Howdeydo? Sorry for the EXTREME AMOUNT OF TIME THAT HAS PASSED SINCE OUR LAST MEETING I have no excuses except that I've been pretty lazy. And I have the right to be, my amazing grandma passed away last week and I've been a wreck. I was really close to my grandma, I used to watch Storm Hawks with her when I was little. She loved that show. But that was before she got diagnosed with Dementia. But the fact that she didn't go peacefully is the worst thing. She died in a lot of pain. So please, don't be mean to me or anything (but that's ok, I've never gotten any bad reviews or PM's, another reason why I love you guys) and I just hope that this chapter is accepted, even though it's late, and I hope it's enjoyed :)

Chapter 16 – Four Girls and Two Blue Ribbons

The last mage finished his round. Ravess and I stood on opposite ends of the arena, waiting to hear his score. "Number 196 will be missing out of the Finals with a poor score of…"

I didn't bother listening to the rest. My heart pounded. Ravess and I are alone in the Finals. We would have the same routine, we'd be competing for the best score, but the judges would be on the lookout for the slightest mistake. This time, the higher the score the better, unlike before. Ravess would perform first, while I watch before my turn.

The bell sounded and Ravess started her round. The girl seemed to have the routine memorised. Her face never changed expression – she kept her eyes forward, never looking toward the audience or the judges. Her moves were neat and tidy, and rather professional. She was flawless, I didn't spot one mistake. It was going to be hard to beat.

"Score for Ravess of Helix Academy is fifty-two out of sixty."

Ravess wiped sweat from her forehead and walked out of the arena, smirking at me. "Are you really going to even try?"

She had a few splotches of dirt on her face. I was tempted to tell her how disgusting she looked, even without the dirt, but thought otherwise.

"Ravess!" Cyclonis ran over and high-fived her friend. A red ribbon – second place – peeked out of her jacket pocket.

"Is that the newest fashion trend, Pie? Oil slick boots?" Cyclonis said, smirking at me.

Before I could say a word, Ravess and Cyclonis headed off to the waiting area. They took a seat and waited to watch my round.

I turned away from them, focusing all of my attention on my inner-self. Glancing into the stands, I saw Dove waving a blue ribbon at me. She beat Cyclonis in her class! With a grin, I gave her a thumbs-up before entering the arena.

The bell sounded and I swung into action. But no matter how hard I tried, every step seemed sloppy. My kicks seemed weak, my punches slow, my flips crooked and basically every movement felt like they weren't to standard. I hoped that it didn't look as bad as it felt. Maybe I was being too hard on myself, maybe I was letting Ravess's gloating get to me. But I couldn't help doubting if I would get as good a score as Ravess.

I looked down as I finished my round and Ravess walked back in to wait for the score. I tried my best, and I could only hope it was enough.

No one spoke as we stared straight ahead. The loudspeaker came on. We both held our breaths.

"Score for Piper of Helix Academy is fifty out of sixty."

Cheers erupted from the stands. I'd lost by two points! I let my breath out and shut my eyes. The only class at my first show and I didn't win. Maybe if I had worked harder, I'd be taking that blue ribbon. i would have to practice more, or there was no way I'd make the advanced team.

I looked into the stands. Dad, standing up in his seat, cheered as if I had won first place.

With a sigh, I turned my head to smile weakly at Ravess. "Congratulations," I said. "You did pretty well."

"I don't need your congratulations," she spat. Ayrgyn motioned Ravess over to him and she headed off, leaving me alone.

Your first show at this easy level and you didn't win," Cyclonis said as I walked over to our group. "Poor Pie." She reached over and patted my shoulder in fake sympathy. I held myself back from slapping her hand away. Instead, I walked away. I collected my red ribbon from the judge and pinned it on my jacket. I consoled myself that Dad and Dove had seemed thrilled that I'd gotten second place. Maybe they thought that was the best I could do.

"Aren't you going to go do a victory dance with Ravess?" I asked Cyclonis later while we waited for the traffic of people in front of us to move off.

"Why would I do that when I can stay here with you?" Cyclonis said, not even glancing in the direction of Ravess. I looked at Cyclonis's red ribbon and she caught me looking. "If you think it's because she won and I didn't, you're wrong. There were actually talented mages in my class."

"So, what happened? Why aren't you with Ravess?"

Cyclonis looked away.

For a second, she had that same look as when she had fought with her grandmother in the parking lot.

"I know it's tough sometimes," I said. "But-"

"Do you think I need advice from you?" Cyclonis interjected. "I have my own friends, so save it for someone else."

She walked right past Ravess, who was posing with Ayrgyn for a photo, holding up her blue ribbon. That could have been me.

The people in front of me separated and I saw Dad coming my way.

"Way to go, Honey! Second place!" he beamed, squeezing my shoulder.

We took our time walking back to the parking area. "Want to grab a drink with me before you head off?" Dad asked.

"That sounds good," I said. I was grateful to have a few more minutes before we had to say good-bye.

Dad seemed to sense my mood. "I'll be seeing you in a couple of weeks for Parents Weekend," he reminded me.

I nodded, but even that didn't make me feel much better. When I got back to Helix, I was going to practice. I couldn't let school and fun get in the way. Would they get in the way? Probably. But I had to at least try to make an effort. I mean, I could balance practice, school and my social life like crazy. Couldn't I?

Hope it was worthy. Haha I bet you all thought Piper was going to win! But nah, gotta keep things interesting. There will be hardly any more competition stuff anymore, just more interaction between Aerrow and stuff. Next chapter will be up soon, but it won't be that long, it's just a really cute day with Aerrow and Piper I thought up. I hope you stick around till then!

And review, please XD

~LouiLuvr