Chapter Five
Carly
Principal Harrington is busy all day, so I have no choice but to miss my lunch period again . And when she finally does see me, she says she only has five minutes because she has another meeting planned.
“That’s okay,” I tell her as I lower myself on the chair across from her. “I thought about what you said and I realized how beneficial it would be for me to join a club.”
It’s always good to butter her up just in case she doesn’t want to approve my dance club idea, right?
She nods. “I’m glad you feel that way.”
“Cool. So.” I scoot closer to her desk and lock my fingers together like I mean business. “While there are so many clubs to choose from, I can’t help but feel like there isn’t a lot of variety. I mean, we have a science club, a chess club, debate…but we don’t have a lot of art ones.”
She nods for me to go on.
“I think it’s very important for the students to express themselves, and you know what’s the perfect way to express yourself?
Through dance! If you’re okay with it, I’d love to start a dance club.
I think a lot of students would be interested in it.
If we’re good enough, we can compete in various competitions, and we’ll give to the school by performing at halftime during games.
I feel really passionate about this, Principal Harrington, and I think this is the perfect way for me to contribute to the school. ”
She leans back in her seat and rubs her chin, clearly deep in thought.
I have no idea if I was convincing enough—I’ve always sucked at convincing my parents to buy me what I wanted when I was a kid—but I need to be hopeful.
Because even though I was initially forced to join a club, being part of a dance club sounds like so much fun. The perfect thing for me.
“That’s not a bad idea,” she finally muses out loud. “I’m glad you’ve taken the initiative and are behaving in a mature and serious manner. I can tell this is something that resonates with you. I finally see a spark in you.”
“Thanks. I’m really excited about it.”
“Yes, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. Are you aware we had a dance team a few years ago?”
“You did? I didn’t know that. That’s really cool.”
She starts to type something on her computer. “If we’re to make an official dance team, there are some conditions that must be met.”
My heart sinks. “Uh oh.”
“Nothing too difficult. You’ll need to have at least five members, you’ll need to find a location to meet, and you’ll need to find a dance coach. He or she needs to be a faculty member.”
“Oh…I don’t know any teacher who would want to coach us.”
She gives me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, but you’ll need to have a faculty member as a coach if you want to start this club.”
Am I supposed to get on my hands and knees and beg every teacher to be our coach? Maybe they accept bribery? But if I want my team to be good, I’ll need someone who actually has a background in dance.
“I guess I’ll see what I can do,” I say as I get up.
“Return here once you have a coach and five members so I can make it official. And Carly, I’m impressed. It’s great to see you passionate about something related to school.”
“Thanks.”
I wish her a good day and walk out of her office in a daze.
I don’t know which teacher could possibly be interested in being our coach, but there’s no point in being pessimistic.
I’ll have to ask my favorite teachers if they’d be willing to do it, and if they say no, I’ll have to… well, I don’t know.
But I won’t give up without at least trying.
***
Sophie and I make our way to the school library after classes.
Since I couldn’t find information about the dance team online, I want to check out some of the old yearbooks to see what it was like.
And Sophie is in desperate need of more books.
The girl reads like a million books a month.
She doesn’t have tutoring today and practically salivated at the idea of joining me in the library.
She disappears into the fantasy section while I head to where the yearbooks are stashed.
I asked a few secretaries in the office if they knew what year the school had a dance team, and they told me it couldn’t have been more than fifteen years ago.
So I grab all the yearbooks from the past fifteen years and stack them up on a table in the back.
I start flipping through them. I’m supposed to be focused on searching for the dance team, but I can’t help but get caught up in everything.
I haven’t seen any yearbooks from this school before, and it’s obvious they put a lot of work into them.
It’s cool to see what the students’ lives were like, even though they were only a few years ago. So much has changed in just ten years.
I must be glued to the yearbooks for over half an hour before someone slams something on the table, making me nearly jump to the roof. It’s Sophie with a stack of books.
“I can’t believe they don’t have the sequel,” she complains as she slides onto the chair next to me.
“How am I supposed to move on with my life after the author left such a cliffhanger?” She grabs the strands of her chocolate brown hair and groans.
“I could barely sleep last night because I needed to know what happened to the main character. She got stabbed by a dragon claw, Carly. And the love interest held her limp body in his arms as she bled out.”
“Can’t you just google what happened to her?” I ask as I turn a page of the yearbook.
She releases a strong gasp and nearly falls out of her seat. “What did you just say?”
“Google it?”
This time, she does fall out of her seat and lies sprawled on the floor. “Congratulations. You just killed me.”
“What did I say?” I nudge her with my black school shoe.
“Did you suggest I spoil the book for myself?” she asks, eyes shut tight.
“Uh, yes. You were nearly having a heart attack because you needed to know if the main character died. That would be the definition of spoiling it for yourself. So google it, duh.”
Her blue eyes snap open and she lifts her head off the floor.
“It’s like you don’t know me at all.” She drags herself off the floor and says, “I’m going to complain to someone.
If all books in a series are available, there’s no reason why the library shouldn’t have them.
Are they really trying to torture their students? ” she grumbles as she walks away.
I laugh and shake my head as I put my attention back on the yearbooks. I recognize some of the names of the students. They’re siblings and family members of students who go here now. But I don’t see any dance team.
“Darn it,” I say as I move on to the last one. It’s from seven years ago.
“Unbelievable.” Sophie slams herself back in her seat. “Mrs. Yang told me she didn’t know the book had a sequel. How can she call herself a librarian when she doesn’t know the book has a sequel?!”
“Oh my gosh, I found it,” I say.
“You did? Ooh, let me see.”
We squish closer together and study the photos and read all about them. They were a really good team and won nationals. There’s even a clipping of a newspaper article that featured them. They have such beautiful and kickbutt uniforms and they look like they had so much fun.
