Showstopper by Sheryl Berk Page A

back.”
    Scarlett jumped in between them—as she always did—to referee. As the unofficial team captain it was her job to keep the peace and remind them of what Miss Toni would expect. Toni ran a tight ship, and wouldn’t stand for anyone rocking the boat.
    â€œGuys,” Scarlett said, “do you recall what Miss Toni threatened to do to anyone on her team who isn’t getting along?”
    â€œShe said they won’t be allowed to go to Smooth Moves in Las Vegas,” Gracie piped up.
    Both Rochelle and Liberty backed down—there was no way either of them was goingto miss out on a trip to Vegas—or one of the biggest dance competitions in the country. And they knew Toni meant business when she made a threat.
    Anya strolled into the dressing room with her dance bag slung over her shoulder. “What did I miss?” she said, noticing Rochelle and Liberty glaring at each other.
    â€œOh, just the usual,” Scarlett said.
    Anya turned to Liberty. “Did you insult Rock again?”
    â€œShe started it,” Liberty said grumpily. “But I’m willing to forgive and forget. I’m the bigger person.”
    â€œYou’re certainly the bigger mouth,” Rochelle muttered under her breath.
    Bria tried to change the subject—anything to keep those two from fighting. “Anya, did you hear the news? Miss Toni gave us Presidents’ Week off! The whole week!”
    Anya’s eyes lit up. “Really? I’ve been dying to go home to L.A. and see my family.”
    â€œYou miss them a lot, don’t you?” Scarlett asked her.
    â€œI do. Especially my big brother, Alexei. He’s the coolest.” She found a photo on her phone of a tall teenage boy with blond hair and blue eyes at the beach and showed them.
    Rochelle grabbed the phone out of her hands. “Wow. You never told us you have a cute brother!”
    â€œAnd
you
have a boyfriend,” Bria reminded her. “What would Hayden think of you drooling over Anya’s brother?”
    â€œI wasn’t drooling,” Rochelle said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “I was just looking.”
    â€œAlexei’s an amazing surfer—he taught me how to ride waves just like him,” Anya told them. “He’s going to be a really famous filmmaker one day—he’s always shooting movies. He even has one of those cameras you wear on your head. He wore it last week skating down the pier in Santa Monica. He got the most amazing video of people’s feet!”
    â€œHe sounds weird,” Liberty interjected. “Who films feet?”
    â€œHe’s just really creative, and he’s always there for me,” Anya explained. “When my parents didn’t want me to come join Divas full-time here on the East Coast, he convinced them that my mom and I should move here. He’s my biggest fan.”
    Scarlett smiled. “Then you should text him and let him know you’ll be home soon,” she said. “Get the surfboards ready.”

The Luck of the Draw

    When they reported to the studio for technique class, the girls could hardly contain their excitement.
    â€œWhy do I hear chattering?” Toni asked. She had her back to the class and was studying her binder filled with dance notations and schedules. “This is a
silent
warm-up.”
    The girls obeyed but Anya couldn’t help beaming as she stretched at the
barre
.
    â€œVery nice, Anya,” Toni said, looking up and noticing her
cambre back
. “Your flexibility has improved a lot these past few months.”
    Toni took a seat on her stool at the front of the studio. “I suppose you’ve all heard the news by now. I’ve decided to close the studio over Presidents’ Week for vacation.”
    Gracie’s hand shot up. “Liberty’s taking me to meet Beyoncé in Hollywood!”
    Liberty groaned. “I never said that.”
    â€œI’m sure