Stepping Up Page 6

  Jenna laughed. “If ‘yu-maw’ isn’t working for you, I don’t know if ‘maw’ is any better.”

  “M.A.W., Jen.” Steven gave her a stern look. “M.A.W.”

  ***

  After that day’s class, Ms. Colette reminded students that the monthly tuition payment was due at the end of the next week. Jenna had heard the announcement many times before, but she never truly paid attention to it until that day. She’d never had to.

  However, while the announcement might have thrown her a few days ago, now she wasn’t worried. She was sure her dad would get the new job, and the whole responsibility would be off her plate. Maybe she’d go ahead and have the recital for fun, just so everyone’s work wasn’t wasted. But there wouldn’t be so much riding on it now. It was really a relief.

  The walk home was freezing. A freak cold front was moving in, and Jenna scurried to stay warm. She looked forward to the coziness of her house.

  When she walked in the front door, however, she knew something was off. Dad sat in the living room, still dressed in his suit, but now it was rumpled. His head hung down while her mom rubbed the back of his neck.

  Jenna stood uncertainly in the doorway. “Hi, Dad. How’d it go?”

  Her father raised his head. “Oh, hi, sweetie. Good dance class?”

  “Fine. But what about you? How was the interview?”

  “Jenna,” interrupted her mom, “why don’t you come help me set the table?”

  Jenna frowned but followed her mother out of the room. “What’s wrong?”

  “The interview did not go so well,” said her mom, as she pulled down a stack of plates.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It can be tough to find a new job, Jen, especially when your work is as specialized as your dad’s. Don’t worry. He’ll find something. But it’s going to take a little time.”

  Time? That was the one thing that Jenna didn’t have.

  “Please put these on the table.”

  Jenna took the plates, dully registering that there were only three. “I need one more plate.”

  “Steven’s eating with Edward’s family. It’s just us tonight.”

  Dinner was subdued. Though he put on a good front, her father was clearly discouraged. Her mom tried to keep up a flow of conversation, but it was halfhearted. Jenna reflected that it was a tough night for Steven to be away. You could always count on him to talk your ear off.

  Jenna was miserable and angry, though she tried to hide it. She’d pinned all her hopes on her dad getting that job, and now it felt as though he’d been fired all over again. She thought with increasing panic of Ms. Colette’s announcement that afternoon. She only had until the end of next week to meet her tuition payment.

  Once again, her recital had to succeed.

  ***

  Jenna trudged into Shop class the next day. It was the day of preliminary testing for the bridges. Each pair of students had finished their structures made entirely out of glue and dowel rods. Somehow, the contraptions were supposed to hold weight.

  Around the room, students grouped into twos and fussed with final details on their bridges. Jenna went straight to her table. Moira was already there, looking doubtfully at their bridge on the table in front of her. Jenna noticed that it didn't sit flush with the table, but instead tilted from side to side. That was probably not a good sign.

  At the beginning of class, Mr. Padgett arranged two tables exactly 15 inches apart. Then he called the students up in pairs while everyone else watched. The teacher placed each team’s bridge over the gap and slowly added weight on top of the structure. The students kept track of how many ounces each bridge bore before it finally broke in half.

  There was a big range in workmanship. Some bridges looked as if they’d been made by professionals, others, by preschoolers. Jenna glanced down at the bridge on her table. Unfortunately, theirs was on the less-skilled end of the spectrum. But it was too late to do anything about it.

  Classmates bet on how much weight certain bridges would take, and they cheered every time a bridge went down.

  Mary and her partner were picked early on. Jenna watched as Mary and Brandon – “The Hair,” she corrected herself – tested their bridge. They stood very close together and exchanged laughing looks when their bridge reached high levels of weight. Evidently, they had not expected their creation to last so long. When it finally did break, they gave each other a high five before heading back to their table.

  I guess Mary’s crush is going well. Jenna tried not to be jealous.

  She snapped out of her daydreams when she heard her and Moira’s names. She took a deep breath and followed her partner to the front of the class.

