Practice Makes Perfect (Completed)

Chapter 4

Allison was uncomfortable in a tutu, but she had to admit that the girl leaving the stage looked more uncomfortable. She seemed to collapse the moment the curtain closed, and she seemed unsteady even once she was on her feet again. 

"What happened?" Tabitha asked, watching the same girl stumble towards backstage.

Allison didn't know what to tell her. "She's the last of the solo dancers. She was just really upset she couldn't have her team with her onstage, and she needed to get back there to see them."

Tabitha seemed to accept the explanation, and if she had not, she said nothing.

There was a clock above the curtain, counting down towards what Allison could only assume would be the opening of the curtains. It was already near zero, and Tabitha was still backstage with her.

"I guess we should get out there." 

At the first sound of permission, Tabitha was center-stage. She even stood on her tiptoes as the clock counted down, looking almost like a real ballerina as she held her hands above her head. When Allison mimicked the younger girl, she thought even she could pass as a dancer.

As the clock hit zero, the curtain began to open, and the full scope of the theater was revealed. Each seat was packed, and the theater seemed to stretch on into the distance for miles. Allison was no stranger to performing, but never once had the audience been so full.

It made her feel almost bad that she was going to make a fool of herself.

Luckily, she didn't have much time to think about it. Before she could lose her nerve, a sugary pop song by Tabitha's favorite band came on the speakers. With the eyes of the crowd upon them, they had no choice but to start dancing.

Without thinking, Allison dropped into the splits. Tabitha twirled around. The crowd was quiet, and Allison tried to ignore their confusion. This was Tabitha's moment, not theirs.

In the spotlight, Tabitha thrived. She had neither the shoes nor the experience to dance on pointe, but she had watched thousands of ballerinas on TV, and she could mimic them well.  Allison realized she just ought to step back and let Tabitha thrive, but the girl grabbed her hand and urged her to her feet.

"Show them your handstand." Tabitha suggested, never stopping her motion.

Allison was all too happy to have something to show off, so she obliged. As the song reached the upbeat chorus, she kicked up into a handstand and observed the crowd from upside down. Tabitha continued dancing.

As the she observed the crowd from her new vantage point, she listened to them as well, and she didn't like what she was hearing.

"Is this some sort of joke?"

"Do they even know this is a ballet competition?"

"They're just wasting everyone's time."

She had to remind herself that this wasn't about the people in the crowd, or even about her. This was about Tabitha, who seemed to be having the time of her life on stage.

"Now do a flip!" Tabitha requested, loud enough that the crowd could certainty hear her.

Allison bent her back and let herself fall from the handstand into a basic bridge. She kicked out of it so she was right side up, then did a front flip for good measure.

She was finally starting to get into the routine at that point. She hadn't really known what she had expected when she had gotten on stage, but ballet seemed to be a lot like floor gymnastics. And while she had always preferred balance beam to tumbling, she could hold her own on the floor. Even without Tabithas prompting, she started to share some of her moves.

"See, I told you that you would make a great ballerina!" Tabitha said and the song reached the final iteration of the chorus.

One glance at the faces of the judges was enough to disprove that.

As the song came to a close, Allison decided to try one more trick. Again, she kicked into a handstand, but rather than holding it steady, she lifted one hand from the ground, suspending the entirety of her weight on one hand. Simultaneously, Tabitha leaped, prosthetic leg first. The audience gasped just as the song came to a close.

The moment Tabitha landed, a scattering of applause broke out. No one knew exactly what to make of their mismatched, unprofessional and off topic dance, and no one wanted to do or say the wrong thing. The curtain was closing rapidly, and Tabitha was waving like mad, and the audience was still really too stunned to react. It was only once they were again safe in the darkness that Allison returned to her feet.

"That was great!" Tabitha grinned. "I think we probably won."

Somehow, Allison doubted that was true.