Stepping Up

by Maggie M. Larche

  “Don’t I know it,” said Jenna.

  Rita tapped her chin. “If we could just get a couple of students to start with, it would really help. It would be easier to get people to sign up, once someone else starts lessons.”

  “Why?” asked Pam.

  “Back in elementary school when Ms. Miller started the kids’ choir, no one volunteered at first. Everyone was too embarrassed to admit they wanted to join. But then Mary marched right up and signed her name up in front of everyone.”

  “I do like to sing,” said Mary.

  “And suddenly everyone started signing up. Because if Mary could do it, they could, too.” Rita sat back. “We need people to see kids taking lessons with you. And then they’ll sign up, too. We just need the first couple of kids to get the ball rolling.”

  “It’s a shame that none of us have little sisters,” said Pam. “That’d be the easy place to start. We could just make them take lessons.”

  “I have an idea,” said Mary. “Or, at least, I have some girls in mind.”

  “Really?” asked Jenna. “Who?”

  “Remember I told you I babysat the Ryley girls the other night? They were really excited about your flyer. Like, talked-my-ear-off-all-night excited. If they’ve said half as much to their mom as they did to me, I bet she’d be open to it.”

  Jenna felt a spark of hope. “Do you really think so?”

  “It’s worth a shot. How about I run over right now and see if they’re home?” She stood up. “I’ll work my magic on Mrs. Ryley.”

  “Thanks, Mary.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. Let’s see if I can do it.” She waved and then bounded up the stairs.

  “I guess that’s our best hope right now,” said Rita.

  “You know,” said Jenna, “your plan gives me an idea. Did I ever tell you guys why I got into dance in the first place?” Her friends shook their heads. “Mom took me to a recital at Step It Up when I was in kindergarten. My cousin was performing. I thought it was going to be so boring.” She laughed as she remembered. “But watching those girls, I fell in love. I just knew that I wanted to be up on stage. I loved the music, the costumes, the makeup. I begged Mom to let me start classes, and it turns out that – after she saw the recital – she thought the same thing. The very next year I took my first ballet class.”

  “With me,” said Pam.

  “With you.”

  “But how does that help us now?” asked Rita.

  “What if I staged some sort of recital? It would be a way to showcase how much fun the kids could have, and get new students to sign up.”

  “Seems like a good idea to me,” said Rita. “But doesn’t a recital take a lot of work and time? When do you need to pay your tuition?”

  “A few weeks.” Jenna frowned. “You’re right. That’s kind of a big job for a short period of time.”

  “What if you had a friend to help you?” asked Pam.

  Jenna looked up in surprise.

  “I mean,” continued Pam, “I know I’m not as good a dancer as you are, but I could help out with the students, assuming we get any.”

  “Pam, that’s a great idea, and don’t sell yourself short. You’d be an awesome teacher.” Jenna was so pleased to hear that Pam would help her. This might be the experience Pam needed to keep from quitting. “With us working together, I bet we could get a recital ready in time.”

  “Don’t forget,” said Rita. “For this whole plan to work, you still need a couple of kids.”

  “Did someone say they needed some kids?” The girls looked up to see Mary at the top of the stairs. Two identical girls stood by her side, Ella and Eva Ryley. They each sported long brown hair, shy smiles, and fluffy pink tutus.

  Mary held her hands out with a flourish. “Meet your first students.”

  Chapter 7

  “Are they actually going to pay?” asked Jenna in excitement.

  “Yep,” said Mary. “I talked to their mom, and she agreed to $10 a week.”

  “Per kid?”

  “Total. Still, it’s something.”

  “Absolutely, it is. Thanks, Mary.” She rubbed her hands together. “We should get started on the recital prep today. Pam, what do you say?”

  “I’m game. We don’t have time to waste anyway.”

  “Recital?” asked Mary.

  “I’ll fill her in,” said Rita. She pulled Mary to the old couch. “You two get started.”