“I’m kind of jealous of them even though I hate dance,” Sophie says with a laugh. “They look really close and like they had an amazing time.”
“I want that, too,” I say as I hug the yearbook to my chest. “I want to be the choreographer of a super tight-knit team. Like a family.”
“And I know your dreams will come true.” Sophie squeezes her cheek to mine. “Because you’re awesome and you deserve it.”
“Thanks.”
I lower the yearbook to the table and we continue to study the photos. Sophie points to one of the dancers, who seems to be the star member. “She looks so familiar, doesn’t she?”
I examine her closer. “Yeah, she does. You think she’s someone’s sister or cousin here?” I turn a page so we can see the names of the members.
“Oh my gosh, no way!” Sophie says.
“What?”
“There.” She points to a name. “Elena Moreno. Miss Moreno!”
“As in, the art teacher?”
“Yes! She was on the Harrington Bay Academy dance team.”
“And not only that!” I turn to the page that features her in a stunning pose. “She was the best dancer.”
“That’s so cool to see what teachers were like when they were our age. I’ve always loved Miss Moreno and think she’s such a great teacher, and it’s awesome to see how talented she is.”
“Oh my gosh, this is fate,” I gush. “She’s the coach I’ve been looking for.”
“Huh?” Sophie asks.
“Harrington said I need to find a coach for the dance team or we can’t have one. I thought I would have to beg or bribe a teacher to do it, but here she is.”
“Assuming she wants to do it.”
“Why wouldn’t she? You think she’s still in the art room? I want to catch her before she leaves.” I jump to my feet and start gathering my stuff. “See you later, Soph.”
“Good luck!”
I give her a quick hug and dash out of the library, racing to the art room. I burst inside and trip over my feet, slamming right into one of the easels. The thing collapses on top of me.
“Oh my gosh,” Miss Moreno’s voice gasps. Then the easel is lifted off me. “Carly? Are you okay? What happened?”
“Um…heh…” I look up at her and rub the side of my face that was struck by the easel. “Too much excitement inside this wee body of mine?” She helps me to my feet and I say, “Sorry. I wanted to catch you before you left.”
“You didn’t have to rush,” she says as she goes to gather some paintbrushes. “I usually stay a few hours after school to clean up.”
“I thought a student usually does that.”
She laughs lightly. “I don’t have any volunteers.”
Miss Moreno has beautiful dark wavy hair that rests freely on her shoulders.
It’s kind of wild, but in a totally kickbutt way.
It perfectly matches her personality—she’s very expressive and encourages her students not to hold back anything on their artwork.
I have one class with her, and I really suck at it.
But she’s always such an inspiration for my dancing.
“I can help you clean up while I talk to you about something,” I offer.
“Thanks, Carly. I have a meeting in a few hours and would like to get home as soon as possible.”
From the way her eyes light up, I bet this “meeting” is really a date. That’s so cute.
“So what do you want to talk to me about?” she asks as we tidy up the room.
“I want to start a dance club, but Principal Harrington told me I need a coach. A teacher or faculty member. I was looking through some old yearbooks and found yours. I had no idea you were on the school dance team, Miss Moreno. And not only that! You were like the best dancer.”
She laughs, her cheeks slightly red. “Oh, I wasn’t that good.”
“Don’t be modest. Your team won nationals.”
A grin crawls onto her lips as she gets a faraway look in her eyes. “We did.” She lowers herself on a chair and says, “That feels like so long ago.”
It’s obvious she’s reliving the fun and amazing memories, and it makes me smile as I wait. When she’s done, she glances at me. “Thanks for reminding me of the good old days. You know, Carly, I was a scholarship student like you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’m so thankful for everything Harrington Bay Academy has done for me. That’s why I came back as a teacher. To give to the students just as my teachers gave to me.”
“They do give a lot,” I mutter. “A lot of homework.”
She laughs. “I’m sure you’re gaining a lot more than just homework.”
“Maybe.” I twist my nose. “I wish I was a better student so I could appreciate this school more, but alas…”
“You’re smart, Carly. And you’re driven when you want to be. It’s okay if school isn’t your strength. You’re talented in other areas. Like dance.”
“Speaking of which…”
She nods. “You’re asking me if I would volunteer to be your coach.”
“Yeah. I don’t mean to throw it on you like this. I’m sure you have a life and have better things to do…”
“I do love the idea,” she admits. “You remind me of myself. I see the fire in your eyes. My coach told me she saw the fire in my eyes, too.”
“Did you give up dance?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “As much as I loved to dance, I didn’t want to have a career in it. Two of my passions were dance and art, and I wanted to give back to the school by being a teacher. They had an opening for a new art teacher and I grabbed it.”
“Oh…so you’re not into dance anymore?”
“I still dance when I can,” she says. “But not as much as I used to.” She studies me for a few seconds and smiles. “You know what? I’ll do it.”
My body perks up. “You will?”
Her smile widens. “Yeah. I’ve been thinking of other ways to give back to the school, and this sounds like the perfect opportunity. I’m actually very excited about it.”
“Yay! You have no idea how much I appreciate this, Miss Moreno!” I jump to my feet. “We’re going to kick lots of butt!”
She chuckles again. “With that energy, I’m sure we will.”
“I’m going to make flyers and posters for tryouts. I hope we have tons of applicants! Thanks again, Miss. Moreno.”
“Of course, Carly.”
I basically dance out of the art room and toward the girls’ dorm. Life is awesome, isn’t it? I was so bummed only a few hours ago because I thought I wouldn’t be able to find a coach. And now I’m getting someone who is just as passionate about it as I am.
This year is going to be amazing .