“It wasn’t my idea.” Toni nodded at Jane.

  “Was it your idea to pay the actors to cheer for your team?” Justine continued. “So what’s the going rate for fake fans?”

  Mandy laughed. “That’s so funny! The Divas have fake fans!”

  Liberty stepped forward. “We couldn’t even pay people to be your fans,” she said. “There’s not enough money in the world for it.”

  “Oh, nice one,” Rochelle said, applauding Liberty. The girl really had a gift for zingers!

  “We’ll have tons of fans when we beat you,” Phoebe told them. She struck a pose for the paparazzi. “Over here, guys. You should be taking pics of the real stars of Electric Dance!”

  The photographers suddenly rushed at City Feet. Addison, Regan, Mandy, and Phoebe smiled and waved.

  “Hey! Those are not your puppyrazzi!” Gracie protested.

  “It’s paparazzi,” Scarlett corrected her. “And they can have them.”

  “Enough!” Miss Toni snapped. “Let’s go inside and get to work.”

  Toni had booked a small extra room for the girls to run their routines, but Jane had other plans.

  “I got you the Crystal Ballroom.” She smiled. “It’s much bigger and has such a wonderful ambiance.”

  Toni sighed. “The room I booked would have done just fine, Jane,” she said. Then added through gritted teeth, “But thanks.”

  Rochelle was the first one up for practice. She still had no idea what she was wearing for her solo. Toni loved to keep her guessing.

  “So, am I dancing in this?” she asked, pointing to her red crop top and shorts. “Or you got something else for me?”

  J. J. carried in a black wardrobe bag and unzipped it. “I thought this would do the trick.” He pulled out a black leather jacket, black leggings, and a colorful graphic T-shirt—just like the outfit he’d worn the first day she met him. “Ya like?”

  “It’s so cool,” she said, trying the jacket on for size. “It rocks.”

  “Then it’s perfect,” Toni said. “Now let’s hope your dance is perfect as well.”

  Rochelle ran through the moves over and over, with J. J. shouting out the counts. When she was done, she collapsed on the floor waiting for Toni’s feedback. Instead, there was silence.

  “Well?” J. J. finally said. “Say something.”

  “Good,” Toni replied. “It’s good.”

  Rochelle sat up. “Good? Just good? It’s awesome! It’s crazy amazing! It’s gonna knock those judges out of their seats!”

  J. J. nodded. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

  But Toni refused to elaborate further. “Let’s just hope it’s good enough to beat City Feet.”

  The Divas had never seen a dance competition quite like Electric Dance. The teams pulled out all the stops: there were lights, there were tricks, and there were over-the-top costumes.

  “What is that supposed to be?” Bria asked as a giant white marshmallow suit made its way past her. Three boys trailed behind it, in beige jumpsuits, wearing backpacks.

  “I could be wrong, but I think it’s Ghostbusters,” Rochelle said.

  “Ooh, I love that movie!” Anya added. “Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!”

  Scarlett surveyed the backstage area. There were a lot of salutes to Hollywood—both old and new. She spotted a teen duet between “Scarlett O’Hara” and “Rhett Butler,” a group dance to a Harry Potter theme, and a Shirley Temple Junior Solo.

  “What’s with the giant lollipop?” Rochelle asked her. “And all those curls?”

  “‘On the Good Ship Lollipop,’” Scarlett explained. “We have some serious competition here.”

  Toni looked just as concerned, especially when she saw Justine and City Feet take their places in the wings.

  “What is that?” Liberty asked, noticing the stagehands decorating the ceiling with giant gold rings. The girls were each dressed in a simple gray cloak.

  “Lord of the Rings,” Toni said, and sighed.

  Liberty studied the drab costumes and made a face. “Don’t they have any mirrors at Stinky Feet Studios?”

  “You know Justine always has a trick up her sleeve,” Scarlett said.

  As the music thundered over the speakers, the girls burst onstage. Mandy reached up as a pair of gold rings floated down from the ceiling. She whipped off her cape to reveal a gold sequin leotard.

  “She’s going to do a gymnastics routine on the rings,” Anya marveled. “Wow. This is like Cirque du Soleil!”