  Jenna turned to Pam. “We could work up a cute little ballet routine,” said Jenna. “They would be adorable, especially in those matching pink tutus.”

  “I agree it’d be super cute, but if we want lots of kids to sign up, we might want to go for something a little more upbeat. Like a jazz number.”

  “But ballet is the foundation for all the other dance styles.” Jenna sounded scandalized. “You can’t just skip it.”

  Pam laughed. “Spoken like a true dancer. But they’re only four, Jen. I think we can afford to slack on the fundamentals just a little.”

  The friends turned to look at Ella and Eva. The sisters were currently chasing each other around the room, squealing and leaping.

  “Ok,” said Jenna. “I guess you’re right. We could probably bend the rules. Just to get the recital done.” She clapped her hands briskly. “Dancers, front and center please.”

  Eva looked alarmed, while Ella glanced behind her, as if looking for whomever Jenna was trying to summon. Rita and Mary giggled.

  Pam smiled. “What she means is, girls, come up here, please. We’re going to get started.”

  “Oh,” said Eva. “Why didn’t she say so?” They walked to the barre together.

  “Thanks, Pam,” muttered Jenna. “Don’t go away. I might need you to translate my words into four-year-old talk.”

  Jenna stared into the eyes of Ella and Eva. Suddenly she felt a little nervous.

  “Should we start with a warm-up?” prompted Pam.

  “Yes,” said Jenna, snapping back into action. “Good idea. Ok, I want you guys to copy me. Ok?” The girls nodded, excited looks on their faces.

  Pam turned on her phone and played a classic song from Cinderella. Jenna nodded at Pam. “Princess music. Genius.”

  “Give the crowd what they want, right?”

  Jenna led the girls in a series of stretches, both at the barre and on the floor.

  Things began calmly enough, but she realized within minutes that Eva and Ella would be a handful. They were obviously eager, but they were so excited that they fell over when they were stretching and usually went the opposite direction from whatever Jenna called out. Occasionally, they even stopped dancing completely just to give each other joyful hugs, as if they couldn’t believe their good luck to be in a dance class.

  But they were cute. Jenna found herself slowly losing her schoolteacher look and giggling along with the girls.

  Pam blossomed as well. She naturally connected with the kids, correcting them gently and showing them the steps at slower speeds so they could copy the movements.

  When Eva and Ella managed a passable set of chassé jumps by the end of the hour, both Jenna and Pam beamed as if they were their own daughters.

  Jenna clapped her hands. “Good work, girls. Really great work.” The girls grinned. “Did you have a good time?”

  “Yes!” shouted Ella.

  “Pretty good,” said Eva seriously.

  “I’m so glad,” Jenna said, laughing. “Let’s dance some more soon, ok?”

  “Ok!” the little girls said together.

  They rushed to hug Pam, and even bestowed quick squeezes on Jenna who accepted the affection with surprise, but pleasure.

  Mary and Rita joined them from the couch where they’d been talking. Eva and Ella swarmed around Mary and chattered about the lesson.

  “I know, girls, I know! I was watching. Now give me two seconds, and I’ll bring you back home.” Mary shooed the girls to the mirror where they took turns making silly faces.

  “Good lesson,” said
Rita. “You guys worked great together.”

  “We did, didn’t we?” said Pam with a shining face. “Jenna’s our expert dancer.”

  “And Pam is awesome with the kids,” finished Jenna. “I think those girls would do anything for you.”

  ‘No kidding,” said Mary. “I hope you don’t move into babysitting. I’ve got to run the girls home now, but before I forget…” She pulled a ten-dollar bill from her pocket and handed it to Jenna. “Here’s the payment from Ms. Ryley for the girls’ lesson.” She turned to Eva and Ella. “Ok, girls. Let’s hit the road.”

  “Bye,” chorused the girls as they followed Mary from the basement. The older girls waved.

  After they left, Jenna stared at her first payment. With her first earnings in hand, she felt like she should be triumphant or something, but, oddly, she felt a little deflated. Gone was the excitement of only seconds ago. All that work, and only $10. She still had so much more to earn.

