The Audition

by Maddie Ziegler

  The trophy was red with a silver dancer on the top, and a silvery plate was engraved with the competition name and, in swirly letters, PLATINUM AWARD.

  “And now, the moment all of our juniors have been waiting for,” the announcer said. “The overalls!”

  The overall awards were for the three top scorers, regardless of category. You didn’t find out your numbered score until later, so the suspense was killing me!

  “We’re in it for sure!” Isabelle turned her head toward us and fake-whispered to Bella.

  We all ignored her.

  With a double platinum, they probably were going to make the overalls. Well, that was the way dance competitions were. You didn’t always get what you wanted. We would have to continue to listen to their bragging while we sat there onstage.

  “Our top three overall scorers in the junior division! In third place . . . ,” the announcer said. Everyone beat their fists on the floor for a drumroll.

  “DANCESTARZ!”

  I froze. We all froze.

  “Am I dreaming?” Lily asked me. “Did he just say us?”

  The announcer laughed.

  “DanceStarz! Please come up to the front of the stage to accept your award.”

  IT WAS US!

  We all jumped up, cheering.

  “Third place?” Isabelle sighed as if that were bad.

  “Top three is amazing!” I shot back.

  “Not compared to first place,” Isabelle said. “Which is what we’re going to get.”

  Whatever.

  I was thrilled! This time our whole team got to go up and accept the award. The announcer held out his microphone and asked us, “Tell us, what studio are you from?”

  I looked out in the audience and saw Vanessa with a big smile, clapping wildly. I grinned.

  “DANCESTARZ!” we yelled into the mic.

  Third place stands to the left of the stage, so we went and took our spot. We all had our arms around one another. It was incredible.

  “And now, in second place . . . ,” the announcer said, “Energii!”

  We started clapping for them, but they looked confused. Then several of them frowned. Apparently, they hadn’t been expecting second. They all stood up and went to the center.

  “What dance studio are you from?” the announcer asked.

  “Energii!” they answered. Some were excited, but some seemed disappointed as they took their place at the opposite end of the stage.

  When the announcer announced the first-place winners, we all applauded for them. An excited group of girls in dark green outfits who had done a jazz dance went to accept their huge trophy. We cheered them all on. They took their winning spot in the center of the stage, and everyone cheered again.

  “Thank you for joining us for awards,” the announcer said. “Top three, stay with us for pictures. Everyone else, we will be back in an hour for senior solos!”

  It was pretty fun to be able to stay onstage. We lined up as the photographer took pictures of us in front of the competition’s backdrop with its big logo over our heads.

  “Check out our competition social media to see yourselves!” the photographer said. We were all excited.

  After the pictures, our families rushed up on the stage.

  “Congratulations!” My mom was the first to reach me. She hugged me hard.

  “Thanks!” I said. “I was so nervous!”

  My mom’s eyes glanced down for a second, and I realized what she was looking at. Oops.

  I was twirling my hair. I dropped my hand.

  “I know, I’m twirling my hair,” I said.

  “Harper.” My mom smiled at me. “Right now, the only twirling I’m thinking about is your twirling onstage! You were wonderful.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” I smiled.

  “You were excellent!” my dad said, and hugged me so hard he lifted me up. “Such talent and grace. Definitely takes after me.”

  My dad did a silly dance move.

  “Dad, you need dance lessons,” Hailey scolded him as she came up to us.

  “Hmph,” he said. “Maybe I’ll join DanceStarz.”

  “Ack, no!” Hailey and I both laughed.

  “Let’s take a picture to send to your brother,” Mom said. “He’ll be very proud of you!”

  She awkwardly held the phone up to get a selfie with us in it. As usual, it took her a few tries to get everyone in it, not blurry and no blinking.

  “Congratulations!” Hailey told me.

  “Thanks, Hailey!” I said. I reached out and gave her the kind of hug she liked: an air hug.

  “Look!” Hailey showed me her phone. On it was a picture of Mo, wearing a dog tutu. The caption read: Woof Woof, Harper!

  “That means ‘congratulations’!” Hailey said.

  “Wow, that was so nice of Mo.” I smiled. It was nice of Hailey to plan that.

  “Awww, puppy!” Riley came over and cooed at the phone. Then she looked at my sister and held up her ribbon-bandaged hand. “Hailey, thanks again for my hand wrap! It stayed on perfectly!”

  Hailey beamed. That was nice of Riley. Everyone was being so nice!

  “How about a group picture with the moms?” my mom said. She made a duck face and threw up a peace sign.

  Awkward.

  “Yes, let’s!” Megan’s mom gathered everyone over.

  “Mom, I love you,” I whispered to her. “But please don’t ever make that duck face again.”

  “Fine,” she agreed, laughing.

  We all stood with our moms and posed, while Hailey and Quinn held up cell phones.

  “Say ‘DanceStarz Squad’!” they said.

  “DANCESTARZ SQUAD!” we all yelled, and everyone smiled. Megan, too.

