Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
KICKLINE
TARYN
The past couple of days, I spent a lot of time in my room. I’ve also done my very best to give Genevieve a wide berth when we’re training.
Thank goodness it isn’t very hard since they’ve been grouping us in groups of seven while learning the dances we’ll be performing during Friday night’s game against UCLA. They matched dancers according to height, and I’m luckily almost a foot shorter than Gen.
But if I’ve been enjoying training with Talia and Sam, I feel really bad for Jodie. My BFF is one of the tallest girls in the group, and she’s in the same group with Gen and Olivia.
“Ok, girls.” Lexi claps her hands to get everyone’s attention.
“Today we’re going to learn one of the most important dances in our repertoire.
We’ve left it until now because we’re going to have you perform it on Friday, right before the national anthem.
We hope that having it fresh in your minds will result in the kind of flawless performance we expect from the Shooting Stars. ”
Lexi and Adrianna explain the dance routine and show us an animation of the choreography where stick figures dance instead of us.
The routine starts with us dancing in pairs, with one dancer in the middle. There’s a lot of arm movements and hair flips as we move in a circular motion around the middle dancer. When the music slows down for a beat, we’ll form a six-point star around the girl in the center.
Then we’ll open up into a straight line, three dancers on either side of the centerpiece.
That’s when we’ll start kicking our legs in synch with the music, holding the line with our arms extended behind the shoulders of the dancers near us. Pompoms are in our hands.
“Kickline dancing looks beautiful if done right.” Lexi smiles. “You need to be in perfect sync, and I want to see high kicks, like this.”
She plays an older looking video where a girl with poker straight red hair alternates kicking her legs and swinging the opposite arm to the kicking leg while holding her pompoms.
“Those kicks are high.” Talia muses.
She’s right. The girl in the video kicks as high as her chin and still manages to look graceful.
“We want to see you kick to the stars.” Lexi says, right on cue. “Look at the way Carole did it in the video. That’s the standard.”
A ripple of surprised gasps echoes in the room.
“Yes,” Lexi smiles. “That’s an old video from Carole’s last year as cheer captain of our team when we were cheering for the NFL. Doesn’t she look hot?”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Carole blush before today.
“Thanks, Lexi, you’re way too kind. More than anything, I feel old. I can’t believe how young I was in that video. I didn’t know at the time, but I was pregnant with my second baby back then. I think I found out shortly after and was benched once the doctor confirmed it.”
“Yeah,” Lexi nods. “You came back after your first child, but you retired after Riah was born.”
Carole sighs. “Yeah. With my husband traveling during the hockey season, it was too much. We had a nanny when our son was born, but I realized that I didn’t want my kids to be raised by paid help.
I’ll be honest with you all. I loved being a mom and a wife, and I wouldn’t change my decision to retire for anything in the world.
But I missed dancing; I missed the excitement of game day.
Experiencing all that again with you is priceless, even if I’m not the one dancing.
Come on, let’s see that dance and show me and Lexi those kicks. ”
Every new dance routine is a challenge, but in the past few weeks, we’ve already learned a dozen different dances. So at this point, we’re becoming quite quick at picking up every new move our choreographers throw our way.
Everything seems to go pretty well until it’s time to start the kick line.
“No, no, no,” Lexi cries out. “What a disaster. Gen and Jodie, you’re out of sync.
Gen, you’re a tenth of a second early and Jodie is a tenth of a second late.
You’re lucky you didn’t make the entire line collapse.
Being out of sync when you kick is dangerous.
You could injure yourself or one of your teammates. ”
Carole agrees. “Absolutely. Also, those kicks are way too low. There are only two dancers who got those kicks where they should be. Taryn and Genevieve. Everyone else, if you need time to stretch, go ahead. But if you don’t see the tips of your shoes right under your nose when you’re kicking, you aren’t doing it right. ”
“There is another thing that every single one of you has gotten wrong.” Lexi adds. “You’re dancing at a hockey game, not at a funeral. You’re there to hype up the crowd, make the fans happy, and drum up excitement. So you need to smile. Kick and smile.”
The second attempt is only slightly better.
