Dance Vigilantes
Chapter 21: Awards
Mindy's POV
I couldn't help it. I wasn't into this dance shit but I couldn't help it. I stood up and clapped for my daughter. She was so beautiful to watch. Fuck, she was beautiful and amazing! All the others gave Steph a standing ovation except for Jeannie who was being the bitch she is. She was gloating on how Kaylee, her daughter was the best in the junior category when it comes to solos every step of the way. Me and Megan were ready to pounce on her had it not been for Dave and the twins and of course, one stare from Marcys and it was a dead end for us. The other moms were tearing up, touched on what Steph had displayed. Fuck and she isn't even their daughters!
"To think that the little killer actually knows how to dance.." I whispered, not wanting to ruin the reputation I have with the mothers
"You can say that again" Dave said with a smile
"Steph was awesome!" The twins said together, clearly proud of their big sister.
"No kidding! Looks like Steph's surprised herself. Look at the look on her face" Megan laughed. Steph seemed surprised yet she was smiling, albeit shyly
"My God...her dancing reminds me of Maddie's…" Melissa said besides me.
"That's your eldest right Melissa?" I asked her
"Yes she is. Steph reminded me of a younger Maddie...when she was just her age" Melissa said with a tear slipping down her face. Steph took a bow and walked backstage. I was sure she was going to be stormed by hugs from the girls as they went back
"Oh please! That's your daughter Mindy?! She's mediocre at best!" Jeannie scoffs
"What did you say about my daughter bitch?!" I said, clearly annoyed at her antics about Steph and the other girls
"You heard me girl..she's mediocre at best and amateur at worst. Just like the daughters of these bitches" Jeannie spat and it followed by the counter insults of the moms
"How obnoxious!" Katherine huffs
"You know, my Sarah can do better choreo than your stiff board of a daughter!" Christy shouts and that amazes me because she was the over religious one
"I see you got your head on your ass" Kira hissed
"Brynn can run circles around your daughter Jeannie and Steph comes close too!" Ashlee shouts
"You just make me want to get one of JoJo's boes and strangle you!" Jess exclaims
"Ladies, calm down! Jeannie, stop being rude!" Holly scolds like the principal she is
"You know it's no wonder the world sees Kaylee as shit because your shit!" Jill says in her usual bitchy tone. Just glad it's not me on the receiving end
"You know what Jeannie, go back to your bottle and shove your mouth in your asshole!" Melissa shouts and boy did I not resist the urge to back up that funny comment
"Bottle? I think she needs a lamp because her ego is huge!" I said and surprisingly, everyone laughed, including principal Holly and bitchy Jill and Jess!
"Whatever! You'll all shut up when my kids win first place and become title holders of Starpower!" Jeannie scoffs
"Jeannie please stop -"
"Shut up Helena! Your daughter couldn't keep up with my own daughters, even Coco!" Jeannie scolded the squirming woman besides her. I felt sorry for her. We all fell silent and prepared to watch the last portion of the competition which is the group dances. I don't know about you but I think Steph is worthy of first place
Steph's POV
I felt strangely elated and pleased as I went backstage. As soon as I did however, I was swarmed and hugged by the girls. Tight if I may add!
"Steph that was beautiful!" Nia cried. Everyone was teary eyed. Was my dance good or that terrible?
"Forget my pajama dance while eating chips! That's a shoe in for first place!" Kenzie added
"I'll try to bet my shit you'd even win a title!" JoJo said as she took a swig of orange juice in a bottle
"I'd be insulted but I can agree with that" Brynn laughed gently
"A dancer of club dance bowing down to an outsider? Unheard off!" Kelly exclaimed
"Hey! Its heard off! Remember how I bowed towards little Sarah one time?" Kalani said with a wink to Sarah who was blushing
"To tell you the truth, Steph reminded me of Maddie and...you know who…" Kendall said, slightly bashful. Who was she talking about?
