Aerobics

Saturday morning came around quickly. I woke up early because Ruby and I were having our test today. Our routine ended us standing on two separate steps holding hands high up in the air. I think ours was pretty good, and if everything goes smoothly we will probably get the scholarship. I grinned to myself as I slid out of my side of the bed.

I tiptoed into the bathroom along the corridor and had a relaxing shower and got dressed into some old clothes. When I was done I woke Ruby to have her turn in the shower. Ruby begged for five more minutes but I heaved her out of bed. We’d planned this day over and over. I was not going to let her ruin it.

We had to perform at 3:00 in the afternoon and now it was 10:00. Ruby came out of the bathroom refreshed and awake. We went downstairs for a quick cereal.

It was about 10:30 when we’d finished eating. We went outside and jogged around the nearby field twice. We spent most of our time rehearsing and making our dance the best it could be.

It was much later when we I decided I could not go any further. If it weren’t for me Ruby would’ve gone right on dancing. I was soaked in sweat. It seemed almost impossible to move.
“What… time… is… it?” Ruby panted, slightly tired out. I checked my new watch.
“3:00” I announced proudly. It took a while and then it whacked me on the forehead.
“Oh man!” we chorused. We were sweaty and tired but we ran all the way home with the last strength in our legs.

What’s the problem with three you may ask? Well 4:00 is just when we were going onstage. We had loads to do so we decided to get ready at two. Right now the first people were going onstage and we had only one more hour to be absolutely ready.

We rushed into the house. Ruby yelled she was using the upstairs bathroom which left me in the tiny one downstairs. I scrambled over my bedroom, getting all the things I needed for the bathroom. I rushed downstairs and slipped into the tiny bathroom. I locked the door behind me.

There wasn’t even walking space in here. You entered straight into the shower, and if you walked through it there was a toilet and a sink. There was also a little shelf and a mirror. Of course, there were also two lights.

I quickly got undressed and stepped into the shower. It was a relief to feel the cold water lapping over my body and brushing off the sweat. It was only after the shower I started to rush again.

I basically threw on my brand new leotard. Ruby and I had got matching ones. I almost ripped it as I put it on with some black leggings. It was pink. Then I quickly applied some lip loss and pink blush. I didn’t outline my eyes but I did slack on some mascara.

I glanced at myself in the mirror. I was ready. No, I added some more lip loss. Okay, now I was ready. I jumped out of the bathroom and quickly shuffled into a jumper and a jacket. I put my boots on and jumped into the car where Julia and Ruby were waiting.

Ruby and I chatted excitedly all the way. I could feel the butterflies flying around in my stomach. I was still happy though. I thought about Ruby’s mum. Locked up I prison during this moment. I felt tears prick in the corner of my eyes. But I couldn’t let them fall. I couldn’t put a dent in Ruby’s joy. Even Ruby’s mum couldn’t ruin this moment for me, nothing could.

The car pulled up by the school. Julia was coming to watch. We hurried out into the spring sun, giggling. A little warm wind blew against us as we ran inside. I smiled.

We hurried into some seats in the theatre. We were just fast enough to catch the ending of Louise’s dance and Mara’s dance. I watched with my mouth hanging open. That’s when it kicked in, the doubt. A voice n my head mocked me, saying, ‘You can’t beat them, you can’t do it.’

I glanced over at Ruby. Her face was crestfallen. I’m almost a hundred percent sure she’d had the same thought. When they had finished Mara walked past us saying, “Nailed it,” as she went to her seat. Mara was the ultimate drama queen. Everyday she spends ages curling the ends of her hair. She pays someone to do her homework and since she lives near the beach she always has a sun tan. (During winter she used the solar powered disks.) She does all this because her mother is a model her father is in Southern China and both of them doesn’t really care what she does.

We stood up on stage, facing each other. We gave a signal to the man by the music. Our music started and my heart raced.

We started our routine, slowly at first, and then faster and faster. We were smiling all the time, working on our posture. The steps went so fast they were a whirlwind now. I couldn’t take it. I let the music take me over and I needn’t think the steps just came to my body. When I dared to glance at Ruby her eyes were gleaming, her face fixed into a smile. But I saw past that. She was upset, and very…

When the routine was over Ruby rushed off stage, as I quickly told the judges goodbye and thank you. Ruby headed for outside, me right on her heels. My mind was racing, swirling with questions. Why would Ruby do this to me?