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Chapter 6
Ipulledintothedance studio parking lot at three on Monday afternoon. Taking a moment to myself, I braced myself for the upcoming afternoon.
It was the first day of the fall session, and Lisa had sent out the official team assignments yesterday evening. I was too busy enjoying my time with Amy and Hannah (and their husbands) to check my email, which was probably for the best.
The top three competitive teams were Blake’s. I wasn’t even listed as a co-coach or adviser or anything. She had the minis (which included my sister, Katy), juniors, and teens. They were my girls, the ones I had trained as three-year-olds in the Mommy and Me classes. And now they were Blake’s.
I had three teams as well, but they would be competing in the novice category. These were the girls who wanted to try out the world of competition, with the makeup and glitzy costumes and the camaraderie of teammates without the pressure of making it a career. They were fun, sweet girls, but nothing like the top-level teams I was used to. I’d have to change my choreography, coaching tactics, everything. At least I could still keep my costume design skills. That’s where I shined.
I blasted some old school Britney Spears, getting myself pumped up.Yes, Britney, I’m gonna work.My phone buzzed with a text from Scott.Thinking of you. Hope you have a great first day of fall session. You’re gonna kill it. Or slay? Isn’t that what the cool kids say? Whatever. Have fun.
He never failed to make me smile when I needed it. As much as he pulled a straight demeanor with everyone else, I could tell when he was messing around. It seemed like he always wanted to be sillier with me, too.
It was time to get my perky, bubbly Ivy face on. I grooved in my car for a few more minutes, then headed into the studio.
“Hey, Ivy!” Clara greeted me at the front desk. “Team rehearsal today?”
“You know it. I have novice minis today for their first rehearsal. Then a couple of regular technique classes.”
“Exciting! Do you have their music picked out?” Clara’s enthusiasm never waned.
“Not yet. I’m going to get a feel for their level today, individually and as a group, and hopefully I can choose something perfect for them.”
“I know you will. Your dances are the best.”
Yeah, tell that to Lisa and all the moms.
Instead, I simply said, “Thanks, Clara,” and waved as I headed into Studio B. I thought I’d have some time to gather my thoughts and make a plan for the afternoon, but I was met by eight excited little girls, seven mothers, and one father. That was a pretty typical distribution. I had seen a few of them around the studio, but I didn’t know any of them as well as the girls I had coached for years. My girls.
Now Blake’s girls.
One of the moms ran up to me and squeezed me tight in a hug. “We are so excited that you agreed to coach our girls,” she said, my face smushed into her big blonde curls. She pulled back and held me by the shoulders. “You’re the best coach here. We can’t believe our girls will get to have you.”
Stunned, my heart melted. I was used to dance moms who fought for the top spot, questioned my choice of music and choreography, and complained behind my back about wanting Blake to coach.
Maybe this would be a nice change, after all.
I smiled widely. “I’m really excited, too. We’re going to have a great year.”
The parents all murmured and smiled in agreement. Then I called the girls into the room to warm up.
As we went through some basic drills, my confidence waned. Had these girls trained at all? I tried not to be snobbish, but man. This was rough. They couldn’t do the splits, cartwheels, or pirouettes. They couldn’t even balance on one leg long enough for a turn. My flashy trick moves wouldn’t cut it this year.
At the end of the hour, I gathered the girls in a circle. They were exhausted, but had huge smiles on their faces. That was one of my strengths: even if I was disappointed, I never let it show.
“All right, girls. That was an awesome first day.”Awesomewas a stretch, but I was rolling with it. “There’s two big things I need you to do for homework. First, stretch your splits. Every. Single. Night. Once you have that, so many new steps are opened up to you. The other thing is stretching and strengthening your feet.” I handed each of them a resistance band and showed them a couple of exercises to practice at home. “Say this with me: straight knees and pointed toes.”
The girls stared at me blankly.
“Have none of your teachers emphasized this?”
A tiny brunette raised her hand.
“Raelynn, right?” I asked.
She nodded. “I remember you telling my sister’s team about those two things.”
I blinked. “Who is your sister?” I glanced back at the group of parents outside the window.
