Dance Team Dilemma

by Jake Maddox

  Hannah hesitated. She really needed to get home to practice, but she didn’t want Caitlin to be mad at her. Finally she ran to catch up with her friend.

  Inside the dark arcade, there were a few kids were playing video games. Hannah didn’t recognize anybody. Then she felt Caitlin elbow her. Hannah turned to see where she was looking.

  Connor Beale, a boy from school, stood in the back corner playing a video game. Caitlin had been talking about Connor nonstop since they’d worked on a big project together in English class.

  “Do you think I should go over?” Caitlin asked in a whisper. She didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m going over.”

  Hannah followed Caitlin as she walked over and said hello to Connor. She quickly became interested in how to play the game and started asking Connor lots of questions.

  Hannah sighed and sat down on a nearby bench. She watched Caitlin flip her hair and giggle at something Connor said.

  I wish I hadn’t told Mom that I’d get a ride home from Caitlin’s mom, Hannah thought. It’s going to be a long afternoon.

  Chapter 7

  NEW FRIENDS

  The next day, Hannah couldn’t stop yawning. She’d gotten home from the mall just in time for dinner and stayed up late to finish all of her homework. She hadn’t gotten any dancing done at all.

  At practice that afternoon, Hannah felt sluggish, like she was dancing underwater. The coach had to correct her twice when she forgot the steps in part of the routine. The more mistakes she made, the worse she felt.

  Caitlin, on the other hand, was dancing as well as always. It was her turn to stand in for the lead solo, and she was hitting all the steps. She didn’t seem to be at all tired from the day before.

  “Do you think you’re going to try out for a solo?” Hannah asked Caitlin in the locker room after practice.

  Caitlin looked in the mirror, pulling her hair into a ponytail. She shrugged carelessly. “Yeah, I guess I’ll probably try out. The solos aren’t super hard, anyway,” she said.

  “I might try out too,” Hannah said, glancing at Caitlin in the mirror to see her reaction.

  Caitlin smiled. “That’s great!” she said. “You totally should.”

  “Do you want to come over and practice on Saturday?” Hannah asked. “I want to run through the solos at home a few times before I have to dance in front of the whole squad.”

  Caitlin frowned. “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t really think I need to practice this weekend. I might go to Funscape with my sister. Do you want to come?”

  “No, thanks,” Hannah said. She was disappointed. She’d really been hoping her best friend could help her practice.

  Just then, Emily walked over. “Did I hear you say you’re trying out for a solo?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Hannah answered. “Caitlin is busy on Saturday, but do you want to come over and practice with me?”

  “Definitely!” Emily said, “That sounds like fun! Can we invite Abby too?”

  “Of course,” Hannah said. She followed Emily to talk to a tall girl standing nearby. By the time they were done making plans, Caitlin was gone.

  At home, Hannah told her mother about the solo tryouts. “Is it okay if I have a couple of friends over to practice?” she asked.

  “Of course! I’m so proud of you for putting so much work into this, honey,” her mom said, giving her a hug. “I can’t wait to see you dancing up on that stage!”

  Chapter 8

  PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

  On Saturday Emily and Abby came over to practice. Hannah had cleared an area in the basement for them to practice. She’d also brought down her MP3 player and some snacks.

  “Great practice room!” Emily said. “I usually have to practice outside at my house. Otherwise I have to dance around my brother and his friends.” She rolled her eyes.

  Hannah laughed. “I usually practice in my room,” she admitted. “But I thought with all three of us here, we’d need more space.”

  Hannah turned on the music, and the girls worked on the routine. They each took a turn performing their solos. They were having so much fun that they didn’t even notice when Hannah’s mom came and sat on the stairs to watch them. After a run-through with Hannah dancing the lead solo, her mom started clapping.

  “Mom! How long have you been there?” Hannah asked in surprise.

  “Long enough,” her mom said. “That was great! I can’t believe how much stronger and faster you are now than when you first started dancing. All that practice is really paying off!”

  Hannah’s mom smiled at Emily and Abby. “Are you having fun?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Emily said. “Thank you for letting us practice here!”

  “My pleasure,” Hannah’s mother replied, heading back upstairs. “You girls are welcome anytime.”

  * * *

  At Monday’s practice after school, Hannah walked in with Abby. They were deep in conversation about a high school dance competition that had taken place over the weekend. They’d both seen the winning team’s routine online.

  “Can you believe how good they were?” Abby said. “I can’t imagine how long it must have taken them to learn that routine!”

  “I know!” Hannah said, shaking her head. “Just thinking about our competition is enough for me!”

  Just then, Caitlin came out of the locker room and joined them on the floor. She looked confused and a little hurt.

  “I couldn’t find you anywhere at lunch,” she said to Hannah. “Where were you?”

  “Oh, sorry,” Hannah told her. “I was so busy practicing this weekend that I got behind on some of my homework. I had to finish a math assignment during lunch. How was Funscape? Did you go?”

  “Yes!” Caitlin said. “Connor was there with some friends. But my sister totally embarrassed me! She spilled a whole soda all over the table and got everyone soaking wet and sticky. It was such a disaster!”