"Guys...can't breath...let...go…" I said as their hugs got tighter and tighter and they all let go laughing. I took and in my breath and they still kept smiling
"You really think I was...good out there?" I inquired
"Good? You were bloody marvelous!" Sarah said with an amazingly british accent
"Okay are you mocking me now?" I joked to Sarah who just laughed and hugged me again
"I'd say it's a very good impression" Brynn said
"What was your inspiration back there Steph? You seemed to really feel the dance" Nia inquired as everyone agreed on what it was as well
"Well...let's just say it had something to do with my past" I said. I looked over Brynn and in her eyes, I can see she understood what I said. She did know after all my secret
"I see. Well at least it's not some strange inspiration like Kenzie's obsession with chips" JoJo said with a laugh
"Look who's talking ms. 'I love pouring everything over my head'" Kenzie retorts and everyone laughed. They really need to explain to me some of these obsessions that they had
"Well let's prepare for the group dance and rock it! I'll do everyone's makeup!" Kendall announced and we all cheered as we got back in the dressing room. As we were going back, I passed through a timidly smiling Talia and a glaring Kayle and Coco. Rihanna looked like she was a lost kid in a forest
"You were great Steph! I wish I could dance like you.." Tali said shyly
"Oh please Talia! It was trash! You really wish you could dance like her?!: Kaylee spat with the last words having venom
"Yeah! Kaylee's right!" Coco retorts
"But the two of you were speechless watching her dance! Coco even said she looked beautiful!" Rihanna said, being the voice of reason again for her bitch sisters
"Shut! Up! Come on and let's prepare for the group dance!" Kaylee shouts as she storms off with her sisters with Rihanna rolling her eyes. Talia stood where she is
"I hope you all do good in group" Talia said
"You too. That goes to the Quinns too" I said
"Talia! Get your ass here now!" Kaylee shouts as Talia got surprised and ran to her team. I really feel bad for that girl….
"I don't know about you but I like this costume. Better than that bloody revealing costume for my solo" I said. We were wearing different colored hip hop attire. We all looked like those typical yank rappers you often see on TV. The dance was named 'Straight Out of LA' and depicts this as the sign of the return of the Dance Moms girls to the dance industry, which I found weird since Sarah was really from Pittsburgh and I was living here in Chicago but Gia said to just play along. Each of our costume is of different color. Mine was purple. Guess who insisted on the color
"Aww but I liked it when you were all girly and stuff" Kenzie teased
"And I liked it when you had no make up and was only in pajamas" I teased back and Kenzie seemed impressed than irritated
"Always the queen of comebacks" She teased
"Always the queen of smart ass" I teased back.
"Yo guys! Dancemania is almost over in their routine. Suit up!" Kalani announced and as Kenzie finished up tying my hair with a bandana, we went on stage side. The girls were watching Kaylee's group titled 'Kingdom'. The dance, I heard was a lyrical dance. Whatever that is. Admittedly, they were really good and little to no mistakes were made. Except for Rihanna and Talia who seems to hide it very well in their slip of footing.
"They might win group…." Kendall muttered out
"Want me to throw juice on them to mess them up? JoJo said with a sinister sort of comical smile
"Have faith guys. We can do this!" Sarah encouraged. I believed in her. Dancing with them, I noticed that Kenzie, Brynn, Kelly and Kalani were good hip hoppers. The others, well they excel in other types of dances. I was new so it's a give I suck at it. Once Dancemania's group had finished, they all hooted and shouted assured victory. Kaylee, once again, approached and bitched on us
"A hip hop solo? Really? Like you'd win a group dance with that style! Everyone knows that lyrical is the best for group" Kaylee cackled
"You know, you're really starting to be very disrespectful towards your elders" Nia said
"Well tough luck then. I was too good for all of you anyway" Kaylee said as she laughed and then glared at me. I as well glared back. We stared for a few seconds until she huffed and went on her way
"What a bitch…" Kendall said
"Now let's get this on and win this group alright? We are not just dancers...we are beast dancers!" Brynn exclaimed and we all cheered. Our group was announced and we sauntered back on stage. The upbeat music started and we did a very hard and upbeat hip hop routine that I got to admit, is in to my liking. Everytime the beat drops, I just want to strike on my arms and legs and just feel the aggressiveness of the dance. Everyone seems to be thinking the same. It was like deep frustrations within us were being released through dance. I was so loving every bloody step. I saw a glance of Dave filming me while the twins and Megan tried imitating me. Mum was reclining to the chair, bobbing her head up and down. I thought she only liked old songs. The song finishes and we did our improvised posez. Mine was laying on my side and brandishing the horns. Everyone cheered and we all sauntered out, satisfied of our dance.