  “I have a text from Vanessa,” Megan’s mother said. “She’s waiting for you girls in the backstage room.”

  We all left the stage and walked down the hall toward the dressing room.

  “Dance competitions are fun!” Lily said. “Let’s do that again.”

  We all laughed.

  “I hope Vanessa is happy with us!” Riley said.

  “She should be,” I said. “Top three is great.”

  “Meh,” a voice behind us said. Isabelle and Bella had turned the corner and were behind us. “It’s okay. It’s not as good as top two.”

  Megan didn’t miss a beat.

  “Not as good as number ONE, either,” Megan said. “Which you probably thought you were getting.”

  “It wasn’t fair.” Bella immediately jumped on that one. “We got double platinum. There’s no way that team’s scores were higher than ours.”

  “We should have won,” Isabelle grumbled as we got to the door of the dressing room. “Everyone knows it and—oh, hiiiii!”

  She stopped complaining as two older girls wearing lavender leotards came down the hall.

  “Senior Energii,” Trina whispered to me.

  “Congratulations, juniors!” One of them stopped to hug Isabelle and Bella. “Second place! Good effort!”

  The other girl turned to me and unexpectedly gave me a hug.

  “Um, hi?” I flinched, not expecting that greeting.

  “Oh my gosh, sorry!” She squinted at me, stepping back. “I thought I knew you! You looked familiar!”

  “No,” I said. “I just moved here.”

  “Wait!” her teammate said. “Aren’t you the girl who fell off the float?”

  Oh. No . . .

  Megan groaned.

  There was no getting around this.

  “Yes.” I sighed. “It was me.”

  “That is so embarrassing—everyone recognizes you?” Bella laughed.

  “I got so many views for that video,” Isabelle said proudly.

  “You posted that?” the girl asked Isabelle.

  “Yeah! She fell off the float right in front of us!” Isabelle cracked up.

  “Sooo funny!” Bella laughed. She started to imitate me falling off the float. Her mouth was wide-open and her arms were flailing.
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  “Soooo mean,” the senior girl said.

  Bella stopped flailing.

  “SO mean,” her teammate agreed, frowning. “Also probably against the rules.”

  Isabelle and Bella looked at each other.

  “The rules of Energii,” the girl explained. “Good sportsmanship is very important at our studio.”

  “Uh—”

  “I hope you don’t get in trouble. Wow, what if you were kicked off the team?” the girl mused.

  “I! Uh! Er!” Isabelle was fully in a panic now.

  I sneaked a look at the Bunheads. Megan and Riley definitely looked like they were enjoying the show. But Trina looked upset, and I realized what we should do. They needed to work this out for themselves.

  “Come on,” I whispered to my team. We left them and went farther down the hall, turning a corner toward the dressing room.

  “Whew,” Riley exhaled. “That was intense.”

  “That was great!” Lily said. “The Bells were shut down. I bet Isabelle is taking the video down right this second.”

  “That would be great.” I smiled. That would be really great.

  Just as we got to the dressing room door, it opened.

  Vanessa!

  She looked at us. Her face was unreadable. Lily and I had an eye conversation. Was Vanessa unhappy with our performance? Happy?

  Vanessa came out into the hallway and looked at us.

  “That was beautiful, and I’m so proud of all of you,” she said.

  Yay!

  YAY!

  Vanessa opened her arms and hugged all of us. Then the door opened and one of her assistants wheeled out a cart. A little sign on it read: SUGAR PLUMS.

  “Fro-yo!” We all applauded.

  “Yay, Lily’s parents!” Trina cheered.

  It was like having a mini–Sugar Plums in the hallway, with frozen yogurt flavors and toppings in cups. I took a vanilla-chocolate swirl yogurt and topped it with cookie crumbles and sour kids. It tasted extra delicious. Once we all had our treats (including Vanessa) and had sat down, Vanessa spoke again.

  “Top three is a great way to start,” she said. “We’ll talk about ways to improve during our next class. But for now, we can be more than satisfied.”

  We were all smiling.

  “However, there’s no time to rest. We have our next competition dates! We’re going to have a group dance. And we’re going to be adding a solo to our competition.”

  A solo!

  We all looked at each other as it hit us. We’d be competing against each other for the coveted solo.

  “Who’s getting the solo?” Megan was the one to ask.

  “That remains to be seen,” Vanessa said. “We’ll see how the next few weeks go. This will be a great way to prove yourselves.”

  “Can you imagine?” Trina said. “Having the first solo ever for DanceStarz Squad?”

  Could I imagine it?

  The announcer would say:

  “Please welcome to the stage: Harper! Performing . . . A SOLO!”

  I would walk onto the stage, my head held high. I would get into my opening pose as the music began . . . five . . . six . . . seven . . . eight!

  And I would dance! I would dance, and I would nail it, and I would WIN! And—

  I opened my eyes and looked straight at Vanessa.

  Yes.

  I could imagine it.

