Step It Up Page 2

  Scarlett nodded. “So you’re saying I should forget the whole Mr. Mustard thing and move on?”

  Bria pointed to the clock. “We all need to move—five minutes till rehearsal!”

  Chapter 4

  Monkey See, Monkey Do

  The girls rushed into the studio the next day and began stretching. Gracie squeezed in beside Scarlett at the barre. “I told Miss Toni and she loves the name Mr. Mustard,” she whispered. “She said it was really cute and clever.”

  Scarlett gritted her teeth and tried to focus on her cambre back. Maybe if she ignored Gracie, she’d go away and stop bugging her.

  “Okay, time to talk Dance Fusion,” Toni said, taking her place on a tall stool at the front of the room. “This is a big competition in Connecticut, and I want to pull out all the stops.”

  “What else is new?” Rochelle muttered under her breath.

  “Rochelle and Liberty,” Toni said, “I am putting you two together in a duet.”

  Liberty’s face went pale. “A duet? With her? Again?”

  “Is there a problem? Because I’m happy to give Rochelle a solo if you’re not up for it,” Toni said, warning her.

  “Fine,” Liberty grumped. “I’ll do it.” She turned to Rochelle. “I’m not about to let you have a solo.”

  “It’s called ‘Going Bananas,’ ” Toni continued. “It’s an acro routine and you’re going to wear this.” She tossed Rochelle a bright yellow leotard.

  “OMG, that is hideous!” Liberty said. “I’ll look like a giant highlighter pen!”

  “Oh no. That’s not your costume,” their coach replied. “This is yours.” She handed Liberty a brown, fuzzy unitard with a long tail attached.

  Liberty’s face turned bright red. Scarlett actually thought she saw steam coming out of her ears. “No way! I am not making a fool out of myself in that!”

  “What’s the matter?” Rochelle taunted her. “Afraid of a little monkey business on the dance floor?”

  “This is going to get ugly.” Anya sighed. “I can see it coming.”

  “I refuse to wear this—and to dance with that,” Liberty fumed. “I’m gonna tell my mother. She will never stand for it.”

  Toni stayed cool as a cucumber. “Then take a seat, Liberty,” she said calmly. “In the corner, on the mat. No one is forcing you to dance on the Divas team.”

  She turned back to the class. “Bria and Anya, you’re also doing a duet. It’s a lyrical routine called ‘Count the Stars,’ and I’m going to need your moms to help with the costuming.”

  “My mom’s totally into it,” Bria volunteered. “She’s a whiz at BeDazzling.”

  Anya wrinkled her nose. “BeDazzling? I was thinking more simple and classic like the night sky …”

  Toni held up her hand. “Girls, the costumes are the least of my concerns at the moment. We need to block out the group routine today.”

  She went to the closet and pulled out a large inflated beach ball. She tossed it to Scarlett. “I call this number ‘By the Beautiful Sea.’ You’re all going to be 1920s bathing beauties frolicking on the seashore.”

  Gracie’s hand went up. “Miss Toni, can I be the one in the bathtub?” she asked, hopefully.

  Scarlett sighed. “Gracie, there is no bathtub. It’s set on the beach.”

  “In hideously ugly costumes with bloomers,” Liberty piped up from the corner. “As if the monkey suit wasn’t bad enough.”

  Miss Toni ignored the chatter. “I’ve found real vintage bathing suits for all of you—and parasols and bathing caps.”

  She held up a black-and-white photo of a woman in a navy-and-white striped skirted bathing suit with baggy white bloomers peeking out from underneath.

  Gracie stared at the image. “I don’t get it. How’s she gonna swim in that? Can’t we just wear bikinis?”

  Liberty’s hand shot up. “I second bikinis!”

  Scarlett actually thought she heard Toni growl. “I have had enough of all of you today,” she said firmly. “The only voice I want to hear now is my own. Is that clear?”

  Six heads nodded in unison. Toni meant business.

  “I want two lines of three. Scarlett, Gracie, Rochelle. You’re up front. Anya, Bria, you’re in the back. And Liberty, too … if you care to grace us with your presence?”

  Liberty stood up and took her place in line.

  “This number is nostalgic. It will be light and lively with lots of kicks and tricks. I want the judges to be wowed from the minute you set foot onstage.”