The votes are now complete and the winners of every category were being announced. The competitors were seated in the stage and talked to each other and some were even improv dancing on the center which was kind of lame. Dancemania won the trio category with ours only getting second place, which didn't faze the trio dancers, well maybe except for Kelly who looked like her smile was just forced. Kaylee looked pleased on her sisters but was not too fond of Talia, even though she placed. We were in the duo awards now and Kendall and JoJo's duet placed 3rd. I guess the judges didn't see it as a dance worth watching
"and for second place on the duet category, we have two stars by Rihanna and Coco Quinn!" The announcer said as the two Quinns stood up, smiling as they received their award. I swear I saw Kaylee turn from sweet to sour.
"For first place, we have Yin and Yang by Sarah Hunt and Stephanie Lizewski!" I was shocked that a dance involving me won first. The girls hollered and it was bloody deafening. Sarah had a wide grin on her face as she hugged me. We stood up and then received our awards. I saw in my peripheral vision Talia who was smiling at us and Kaylee who was burning daggers at me. It was quite funny to see. When we got back, everyone congratulated us and eyed our trophy, which was colored red and gold and had a star on top of it. We went on with the group awards and sadly, ours only placed third. Another studio got second and Dancemania got first. I felt a pang of sadness about our loss and the girls felt it too. But their group was admittedly beautiful
Now we were at the last awards, which was the solos. Brynn and Kenzie seemed nervous. I wouldn't be if I were them. They did amazing and a shoe in for first place. Brynn's was flawless and Kenzie was funny as bloody hell. Talia was also good as well albeit with a few missteps. Kaylee's...was also good but I didn't want her to win because for me, a bitch ain't deserving of it. Rihanna and Coco won their respective categories already. Both in first place. Kaylee may win this after all…
"Oh man, what if I don't get first?...what if none of us get first?!" Mackenzie screeched silently
"Calm down Kenzie or you might blurt of your chips again" Brynn said calmly
"That doesn't make any sense!"
"Well ever since you said you like staying home and eating chips, it's an inside joke in the dance world now. Anyway, just have faith. You may have danced on a couch but you can still place first " Brynn teased
"Oh come on! We all know that you'll probably get first place...or Steph over there" Kenzie replied
"wait what? No I don't think so.." I said honestly
"Oh fucking shut it! You were 1st place worthy out there!" Kenzie replied back
"That I can agree. I'm sure you'll get it even though you rant and rant about dance most of the time" Brynn added. I never really considered winning. I just dance because I was strangely compelled to do it. It wasn't because I wanted to win
Talia got 5th place in her solo and gratefully received her award, which was a plaque in bronze. Then 4th was announced as Mackenzie and cheerfully received her award. Brynn came in third and most of the dancers breathed shockingly. Kaylee just managed to giggle along with Coco. Brynn just smiled sweetly and then went to get her trophy. Kaylee then went and sat besides me. A sickly smile on her face
"The fuck are you doing beside me?" I asked with suspicion
"Oh nothing. Just wanted to check your reaction when I place first, win junior starpower best dancer and while you, get none" Kaylee sang in a sickly sweet tone.
"Whatever you bloody yank…"
"Don't you talk your british slang here. This is America if you remember?"
"and now for our 3nd place is…"
"Some random dancer from another studio…" Kaylee breathed
"Kaylee Quinn!"
"What?! Second?! How?!" Kaylee said irritatingly as Talia and her sisters looked shocked. She got composed and smiled, making face that she was a humble little girl and proceeded to get her second place trophy. It was obvious in her body language that she was appalled. The girls however, were laughing at her. Probably due to the karma Kaylee just grabbed
"Pride can ruin you at times…" Brynn muttered besides me and I agree with her
"Guys! So if Talia got 5th...Kenzie got 4th...Brynn got 3rd...Kaylee got second...Steph you still have a fucking chance to win the title and award!" JoJo said jumping excitedly
"Oh god you're right!" Kendall says
"Guys, let's not jump to conclusions. They're still a lot dancers but I do wish for Steph to win too" Nia humbly said. I look and nod to her in agreement
"And now ladies and gentlemen, the winner for best solo and also this year's Junior Starpower best dancer is…."