  “Ok, girls,” said the teacher. “Let’s see what we’ve got.” He gently took the bridge from Jenna and examined it. “Very interesting,” he said, before he handed it back. “Let’s see how it does. Jenna, go ahead.”

  She placed the bridge across the gap. It looked awfully flimsy.

  Mr. Padgett added the first weight.

  Creak.

  Jenna’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe it. It was already breaking!

  She and Moira met each other’s eyes uncomfortably. No one else’s bridge failed so soon. She could hear giggles bursting out of her classmates.

  Mr. Padgett cleared his throat and carefully added one more weight. Jenna crossed her fingers, hoping it would last a little longer.

  No such luck.

  Crack!

  Their bridge broke soundly, the top crumpling into the bottom before it slipped and fell to the floor. A collective gasp from her classmates filled the room, swiftly followed by raucous applause.

  Mr. Padgett bent and retrieved the two sides of the bridge and handed one to each girl. “Not to worry. There’s just plenty of room for improvement, eh?”

  The girls walked back to their chairs. Jenna tried to ignore the smirks of some of the other students, but it was still humiliating. She caught Mary's eye on the way back to her seat and received a commiserating smile. It made her feel slightly comforted.

  The two girls sat silently through the remainder of the tests. Jenna didn’t really pay attention, though she was aware enough to register that no other team’s bridge broke as early as the second weight.

  At the end of the tests, Mr. Padgett instructed the students to brainstorm ways to fix any weaknesses in their bridge design.

  “Remember, you’ll begin to build a new model tomorrow, and I’d like to see everyone’s bridge hold more weight in the second round. Now get started before the bell rings.”

  Jenna turned to Moira, prepared to begin the arduous process of yet another bridge design. To her surprise, however, she found that Moira was staring at her. She flinched at the hostility she saw in her partner’s face.

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  “What’s wrong with me?” asked Moira. “Were you not there when we had the worst bridge in the entire class?”

  Jenna felt herself getting defensive. “Yeah, I was there. So what?”

  “So I hope you’re going to put in a little more effort this time.”

  “Are you serious? You’re blaming this on me?”

  “You’ve had your head somewhere else all week long. If you’re not arguing with me, you’re daydreaming. Either way, you’re not much help.”

  Jenna was angry now. Sometimes she just couldn’t believe Moira. “If I argue with you, it’s because you have bad ideas.” Moira bristled, but Jenna didn’t stop to let her speak. “And if I’m daydreaming, it’s because this project isn’t that important. I’ve got real issues going on in my life that put this to shame.”

  “Oh, really? What’s so all-important that the perfect Jenna can’t concentrate?”

  Jenna’s voice rose. “How about getting kicked out of Step It Up? Is that important enough for you?”

  Jenna clapped a hand over her mouth, and Moira sat back in shock.

  “What? Why are you getting kicked out?”

&n
bsp; “Never mind. I didn’t mean to say anything.”

  Moira continued to look scandalized, so Jenna continued. “It’s not like I did something illegal. I just… I can’t pay my tuition bill. Happy? My dad lost his job.”

  Jenna wasn’t entirely sure why she was telling Moira any of this. The past week had just been too much. All she wanted to do was get out of there.

  The period was over, and Jenna had never been so glad to hear the annoying electronic chirp that acted as a bell in her school. She jumped to her feet and left Moira sitting at the table, no doubt with some cutting or triumphant remark on her lips. She just didn’t care.

  Chapter 9

  Jenna and her friends threw themselves into the final days of preparations. Every afternoon involved an hour of practice with Eva and Ella, followed by a tough workout at Step It Up. Jenna felt herself growing stronger from all the dancing, but she still dropped exhausted into her bed each night.

  There were compensations within all the preparation. It was an exciting moment when Mary brought an additional $10 from Mrs. Ryley. "Payment for week two of lessons," she said, handing Jenna the money. Jenna colored in a little more red space on the thermometer. She felt a funny mixture of emotion: pride at how much she'd raised and despair at the remainder still to go.