  She motioned for Scarlett to toss her the beach ball. “This is going to be in constant motion during the routine, passing from hand to hand.” She tossed it at Rochelle, who was caught off guard and nearly dropped it.

  “Anyone who is not on the ball for this group number will have me to deal with.”

  Rochelle wasn’t sure that Liberty would show up for their duet rehearsal the next day. She could have kissed Miss Toni for making Liberty the monkey instead of her. How funny would she look jumping around onstage and shaking her tail?

  When Liberty walked into the studio, Rock had to try her hardest not to crack up. She knew Toni wouldn’t tolerate it.

  “Oh, so you’ve decided to join us?” Toni asked Liberty. “If you’re going to do this duet, I don’t want any complaining—not about your dance, not about your costume, and not about this …” She put a pair of monkey ears on top of Liberty’s bun. Rochelle burst out laughing. This was payback for her soaked shoes and every snarky comment Liberty had ever made!

  “This is ridiculous!” Liberty cried. “We’re going to be the laughingstocks of Dance Fusion!”

  “Not if I have anything to say about it,” Toni assured her. “You’re going to stop the show.”

  She demonstrated what she wanted them to do: Rochelle would roll across the stage and Liberty would leap and flip over her. The timing had to be perfectly synchronized. There was not a split second to hesitate or make a mistake. It was some of the most complicated choreography Toni had ever created for them.

  “You gotta admit it’s a pretty cool dance,” Rochelle said to Liberty as they tossed their bags on a bench in the dressing room. Gracie was already there, getting ready to run through the group routine.

  Liberty shrugged. “Whatevs. It’s not any cooler than what my mom just choreographed for a hot, new pop star.”

  “Toni knows what she’s doing.” Rochelle couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. Wasn’t she the one who was always questioning her coach’s out-of-the-box ideas? Amazingly, she was learning to trust her; they all were. Except maybe Liberty.

  “I would have gone for sequins—chocolate-brown velvet with gold sequins,” she said. “Not fuzz.”

  “Fuzz is fun,” Gracie piped up. “My cat, Mr. Mustard, is fuzzy.”

  Liberty continued to fume. “Please do not compare me to your raggedy feline,” she said. “If you’re going to call me an animal, at least make it a mink … or a chinchilla.”

  Oh, great, Rochelle thought to herself, that’s just what we need: for Liberty to turn this dance number into a chinchilla chasing a banana!

  “Don’t pick on my kitty,” Gracie said, pointing her finger in Liberty’s face. “You take that back.”

  Liberty smirked. “Take what back?”

  “What you called Mr. Mustard. A Raggedy Ann sea lion.”

  Rochelle couldn’t help but giggle. Gracie had quite a way with words.

  “And don’t laugh at me, Rock!” the little girl shouted at her. “It’s not funny!”

  She ran out of the dressing room, practically knocking Bria over on her way in.

  “What was that about?” she asked.

  Liberty shrugged. “Grace Face tantrum. Nothing new.”

  “Because you insulted her kitten,” Rochelle reminded her. “You can’t just tell everybody off because you feel like it. Right, Bria?”

  Bria looked up, startled. She hated to take sides. “Um, I guess?”

  “All I said was
my costume could be a little more stylish,” Liberty explained.

  Bria bit her lip. “Maybe Liberty has a point? I’m kinda partial to sequins and BeDazzling myself.”

  Anya walked in and overheard them. “Tell me about it. My costume looks like the Milky Way exploded.” She held up the leotard that Bria and her mom had adorned. Every inch was covered in silver and gold stars. “Bria, this is hideous.”

  “It’s gorgeous!” Bria insisted. “We’re supposed to sparkle and shine.”

  “Sparkle and shine, yes. Blind the audience, not so much.”

  “There’s no such thing as too much sparkle,” Liberty interrupted. “You just have to be dazzling enough to carry it off. A plain Jane can’t handle it.”

  Anya’s eyes narrowed. “Did you just call me a plain Jane?”

  Liberty smirked. “Would you prefer Ordinary Anya?”

  “I’d prefer you to zip your lip,” Anya warned her.