Everyone looked nervous, waiting in anticipation. I wasn't expecting to win because I was a beginner but the suspense was killing me!
"The performer of 'Freedom' , Stephanie Lizewski!" The announcer boomed and an ear piercing applause roared all around me. The girls were very excited and kept hugging me and letting me stand up.
"What are you doing just standing around?! Get up and get what's yours!" Brynn shouts, proudness in her face
"Yeah! Claim shit that is glory!" Kebzie added
"Where's the tub of gatorade when you need it?!" JoJo added as well. I was still shocked as I shuffled towards the announcer and and another person who was holding a very big trophy that was colored gold and red and had a star inside a sort of halo at the top with two shooting stars appearing on both sides of it. I shyly shake their hand and accept the plaque and trophy that was apparently for me. Then a third man appeared holding another gold and red trophy
"Bloody hell it's taller than me!" I exclaimed. The other trophy is two times my height and was square in shape thaf was formed by four pillars supporting a pedestal thaf was in the center that had a star on it and another pedestal at the top with a figurine of a dancer at the top and had spikes protruding on all four sides. The plaque from it read 'Junior Starpower Best Dancer'
"My my! With your performance, you have made the crowd be in awe! I heard this is your first time dancing, is it true?" The announce said cheerily
"Yes. It's my first time…" I said, not knowing what else to say because of the shock.
"Amazing! You must be considered a prodigy! To what dance studio do you belong?"
"Second City Dance Company!" I shouted and my teammates and the crowd cheered wildly. The girls swarmed me once more. I saw our moms and they were happy for our wins. Dad and Marcus looked so glad and the twins and Megan cheered and cheered for me. Paige was holding a phone, taking a picture for sure. Mum was reclined on her seat as if she doesn't have a care but in her face, a sense of pride and happiness was beaming and she beamed it towards me.
"Oh my god I still can't believe Stephanie won and took the title too!" Kalani shrieked in glee
"Kalani! No using the Lord's name in vain!" Sarah countered
"To think it's her first time dancing! She even beat Brynn! ….and she's a club dance dancer!" Kenzie said excitedly
"We can consider you a prodigy to be honest" Nia said
"Indeed. Steph you made us all proud! You are a true dancer at heart!" Brynn beamed
"Oh stop it guys! I just did what was taught to me that's all" I said with a grin. The big trophy was too heavy for me so Kendall and Kalani helped me out in lifting it. I got to say, this is a first that I won such a thing. The door then bursted open and in came our mums squealing in Joy as they hugged their respective daughters. The twins and Megan entered next followed by Marcus, Paige and mum and dad. The twins and Megan were really hugging me tight
"Congratulations girls! We may have not won all at first place but the performance was terrific!" Gia exclaimed happily
"Agreed! Despite the loss, everyone did their best and performed with passion" Melissa added
"And that is what matters. Dancing with heart and passion and loving every step of it!" Ashlee added as all shouted in glee
"Let's not forget that We had two here who won 1st place and bagged the title!" JoJo said as all eyes shifted to me and Sarah
"Cheers for Sarah and our best dancer for this day, Steph!" Brynn shouted as everyone roared in celebration. Me and Sarah looked at each other and we were flustered with humbleness.