  Her days at school passed quickly. Shop continued to be the worst part of her day as she and Moira struggled to correct their bridge design. Jenna kept expecting Moira to make some sort of comment about Jenna leaving Step It Up. She couldn't believe that Moira wouldn’t take the chance to rub it in her face. Waiting for the inevitable put Jenna on edge and made her almost wish that Moira would bring it up, just to clear the air and get it over with. But Moira remained silent on the subject, something that Jenna just could not understand.

  The rest of the week passed far too quickly for Jenna’s nerves. On Thursday afternoon, Jenna and Pam were in the basement with the little girls. They’d just finished the complete dance number, an adorable jazz routine that Jenna was sure would make kids beg to sign up. With only two days left to go until the recital, the timing couldn’t have been better.

  “That was awesome, girls,” said Jenna. “We’re so close now. Let’s just do one more run through, ok? You’re going to be ready to show off for the whole neighborhood in no time.”

  “Jenna, we’re too cold to dance anymore,” said Eva.

  “Yeah,” Ella agreed. She walked to Pam and snuggled into her arms.

  “Poor things,” said Pam. “It is kind of cold in here.”

  “It’s this crazy weather,” said Jenna. “Dad said we’ve had record lows all week. He’s taken to watching the weather channel obsessively in between applying for jobs. Still, we’ve got to practice.” She knelt down in front of Ella. “Don’t you want to dance a little more?”

  “No.”

  Jenna sighed in frustration.

  “Knock, knock,” came a voice from the top of the stairs. Jenna turned to see Edward. He was carrying an old appliance as he descended the steps. “I had a feeling you girls could use this.”

  “Thanks, Edward,” Jenna said. “Uh… What is it?”

  “A space heater.” He made it to bottom of the stairs. “I found it at my house. Y.M.A.W. work, you know. We were cleaning out the attic.”

  “And you brought it for us?” asked Jenna, pleased.

  “Sure. Steven mentioned that your basement is freezing during cold weather.”

  Jenna smiled. How typical of Edward to do something about it. “Thanks. And you’re right. We could definitely use it.”

  “Where do you want it?”

  “How about by the barre?”

  Edward plugged in the heater, and it puffed out the beginnings of warm air.

  “Ooh,” squealed Eva and Ella as they ran to stand by the device.

  “That feels good,” said Ella. “I’m going to dance right here.”

  “You’ve saved our practice,” said Pam. She hurried over to the heater herself, leaving Jenna with Edward.

  Jenna shifted nervously and wondered what she should say next.

  But Edward spoke and saved Jenna from her indecision. “How are the lessons going?” he asked.

  “Pretty good. They’ve got their routine down. And good thing, too, because we’re almost out of time.”

  “Recital’s in two days, right?”

  “Yep. Two short days.”

  “Your flyers look good. Your friend Mary dropped one by my house yesterday. She said that I specifically had to come.”

  Jenna’s cheeks flushed. She’d have to kill Mary the next time she saw her. “That’s odd,” was all she said.

  “She’s probably giving everyone the same hard sell. That’s good, though. I bet you’ll get lots of people there that way.”

  “I hope so,” said Jenna. “I really don’t think I could have done any of this without my friends.”

  Edward grinned. “See? I told you they’d help.”

  Jenna couldn’t help smiling back. “I guess you were right. Maybe.”

  Jenna felt a tug on her side. She looked down into the eyes of Eva. The little girl spoke in a loud stage whisper. “I’ve got to go to the bathroom.”

  “That’s my cue,” said Edward. He turned and bounded up the stairs. “Good luck this weekend. I’ll be watching.”

  “Bye,” called Jenna before turning to Eva with a sigh. “Come on. Be right back, Pam.”

  At the end of practice that day, Rita bustled down to the basement with Mary.

  “Mary’s going to hang around for a minute before she takes the girls home. I want to get us all up to date while we’re together.”