  “Oh, no!” Hannah said. “Did he say anything to you today?”

  Before Caitlin could answer, Coach Erica came in and clapped her hands for everyone to take their places.

  “I just wanted to remind everyone that there are only two more practices before solo tryouts,” she said. “Everyone take your spots. Hannah, why don’t you dance the first solo today?”

  Hannah couldn’t believe it was finally her turn. But she couldn’t wait. She knew she was ready.

  Chapter 9

  MAKING A CHOICE

  The day before solo tryouts, Hannah met Caitlin at her locker after school. She could see her friend grinning as she walked up.

  I wonder what she’s so excited about, Hannah thought.

  “Connor invited me to hang out at his house tonight!” Caitlin said as soon as Hannah got close. “He’s having some friends over too. You have to come with me! Will your mom let you go?”

  Hannah grew quiet. She knew her mother trusted her and would let her go if she asked, but the truth was that she didn’t want to. She knew she needed to practice. If she went with Caitlin, she wouldn’t get anything done. Saying that her mother wouldn’t let her go would be a good excuse, but it would also be a lie. She shouldn’t have to lie to her best friend.

  “Hello? Earth to Hannah! Can you come or not? I need you!” Caitlin said. She stopped and stared at Hannah.

  “The tryouts for solos are tomorrow,” Hannah said slowly. “I’ve been working really hard on the routine, and I really want to do well. Even if I don’t get a spot, I want to know I did my best. If I go out tonight and stay out late, there’s no way I’ll do a good job at tryouts tomorrow.”

  Caitlin looked angry. “You care more about the stupid dance squad than you care about me!” she snapped.

  “That’s not true!” Hannah protested.

  “The old Hannah would have been excited that the boy I’ve liked forever is finally askin
g me to hang out,” Caitlin said. “You can’t think about anything except dance, dance, dance!”

  “Caitlin, that’s not fair! I —” Hannah started to say, but Caitlin cut her off.

  “Forget it,” she said, slamming her locker shut. “Just forget I even asked!”

  Hannah couldn’t believe it. It’s like she cares more about some boy than me, she thought.

  Chapter 10

  IN THE SPOTLIGHT

  The next day at school, Hannah couldn’t stop thinking about her fight with Caitlin. She’d texted her friend “I’m sorry,” but Caitlin hadn’t written back.

  When the final bell rang, Hannah went down to the gym to get ready for solo tryouts. She was the first to arrive and sat down on one of the mats to start stretching. Caitlin came in last and sat down in the back, looking tired.

  Coach Erica arrived with the list of girls who would be trying out for solos. “Please have a seat on the bleachers,” she instructed. “I’ll call the girls trying out for solos one at a time.”

  Hannah watched as the first girl took her place on the floor. The girl, Megan, had been on the team for three years, and really knew her stuff. She made the solo routine look easy. Everybody in the stands clapped when she finished.

  “Great job, Megan! Thank you,” the coach said. “Hannah? Are you ready?”

  Hannah swallowed hard. She wasn’t looking forward to following such a great dancer, but she didn’t have a choice.

  I can do this, she thought. I know the routine. I’ve had plenty of practice.

  Hannah walked to the center of the floor and took a deep breath. She tried to clear her mind of everything but the routine. The music came on, and she listened to the eight-count beat as she launched into her routine.

  Hannah did a cross-leg walk sideways across the gym floor, keeping time with the music. As her walk ended, she lifted her right leg in a high kick and threw her arms overhead into a V.

  Coming down, she went immediately into a tight spin on her right foot. Hannah focused on one spot as she came out of her spin so she wouldn’t lose her balance.

  As soon as she finished spinning one direction, she turned and spun back the other way. Then she turned and did a leap across the gym floor.

  Hannah was so focused on what she was doing that she forgot about everyone watching. As the music came to an end, she arched her back and let her head drop back behind her.

  The rest of the dancers cheered, bringing Hannah back to the present. She grinned as she walked back toward the bleachers. Several girls leaned over to tell her what a great job she’d done.

  Caitlin’s name was called next. Hannah was nervous for her friend. Caitlin looked really tired. She was normally a graceful and energetic dancer, but her routine that day was sluggish. She even missed a step toward the end.

  Hannah wanted to go over and hug her friend, but Caitlin sat back down at the far end of the bleachers by herself.

  After the final girl finished her routine, Coach Erica took the floor again. “Thanks to all the girls who tried out today,” she said. “You all did a great job. I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. The lead solo in this year’s regional competition will be performed by Megan,” she announced.

  Everyone clapped and cheered. “The secondary solos will go to Emily and Hannah,” Coach Erica continued. “Congratulations, girls! You all did an excellent job.”

  Emily squealed and threw her arms around Hannah, jumping up and down with excitement.

  Hannah was in shock. She couldn’t believe she’d done it! She was going to dance a solo!

  Chapter 11

  FRIENDS AGAIN

  On the bus that afternoon, Hannah sat down next to Emily and pulled out a book.

