Page 138 of Tell No Lies

When we walked in, applause and cheers broke out. I staggered back in shock at the group in front of me. Brandon stood with his arm around Liv, and Carter stood next to them. Before I could process what that meant, I was being lifted off the ground.

“Hey, beautiful!”

I smiled down at Mike, completely overwhelmed. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going paintballing!”

He set me back down but kept his arms around me. “You really believed I was going to miss your first competition? What kind of boyfriend would that make me? I just wanted to surprise you.”

Guilt spread through me. I actually had believed he was ditching out on me. “I’m definitely surprised! How did you get everyone to come?”

Behind him, several guys from the football team were there, as well as Talia, Alexis, and their boyfriends. How did they all plan on this without me finding out?

I spotted Cassie standing with Caleb and couldn’t help but grin at how happy they looked. Having all my friends here gave me a great feeling, but it made me anxious. I was performing my solo for the first time in front of a crowd, and everyone I knew would be watching me.

No pressure.

There was an announcement overhead asking people to take their seats. I turned back to Mike and tried to shoo him away.

“Break a leg, Aubrey. We’ll be cheering for you!” He gave me a quick kiss before joining the group walking into the main auditorium.

Cassie and I made our way to the room assigned to our team. The hallways were packed with other dancers in various costumes and team sweats. Our team was packed into a smaller room, which was full of racks that housed our costumes. We waved to the girls and checked in with the coaches before stretching.

“Did you know people were coming?” she asked. I could tell she was feeling the pressure too.

“No, Mike told me he had plans with the guys and wasn’t going to make it. I’ve been mad at him for days because he wanted to surprise me.”

“Stupid boy. At least he has good intentions.” Cassie was in a lyrical dance with a small group that was performing first. She shimmied into a sparkly white leotard with a sheer overlay that gave her an ethereal look.

A woman wearing a headset knocked on the open door and shouted curtain call.

The other girls were ready and waiting for her before we all ran to the viewing area backstage. I watched as our group was announced, and the girls walked into their opening formation.

The lights on the stage cast a blue glow just before the music started. Cheers broke out, and I could identify Caleb’s voice shouting for Cassie. I focused on the girls, watching for any mistakes, but even with the noise, they were flawless. Whenever I was on the stage, the routine would seem to be over in only a few seconds, but watching these other dancers, they seemed to last forever. We wouldn’t hear what they scored until the end of the competition, but I could tell they would place in their category.

When they came offstage, I hugged each of them and ran back to our room with Cassie. “You did amazing! I thought Caleb would mess you up, but I didn’t see you even flinch.”

“Oh, good, because I was shaking! I’m not used to having people besides my parents here for me. It was crazy knowing all of our friends were watching.”

That was not what I wanted to hear, but I pushed the panic out of my head and went to the racks to find my first outfit for the contemporary small group dance. It was one of my favorites, with black ribbon that laced all the way up my right leg and a leopard-pattern, long-sleeved leotard with black shorts. Fierce was the best word to describe it.

I joined the other girls in my group backstage and watched the end of the routine before ours. Blocking out the other girls and the noise, I focused on what I had to do.

Having my friends and family in the audience wasn’t unusual for me. In Chicago, my parents and friends often came to support me. Having my brother see me perform for the first time in years should have made me nervous, but instead I was excited for him to see all my hard work and hours at the studio pay off.

The stage darkened—our signal to get in place. I shot each girl a quick smile and froze in my opening pose.

The next three minutes were a blur of lights and music. I could barely see the audience, but I could hear my name clearly coming from my personal cheering section. It was the perfect injection of adrenaline for me to nail the routine.

I followed the others offstage and shared hugs on our way back to our team room. One dance down and only three to go.

When I checked the schedule to see what routine was next, I panicked. The organizers had put my solo just two spots ahead of our first team routine. I would have exactly one song to run back and change into a different costume. Bringing it to my coach’s attention wouldn’t do anything, since it was too late to switch things around. A magic trick was the only way I would pull this off.

Since my solo had more points at risk, I focused on getting ready for that. If I didn’t look perfect for the team routine, it would be less likely to get noticed. My solo costume was a coral two-piece with a high neck, a lace overlay, and a shimmery skirt that fell past my knees.

Cassie looked me over and gave me a thumbs-up before I stepped into the hall to run through the piece a few times. This was the first time I would be performing the routine, and I needed it to be perfect. If I scored well enough, I would get to continue performing it at higher-level competitions. This was the kind of exposure I needed to get noticed by the great college dance programs.

I peeked back into the room and waved to Cassie. She blew me a kiss before I turned and made my way backstage. Rolling my shoulders and taking steady breaths, I felt ready. I closed my eyes and visualized the dance for a moment before I heard my name called. With one more deep breath, I moved onstage and posed, waiting for my music.

The opening notes filled the room as the lights grew brighter. I blocked everything else out: school, boys, and the next routine. Nothing else mattered for the next two minutes and thirty seconds. I put all of my energy into extending farther, kicking higher, and nailing each leap.