  Rita was watching her, and Jenna felt like she could read her thoughts.

  “Come on,” Rita said. She pulled Jenna upstairs, and Pam followed behind. In Jenna’s room, she pulled out a piece of paper and drew the shape of a thermometer.

  “Got a red marker?”

  Jenna pulled one out of her desk.

  “Ok,” said Rita. “This is your progress report. Every time you get a payment from someone, you mark it on your chart. When the entire thermometer is red, you’ll have enough for a full month’s tuition.”

  She uncapped the marker and handed it back to Jenna. “Care to do the honors?”

  Jenna carefully filled in some red, marking both the $17 she started out with and the $10 she earned that day. Standing back, she reflected that the thermometer still looked plenty empty, but some money was better than none at all.

  “$173 to go.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Rita. “You’ll make it.”

  “And we’re here to help,” said Pam.

  ***

  And so the week went on.

  Gone was any after-school freedom for both Jenna and Steven. Steven was frequently off with Edward on some odd job or another. One day they were cleaning out a neighbor’s aquarium; the next they walked dogs to the park.

  Jenna avoided Edward whenever possible. Who knew what embarrassing thing would come flying out of her mouth the next time she saw him?

  Hey, Edward, I like your smile.

  Hey, Edward, tell that funny story again.

  Hey, Edward, why don’t we drop all this earning-money stuff and go to a movie?

  Each fantasy ended in the same way. With Edward walking away. No, thank you.

  Jenna’s schedule was getting a little crazy. Mary brought Eva and Ella over right after school each day, and Jenna and Pam would spend an hour with them.

  Jenna was very proud of her students as they progressed. The giggles continued, but the little girls learned more of the routine each day. Jenna was pleased to see them retain a good bit of it from practice to practice as well. Pam was instrumental in how well the girls performed. She managed to make every lesson feel like extended playtime, otherwise the girls would never have put up with all the work.

  After the little girls went home each day, Jenna choreographed the next bars of the recital dance until it was time for her own dance lessons. She worked a few steps at a time, always staying just ahead of what Eva and Ella were learning. Choreograph in an afternoon; teach it to the kids the next day. It was a good system, but it required that Jenna not slack off even for a minute.

  Just as Jenna and Pam taught the classes, Rita planned the recital. She was naturally organized and liked to handle all the administrative tasks. Under her direction, the logistics for the recital slowly came together.

  Although Jenna enjoyed the constant activity, she looked forward to when her own dance school would be on its feet, and she could take a small break. After the recital, she wouldn’t have to work with the little kids every single day, but until then she knew Eva and Ella needed each second of practice that they could get.

  In one of her rare patches of downtime, she reflected that she was now spending more hours dancing than ever. In a strange way, the threat of losing her dance classes had actually brought her more practice time.

  There were only a few dark spots in Jenna’s days. The first was her daily Shop class with Moira. Her teacher’s name for the project, Battle of the Bridges, proved to be a little too accurate in describing her and Moira’s interactions.

  The two girls began to construct their bridge. Though they half-heartedly attempted to compromise, the end result was that neither was happy with the project.

  Each day, they cut, measured, and glued, activities that Jenna wasn’t wild about under the best of circumstances. Add in the constant disagreements with Moira, and it was easily the worst part of her day.

  Apart from the trouble with Moira, another problem began to prick at Jenna’s conscience. Although she would have been lost without them, Jenna felt a little guilty about all the help she was receiving from her friends. Mary and Pam spent every afternoon at her house: Mary to shuttle the little girls back and forth, and Pam to teach. Jenna knew that Rita was also putting in lots of time to make sure the recital would run smoothly. She sometimes wondered if she was asking too much of her friends.

  In spite of her concerns, however, the quickly passing days swept all other worries to the wayside. The recital was set for the following Saturday afternoon. Any later, and Jenna would have no chance of earning some money in time for her tuition payment.