  Caitlin leaned over and tapped Emily on the shoulder. “Do you mind if we switch seats?” she asked. “I want to talk to Hannah.”

  Emily looked over at Hannah, who nodded. “Of course,” Emily said, standing up to make room. Caitlin plopped down in the seat with a grateful smile.

  “Congratulations on your solo,” Caitlin said. “You totally deserved it.”

  “Thanks, Cait,” Hannah said. She was a little surprised. She’d thought her friend was still mad. “I wish you’d gotten one too.”

  Caitlin shook her head. “It’s okay,” she said. “I didn’t really want it enough. The right people are in those spots.”

  “What happened, anyway?” Hannah asked.

  Caitlin sighed. “I stayed out too late at Connor’s house, and my parents grounded me,” she said. “I was so sleepy and so mad that I couldn’t focus. I totally messed up. And I really missed you,” she added sadly. “Connor played video games with his friends the whole time. I could have really used a friend to talk to.”

  “I missed you too,” Hannah said, giving her friend a hug. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. I know how long you’ve liked Connor.”

  “It’s okay,” Caitlin said. “You were right. The dance squad is important to you. I get that. And all that extra practice paid off! Maybe you can even show me some of your moves.”

  “Totally,” Hannah said. “You can come over and dance with me. I’ve got a great practice space set up.”

  “That would be fun,” Caitlin said, grinning. “We can try some of those fancy moves I saw them do at the high school regionals.”

  “You watched the high school regionals?” Hannah said.

  “Sure,” Caitlin said. “It was posted online this weekend. Did you see it? They did some crazy routines!”

  “Yeah! That Michael Jackson routine the winning team did? With the flips?” Hannah squealed. “And what about that guy on their team? Totally cute, right?”

  “So cute,” Caitlin said, sighing.

  Hannah grinned. She’d gotten a solo, and she’d gotten her friend back. Joining the dance squad was turning out to be more fun than she’d expected. She couldn’t wait to see how they did at regionals.

  AUTHOR BIO

  Leigh McDonald loves books! Whether she’s writing them, reading them, editing them, or designing their covers, books are what she does best. She lives in a colorful bungalow in Tucson, Arizona with her husband, Porter, her daughter, Adair, and two big, crazy dogs named Roscoe and Rosie.

  ILLUSTRATOR BIO

  Katie Wood fell in love with drawing when she was very small. Since graduating from Loughborough University School of Art and Design in 2004, she has been living her dream working as a freelance illustrator. From her studio in Leicester, England, she creates bright and lively illustrations for books and magazines all over the world.

  GLOSSARY

  competition (kom-puh-TISH-uhn) — a contest of some kind

  complicated (KOM-pli-kay-tid) — something that contains many different parts or ideas and is difficult to use or understand

  focus (FOH-kuhss) — to concentrate on something

  performance (pur-FOR-muhnss) — the public presentation of a play, movie, or piece of music

  routine (roo-TEEN) — a set of moves a dancer performs

  sequence (SEE-kwuhnss) — the following of one thing after another in a fixed order

  sluggish (SLUHG-ish) — moving slowly and lacking in energy

  solo (SOH-loh) — a performance done by a single person

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Have you ever had to audition for something? What was it? Talk about what you did to prepare.

  2. Hannah practices with some other members of the dance team when Caitlin is too busy. How do you think this made Caitlin feel? Talk about it.

  3. Hannah and Caitlin are best friends, but they have a fight. Who do you think was right? Talk about what it means to be a good friend.

  WRITING PROMPTS

  1. Hannah has to make a choice between hanging out with her friend or practicing. Write about a time you had to make a difficult decis
ion.

  2. Hannah is nervous to try out for the school dance team. Write about a time you felt nervous. How did you overcome your nerves?

  3. Caitlin gets angry when Hannah chooses practice over hanging out with her. Try writing chapter nine from Caitlin’s point of view.

  MORE ABOUT DANCE

  If you’re thinking about joining a dance team, it’s important to know the basics ahead of time. Learning the different styles of dance can help you become a more well-rounded dancer.

  Ballet — The classical, highly technical genre of ballet can be traced back to the 15th century and serves as the backbone for many other styles of dance. The most recognized form focuses on pointe work and flowing, yet precise, acrobatic movements.

  Tap — Tap dancing involves dancers wearing special shoes with metal taps on the heel and toe. Tap dancers use their feet like percussive instruments to create patterns and beats.

  Hip-Hop — Hip-hop dancing has roots in hip-hop culture and involves high-energy dancing with moves like breaking, popping, locking, and krumping. Hip-hop music provides the beat for most hip-hop dancing, and the majority of dance moves are open to improvisation and personal interpretation.

  Jazz — Jazz is a fun, energetic style of dance that is becoming increasingly popular as it showcases a dancer’s individual style and originality. Jazz allows dancers to incorporate unique moves, fancy footwork, big leaps, and quick turns into their routines. Many jazz dancers also have a ballet background, which helps with grace and balance.

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  VIDEOS & CONTESTS