head. âRock doesnât know who won. Sheâs just feeling defeated.â
Gracie looked puzzled. âDa feeted? Whatâs wrong with da feet?â she asked Rochelle, staring at her toes. âAre they hurting you? Maybe you should stretch?â
Rochelle laughed and gave Gracie a hug. âWhat would I do without you, Gracie?â
âYouâd have a ketchup-less life, thatâs for sure,â Scarlett said, and chuckled.
The Divas waited anxiously as Rochelleâs mom tallied the votes. She double-checked everything before writing a name down on a slip of paper.
âWho got the solo?â Gracie asked, bouncing up and down. âI hope it was me!â
âYou were all absolutely brilliant,â Mrs. Hayes said. âBut I am sworn to secrecy.â She handed a sealed envelope to Rochelle. âGo ahead, honey. Read the results onstage before Gracie turns into a human pogo stick!â
Rochelle stepped nervously out into the spotlight once again. She adjusted the microphonestand and summoned everyone to attention. âExcuse me! Can we have everyone take their seats? We have the winner of the dance-off.â
She gently tore open the envelope and pulled out the folded slip of paper inside. âAnd the winner of the solo at Leaps and Bounds is . . .â She opened the paper and saw the name. It couldnât be!
âHayden Finley.â
Hayden bounded onto the stage, pumping his fist in the air. âYes! I won!â he exclaimed as the audience applauded wildly.
âEncore! Encore!â they called.
âWell, you should give them what they want,â Rochelle said.
âOnly if we do our duet,â Hayden replied. âCome on. Letâs give them a sneak peek. We have the smoke machine backstage.â
Rochelle panicked. âWait! I canât! Weâre not ready! We donât have our music.â
Scarlett handed her the CD Toni had given Rochelle for practice. âYouâre as ready as youâllever be. Go ahead, Rock. Show âem what you got.â
âBut I donât have my skirt,â Rochelle said nervously.
âHere, improvise,â Bria said, tying a ballet wrap sweater around her waist.
âBut, but . . .,â Rochelle said, trying to think of another excuse, just one more reason why she couldnât go out onstage and dance with Hayden.
He held his hand out to her. âYou coming?â He smiled and Rochelleâs hesitation melted away.
As their music started, Rochelle dashed out onto the stage, lunging at Hayden as he did his best to catch her in his arms. A white smoke billowed out of the machine, making it hard to see. Rochelle could barely find Hayden in all that fog, but she trusted he would be there beside her. Every time he moved forward, she stepped back; it was thrilling choreography that had the audience on the edge of their seats.
As she broke away into her
piqué
turns, she heard her fellow Divas cheering from the wings.She remembered everything Toni taught her. She pointed her right leg straight out into the floor and came up into a
passé
with her left. Then she spun, trying to keep her eyes focused on a spot on the back wall of the theater. But the smoke was stinging her eyes. She was concentrating so hard as she traveled across the stage that she didnât notice the sweater coming loose around her hips. It fell to the floor, and she didnât see it beneath her feet. She tripped and fell, landing on the stage with a hard
thud.
âOh, no!â Scarlett yelled. âStop the music!â As Bria raced for the sound system, Scarlett ran out to her best friend.
âAre you okay, Rock?â she asked, worried. She knew how embarrassing it was to fall during a routine. Sheâd done it herself in competition.
âIt hurts really bad,â Rochelle said, holding her ankle.
In seconds, Toni was up on the stage beside her, along with Rochelleâs mom.
Toni kneeled down
Learning to Kill: Stories