Dance Team by Charnan Simon Page B

thought she’d be when I called her to say I made Southside’s dance team. It was almost like she was jealous of me for getting on the team on my first try. Or like she was mad at herself for wasting all those years coaching me, just so I could be on a rival squad.
    Olivia sat waiting for my answer.
    â€œLeah Velasco,” I said reluctantly. “She was our next-door neighbor at our old house.”
    Olivia stopped chewing. “Leah Velasco!” she exclaimed. “
The
Leah Velasco? Captain of the Northside dance team? You know
that
Leah?”
    I sighed. Everyone on the Southside dance team knew about Leah. She was a star. Leah was really the reason Northside had won regionals the last three years running.
    â€œYep,” I answered. “That Leah. We’ve been friends forever. But I don’t know if she’d be too happy about helping me with my pirouettes. It’s not like we’re on the same team or anything. We’re competitors now, not just friends.”
    Mom frowned. “Oh, Leah’s not like that,” she said. “Of course she’d be happy to help you!”
    Mom’s been friends with Leah’s mom as long as I’ve been friends with Leah. Leah’s like a second daughter to her. And Mom can never believe anything bad about anyone. She’s as loyal as they come.
    I decided not to argue. “We’ll see,” I said. “In the meantime, Olivia and I can practice on our own.” My own loyalties were definitely mixed. “Olivia’s really good too.”
    It was almost funny, watching Mom try to decide who to defend. “Of course she is,” she said warmly. “I’m sure the two of you will nail those pirouettes.”
    â€“ – – – –
    Olivia and I practiced for over half an hour, and we didn’t nail them—not exactly. But I felt a lot more confident that I
could
nail them, if I kept practicing.
    â€œSee you tomorrow morning,” Olivia said as she was leaving. “I’ll ask my brother if he can give us a ride. He goes early for cross-country practice anyhow. And wait till we tell Camilla that you know Leah Velasco! She’ll be wild—Leah’s been her archrival since forever!”
    My heart sank as I shut the front door. Why did I think that telling Camilla I knew Leah might be a bad idea?

M
    y alarm went off way too early the next morning. I barely managed to drag myself out of bed and into my dance clothes before Olivia knocked at the front door. I grabbed an energy bar and my water bottle and slipped out of the house.
    Camilla got the practice under way at 6:45 exactly. She worked us hard, and I was already feeling sore at the first water break.
    â€œCamilla!” Olivia said excitedly as we pulled out our water bottles. “Guess who’s been friends with Leah Velasco since she was a baby?”
    â€œWho?” Camilla demanded.
    â€œIzzy!” Olivia said. For practically the first time in our friendship, I was annoyed with her. The news wasn’t really Olivia’s to share.
    â€œYou know Leah Velasco?” Camilla asked. “How?”
    I explained about how we used to live near each other. “She used to teach me dance routines,” I said lamely.
    Camilla pounced. “What kind of routines? Do you know what Northside’s doing for regionals?”
    â€œNo!” I was alarmed. “We just used to fool around, and Leah would show me steps and stuff.”
    Camilla bit her tongue. I could just imagine her thinking,
If Leah taught you steps, why aren’t you a better dancer?
    But that wasn’t where Camilla’s mind was going. “This could be really good,” she said. She grinned at me. “You could find out about Northside’s plans for regionals and give us an edge!”
    A senior named Jaci picked up on Camilla’s idea. “Pick Leah’s brain,” she said. “Find out what music they’re