  Gracie pushed through the Divas to get a better look. “I can do that,” she said. “My gymnastics teacher taught me how.”

  “Now you tell us?” Liberty complained.

  While Mandy twirled high above the stage, the rest of the girls de-cloaked to reveal gold-fringed skirts and halter tops. They raced around the stage doing an impressive acro routine of leaps, splits, and jumps. Regan and Addison performed a series of one-handed cartwheels while Phoebe showed off her fouettés.

  “I lost count. How many turns was that?” Bria asked.

  “A gazillion.” Rochelle sighed. “They are really kicking our butts.”

  At the end of the dance, the judges gave them a standing ovation. The team strolled offstage past the Divas.

  “Top that!” Addison boasted. “If we were in the Olympics, that would have been a gold medal.”

  Rochelle elbowed Liberty. “You want to answer that one, or should I?”

  “Be my guest,” Liberty said, fuming. “I’m too disgusted.”

  Rochelle cleared her throat. “If you think your Lord of the Losers number is going to even come close to touching us, you’re sadly mistaken.”

  “We’ll see.” Phoebe grinned. She looked at Bria’s Charlie Chaplin costume. “Too bad that other team seems to have the same idea as you.” She pointed to the wings where a group of boys were waiting to go on. They were dressed in black suits, hats, canes, and mustaches.

  “Oh no!” Scarlett exclaimed. “It’s the Little Tramp!”

  “It’s actually five of them.” Bria gulped. “An army of Charlies!”

  “Let’s not panic.” Scarlett tried to calm them down. “Our routine is really amazing.”

  “Performing a jazz routine called ‘Funny You Should Mention It,’ please welcome the Oh Boy! Dance Studio from Omaha, Nebraska.”

  The five Chaplins lined up onstage and launched into a slapstick comedy jazz routine. One of them even sat on a judge’s lap!

  “Oh, this is just awful!” Bria cried.

  “No, it’s really good,” Gracie said. “These guys are so funny!”

  The number ended with one of the boys getting hit in the face with a whipped-cream pie.

  Gracie burst out laughing. “I love them!”

  Scarlett looked out at the audience, which was applauding wildly. “Yeah, the audience loves them, too. And you know Miss Toni always says that the judges like to see boy dance teams.”

  “I saw them and I don’t like ’em,” Rochelle said. “We’re gonna look ridiculous following them with another Charlie Chaplin routine!”

  Unfortunately, the Divas had no choice. The stagehands were already setting up their props, and the announcer called them to the wings.

  “Dancing a contemporary routine called ‘Listen Up,’ please put your hands together for the Dance Divas!”

  It was so silent as Bria waddled out onstage that a pin drop could have been heard. She began to worry that having no music might have been a huge mistake. The audience looked confused.

  “Go! Go!” J. J. whispered, pushing the rest of them out onstage. As Scarlett did her grand jeté, a strobe light pulsed above the stage. The effect made it look as if they were all in an old film from the 1920s. The sound of wind whistling came over the speakers, then cans being kicked and crows cawing. It was eerie and sad at the same time. Bria crouched down as the girls closed in around her. They tugged at her clothes and taunted her. Then, there was a single clap of thunder. Bria stretched her hands over her head and stood up. The Divas shed their black-and-white dresses to reveal rainbow-beaded leotards beneath them. The entire stage lit up in a kaleidoscope of colored lights. Anya and Liberty lifted Bria up and hoisted her onto Scarlett’s and Rochelle’s shoulders. Gracie pulled a red rose from behind her back and handed it to her. Their fingers touched as Bria took the rose and sniffed it. The words DIGNITY, COMPASSION, and LOVE flashed behind them with images of the Divas working at the soup kitchen. Then the entire stage went pitch-black except for a single spotlight shining on the rose in Bria’s outstretched hand.

  When the lights came on for their bows, the audience was already on its feet cheering. Miss Toni looked pleased.

  J. J. greeted them backstage. “You girls kicked it!” he said. “That was cray-zee to the tenth degree!”

  Bria peeled the mustache off her lip. “It was pretty good, huh?” she said breathlessly.