  “I’d prefer you all to zip your lips,” said a voice at the doorway. It was Toni, and she looked furious. “I could hear you yelling all the way down the hall in studio one with the door shut.”

  Gracie peeked out behind her. “I told you, Miss Toni,” she tattled. “She started it!” She pointed straight at Liberty.

  “And I’m finishing it,” Toni fumed. “I don’t know what’s gotten into all of you, but if I hear any more bickering, I’ll start replacing the Divas. Is that clear?”

  Scarlett walked into the dressing room just as Miss Toni was storming out.

  “Whoa! What did I miss?” she asked Rochelle.

  “A major Toni meltdown,” Rock replied. “And a warning: get along or get off the team.”

  Chapter 5

  Seeing Double

  Dance Fusion was one of the biggest dance competitions in the tristate area and a showcase for the best and brightest studios. As the Divas filed onto the bus, Toni sat in the front seat, reviewing her notes for each number.

  “She’s going to switch something, I can feel it in my bones,” Rochelle whispered to Scarlett. Her teacher had a bad habit of reworking dances en route to every competition and springing it on them just as they arrived.

  “Maybe she’s finally come to her senses and recast the duet,” Liberty said, kicking her feet up on the back of Rock’s seat. “Anyone can see you’re more of a monkey than I am.”

  Scarlett didn’t even have to remind her of Miss Toni’s warning. “I know, I know,” Rochelle said. “Ignore her.”

  Liberty smiled—she loved it when Rock couldn’t argue back. “Try not to slip up onstage, Rock,” she added. “That would drive Toni bananas.”

  Scarlett suspected it would be a long ride, especially with everyone stressed and angry at each other. Bria was barely talking to Anya. Anya was hardly talking to Liberty. And Liberty was furious at Rock. As for her and Gracie, they’d somehow managed to forgive and forget over the kitten’s name. But there was still the matter of Gracie getting into her stuff.

  “That’s funny. I can’t find my pink lip gloss,” Scarlett said, searching through her makeup bag.

  Rochelle elbowed her. “You mean that one?” Gracie was happily seated two rows behind them, slicking a wand across her lips.

  “Gracie, give that back!” Scarlett called to her. “That’s mine, not yours!”

  Gracie quickly hid the tube behind her back. “I don’t have anything,” she fibbed.

  “Then why are your lips so pink and shiny?” Scarlett asked. She was about to pounce on her little sister and retrieve her lip gloss when Rock stopped her.

  “Remember what Toni said: get along or get off the team.”

  When they reached the venue, Miss Toni led them off the bus. “I want to remind everyone to be on their best behavior. City Feet is in the house, and that’s never a good thing.”

  She’d barely finished her sentence when a second bus pulled up in front of theirs. Justine Chase, the coach of City Feet and Toni’s frenemy, waved from the window.

  “Oh boy. Here we go,” Rochelle said.

  The bus door opened and the girls bounded down the steps. There was Addison, Phoebe, Regan, and Mandy—aka “the Tiny Terror.” Rock braced herself and waited for their competitors to taunt them with their obnoxious comments. Instead, the team filed past them without a single word. Not even Justine said anything.

  “Okay, that was weird,” Liberty remarked. “I was totally prepared to put that mean little munchkin, Mandy, in her place.”

  “That is how a team carries itself,” Toni explained. “Strong and united. They don’t have to mouth off because they know how good they are.”

  “Or Mandy ran out of one-liners from her insult book,” Liberty said.

  “Or has a mouth full of peanut butter and her lips are glued shut.” Bria giggled.

  “Whatever the reason, City Feet just showed you up with their poise and confidence,” Toni said. “I suggest you all march in and follow their lead.”

  The convention center in Bristol, Connecticut, was teeming with dance groups from all over the country. Scarlett spotted a few they’d gone up against before: the Fab 5 from Philly, the Hippie Chicks from New Hampshire, and the Groovy Boyz from Long Island.

  “This competition is fierce,” she whispered to her teammates. “Did you see the Hippie Chicks? They came with a giant neon peace sign!”

  “It’s just a prop,” Anya assured them. “I’m sure our dance is way cooler.”

  “Don’t you mean way lamer?” Liberty said. “Bathing beauties. Puh-lease!”