  Still, Jenna had serious doubts as to whether Eva and Ella would be ready, and every time she danced at Step It Up, she wondered how many more classes she had left in her future. If she failed, she knew there wouldn’t be many.

  Chapter 8

  As the basement lessons continued, Jenna noticed a funny thing. Just as the little girls improved daily, so did Pam. She’d hesitated to mention it to Pam, not wanting to embarrass her, but one day she just couldn’t resist the urge.

  Jenna and Pam had finished a lesson with the girls. After sending Eva and Ella back home with Mary, they went to the kitchen for a drink of water. Jenna poured them out two large glasses and then leaned back against the counter.

  “You did a great job today, Pam. I didn’t think Eva was going to manage that turn until you broke it down for her.”

  “No problem. It’s so much fun working with them. And they’re really getting better.”

  “I agree.” Jenna took a sip of water. “And they’re not the only ones.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Pam, did you notice that you didn’t fall or trip or even spin off balance once today?”

  Pam thought for a moment and then brightened. “I guess you’re right. Hey, look at that. It must be a record for me.”

  “It’s not,” said Jenna. “Because you managed it yesterday, too.”

  “I did?”

  “Yup.”

  “Wow.” Pam paused and brushed a loose strand of hair back from her face. “To be honest, your basement is a little lower-stress for me than Step It Up. I mean, I love Ms. Colette and all, but she can also be the tiniest bit…”

  “Intimidating?”

  “Yeah.”

  Jenna took another sip of water, and the icy liquid felt good in her throat. She didn’t know if her dance school was going to work out or not. But if it helped Pam be a better dancer like she wanted, then at least something good would come out of the whole experience.

  Jenna’s dad came into the room. He’d changed his “dad uniform” for an old-fashioned suit and tie.

  “Whoa, Dad. What’s with the snazzy clothes?”

  “Hi, girls. It just so happens that I’ve got an interview this afternoon. A local engineering firm is hiring.”

  “Really? That’s great news.”

  “Thanks, sweetie. But it’s just an interview. I’m sure they’ve got lots of good candidates applying.”

  Jenna reached up to kis
s her dad’s cheek. Her dad’s skin felt warm and smelled like shaving cream. “Good luck.”

  “Good luck, Mr. Marlow,” echoed Pam.

  “Thanks, girls.”

  Jenna watched her dad leave the room with a surge of excitement. She looked at Pam with bright eyes.

  “Did you see that? If he gets the job, I won’t have to pay for Step It Up after all!”

  Pam held her glass out in a toast. “To your dad’s new job.” The girls chinked glasses.

  Steven and Edward walked in just as the girls drank. Jenna caught sight of Edward and immediately choked on her water. She sputtered and coughed in embarrassment.

  “Very nice,” said Steven.

  Jenna glared at him as she got her coughing under control. Pam watched in concern, but Edward appeared to be intensely interested in something on the ceiling. When Jenna finally stopped hacking, he looked around normally again as if he’d just entered the room.

  “Hey, Jen,” he said.

  “Hey.” She hoped her face wasn’t as red as it felt.

  Her brother opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of juice. “What are you doing? Besides proving you can’t breathe underwater?”

  “We were toasting,” said Pam. “Your dad has an interview this afternoon.”

  “Oh, that?”

  “You knew?” asked Jenna. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Steven shrugged. “I dunno. It wasn’t on purpose. Why the toast?”

  “Because if he gets the job, I don’t have to worry about raising money anymore.” Jenna crossed her arms. “Wouldn’t you like to stop Y.M.A.W.?”

  “Not really,” said Steven. “I like earning my own money.” He looked at Edward. “What do you say?”

  “Yeah, I’m with you. It has been kind of fun. For now, anyways.” He grinned. “I’m not sure I’m ready to sign on for life.”

  “Sure you are,” said Steven. “Because one day we won’t be young men any more. We’ll be men, and then we can shorten the name.”