Step It Up Read Free

lecture about the importance of spotting and balance. Instead, she helped Gracie to her feet and suggested she picture her favorite gymnast, Gabby Douglas, standing in the front of the room. “Look right into Gabby’s eyes,” she told her. “Concentrate on that one spot.” It took Gracie about a dozen tries to get it right, and when she did, Miss Toni high-fived her.
    â€œNone of us get any sympathy if we fall on our butts,” Scarlett said. “Much less a high five. I don’t get it. Why is Gracie always the favorite?”
    Rochelle shrugged. “ ’Cause she’s younger. The first time my baby brother, Dylan, pooped in his diaper, my mom and dad jumped for joy and told him he was a genius. All he did was poop!”
    â€œLittle kids always get more attention—that’s just how it is,” Bria added.
    â€œYou’re a little sister. I don’t see you behaving like that and driving your sister up the wall,” Scarlett pointed out.
    â€œThat’s because my sister
is
a genius—and I don’t mean at pooping.” Bria laughed. “I always feel like I have to compete with her. Maybe that’s how Gracie feels around you.”
    Scarlett thought it over. That might have been the case a few months ago, when she was winning trophies for dance. But now they were both Divas, dancing on the same team, and Gracie was getting better by the day. It had been Scarlett’s idea to ask Miss Toni to let Gracie join the team—her tumbling was pretty awesome after all. Had she created a monster?
    â€œWhat do you always tell me when Liberty is making me nuts?” Rochelle asked her.
    Scarlett recalled the last time she had to seriously referee her teammates. Liberty decided that Rochelle’s jazz shoes “needed freshening.” So she put them outside on the windowsill during a torrential downpour. When Rochelle found them, they were a soggy mess and the soles were falling off.
    â€œI think I told her she should mind her own shoe business?” Scarlett said. “And I believe I stopped you from sticking her head under the faucet as payback?”
    Rochelle nodded. “I still say her face needed freshening … but I saw your point. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
    Scarlett nodded. “So you’re saying I should forget the whole Mr. Mustard thing and move on?”
    Bria pointed to the clock. “We all need to move—five minutes till rehearsal!”

Chapter 4
Monkey See, Monkey Do

    The girls rushed into the studio the next day and began stretching. Gracie squeezed in beside Scarlett at the
barre
. “I told Miss Toni and she loves the name Mr. Mustard,” she whispered. “She said it was really cute and clever.”
    Scarlett gritted her teeth and tried to focus on her cambre back . Maybe if she ignored Gracie, she’d go away and stop bugging her.
    â€œOkay, time to talk Dance Fusion,” Toni said, taking her place on a tall stool at the front of the room. “This is a big competition in Connecticut, and I want to pull out all the stops.”
    â€œWhat else is new?” Rochelle muttered under her breath.
    â€œRochelle and Liberty,” Toni said, “I am putting you two together in a duet.”
    Liberty’s face went pale. “A duet? With
her
?
Again?
”
    â€œIs there a problem? Because I’m happy to give Rochelle a solo if you’re not up for it,” Toni said, warning her.
    â€œFine,” Liberty grumped. “I’ll do it.” She turned to Rochelle. “I’m not about to let you have a solo.”
    â€œIt’s called ‘Going Bananas,’ ” Toni continued. “It’s an acro routine and you’re going to wear this.” She tossed Rochelle a bright yellow leotard.
    â€œOMG, that is hideous!” Liberty said. “I’ll look like a giant highlighter pen!”
    â€œOh no. That’s not your costume,”