  When they found Miss Toni to run their dances by her one last time, she was busy blowing up their giant beach ball with a bicycle pump.

  “I know how that beach ball feels,” Liberty said and tugged on her bloomers.

  “It’s not so bad,” Scarlett said, adjusting the white ruffled hat on her head. “I mean, it’s comfortable.” The bathing suit itself was a navy belted dress with a white sailor collar and matching navy-and-white striped bloomers.

  “Speak for yourself,” Anya complained. Her suit had lacy trim around the puffy sleeves. “This thing is itchy!”

  Gracie’s costume was the most colorful: a red-and-white polka dot one-piece with white bow trim and a matching red cap. “I don’t get it. Why did people used to swim in their pajamas?” she asked.

  Toni ignored them and applied her red lipstick in the dressing room mirror. She smoothed her black hair back into a bun and made sure every hair was in place.

  “I just wish we knew what Stinky Feet was doing for the group dance,” Rochelle said. “They were way too quiet. They definitely have something up their sleeves.”

  Bria flipped through the competition program. When she saw the name of their group dance, her eyes grew wide. “Guys, you better come look at this,” she said.

  Liberty grabbed the booklet out of her hands. “Lemme see that,” she said. She read out loud: “City Feet will be performing ‘Don’t Be a Diva,’ a contemporary jazz routine.”

  Rochelle’s jaw dropped. “They’ve gotta be kidding! That is such a diss!”

  Toni clapped her hands to silence them. “Enough. If they want to take a swipe at us, let them. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Scarlett could sense a story coming on.

  “Did I ever tell you about the time Justine wore my dress to the Ballet Gala?” she asked the girls.

  “No,” Rochelle muttered under her breath, “but I’m sure you’re gonna.”

  “I had picked out this beautiful white gown with pearl beading at the waist,” she continued. “The saleswoman assured me it was one-of-a-kind, and I was so excited to wear it. I left it at the store to be shortened.”

  Liberty’s hand shot up. “Let me guess: Justine found an identical dress and wore it to the party to embarrass you? That is so tacky!”

  “Worse,” Toni said. “Like I said, it was one-of-a-kind. She went to the store and convinced the saleswoman she was there to pick up the dress for me. When I went back to the boutique, the woman who helped
me said ‘my friend’ had come to get it since I was ‘sick.’ I couldn’t find Justine anywhere … until she walked into the gala wearing my dress.”

  Scarlett gasped. “You must have been devastated!”

  Toni shook her head. “No, I found another gown that was even prettier—a pale pink one with a beaded rhinestone bodice. I could have yelled at Justine for taking my dress, but I didn’t. I realized how insecure she was, and I felt sorry for her.”

  “I would have dunked her head in the punch bowl,” Rochelle said. “That was low, really low.”

  “Maybe so,” Toni replied. “But there’s always a positive way to look at something that’s negative. Just remember that today when City Feet goes out there and does their number.” She gathered her bag and clipboard and held the door of the dressing room open. “Everybody out. Game faces on. And, Anya, that bathing hat is on backward.”

  Anya turned the cap around till the big, floppy bow was hanging in her eyes. “How can you tell?”

  They walked into the backstage waiting area and Toni gave them a last-minute warning before taking her seat in the audience. “Do not embarrass me.”

  Liberty waited until she was out of earshot. “She’s kidding, right? How embarrassing are these costumes? We look like turn-of-the-century marshmallows. I’m sure City Feet will be all sparkled and sequined and glammed up.”

  Bria elbowed her. “Not exactly.”

  The girls looked behind them to see the City Feet team making their way toward the stage. Scarlett gasped. “Oh no!”

  Addison, Phoebe, Regan, and Mandy were dressed in black shorts and black–and–hot pink satin bomber jackets that looked a lot like the Divas’ team jackets. They were wearing black wigs styled in tight buns and bright red lipstick. Gracie said what they were all thinking out loud. “They all look just like Miss Toni!”

  “No wonder they kept their mouths shut when they saw us,” Rochelle whispered. “They were planning an ambush! We have to do something!”

  But it was too late. The announcer had already taken his spot at the podium. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re ready to begin. Please welcome the first team in the Junior Group Dance category. City Feet from Long Island!”