Billionaires Don’t Fall For Awkward Girls by Emma Dalton
Chapter Thirteen
Today is a rainy Saturday, which means every kid is trudging into the dance studio with muddy shoes. The mop has been clutched in my hand practically all afternoon, it might as well become part of my body.
I normally don’t mind cleaning up—it is my job and I can’t blame little kids. But toward the end of the lessons, I notice that every time I clean up, the hallway floor gets dirty again five minutes later. Almost as if someone is purposely dirtying them after I clean up.
I hear a giggle and then two of the middle schoolers who share some of my classes race down the hallway, dirtying the floors again. Oh my gosh, they’re totally doing it on purpose. Wonderful, little Teagyns in the making. Trying not to groan, I mop it away and move further down the hallway.
As I’m rubbing away a stubborn stain on the floor, a flyer on the bulletin board creeps into the corner of my eye. My jaw falls open as I get to my feet and scan the words. It’s a dance competition sponsored by the Knight family. The winner gets twenty thousand dollars! And it’s for all kids, ages eighteen and under.
“Jasmine!” I burst into Studio A, where she’s giving a hip-hop class. “Oh, whoops. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. We’re finished up here.” She turns to her students. “I’ll see you on Monday.”
I march over to her with the flyer. “Is this for real?”
She takes it and smiles down at it. “Yes. Isn’t it wonderful? It’s a private competition, but all that publicity will bring many dancers to the studio.”
“And someone will win twenty grand!”
She laughs. “I know you can do it.”
The smile vanishes from my face. “Oh…um, I don’t know.”
“Register as a solo dancer,” she says. “With hard work, I know you can knock the judges off their feet.”
She’s sweet and supportive, but we both know I’m no way up to par with the other dancers at the studio. Still, it’s nice to have something to strive for. Twenty thousand dollars could do wonders for my family. I’ll need to bust my butt off, but I’ve got to at least try.
As I continue cleaning the studio for the rest of the afternoon, my head isn’t even here. All I think about is the dance competition and what routine I should do. I’ve never choreographed my own routine before, but I’ve always wanted to. Looks like now is the perfect opportunity. The time flies and soon I’m on the city bus on the way to Kara’s house. It’s been a while since my friends and I have gotten together at our houses.
I don’t even care that the bus is stuffy and smelly. My mind is still occupied with the routine. My body must be on autopilot because I don’t realize I’m standing before the Gander house until Kara opens the door and gives me a funny look. “Why didn’t you ring the bell?”
“Hmm?” I blink at her. “You say something?”
“You’re just standing out here. Ally saw you from the window.”
She’s got a bowl of popcorn in her hand. I reach for some and pop them into my mouth. “Yeah, I forgot to ring the bell.”
She laughs. “Come in.”
We walk into the house and meet Ally and Charlie who are seated on the couch with Netflix.
“Popcorn!” Charlie seizes the bowl from Kara and launches a handful into her mouth. “How was work, Dani?”
“Okay,” I say as I settle down next to her. “These two middle schoolers purposely got the floors muddy after I cleaned up.”
“Brats,” Charlie mutters.
“I know, right? But I’ve got some awesome news!”
They lean forward and I tell them about the flyer I saw on the bulletin board.
“Oh my gosh, that’s amazing!” Kara says. “You’re totally going to win.”
“Thanks for the encouragement, but I know I’m not even close to the other kids’ level. Still, it’ll be nice to strive for something and I’ll be able to choreograph my own routine, which is awesome.”
“I think you can win,” Ally says. “No, I know you can. Your kind heart and soul are reflected in your performances. I bet that’s what the judges are looking for.”
“Thanks. You guys are so sweet.” I grab a handful of popcorn.
“Will there be dance recruiters?” Kara asks.
“I don’t think so. It’s just a private event.”
“But maybe it can open some doors for you,” she says. “You never know who might be watching.”
“Ugh.” I fall back against the couch. “Now you’re making me nervous.”
“Sorry!”
“You’ve got nothing to be nervous about,” Charlie says with a smile. “Just continue being the amazing dancer that you are and everything will fall into place.”
“You guys are going to make me cry.”
There’s a small beep from the kitchen.
Kara leaps to her feet. “The cookies are done!” She dashes away.
“That’s what smells so good?” I inhale happily. “Smells like when my mom bakes. Which isn’t as often as she likes. She works too hard.” I lower my gaze to my lap. “That’s why I really want to win the twenty thousand, to give my parents a break.”
Ally stretches her arm over my shoulder. “We’ll help you any way we can.”
“Thanks.”
“Talk about perfection,” Kara says as she walks out of the kitchen with the cookies. “I think this is the best batch I’ve ever made. Bray will be so happy. Dig in, guys.”
We reach for the cookies and bite into them. Oh my gosh, this is the best cookie I’ve ever had in my life.
“You’re a queen,” Charlie says as she stuffs the rest of her cookie into her mouth and takes another. “You should open your own business.”
Kara’s face grows pink. “Yeah, right.” She bites into her cookie and her eyes nearly bullet off her face. “Holy crap, they are good!”
We laugh.
“If I fail as a reporter, maybe I should open my own bakery,” she muses as she lowers herself on the couch.
“You decided you want to be a reporter?” I ask.
“I don’t know. The paper has definitely picked up since we featured Brayden and people have complimented me on my articles…”
“Because they are amazing,” Charlie says.
“Thanks. I’m not sure what I want to do. I guess it depends if Bray gets picked up by a pro team and where we’ll live…”
I almost lose my jaw. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. You’re thinking way into the future.”
Her cheeks grow even redder. “I know. Ugh! I’m totally jinxing it.”
“No, you’re not,” Ally says. “You guys are written in the stars.”
Kara laughs. “Thanks. I know I’m thinking way into the future, but I can’t help it. Sometimes I lie in bed and think about us getting married and…ugh, I’m pathetic.”
“Of course you’re not!” I say. “That’s so sweet. I bet Brayden does the same.”
“You think so?”
“Of course! Especially because he has an awesome girlfriend like you.”
She smiles as her eyes grow unfocused, like she floated off to Planet Love and is envisioning her future.
“So until Kara returns to Earth…” I reach for the TV remote. “Let’s see what’s new on Netflix.”