  Acknowledgments

  This book is about TEAMWORK, so first I want to thank the team who helped bring this book to life:

  • The WME team: Sharon Jackson, Mel Berger, Jenni Levine, Erin O’Brien, Joe Izzi, Matilda Forbes Watson, and everyone at WME for your support and encouragement.

  • The Aladdin team: Starting with Alyson Heller, the driving force behind this book—thank you so much! And to Mara Anastas, Mary Marotta, Laura Lyn DiSiena, Carolyn Swerdloff, Jodie Hockensmith, Nicole Russo, and everyone at Simon & Schuster Children’s/Aladdin for your hard work and dedication.

  • Rachel Rothman, who has believed in me from the very beginning and was invaluable in making this book so awesome!

  • Katie Greenthal, Marisa Martins, Elise Mesa, and everyone at 42 West for being such awesome publicists and helping bring my voice out to the world.

  • Scott Whitehead and everyone at McKuin, Frankel, Whitehead for all your wise legal advice.

  And:

  • Julia DeVillers!! You gave Harper (and the rest of the DanceStarz) an amazing voice, and it has been so fun to see these characters come to life. A million thank-yous for being such a smart, savvy, and fun partner on this project!

  • • •

  This book is about DANCE, so of course I want to thank all my friends who have supported me every dance step of the way:

  • Sia, who shows me how to be the person I want to be

  • All my dance teachers, who have taught me to be the best I can be

  • All the dancers who have ever shared the dance floor and stage with me. You’ve motivated and inspired me!

  • • •

  This book is about FAMILY, and you know I love my family so much!

  • Kenzie!! My creative and talented sister. You’re my best friend and I love you!!

  • Gregga, who has always been there for me, supported me, and made sure I have whatever I need with patience and positivity—and no complaints!

  • Jane, Lilia, and Jack Buckingham, who make LA feel like my home.

  • Michelle Young, for all the sleepovers, the loud music in the car, and the laughter that never ends.

  And:

  Mom!! Don’t know how I got so lucky to have you as my mom. Thank you for everything.

  • • •

  This book is about FOLLOWING YOUR DREAMS. To anyone who has ever watched me, come out to meet me, bought my books, and cheered me on as I pursue my passions and follow my dreams in dance, acting, fashion design, makeup, the arts—and just living my life . . .

  I want you to know I’m cheering you on too. I love what I do so much, so thank you for sharing the journey with me. I love you!

  Maddie

  About the Authors

  Photo © Koury Angelo

  Madison Nicole Zieglers, born in Pittsburgh, is an award-winning professional dancer, actress, and fashion designer, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Maddie Diaries. She starred in Lifetime’s Dance Moms for six seasons and has starred in numerous music videos for pop singer/songwriter Sia, including the critically acclaimed “Chandelier” video. In 2016, Maddie launched her clothing line, “Maddie.” Maddie was also a judge on So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation, lent her voice to the Weinstein Company’s animated feature Leap! (released internationally as Ballerina), and stars in Focus Features’ The Book of Henry.

  Julia DeVillers is a bestselling author of fiction and nonfiction for kids and teens, including the Trading Faces series with her twin sister, Jennifer Roy, and the Liberty Porter, First Daughter series. Her book How My Private Personal Journal Became a Bestseller became the Disney Channel movie Read It and Weep.

  ALSO BY MADDIE ZIEGLER

  THE MADDIE DIARIES

  ZIEGLER-GIRLS.COM

  ALADDIN

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  Authors.simonandschuster.com/Maddie-Ziegler

  Also by Maddie Ziegler

  The Maddie Diaries

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ALADDIN

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Aladdin hardcover edition October 2017

  Text copyright © 2017 by M, M and
M, Inc.

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  ALADDIN and related logo are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or business@simonandschuster.com.

  The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

  Book designed by Laura Lyn DiSiena

  Jacket designed by Laura Lyn DiSiena

  Jacket illustrations copyright © 2017 by Magdalina Dianova

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Ziegler, Maddie, author. | DeVillers, Julia, author.

  Title: The audition / by Maddie Ziegler with Julia DeVillers.

  Description: First Aladdin hardcover edition. | New York : Aladdin, 2017. |

  Series: Maddie Ziegler ; 1 | Summary: Twelve-year-old Harper loves to

  dance and is a rising star in Connecticut when her parents move her to

  Florida and she must prove herself to The Bunheads in order to compete.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2017017478 (print) | LCCN 2017035695 (eBook) |

  ISBN 9781481486385 (eBook) | ISBN 9781481486361 (hc) |

  Subjects: | CYAC: Dance—Fiction. | Competition (Psychology)—Fiction. |

  Cliques (Sociology)—Fiction. | Moving, Household—Fiction. | Family life—

  Florida—Fiction. | Florida—Fiction. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION /

  Performing Arts / Dance. | JUVENILE FICTION / Social Issues / Friendship. |

  JUVENILE FICTION / Social Issues / New Experience.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.Z54 (eBook) | LCC PZ7.1.Z54 Aud 2017 (print) | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017017478