Okay, guys. So first of all, I'm so sorry for not updating in like a bajillion years :(
The good news is I'm done with my finals, so I'll be able to update moree! Anyway, hope you like this chapter :)
Kenzie and Asia went inside Studio A, ready for rehearsal.
"Mackenzie, you're doing a contemporary-acrobatic routine called 'Shine'. You will be dancing to your own song, so it shouldn't be very hard for you to feel the emotion and work on your faces. This is a more mature dance." Kenzie energetically nodded at Abby.
"You're used to going out on that stage and smiling and making your cute little faces. But you know what? You're nine now. I wanna see beautiful lines. I wanna see real choreography. I want to see you tell a story. Maddie was able to do it when she was nine. But oh well—will you ever be like her? Or will you live in Maddie's shadow forever? Well, in my opinion, that Cry solo made it really obvious . . ." Abby informed Mackenzie who felt really hurt at the moment.
Abby had no right to make fun of Kenzie and her song! Mackenzie hated that Abby was always comparing her with her sister. Maddie was a lyrical dancer, and Kenzie was more of an acrobat. And besides, she was two years older than Kenzie, so of course she was going to have more technique than Mackenzie.
Kenzie was tired of the rivalry thing Abby had been creating. It was like Abby was always trying to make them hate each other, but Maddie was Mackenzie's sister. She loved Maddie, even if she often didn't consider other people's feelings and thoughts when she was worrying about her own things. But Mackenzie would always love her, no matter what. Even if she was Abby's favorite and she could be a real brat sometimes.
"You need to start moving like a teenager. If you want to be a pop star, then you'd better start acting like one. Cute ain't working, Mackenzie! Asia is gonna beat the crap out of you if you keep doing these cutesy dances. You need to be sassy. Or she'll beat you . . . again. Understood?" her teacher warned.
Mackenzie had to win and prove that she was so much better than Asia . . . and Maddie.
"Yes, Miss Abby," Mackenzie simply replied.
"Okay, let's start from the top. One, two, three, plié." The music started as Mackenzie first did a double turn and fell onto the ground. Then she did a toe rise and a back walkover.
"Your feet are sickled right there when you go on your side. Fix that!" Abby told Kenzie. She repeated the step, this time pointing her feet. "Fix it . . . yeah!" Abby insisted.
"Up, up, down, down, jeté, push, roll . . . roll. Sloppy feet rolling around. Step out." Kenzie did her grand jeté, then she slid down to her middle splits and rolled around, but Abby seemed to be having an issue with Mackenzie's feet that day. They were starting to hurt from pointing them so hard.
"Someday the chance will finally be mine . . . to shine," were the lyrics as Mackenzie did a front aerial and an illusion turn. Abby clapped at her . . . finally. Then she kept running her solo.
Melissa and the rest of the moms watched closely upstairs.
"I absolutely love Mackenzie's solo this week, because I like her doing cutesy dances, but I really do like that it is more grown-up. She's gonna be in the next age category starting next year. So it's good for her to start doing, you know, older dances," Melissa confessed as she watched her daughter sigh and glance up at the clock.
She felt sorry for her. Abby was being really hard on Mackenzie, and as her mother, Melissa knew Kenzie usually crumbled under too much pressure, and she didn't think a meltdown would help her at all with this replacement issue.
"Yeah, I think that Kenzie is doing a very mature solo and I love it, but Abby is being a real brat to our girls this week, especially Mackenzie and Kendall," Christi pointed out as Jill repeatedly nodded her head.
"Could you quit running out to the mirror so close? Think! Don't get so close!" Abby yelled at Mackenzie after she did three fouettés to a double turn.
"Oh my God, now she's yelling at her," Melissa managed to say. It hurt her that Abby kept the whole thing going.
Kenzie did a kick to the front and then when that leg came down, she pointed it out and ran her hand down it, and then brought it back up. "Down, cross, passé," Abby started. "Stretch your feet," she told Mackenzie, this time a little calmer.
"Tell me, will it ever be my turn . . . to show the world I'm ready?" She did a plié to four leaps in a row.
"So, Melissa . . . that song is definitely about Maddie, now isn't it?" Jill asked Melissa in her sweet accent as Melissa watched Mackenzie finish her solo and start working on her beginning pose.
"Yes, she's tired of Miss Abby always comparing them. I mean, she's not Maddie. She's Mackenzie," Melissa told the moms as Christi and Holly nodded at her.
"That's what I told her," Christi started. "When she had to do Maddie's old Cry solo, I told her to get out there and be Mackenzie. Mackenzie's just as good. And it's better because she's her own special self. She doesn't need to be like Maddie or Asia," Christi continued as they all agreed but they were interrupted by Abby's yelling.
