Chapter 30

Once I had calmed down enough, Melody took time to speak with me about Jill's actions. She let me sleep about twelve hours, though Misty did wake me up a few times just to change her cuddling position.

"Are you sure that you want to go back?" Melody asked me, face grim. "It's a big deal that you saw Mom, and from what I hear, it didn't take that much to trigger that panic attack."

I nodded. "Believe me, I've thought about it. I would certainly not return if Jill were around at all, but apparently Kendall's dad is just going to drop her off from now on, like a normal dancer. That's one issue solved. I am quite concerned about how easily I had a panic attack, and will definitely speak to Molly about it. Maybe try a new medication, something stronger."

"That woman laid her hand on you, you need to sue her," Melody told me. "And if the producers find a way to get her back, then you can sue them."

I sighed. "You're definitely right, Mel, but I really don't want to deal with it right now. Could we compromise on a restraining order? That could keep her away from the studio."

"Talk to your lawyer, he's the expert," Melody said. "I'm glad that you're taking this so seriously."

I scoffed. "Mel, I'm the one that almost died and actually went deaf. I understand the implications of this."

I spent a lovely day at home, doing some dancing, but also schoolwork. I also had a lengthy therapy session. Maddie called to let me know that the group dance won and my aunt sent me a video of them doing it excellently and on time with the music and each other. I was able to get back to dancing on Monday while the others went on the "Anderson" show, as I just didn't feel up to it. We were all back together for Pyramid. Yay.

"Are you okay? I am so sorry about my mom," Kendall rushed out when she saw me. I smiled gently at her.

"It's fine, Kendall, you can't control her actions. I'm fine, I just needed a few days to myself. Good job on the group, it looked really pretty on the video."

We walked in a bit down in energy, but all waved to Abby and Gia anyway. Abby began talking. "Now, as you all can see, Joanne is here, while Jill is not. Jill's actions were out of hand and while Joanne is okay, that's not ever going to be tolerated here. For anyone. Understood?" Abby glared at the mothers, who nodded seriously. "Time for Pyramid. First, Maddie, you fell out of those turns. They should be easy for you. Next is Paige, you were good, but the trio was second. Next is Chloé, you were a standout group leader, but again, the trio got second for the first time. Next is Kendall. You did get third and made a few mistakes, but I also saw a lot of improvement and you were good in the group, so I was happy with you. Your mother, not so much. Brooke, you're the first person in the middle. Good in the group, great in the trio. Next is Ursula, I really thought that you stood out in the group, and you were very fluid. You were the best choice to lead that trio. Next is Nia, first place, I was very happy with you. You're back to winning, and you kept up well in the trio. The second person on the pyramid is Joanne. You were a pro teaching the group and two solos, and did very well with the duet. I don't normally like kids crying, but you had a good reason. You and Mackenzie beat the unbeaten trio. And on top of the pyramid for the first time... Mackenzie!"

I picked Kenzie up in a hug and everyone clapped and cheered for her. "Mackenzie, you won with a Contemporary solo, with the duet, and with the group. Good job, I'm very proud of you. Now, we are still in Pittsburgh this week, attending Fire and Ice. Joanne, you had a rough few days, but I need you to get back up on the horse. You will have a solo, as will Ursula and Brooke. I'm testing my oldest. Brooke, you are not in the group this week. The group dance is about getting married."

"Aren't I too young to get married?" Kenzie asked. We all laughed.

"We're all too young to get married," I told her.

"You are all getting married in the group," Abby continued. "The Candy Apples will be there, so you'd better win." She signaled for the cameras to stop. "Maddie and Chloé, you will have solos and a duet. Joanne and Ursula, you'll compete the duet that you learned last week. Everyone get to work, the group dance is up first then you all have classes."

The group dance was just adorable this week. Paige and Nia were the leads, and we were all excited about getting married. It was Musical Theater, which I didn't do very often but wasn't awful at. Since I didn't have a class for a bit after that, I was called in for interviews. They asked me about the dances, then about Jill.

"What happened? Why did you freak out?"

I sighed. "So, I've alluded to this before, but my parents were very abusive. I haven't lived with them for a few years but struggle mentally because of it, and Jill combined with not sleeping well this week set me off. I'm okay, but panic attacks are tiring and it's frustrating to have one after making a lot of progress in the past year or so."

"Are you upset at Jill?"

"Of course I'm upset at Jill. First off, Kendall did really well and I was proud of my choreography, so the whole argument was silly to begin with. Secondly, yelling at and grabbing at someone isn't okay no matter what their past is."

"Thank you for talking about that. How do you feel about your place on the pyramid?"

I blinked, surprised at the sudden change in tone. "It's higher than I expected because I wasn't in the group nor did I have a solo. I'm really happy for Kenzie, though, she's been working really hard."

The interview ended as I had Senior Company class. We were working on a Contemporary piece about sisters torn apart, and I was one of the leads, which was very exciting. Unexpectedly, though, Peyton was not in class. This posed a big problem because she was also a lead.

"Where is Miss Ackerman? This is unacceptable," the teacher, Linea Green, groaned.

"She wasn't in Tap either," Nina said. "Can I call or text her?"

"We can't really continue without her," Ms. Green allowed.

The news from Peyton made Nina's jaw dropped. "Holy shit- sorry- she's at the Candy Apples!"

"For real? Not just show drama?" I looked at Peyton's text. "Oh, wow. This won't go down well."

"What's with that face, Joanne?" Abby quizzed me the moment I came in to learn my solo.

"Peyton's joined the Candy Apples," I blurted. "Nina texted her, and apparently her mom forced her into it."