  “It was so good that there’s no sign of those Feet anywhere,” Rochelle said, looking around for their rivals.

  “We must have scared off those Lord of the Ring-Dings!” Liberty added.

  But if there was one thing the Divas had learned in the past, it was to never underestimate their rivals. The announcer had already called for the solo and duet competitors to line up backstage. Yet there was no sign of City Feet and their coach.

  “I have a bad feeling about this,” Bria whispered to Scarlett. “A really, really bad feeling.”

  Toni ducked backstage to congratulate the girls on their performance. “I saw a few glitches, but overall, great job,” she said. “I think it had a very strong message about helping the homeless, and the judges seemed very moved.”

  J. J. agreed. “If that doesn’t win first place, I’ll eat Bria’s hat,” he said, taking her black bowler and placing it on his head.

  “Then I hope you’re hungry,” said a voice behind him. It was Justine.

  “Your little statement about the plight of the homeless was very touching,” she addressed Toni. “It broke my heart.”

  “I didn’t know you had one,” Toni fired back. “Nice to know.”

  Justine didn’t seem at all fazed. “Cute, Toni. Very cute. But you should really put your money where your mouth is.”

  “Meaning?” Toni asked.

  “Meaning I just had a lovely chat with the judges. City Feet had a group meeting and unanimously voted to donate any and all of its winnings today to the St. Ignatius Homeless Shelter.”

  “Hold up! That’s our homeless shelter!” Rochelle protested.

  “Is it? That’s so interesting!” Justine added. “Because when I called them just now, they said you hadn’t promised them any of your prize winnings. They were so happy to hear from us, and so touched with our generosity.”

  “We spent hours working there!” Bria said. “You haven’t done anything for those people.”

  “Well, we are doing something now.” Justine smiled. “And I can’t tell you how impressed the Electric Dance judges are. I do believe it earned us some serious brownie points.”

  “You can’t do that!” Bria exclaimed.

  “No, Bria, they can and they should,” Toni corrected her. “I wish we had thought of it first. I’m not going to stop City Feet from giving much-needed money to St. Ignatius.”

  “I’m so glad.” Justine smiled. “But just so we’re clear, you couldn’t stop us even if you tried.”

  “You always did like taking credit for other people’s ideas,” Toni said, tossing back, “I haven’t forgotten about Spring Recital.”

  Bria looked confused. “What’s she talking about?” she whispered to Scarlett.

  “Beats me,” Scarlett replied. “Toni and Justine have a lot of history.”

  “Oh puh-lease!” Justine waved her hand in the air, dismissing Toni’s comment. “Are you still holding a grudge for that silly little mistake on the ABC program?”

  “Silly mistake? You told them to print that you choreographed the entire ballet—when it was my senior project!” Toni shouted.

  “Are we talking about something that happened in high school?” J. J. stepped between the two dance coaches to referee. “Ladies, that is water under the bridge.”

  “You had no right trying to gain favor with the judges for my team’s hard work,” Toni insisted. It was a good thing J. J. was in her way. She wanted to wipe that smile off of Justine’s face!

  Justine batted her eyelashes. “Toni, haven’t you figured it out yet? I am always one step ahead of you.” She skipped back to the audience.

  “Wow. Did anyone else feel a chill when she walked by?” J. J. said. “I wondered why everyone calls her Mean Justine. Now I know.”

  “It’s so not fair!” Bria protested.

  “Like you’re surprised?” Liberty said. “Does City Feet ever play fairly?”

  “We’ve done all we can,” Toni said. “Right now, we just need to focus on the rest of the competition. They haven’t won yet—so let’s not jump to conclusions.” She and J. J. went off to run through the cues and props for the next routines with the stagehands.

  Bria shook her head. “But we’re the ones who did the whole number about the homeless. We’re the ones who volunteered. They couldn’t care less. They’re only donating the money to impress the judges.”

  “Maybe the judges will see through their pitiful attempt to one-up us,” Scarlett suggested.

  “There has to be something else we could do,” Bria said.

  “We could tell the judges we’ll donate our winnings, too,” Anya suggested.

  A lightbulb went off over Bria’s head. “Or we could donate even more money than City Feet promised and really make a difference for the shelter.”

