Dance Till you Drop (6 page)

On Sunday night I had the biggest, best sleep I'd had in a long time.

I saw Riley in ballet class on Monday and told her what I'd decided. She gave me a big hug. ‘Awesome, Paige,' she said. ‘It was very brave of you.'

‘Well, it was either that or I become the first dancing zombie,' I joked.

Jasmine walked by us with Tove, as usual,
a step behind her. I saw straightaway that the nice, nervous Jasmine from the auditions was gone. Back at Silver Shoes, she was the Queen again.

‘Heard you ran out of the audition yesterday, Paige,' she said with a sickly sweet smile. ‘I hope nothing bad happened.'

‘Yeah, not till now, when we saw you,' said Riley.

‘So funny,' Jasmine said.

‘Haha,' added Tove.

‘No, nothing bad happened,' I said. ‘In fact, it was exactly the opposite. But I hope you do well, Jasmine. I'm sure you did a great audition.'

Jasmine looked taken aback, but I always find it easier just to be nice to her. Plus I'm not like Ellie, Riley and Ash – I can't think of snappy things to say.

‘Anyway,' said Riley, ‘Paige doesn't need to worry about the masterclass. She'll have
enough work to do with the mid-year showcase. She got the last spot.'

‘What?' said Jasmine.

‘But we were going to do a duo!' said Tove.

‘Oh well,' said Riley, ‘I guess people have had enough of the circus.'

Jasmine and Tove are famous for their over-the-top duos. By themselves they're great dancers, but put them together and something strange happens. Everything becomes big – big themes, big characters, big dancing. Ellie and I have danced against them in duos a few times, and we haven't lost yet.

‘What will you be performing?' asked Jasmine, crossing her arms.

‘It's a surprise,' I said.

‘You don't know what you're doing yet?' said Tove.

‘No, stupid, she means she's going to surprise us,' Jasmine huffed.

‘Oh,' said Tove.

‘What's the point of that?' said Jasmine. ‘No one will watch anyway.'

‘You don't need to worry about it,' said Riley, ‘seeing as you're obviously a shoo-in for the masterclass.' She grabbed my arm and dragged me away.

Benji's hip hop performance yesterday had got me thinking. Watching him dance was brilliant! When you're dancing opposite someone, like I do with Benji in ballroom practice, you sometimes don't notice how good they are. But when you watch them perform … wow. That's a different story.

Benji really deserved to have people see how talented he was. So I'd made him a deal. Neither of us wanted to do our waltz in the ballroom competition, so we'd made our stand – no to the comp. But there was one spot left in the mid-year showcase. It was
four weeks away … surely that would give us enough time to perfect our waltz?

‘It isn't your mum telling you, or your dance teacher, or anyone else forcing you to do it,' I'd said to him. ‘It's just me, asking you. We'll have lots of practice by then. And I really want all my friends at Silver Shoes to see what a great dance partner I have.'

That last bit made me embarrassed and I couldn't look at him when I'd said it.

But he'd agreed!

‘Keep it a secret,' I said. ‘I want it to be a surprise. For my mum and my friends and everyone. I'll just tell everyone else I'm doing a solo. Only Miss Caroline will know.'

So that was one secret I was keeping.

But I had another.

One I hoped would make my best friend very, very happy.

The butterflies in my tummy were almost as big as when I had a performance.

‘You have a great time, sweetie,' Mum called to me out the car window. She nodded at the present I had in my hands. ‘Ellie will love it.'

She blew me a kiss and drove off. It was just me and my second secret.

That I was coming to Ellie's eleventh birthday party, after all.

Right now Ellie thought I was at the ballroom competition. But there was no way I was going to miss my best friend's birthday.

So I'd decided to surprise her. I'd made Riley and Ash keep the secret, too. Ellie and I had been talking all this week at Silver Shoes, and things were almost back to normal at school. But I knew she was disappointed that I couldn't make it to her party.

It was hard to keep a secret from my best friend, especially when I knew if I told her, she'd be back to her laughing, loving, hugging self.

But the surprise would make it all worth it.

‘Don't forget you have to wear pink,' Ash had reminded me. ‘The invitation was very clear about that. And it's a dance party. So who knows what that means, but don't wear uncomfortable shoes.'

I was wearing a long, pale pink fuzzy sweater with a ballerina in the corner, over black tights and my pink and silver ballet flats. Ellie had given me the sweater last Christmas. The funny thing was that I'd given her the same one, only in hot pink.

I tucked Ellie's present under my arm and headed round the side of the house, along the path where we'd played chasings a million times and been in trouble for squashing Mrs Irvin's lilies.

The music coming from the backyard was a mix of Ellie's favourite pop songs and musical theatre tunes. When I rounded the corner my face broke out in the hugest smile. The backyard had been Ellie-fied.

Pink balloons and glittery streamers had been added wherever they would fit – they were flying off Ellie's little brother's swing set, the fence, the benches and the garden gnomes.

Mrs Irvin's gazebo was covered in pink fairy lights and there were posters of Ellie's favourite dancers covering the walls. Next to the gazebo a makeshift dance floor had been set up, and in the corner of the garden Ellie's old dance costumes were hanging off the washing line.

I stood looking at it all, so happy to be there. I spotted Ellie over by the dance floor, surrounded by girls from school. She was in her favourite place – the centre of attention. And she was wearing her pink sweater, too.

Someone knocked into me, growling like a dinosaur. I looked down.

‘Paige!' screamed Lucas, Ellie's little brother. He wrapped his arms around my waist.