"You were beautiful out there Steph!" Danny exclaimed
"Yeah! You looked like some sort of disney princess awhile back!" Anne marie added
"Disney princess? In what lifetime?" Megan sniggered and I gave her a good natured glare
"We're proud of you Steph! You were fantastic and truly talented!" Dad said as he hugged me. I did the same to him
"What did you think about my dance mum?" I asked Mindy and she had an unsure look on her face
"It was...okay I guess?" Mindy said unsurely and for some reason, that made me slump
"Oh why are you lying?! You were proud of her every second of her performance! You were screaming in joy so much you made Holly deaf!" Ashlee said with a laugh
"True. Oh so very true…" Melissa added as she rubbed her left ear
"I have issues in showing emotions okay?! It's a fucking chore.."Mum blurted out I gave her a hug anyway
"Thank you mum…" I said as I felt Mindy hug me as well
"You reminded me of my eldest daughter Steph. I wonder if we should give you a Maddie Choreo…" Melissa mused and I swear I saw Kenzie fluster besides Brynn and JoJo
"We should celebrate guys! This is victory after all!" Kelly screamed and everyone voiced their agreement out loud
"We should celebrate with juice, pizza, steak, more juice, salad, barbeques, juice -"
"Uhhh JoJo?" Kenzie butted in
"Oh yeah! Some chips for Kenzie too!" JoJo continued
"No JoJo uhhhh…." Kenzie replied back, pointing at the door. As soon as we turned towards the door, I scowled. In the door was the Dancemania dancers. I would have been happy if it were only Talia but she had with her the Quinns as well and the woman who mum was bickering with in the audience. Kaylee, like the bitch she is, charged head on and got close in my face
"How? How?! Me lose to an amateur like you?! Impossible!" Kaylee screeched
"Absolutely! You must have bribed all the judges!" Jeannie seethed
"Oh god Jeannie, why can't just be civil and not act like sore losers?!" Melissa screeched
"Why the fuck not?! My daughter..my eldest daughter! One of the best, lose to a first timer?! This is unacceptable!"
"You are becoming ruder and ruder by the minute Jeannie. Shut your big mouth or I'll tell security to make you leave!" Jill shouted and soon the moms were all in a shouting game with each other! Even Paige! Marcus and Dave tried their best to calm down our mums along with a chubby looking that looked like Talia's mum. Among the Quinns, it looked like only Rihanna was the one not panicking
"Wow...this is more intense than the show…" Kenzie muttered
"No kidding. This is an all out brawl!" Brynn added
"Oh I assure you. This will be a brawl when someone starts to punch another one" I added
"Five bucks Jill will punch someone" JoNo announced
"JoJo! Mom isn't that violent….my money's on Mindy" Kendall screeched
"Are we seriously betting who on our moms is gonna snap?!" Nia exclaimed
"Hey, I can agree with Kendall. Mum would really punch someone here if she snaps" I mutter
"My bet's on Kira"
"Nah! It's gonna be Ashlee"
"Nope. Sarah's mom"
"Hey!"
"hundred bucks it's gonna be Jess!" Megan interrupted
"Oh….that's a playful jab right there" JoJo teased
"Can we all stop betting and find a way to stop our moms?!" Kalani exclaimed
"Uh I think they already did" Danny muttered. The mums all were fuming but it was Mindy and Jeannie who was face to face at each other
"You know what? Probably beginners luck or the judges here were blind! Next time, we'll assure victory and prove that Steph over there is just an amateur!" Jeannie screeched
"Jeannie please let's stop-" The chubby woman said besides her but Jeannie snapped up at her
"Shut Helen! Talia may have helped win some awards but my god she is still sloppy and one of the weakest! You don't have the right to but in!" Jeannie lashed out and that started Talia to cry and the woman, Helen to hug Talia. She was getting on my nerves now
"For an adult, you're fucking rude and immature! No wonder your daughters are brats! Tell you what, I'll take our trophies and shove them all on your anus!" mum shouted
"Ohhh want some help on that? I'll shove two at a time!" Jess laughed
"Argh! Let's go! I'll show you what Dancemania can really do when our paths cross again you washed up mothers!" Jeannie said as she stormed off dragging Coco with her. Then Kaylee went in front of us and glared each and every one of us. The older girls like Nia, Kalani, and Kendall doesn't seemed fazed but the rest were throwing daggers at Kaylee. She then glared at me hard
"Enjoy being on top for now Lizewski..because I'm gonna knock you out next time we meet" Kaylee seethed
"I'm always up for a bitch fight. I give you an invite. Show if you dare" I replied back ominously and with that, Kaylee stormed off. Then Talia was now wailing once the bitches left but Rihanna stayed and comforted the crying Talia. I looked over at the girls and we had a silent agreement as we nodded our heads. We each went to Talia and comforted her. Cooing and shushing her, telling encouraging words