  Rochelle looked puzzled. “Hey, Bri, did you win the lottery and forget to tell us? We don’t have any money.”

  Bria searched the audience for the person she was looking for, the one person she knew who had the connections to pull off a scheme even sneakier than Justine’s. She spied Jane Montgomery in the back of the audience, texting away on her cell phone.

  “Come with me,” she said grabbing Liberty by the hand. “I think I know how to fix this!”

  There was no time to wonder what Bria and Liberty were up to. Scarlett and Rochelle had to go head-to-head against Phoebe in the Junior Solo category.

  “What is she supposed to be?” Rochelle asked, peering out onstage. Phoebe was wearing a black tuxedo jacket and adjusting the cuff links at her wrists.

  “She’s Bond, James Bond,” Anya said, reading the program.

  “She’s boring, SO BORING!” Rochelle added, watching Phoebe’s contemporary routine. “I’m falling asleep.”

  “Yeah, it’s just missing something,” Scarlett agreed.

  Phoebe’s steps were sleek and technically perfect with an amazing battement combination in the middle. Yet it lacked energy, enthusiasm, and excitement: Miss Toni’s “3E’s” for winning.

  Anya checked the program. “You guys are up next,” she told Rochelle and Scarlett.

  Scarlett made sure her blond wig was pinned tightly in place and her red lipstick wasn’t smudged. She didn’t need a fashion faux pas.

  “You can do it,” Rochelle said, hugging her friend. “Don’t forget to do the face.”

  Scarlett took the center of the stage in her pointe shoes. She tried to remember everything Toni had told her: be strong yet fragile, graceful yet sad. She reminded herself to think of the moment her parents told her they were divorcing. She felt her eyes sting.

  “Wow, she is so into it,” Anya whispered in the wings.

  “She does good tippy-toes,” Gracie added, referring to Scarlett’s bourrées across the stage.

  Scarlett finished with a grand jeté that looked as if she was flying through the air. The audience applauded wildly as she kneeled, stretched her arms out to the judges, and raised her eyes upward. The spotlight got smaller until it only focused on her face. Scarlett could feel the tears spilling down her cheeks.

  “You were awesome!” Rochelle said, catching her bestie as she ran backstage.

  “Really? I was so swept up in the emotion, I think I was a little wobbly on the pirouettes,” Scarlett replied.

  “You were the embodiment of Marilyn,” said a voice behind her. Toni swooped in to congratulate her. “That was an emotional tour de force. The judges were passing around the tissue box.”

  “And now it’s your turn,” J. J. told Rochelle. “Do me proud, Rock.”

  Rochelle nodded. She felt the butterflies flutter in the pit of her stomach and her heart began to pound. She held on to that nervous energy and used it to explode onto the stage with a handspring.

  “Whoa!” Gracie gasped. “That was cool!”

  “She’s fierce,” J. J. said, grinning. His prized pupil had the audience on their feet, clapping to the beat as she rocked it out. She kicked her feet straight in front of her, then shuffled left and right before executing a perfect back walkover.

  “Was that the Cupid Shuffle?” Scarlett asked.

  “I prefer the J. J. Shuffle,” the choreographer replied. “I gave it my own twist.” Rochelle suddenly jumped up on the toes of her sneakers and spun in a circle.

  The judges jumped out of their seats and clapped enthusiastically.

  “Well, whaddaya know, a standing O!” J. J. exclaimed. “Not bad, eh, Toni?”

  Toni kept a perfectly straight face. “I’ll let you know when I see their scores.”

  Rochelle raced back to the wings, still pumped from the routine.

  “That was the best I have ever danced!” she told her teachers and teammates.

  “Really? Because I saw sloppy feet and bent legs all over the place,” Toni corrected her. “It was exuberant, but far from technically perfect.”

  Rochelle looked at J. J., hoping for a better review. “What did you think?”

  “I think the Rochelle Shuffle may be the hot new dance,” he said, winking. “I saw those judges shaking their booties.”

  Rochelle sighed. At least someone approved.

  “Don’t take it personally,” Scarlett whispered. “Toni’s just distracted and upset over the whole St. Ignatius thing.”

 

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