  “Yes, Jada,” Ms. Flowers said, wearing a sky-blue T-shirt with the shimmering words “Dream and Do.” “Each of you earned a spot on my wall. I’m so proud.”

  I sat next to Miles and pointed to the picture.

  “Can you believe it?”

  “I know. It’s awesome.”

  He held up his fist. I bumped it with mine.

  “We did it!” Chelsea said when she opened the meeting. “Now, how are we going to top that?”

  We laughed. It was Miles’s turn to read the comments in the suggestion box. He flipped it open and pulled out the notes inside. A couple asked about having more fun activities like dances. Another one suggested a field trip to the beach. But one folded piece of notebook paper just said, “Thank you.”

  That one meant the most to all of us there.

  “Let’s end with our chant,” Chelsea said.

  We got into a circle and smiled at each other.

  “The Council Crew!” Chelsea yelled.

  “It’s what we do!” we answered.

  “The Council Crew!”

  “It’s what we do!”

  “The Council Crew!”

  “It’s what we do!”

  Each of us stretched out our hands and piled them one on top of another. I wasn’t sure what challenge we’d face next, but I knew we could do anything. We were friends and change-makers.

  JADA’S RULES FOR BEING A DANCING QUEEN

  Move to the beat of your heart.

  Relax and let it flow.

  Tell your doubts to get out of the way.

  Have fun.

  Find your groove with friends.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thank you to the brilliant Penguin Workshop team, illustrators Nneka Myers and Vanessa Brantley Newton, my agent Caryn Wiseman, my family, and the many friends who cheered me on, gave me feedback, and spread the word about Jada Jones. Special shout-outs to: Tanesha Taylor Nurse, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Debbi Michiko Florence, Laura Pegram, Doni Kay, my sands and sorors, Brown Bookshelf fam, Novelette sisters, and the AACC crew.

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  Kelly Starling Lyons is the author of Hope's Gift and Tea Cakes for Tosh. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and daughter and son, who love collecting rocks just like Jada.

  Nneka Myers has been known to paint worlds filled with color, texture, life, and diversity. Based in Toronto as a character designer and illustrator, her artwork can be found in T
V animation, children's books, comics, and social media illustrations. When she is not a busy bee, she can often be found looking for inspiration in vintage fashion, drinking tea with friends, or playing video games.

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