Apparently Mackenzie was trying to hit her beginning pose, but Abby didn't seem to like the way Kenzie was doing it. "What are you doing? Get off the stage. . . . Come on and hit that pose, and you'd better look . . . get off. And look at those judges when you walk out there. Stop. Stop. Get off the stage!" she yelled at Mackenzie again. Melissa felt like she should get up and confront Abby if she kept being so mean to Kenzie. She was trying hard.
"Wasting time," Abby said in a singsong voice.
"I'm sick and tired of going over and over things. Stupid!" Abby insulted Mackenzie, and that was the last straw. Melissa didn't mind Abby correcting Kenzie. She wasn't very fond of Abby yelling at her, but one thing she wouldn't tolerate was Abby publicly humiliating her daughter.
"And there she goes again . . . same like she used to tell Paige," Christi snapped as Melissa abruptly got up and walked down the stairs.
"Get back; hold that . . . can you do the—the . . . ? I don't think she can do it!" Abby stuttered, but ended up giving up as Melissa opened the door.
"Abby, don't you think you're being too hard on her?" Melissa chimed.
But Abby countered with, "Melissa, she can't even learn a two minute solo. How is she supposed to beat Asia? I know she will never out-dance Maddie, but she needs to focus and learn that solo. Cute is getting old." Melissa nodded at her.
"Mackenzie, go grab a drink, and when you come back here, watch Asia dance and learn from her. You need to practice that solo or I'm gonna have to pull it," Abby told Mackenzie. Mackenzie headed out of the studio as she started crying. Melissa pulled her into her embrace.
"Don't worry, Kenz! You're gonna do great, 'kay? Don't listen to her," Melissa comforted her daughter as she ran her hand down her back and patted it soothingly.
"But I'll never be li-like Maddie. Miss A-Abby wants to replace me with A-Asia," she gasped in between sobs as she started to cry harder.
Chloe and Autumn were bonding with each other as they heard Mackenzie cry. They both stormed out of the studio and found her crying desperately.
"Mackenzie, what's wrong?" Chloe asked her worriedly. Kenzie stopped holding onto Melissa and turned to face Autumn and Chloe. Chloe gave Melissa a "don't worry, I can handle it" look and slowly walked away from them.
"She k-keeps comparing me with M-Maddie and Asia and calling me stu-p-pid," Mackenzie stuttered as she kept crying. Chloe felt bad for her. She'd been through that a lot of times, and she knew how miserable you feel when Abby kept saying, "Maddie's first class—you're trash."
"Okay, Kenzie, we're gonna do something. We're both gonna walk in there and watch Asia dance, and then I'll help you go over your solo, okay?" Chloe offered. Chloe knew from her personal experience that what Kenzie needed at this moment was someone comforting her, believing in her. But not just someone . . . someone who had been through this. And that would be Chloe.
"But Chloe, what about your duet?" Mackenzie asked her.
"Don't worry, Kenz! I still have three days more to rehearse. You're more important than this stupid duet. I'm sure Maddie would think equally," Chloe told her. Kenzie smiled at the blonde as she pulled Kenzie into a hug.
"I'll help too," Autumn offered. Mackenzie reached to hug her, too. Then, they all walked into studio A.
Meanwhile in Studio A . . .
"Asia, you're doing a hot, sassy jazz routine. It's called Sass Implosion. Because you're like dynamite exploding on stage. You're a firecracker and not a crybaby like Mackenzie is." Melissa rolled her eyes as Asia nodded. She felt bad for Kenzie. Mackenzie was her friend, and Abby was being so mean to her. Asia thought she was fantastic!
"Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the precious one of all?" the song started as Asia kicked her leg and did a straddle jump.
"It needs to be more than a split," Abby explained as Asia tried again.
"Good. . . . Arms up!" Abby clapped at Asia as the door opened and Chloe and Kenzie came in.
"Chloe, what are you doing here?" Abby asked her as Asia stopped dancing and faced them.
"I'm here to help Kenzie. Autumn and I are helping her," Chloe explained. Abby looked at her strangely and frowned.
"Okay, but don't you dare make Maddie and Sophia look bad on stage or I'll replace you!" Chloe's face changed to a "whatever" expression and she and Kenzie sit on the floor.
"Okay, let's continue. . . . Crawl, crawl, dig," Abby instructed as Asia crawled on the floor and quickly got up and did a side aerial.
"I think that I am sassy; I know that I am." Then she did a fan kick and a triple turn.
"Your feet are so sickled that your knees are knocking," Abby snapped at Asia. She rolled her eyes at the instructor, hoping she wouldn't notice.
Asia finished her solo and Abby dismissed them.
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