Showstopper

by Sheryl Berk

  “Hi,” Anya replied. Her teacher still smelled of strong perfume and even stronger coffee.

  “Me next!” Poppy said, running to her friend. “Anya-bananya!”

  “Poppyseed!” Anya said, laughing.

  Miss Natalya smiled. “It’s like you never left, yes? Did you bring your leotard and shoes?”

  “No,” Anya said, staring down at her feet. “I’m taking a break this week.”

  “A break? Dancers never break!” her teacher shot back. “You eat, sleep, and breathe dance.” It sounded like something Miss Toni would say!

  “As you can tell, nothing has changed around here,” Poppy whispered.

  “But you’ve changed!” Anya insisted. “You got your braces off!”

  Poppy smiled to show off her straight teeth. “I got them off last March. Wow, how long has it been since we saw each other?”

  “Too long,” Miss Natalya replied. “I’m glad you changed your mind.”

  Anya looked puzzled. “Changed my mind? About what?”

  “About coming back to the studio,” Poppy said. “Maybe we can duet for the spring showing!”

  “Wait, what? I’m not coming back to the studio,” she told her friend. “I have a huge dance competition in Las Vegas in a few weeks.”

  Now it was Poppy’s turn to be confused. “But your mom told my mom you were moving back to L.A. I was so psyched! Aren’t you excited, too?”

  Anya felt her cheeks burn. She was furious! How could her parents have said such a thing? And was it true? Were they really thinking of making her quit Divas and move back home? She had to get to the bottom of this . . . now.

  “I gotta go,” she apologized to her friend as she rushed out of the studio. “Text you later.”

  Diva No More

  Anya was seeing red. She didn’t even shut the car door behind her before she started yelling.

  “How could you?” she asked her mom. “How could you and Dad just make a decision and not even ask me?”

  “Honey, calm down. It’s not like that.”

  “It isn’t? Poppy said you told her mom we were moving back to L.A.”

  “Your father and I think it would be for the best.”

  Anya gasped. So it was true. “The best? This is the worst news I’ve ever heard!”

  Her mother sighed. “We tried to make it work, but it’s too difficult being on two different coasts. We’re a family. A family should be together.”

  Anya buried her head in her hands. She, Rochelle, Scarlett, Liberty, Bria, Gracie, and Miss Toni were a family, too. And she felt like she was being torn away from them without any warning. What was she going to tell the Divas? What could she say?

  Her mom read her mind. “I’ll explain it to Miss Toni. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

  “But I don’t understand,” Anya insisted. “Can I at least go to Vegas with the team in March?”

  “I’ll do my best to convince your dad,” her mom promised. “Can you try and look on the bright side? You’ll be back at ballet with Poppy.”

  “I’m not the same girl who went to DAW,” Anya insisted. “I can’t just come back and forget about all my new friends and everything I’ve learned.”

  “No one is asking you to forget,” her mom assured her. “Divas will always be a special part of your life.”

  Anya wished she had earplugs so she could tune out everything her mother was saying. Maybe if she closed her eyes, she’d wake up from this nightmare, and none of it would be happening.

  When they reached their house, Anya opened the door and bounded up the steps. She slammed her bedroom door behind her and dialed Rochelle’s number.

  “Hey, how’s L.A.?” her friend answered. “Seen any good movie stars lately?”

  “My parents are making me quit Divas,” Anya sobbed.

  “What? Why? When?”

  “I guess they’re tired of living on opposite coasts,” she replied.

  “You can’t leave! Not now!” Rochelle protested. “It’s just not fair.”

  “Tell me about it,” Anya replied. “I don’t get it. Why let me join Divas and move to New Jersey in the first place if they were just going to take it away from me?”

  “I know it stinks, but maybe they thought it would work,” Rochelle suddenly considered. “Maybe they really hoped it would.”

  “So that’s it? I just turn in my Divas jacket and go back to studying ballet with Miss Natalya? Or join another team and compete against you?” Anya exclaimed. “Doesn’t anyone care what I want?”

  “You don’t have to turn in your jacket,” Rochelle replied. “Once a Diva, always a Diva. You know that.”

  Anya dried her eyes with her sleeve. “What do you think Miss Toni will say?”

  “Not much.” Rochelle tried to picture her teacher’s face, learning that one of her best dancers was quitting. “I think she’ll just be worried about how we can win without you.”

  “Smooth Moves will be my last competition as a Diva,” Anya said. “If my dad says I can do it. I don’t know how I can dance knowing that.”

  “You’ll do your best. You always do,” her friend assured her.

  After her call, Anya went downstairs to talk to her parents. They were seated at the kitchen table, waiting for her to calm down.

  Her mom poured her a glass of lemonade. “Did you call Rock?” she asked. “Did she make you feel any better?”

  “The only thing that would make me feel better is if you said you changed your mind,” Anya said, perching on a stool. “I don’t suppose you have?”

  “There are tons of dance schools here in L.A.,” her father insisted. “I know, I know—not Dance Divas. But plenty that are just as good. If you don’t want to go to DAW anymore, that’s fine. We want you to be happy.”

  “Then let me stay with my team and my friends!” Anya pleaded. “That’s the only thing that will make me happy!”