"I-I-I'm a wo-wortless danc-er…" Talia sniffled
"For the last fucking time, you were great out there!" I reasoned. Talia was still crying but had calmed down a bit now. Our mums were talking to Helen and comforting her
"Don't listen to Kaylee and Jeannie okay? They don't define your dance skills…." Brynn cooed
"Yeah they're just bitches" Kendall butted in
"Um hello? They may be mean but their still my sisters and mother" Rihanna interrupted
"You're still here?!" JoJo exclaimed, shocked
"JoJo! Do not be rude!" Sarah exclaimed
"Sorry…"
"No it's okay. Mom and Kaylee can be such bitches at times. Coco just follows who she thinks is cool in the moment like a sheep" Rihanna explained
"It's amazing how you don't act like a bitch..no offense" I said
"None taken. People say I take over to my dad and I kind of agree with them" Rihanna replied
"I just don't understand why their so mean to poor Talia here…" Brynn muttered as she stroked the crying girl's head
"They think I'm a bad dancer. They think dancing isn't for me no matter how hard I try" Talia sniffled
"Just block them out. Hateful words are empty and shouldn't hurt you!" Danny reasoned
"Yeah! Just girl up and show them how hard your pussy is!" Megan added and we all shot her glares and confused looks
"You did not just say that out loud…." I groaned
"Megan will be Megan I guess" Anne marie added
"Bitch alert" Kendall whispered and Megan shot her a scowl
"Just think of it this way Talia. The Quinns may be mean but at least one Quinn is nice to you" I said to her and Talia then smiled at Rihanna who was smiling as well
"Well Rihanna is younger but she is very wise for her age as well" Talia explained and the sad air seemed to have been lifted off
"Thank you all so much for being nice to me. It means a lot" Talia said
"No problem. Dancers need to stick up for each other" Kenzie muttered out
"As well as sisters too!" JoJo added
"Well now that's settled and everyone's happy again, how would we celebrate our win?" Nia asked and that got everyone thinking. Then Anne suddenly raised her hand
"What is it short stuff?" Kelly asked. Uh oh…
"First, cut the short stuff comment and second, how about we have a party in our house? Our place is big and since I liked Kenzie's dance so much, how about a sleepover too? We can have it by tomorrow since it's a holiday on monday" Anne marie announced
"That's a great idea! We haven't had a proper sleepover for days!" Kalani said happily
"We get to know more about Steph and the twins too!" Brynn added
"Oh the fun that can happen in a sleepover" JoJo mused with a mischievous tone that spelled trouble
"You and me both JoJo" Kenzie added mischievously. I am not liking that demeanor. It reminded me of Mindy having a crazy idea.
"What's this about a party in our house?" We turn to see the mums and Dave and Marcus and looked like they were done with what they were doing and looks like Talia's mum was looking as well now
We explained to them the idea of the celebration and the adults voiced their approval
"That would be a great way for us to bond" Melissa said
"I second that! I can plan out some activities we can do for the coming days too!" Mindy said with a sly smile. Oh boy….
"How about we invite some of our friends too? seeing as some of the girls are friends with them" Dave added
"That would be perfectly fine! The more the merrier!" Holly approved
"Finally! Other people to talk to other than these girls and my husband" Ashlee joked
"Wait, does that mean, Megan will come too?" Kendall asked
"Kendall, she's my aunt. Of course she'll come!" I said with a laugh and the both of them glared daggers at each other once more.
"Remind me to lock each other in the closet if everything goes wrong" Brynn whispered to me
"That's lame. Lock them together and handcuff their hands together" Kenzie whispered back and that was a better and hilarious idea. I look over Talia and Rihanna who looked expectantly on us
"Can Talia and Rihanna come too?" I asked all of them and I saw shock in Rihanna and surprise in Talia. Mum looked at both of them and at Talia's mum
"Well I don't see anything wrong with that but would Jeannie even allow you to come Rihanna?" Mindy zaid
"It's okay. I understand if I can't come. Mom and my sisters would flip if I came" Rihanna muttered sadly. Her eyes however, told that she wanted to come
"Well you're always welcome to join dear. Never forget that" Kira said
"Thank you all so much for the offer. I better go. Mom is probably flipping out right now. See you all around!" Rihanna said as she ran back to her very odd family
"I hope she can come…" Sarah muttered. I nodded. I agreed that among the Quinns, Rihanna deserves to be invited
"So anyway, everything's settled. Party at our place!" Mindy yelled and we all cheered. I can't wait what kind of chaos awaits tomorrow