“Taryn, perfect. Gen and Jodie, still out of sync. Talia, you look terrified. And Sam, you’re kicking like my three-year-old niece. Actually, she kicks higher than you. Lift those legs. Come on, try again and… kick left, kick right and smile. Left, right, and smile. Again.”
Carole chimes in. “Talia, that’s much better.
You have a gorgeous smile. I want to see it more when you dance.
Gen and Jodie, much better. Sam, that’s still a disaster.
Girls, I don’t care if you have a pebble in your shoe or if your underwear is riding up.
When you’re out there dancing, your smile is part of your uniform and choreography. We’re a cheer team.”
We try again. And again. And a dozen more times. Keeping a smile on your face when you’re out of breath and every muscle in your body hurts—including your face because you’re smiling through all of it—is harder said than done.
Carol and Lexi, however, demand nothing but perfection. If we want to make this team, we have no choice but to reach that perfection.
“Hmm,” Carole is looking at us, rubbing her chin.
“Most of you are almost there, but it still isn’t where I want it to be.
There’s something that still doesn’t work in general.
Maybe we need to shuffle you around. We can’t mix much based on height for this dance, but I think we need to play with the placement when it comes to your looks.
We have lines of blondes, lines of brunettes, lines of brown-reddish hair.
Let’s switch lines but keeping to similar heights, let’s go. ”
After the shuffle, I’m no longer close to Talia. I’m between Sam and Julia, a pretty redhead.
“Much better. You girls look tired, though. Let’s do the kick line one more time. If you get it right, we’ll call it a day. Lexi and I want to see synchronicity, high kicks and big smiles. In three, two, one…”
“Excuse me, Carole.” Gen cuts in before the music starts. “But I feel like I should be in the front. My followers will be tuning in to see me, and they’ll be disappointed if I’m lost in the background. It might even hurt the reality show’s ratings.”
For a second, I feel bad for Carole. Having Gen on the team is a real challenge.
Gen’s family is heavily involved in the running and financing of the team, and the long-standing friendship between their families has put Carole in an awkward position more than once.
I’ve heard many of the girls whisper about the preferential treatment Gen gets.
And Gen does nothing to quash those concerns by acting like a diva, like she’s doing right now.
“Gen,” the corner of Carole’s eye twitches as she struggles to keep her tone pleasant. “Your followers will have to accept the current placement. We can’t put the tallest girls in the front, or no one will see the others behind you.”
Rather than accepting Carole’s explanation, Gen snorts. “That wouldn’t be so bad. Who wants to see dancers with stubby, short legs?”
“Genevieve!” Carole snaps. “I didn’t owe you an explanation; that was a courtesy.
I know for a fact you’ve been raised right, but since you set foot at camp, you seem to have forgotten every semblance of manners.
If you don’t like the way Lexi and I run this training camp, there’s the door.
Besides, your kicks are lazy. You’re one of the tallest girls on the current roster.
Use those long legs and kick higher; maybe then you’ll get noticed no matter where you’re placed. ”
Carole’s cutting tone seems to have the desired effect.
“Yes ma’am. I’m sorry.”
“Now, one perfect kick line on my three. One, two, three.”
When the music starts from the point where we have to begin kicking, something seems to finally click.
The girls in my line and I are in perfect sync. So are the dancers in the row behind me when I check the full-length mirror that covers the entire wall behind Carole and Lexi.
For a split second, I meet Gen’s eyes. Her smile widens right before she looks away.
We’re almost at the end of our dance and I’m focusing on breathing through the exertion. I check my smile in the mirror one last time when there’s a flash of white entering my peripheral vision.
Pain blooms in the back of my head, and I fall forward.
The surprise that washes over me combined with the suddenness of the blow is such that I don’t even realize what’s happening until I feel the impact with the hardwood floor of the dance studio.
I face plant and bring my entire line down with me.
My ears are ringing as my entire body hurts; my face because of the impact and the rest because my muscles involuntarily clenched, preparing for the fall.
“Oh my God, Taryn.” Carole’s voice reaches me first as someone brushes my hair away from my neck.
“Someone call 911,” Jodie screeches. “Don’t move her; what if she has a spinal injury?”
“I don’t have a spinal injury.” I croak. “But my face hurts so bad.”
Gentle hands help me up. Carole, Lexi, and Jodie guide me to one of the chairs our trainers were using to watch our practice.