‘Paige!' yelled out Riley and Ash, jumping up from the swing set. Ash almost got knocked out by a balloon. ‘You're here!'

‘Paige?' said Ellie. She stared at me from where she was standing.

‘Hi,' I gave a small wave. Suddenly I felt very shy.

‘Grrrrrrrr,' growled Lucas. He looked back at me and Ellie. ‘You're matching!'

‘Paige!' Ellie said again.

And then she came rushing towards me and gave me the biggest hug. It had to be at least three weeks' worth.

‘Oww!' cried Lucas, squished between us.

‘You made it!' Ellie said.

‘Of course I did.'

‘But the ballroom competition?'

I shrugged. ‘I'd rather be here.'

Ellie hugged me again. ‘I'm so glad that you are,' she said. ‘It wouldn't have been the same without you.'

‘Everything looks great,' I said.

Ellie pointed at my sweater, laughing. ‘
You
look great.'

I giggled. ‘So do you.'

‘What about me?' asked Lucas.

‘You look gorgeous!' said Ash, running in and scooping him up. He squealed and reached out his arms for Riley. ‘Welcome to the party, Paige.'

‘Happy Birthday, Ellie,' I said.

Phew. One secret down.

One to go.

Mid-year showcase time!

Silver Shoes was turned into the performance space of the century, right before our eyes.

There are three main studios at Silver Shoes – two big ones, which are where the main parts of the church used to be, and then a smaller one out the back (where Benji and I had been practising our ballroom).

But then there's the hall at the side of Silver
Shoes, which has a big old raised stage. Lovely swooshy curtains hang down either side of it and a set of stairs at each end lead down into the hall part where the audience sits.

Mum was on the Silver Shoes committee, so of course I was there with her at ten o'clock in the morning, preparing Silver Shoes for the performance that night.

First I had to help her line up the costume racks in the ballroom studio, which was going to be our dressing room (our usual one was just too small). Then I had to check that every single costume was there, and go hunting in the crowded costume closet for missing bows and felt hats.

Next she tried to get me to help make the sandwiches for lunch, but I quickly passed that off to Ellie, who laughed and said I'd better watch out because she'd put snails in mine.

Then, along with Riley (who got into the masterclass, by the way!), I had to help put out
all the seats in the hall, after we'd swept the floors with this massive broom. But we were quickly sent away because we started trying to sweep each other up instead.

Finally I had to go and help Ash decorate the reception area. And all this while I was on and off of the stage, rehearsing the dances and going through the running order.

Well, every dance but my secret one. I'd tucked my costume away in the corner of the costume room. I couldn't wait to dance in it for the first time.

There was this amazing feeling of excitement in all the halls and studios, of the teachers, parents and students preparing for the mid-year showcase at Silver Shoes. Everyone couldn't wait to perform what they'd been working on all year. I felt happy, and I
wanted
to perform and dance tonight. It was such a great feeling to have back.

All too soon we were being hurried into the third studio to get ready for the performance. The older girls at Silver Shoes were looking after the tinies, playing games with them and doing their make-up. They were soooo cute! One group was dressed in dinosaur onesies for their dance, the ‘Dinosaur Stomp'.

‘Oh gosh,' said Ellie. ‘After seeing this, Lucas is gonna want to join Silver Shoes, I just know it.'

‘He'd be a great dancer,' I said, applying my eyeliner. Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone poke their head around the studio door. ‘Oh!' I said. ‘Back in a sec. Just have to … check my costume.'

I ran out and down the hall.

‘Benji?' I whispered.

He stepped out from behind an old wall heater. ‘What's up?' he asked. ‘I came round the back, like you said.'

‘Thank you so much for doing this!' I was so excited, I gave him a hug.

‘Oh,' he stammered. ‘Yeah … that's cool. Yeah. It'll be fun.'

‘Really?' I asked.

‘Yep.' He nodded. ‘No, really. I'm glad you asked me. It'll be good practice for when we win that next ballroom comp, right?'

‘Well, we have improved!' I said. ‘I'm so glad my friends will get to see you dance. Everyone's gonna want you to join Silver Shoes, now.'

Benji shoved his hands in his pockets. ‘Yeah, I'm thinking about it,' he said with a smile.

I clapped my hands. ‘The program says we're on near the end of the first act. So just hang around if you like. If anyone asks, say you're helping out.'

‘Cool,' said Benji. He grinned. ‘Thanks, Paige.'

The next hour passed so quickly. It was a blur of dancing on stage and changing costumes. First I was in Birdy's ‘Skinny Love' for my lyrical class. We wore these elaborate medieval-style velvet dresses and Miss Caroline's idea for the dance was to ‘imagine we were butterflies, or a dying shooting star, and this was our last grasp at life'.

Things cheered up when we did Pharrell Williams' ‘Happy' for jazz. Our costume was a bright glittery shift dress, and the dance was set in the 1960s motown era, with lots of claps, swinging and grooving. What a difference to be in the moment, enjoying myself, and knowing exactly what I had to do, instead of worrying about my waltz!

Before I knew it, it was almost waltz time. I rushed into the costume room to get ready for my surprise ballroom performance with Benji.

Gosh. I'd forgotten how beautiful the dress was. As soon as I pulled it on and was surrounded by all the layers of yellow and gold, and the little butterflies and beads, I felt like I was a part of something special and that the dress would become an extension of my movements.

‘Wow,' said a voice. ‘You look amazing.'

I turned to see my tin soldier, Benji, waiting for me by the door.

‘Thank you,' I said. ‘You look very handsome.'

This time he blushed!

He gave a silly little bow and I took his arm and got ready to complete surprise number two.