  “What’s going on?” asked Jenna.

  “I’ve finished the recital details.”

  Mary checked on the girls. “Eva, Ella, how about a snack before you go home?”

  “Yes! I’m so hungry,” said Ella.

  “Yes, please,” added Eva.

  Jenna and Mary ran upstairs to the kitchen and brought back animal crackers and juice boxes. They settled the little girls around the space heater with their snack.

  “It’s like a campout. Pretend that’s the fire.” Jenna pointed at the heater. “No touching, ok?” The girls nodded and happily munched away.

  “That oughta buy us at least ten minutes,” said Mary as the girls returned to Rita and Pam.

  "Good work,” said Rita. She made everyone sit on the floor in a circle. “No lounging. This is a business meeting.”

  Once everyone sat down, she began. “Now, here's where we stand. We're going to hold the recital on the pavilion at the playground. There are plenty of benches for people to sit on and a clear spot that we can use as the stage."

  “Good idea,” said Jenna. “And there will already be kids at the playground, too. Hopefully they’ll come over to watch.”

  “Exactly. Mary, you said you can borrow some speakers from Brandon for the music, right?”

  "He's lending you his speakers?" asked Pam.

  Mary nodded, clearly trying and failing not to look smug.

  Pam laughed. "Must be love."

  Rita continued. "I contacted the head of the homeowner’s association. They have email addresses for the whole neighborhood, and they’re going to send out a blast on Friday.”

  “Wow, Rita,” said Jenna. “I’m impressed.”

  “Mary also made some flyers for us to put out.” She pulled out a sheaf of papers. "We’ll canvas the neighborhood with them. Everyone will know about the recital by the time we’re done.”

  Jenna took one flyer and read it aloud. "Does your little one love to dance? Then come learn from Jenna Marlow, the neighborhood's best! Exhibition Recital, Saturday, 2:30 at the Playground Pavilion." She looked at Mary. "Exhibition. Fancy schmancy."

  "Hey, I know stuff," said Mary.

  “And what’s this part about a website? JennaSchoolofDance.com.”

  “Oh, that,” said Rita. “I made you a website. That way you look legit.” She pulled open the Ma
rlows’ laptop that she’d grabbed on the way down and navigated to the site. A smiling picture of Jenna in her dance gear graced the center of the page. Underneath was information about lessons.

  Jenna felt a surge of excitement. “I have my own webpage? That’s all kinds of awesome.”

  "And finally," said Rita, "the most important part." She held up a sheet of paper. "This is the sign-up list. We're not leaving that pavilion until this is filled with names of kids who want to take lessons."

  “Rita, you are amazing. I never would have thought of all this.”

  "That’s what friends are for,” said Rita.

  Mary started to sing a goofy song about friends forever, and Jenna threw her hands over her ears, laughing. “Ok, ok, I get it.”

  Mary stopped singing and clapped her hands. "Rita, does that conclude our business meeting?”

  “It does.”

  “Great.” She jumped to her feet and saluted Rita. “Permission to take Eva and Ella home? It’s getting colder outside by the minute.”

  “Granted,” said Rita.

  Jenna stayed in the basement long after her friends left. She stared at the webpage that Rita had made her while she basked in the glow of Edward’s space heater. On the whole, things were going pretty good.

  If only it could have lasted.

  Chapter 10

  The night before the recital, Jenna invited her friends to spend the night. “I’m much too nervous about tomorrow,” she said. “Please come and get my mind off of it all.”

  So that evening found them wrapped up in blankets, playing Mary’s game, Friendtastic, and eating s’mores cooked in the microwave. They’d abandoned the formal rules of the game and now simply answered the questions out loud.

  “Next question,” read Mary. “Would you rather spend the rest of your life only watching movies or reading books?”

  “Books,” said Pam.

  “No way. Movies,” said Rita. “Better replay value.”

  Pam looked shocked. “I reread books all the time. It’s the best.”