  “We’re in L.A. and you and your mother are in New Jersey. It’s not a good situation for any of us,” her father said, raising his voice. “We hoped you would be able to see and understand that.”

  Just then, Alexei came in the door carrying his camera and a tripod. “Whoa,” he said, sensing the tension in the air. “Maybe I should come back later?”

  “No!” Anya said, grabbing her brother’s arm and dragging him into the kitchen. “Stay. You get a vote, too.”

  “A vote? What am I voting for?” Alexei said, helping himself to a soda in the fridge.

  “Whether or not I stay in Dance Divas in New Jersey or move back here.”

  Alexei popped the lid on his can and took a long sip. “In my humble opinion,” he began, “I think Anya has done really well with her dance team. If you’ve got a good thing going, I say stick with it.”

  “You see?” Anya cheered. She could always count on her big brother to take her side. “That’s two for, and two against.”

  “Regardless, our minds are made up,” her father said sternly. “I’m sorry, Anya. The best I will do is let you compete at Smooth Moves. But that’s it. That’s your last competition as a Diva.”

  Keeping Secrets

  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.”

  Viva Las Vegas

  The Luxe Hotel was one of the fanciest and flashiest on the Vegas strip—and where Liberty’s mother, Jane, had insisted her daughter and the rest of the Divas stay during the Smooth Moves competition.

  “It’s fabulous! Didn’t I tell you?” Liberty asked as they climbed out of their taxis from the airport to check in. “Mom always stays here when she’s choreographing one of Britney’s shows.”

  “It’s really bright,” Bria said, shielding her eyes from the flashing multicolored lights surrounding the lobby entrance. “And ginormous.”

  “It’s obnoxious if you ask me,” Rochelle said.

  “Well, no one did,” Liberty tossed back. “It was very nice of Mommy to make sure we all had suites with king-size beds and Jacuzzis. Did I tell you that Selena Gomez stayed in my room last weekend?”

  Toni held up her hand before the argument could escalate. “It was very kind of Jane to arrange for our hotel stay,” she said. “And I’m sure the rooms are lovely. But we’re not going to be spending any time in them today. We need to get to the convention center to rehearse.”

  Liberty made a “boo-hoo” face. “Aww! I was really looking forward to lying around the pool and soaking in the hot tub. Mommy arranged for a private cabana and everything!”

  “The pool can wait,” Toni insisted. “Unless you all feel like losing tomorrow.”

  Rochelle shook her head. “Not a chance. Whatever City Feet is bringing, we can top it.”

  Toni sighed and handed her luggage to the bellhop. “Let’s hope so. You never know what tricks Justine has up her sleeve.”

  It was tough dragging the girls out of their posh suites, but they all knew there was little time to waste. When they got to the Las Vegas Convention Center, it was already packed with dance teams pouring in from all over the country.

  “Stay here,” Toni instructed them. “I’m going to pick up our paperwork and badges. And remember: no talking to the competition.” She tapped Gracie on the head. “That means you. We wouldn’t want to give anything away.”

  Gracie frowned. “Why does everyone think I can’t keep a secret?”

  “Because you can’t,” S
carlett reminded her. “You have loose lips. Remember when we got Mom those new headphones for her birthday and you spilled the beans a week early?”

  “You didn’t say it was a secret,” Gracie insisted. “You just said ‘Keep it under wraps.’ So I wrapped the headphones and gave them to her.”

  Rochelle chuckled. “That’s classic!”

  Bria hushed them all. “Don’t look now, but we’re being scoped out. They look pretty fierce.” She motioned to a group of boys wearing tuxedo jackets with their team name RAZZMATAZZ written on the back in gold sequins.

  “As if!” Liberty replied. “They have no taste in fashion, so they can’t possibly be a threat to us.”

  “What about them?” Anya pointed to a group of six girls in pink hoodies that read PINK LADIES ROCK.

  “Boring!” Liberty said, yawning. “Honestly, I don’t see one dance team here that stands a chance of touching us.”

  But she spoke too soon. Suddenly, the City Feet team was standing right behind them.

  “Oh, look! It’s the Dance Duds!” Regan said, laughing. “Ooh, I’m scared! NOT!”

  “Wow, does someone smell LOSER in the air?” Addison asked.

  Rochelle gritted her teeth. “And look who we have here! Justine and her four dwarfs: Ugly, Nerdy, Dumpy, and Cranky Pants.”

  “Which one am I?” Mandy piped up. “I wanna be Cranky Pants—that sounds like the best one.”

  Liberty rolled her eyes. “If you’re talking about the best, then clearly you mean our team—not yours.”

  Scarlett stepped between them. “Guys, please! Cool it! Toni said no talking to the competition.”

  “Yeah! I’m not allowed to tell you our secrets,” Gracie said, pointing a finger in Mandy’s face.

  “What secrets?” Mandy asked. “I bet our secrets are better than yours!”

  Phoebe put a hand over Mandy’s mouth, and Scarlett clamped her hand over Gracie’s. “Zip the lip!” she warned her little sister. “Do you want Toni to kill us?”

  Gracie shook her head. “Uh-uh.” She turned to face the Feet. “I’m not telling you anything about my joker costume. So there!”