"That bitch," Abby swore. "I'll bet that Peyton has a solo, so you'll really need to beat her. You and Brooke and Ursula. You had better learn the dance then. I'm excited about this one. Have you watched the movie 'The Mist?'"

"Ursula showed it to me and I didn't sleep."

"Well, don't watch it again, then. The main character, David Drayton, is who you're going to be playing. You fight to stay alive and to keep your kid alive the whole dance, then right at the end, just before rescue, you have to kill them. I need to see that emotion."

"Oh, wow. I assume this is Contemporary?"

"Yes indeed. Let's get started."

I loved these types of solos, and though it was hard, I was able to pick up the moves by the end of our session. Because the Paris YAGP Semi-Final was in just a few weeks, I was dedicating most of my time to getting the two dances competition-ready. The stakes were higher now, I'd been third at the Final and there were more external expectations on me. That said, I wasn't expecting to be at my best at the semi-finals now that I knew that I could make the final.

The week passed by, and I slowly started to feel more human. Panic attacks always left me rattled and Melody would watch over me for a rather unnecessary period of time so that she could comfort me if I had nightmares. Ursula also stayed for a night, though Misty was none too happy with me paying attention to my girlfriend over her. What a funny creature.

Luckily Cathy always amused me, and all of the Candy Apples dancers were really nice, so I didn't feel tense when the CADC and the ALDC met each other in a competition hallway.

"Ah, look who it is. As you can see, we have a new member," Cathy crowed, pointing to Peyton, who did not look comfortable at all.

"Yes, I heard of your betrayal. That's okay, you still won't win with her," Abby jibed. "What age division are you in, Peyton?"

"Teen," she said awkwardly.

"Both Ursula and Brooke will beat you, then," Kelly said smugly. Peyton looked hurt, but I was already inside the dressing room, not wanting to deal with the drama. I had a solo costume to change into. It was an interesting one, cargo pants and a men's shirt, and I barely needed any makeup done. Brooke, on the other hand, had to be covered in paint because she was acting as a mural for her Jazz/Acro solo. Ursula, who had a Lyrical dance, and I looked on with amusement as two crew members and Kelly were trying to get her costume done with limited time.

"Brooke, stay still, you're going to make it look weird. Bryan, please stay within the lines. Are you filming, Paige? Come on."

"Sorry, it's funny," Paige laughed. "I can help if you want, Mom."

"No, three's too many. Oh, what I do for this studio," Kelly sighed dramatically, and even Abby didn't take it as anything other than a melodramatic moment.

Brooke went out right before me and from what I could see did a great job, and the paint really worked. "This is entry number twenty-five, Joanne with 'The Mist!'"

I entered the stage, looking around in fear, before clutching an imaginary child while crouching on the ground. As the dance went on, I had to execute some pretty difficult moves while acting out trying to save the kid. Then, at the end, I lost the child and looked over at the judges (the rescue truck, presumably) and acted out breaking down. If the cheering from the audience was any indication, it had gone well.

"So good!" Brooke tried to hug me, but I stepped away.

"Don't get paint on me. Thank you, you were great as well."

"This is entry number twenty-six, Ursula with 'Lost Love!'"

Ursula was much improved from two weeks before, and really sold her number with great technique and fluidity. I was very proud of her.

Peyton's solo a few numbers later wasn't well choreographed and she made a few mistakes. I felt bad for her- she hadn't wanted this. Maddie and Chloé did well with their solos, and the duet, while Ursula and I went out and delivered our Contemporary duet in time with each other and the music. Abby seemed happy with all of us, so that was good.

"You have got to be better on camera," she told Maddie. "That solo was stellar, but the last time a solo was aired, you rushed and made errors."

Maddie nodded. "I understand, Miss Abby."

"Good. All the Juniors will have solos next week, so you'd better step it up. Brooke, I thought you were stellar. I need to see that level in Contemporary and Lyrical, got it? Ursula, that was much better. You've certainly redeemed yourself from last time out. Joanne, that was amazing. You told the story and were pretty close to perfect. The solos have set a high bar, and now we have a group to win."

We all wore adorable wedding dresses as our costumes, and were in a happy mood backstage. I laughed quietly when I saw the Candy Apples' costumes.

"Is your dance about a funeral? Ours is about a wedding."

Opal cracked a smile. "That's pretty funny. May the best dance win."

We went out first and while there were a few errors, we did a good job overall. The Candy Apples were kind of a mess, as to keep the age down they had Vivi and Justice, another seven-year-old, run in and out. At one point Opal nearly tripped over Vivi.

Awards were up next, and we sat right next to the Candy Apples. I chatted with Taylor and Opal, not bothering to hide that I was friends with them, until the ceremony began. For Junior solos, Maddie beat Chloé by a close margin and they both scored in the high 280's. Their duet won and so did Ursula and I's duet. Then it was time for the Teen solos to be announced.

"In sixth place, from the Candy Apples Dance Company, it's Peyton!"

Peyton looked upset when she took her award. I couldn't blame her, she was a better dancer than that.

"Second place by three-tenths of a point, it's Brooke from the ALDC! Your first place champion, scoring 290.4, is Ursula from the ALDC!"

Yay! Both Ursula and Brooke were happy with the result.

Opal placed fourth and Taylor was second in Senior solos. "Your first place champion and overall winner, also receiving the Extension award, scoring a perfect 300 points, it's Joanne from the ALDC!"

I stood, caught off guard with the unexpected perfect score. "Thank you to my teachers, family, and God," I said into the microphone when prompted.

The tension rose once again; it was time for Junior Groups. "In ninth place, it's the Candy Apples Dance Center... your first place champion is the Abby Lee Dance Company!"

We had a clean sweep! It was a happy, short bus ride back home.