“Can anyone bring some tissues?” Carole ask no one in particular. “Her nose is bleeding.”
Oh. That must be why my face feels wet. “Aww,” I whine. “It’s dripping all over my top. My training uniform is ruined.”
“Don’t worry about that.” Lexi’s tone is soft. “Here, tip your head back.” She says, putting a wad of tissues against my nose.
“Actually,” I do my best, grateful to have something to soak up the blood. “It’s a wrong practice to have your head back to stop a nosebleed. Forward is the way to go, so the blood that’s coming out doesn’t drip back down your throat.”
Carole and Lexi help me lean forward.
Gen snorts. “Really? Who are you to contradict our trainers?”
“She’s a nurse, dick head.” Jodie sounds furious. “And I saw you. It was you. You kicked her. If you gave her a concussion, I swear I’m gonna go to the cops.”
“It was an accident. Her line was dancing too close to us. I can’t help it if I have super long legs.”
Talia intervenes. “Bullshit. We didn’t move. You kept inching closer to us.”
“And I literally felt you shifting your weight as you prepared to kick her.” Jodie accuses her. “You’ve had it out for Taryn since tryouts. You feel threatened because she has a million times more talent than you.”
Gen’s hands go to her chest. “Oh my God. You’re so mean. It was an accident. If anything, I should be mad because my foot and my entire leg hurt after the impact with her head.”
“Girls, this is enough. I just replayed the video I was shooting with my phone so I can review it later. Genevieve definitely made contact with the back of Taryn’s head. But I can’t tell if it was intentional or accidental.”
“Lexi, you have to believe me. I would never hurt one of the best dancers on the team.”
Carole cuts in. “We’ll see if the film crew can provide some footage from another angle. In the meantime, did someone call 911?”
“I don’t want to go to the hospital.” I take the tissues away from my face. “Look, my nose stopped bleeding. I’m just banged up. Nothing a painkiller and some rest can’t fix.”
“I’d prefer it if you got checked, sweetheart.” Carole’s maternal tone makes me miss my own mom.
As a nurse, this is probably gonna sound weird, but I hate hospitals. As a patient. In a professional capacity, of course, it’s different. “I promise I’ll be ok. Hopefully, I won’t have any bruises that can’t be covered with makeup.”
“Bruises are the least of my worries right now,” Carole says.
“What if you have a concussion? These things can turn into serious problems. Let’s do one thing.
The hockey team has a doctor and a nurse on site.
Let them take a look at you. But if they say you have a concussion, you’ll go to the hospital. End of story.”
Carole’s tone brooks no argument, so I nod. “Ok.” I fight the urge to wince when the head movement sends pain shooting everywhere in my body.
Our director’s expression softens as she grabs my forearm.
“Look, Taryn, I don’t want you to worry.
Let’s see what the team doctor says, and we’ll take it from there.
If they clear you to dance, we’ll see what we can do with makeup if you bruise.
Worst-case scenario, we’ll have you sit out Friday’s performance.
Unless you have a serious concussion. In that case, we’ll have to see what the prognosis is. ”
My stomach drops at the thought. If it’s a serious concussion, I might not be able to practice for a few weeks. Carole isn’t saying it, but I’m pretty sure that would mean not making the team.
“Can someone go to see the doctor with Taryn?” Carole says. “I’m going to message ahead, so he’ll be expecting you.”
Talia and Jodie volunteer, and so does Genevieve.
“Talia, Jodie, go with Taryn. Gen, Lexi and I would like to see you in my office.” Carole looks at the rest of the girls.
“We would also like to see Sam and Fiona. Everyone else is dismissed. Go to dinner, and I’ll see you all tomorrow for rehearsal at 8 a.m. sharp.
I expect to see perfect kicks. Lexi and I will pick the best eighteen dancers to perform on Friday’s game. ”
Carole’s announcement is met with a murmur of surprise from the team.
“Girls, sometimes we might need everyone on the roster to perform, but other times, depending on game location and other factors, we might select some of you to dance rather than the entire team. In this instance, we’re selecting the girls who we think are more performance ready.
By the end of camp, we expect each of the thirty-two selected dancers to be performance ready at all times and to let us know in a timely manner if that changes for any reason. ”