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Back The Competition Save as PDF
Chapters (24)
  1. Chapter 1
  2. Chapter 2
  3. Chapter 3
  4. Chapter 4
  5. Chapter 5
  6. Chapter 6
  7. Chapter 7
  8. Chapter 8
  9. Chapter 9
  10. Chapter 10
  11. Chapter 11
  12. Chapter 12
  13. Chapter 13
  14. Chapter 14
  15. Chapter 15
  16. Chapter 16
  17. Chapter 17
  18. Chapter 18
  19. Chapter 19
  20. Chapter 20
  21. Acknowledgements
  22. An Excerpt from The Audition
  23. About the Authors
  24. Also by Maddie Ziegler

“Okay, now try something else!” Leave it to Vanessa to comment on the choreography of anything.

Eliza and I stood back to back with one knee bent and our feet planted sole to sole. And then we got photobombed by the rest of the Squad.

“Yaaay!” they shouted, jumping in and gathering us in a huddle. We quickly arranged ourselves, arm in arm, in a straight line across the backdrop.

“I love being in New York with you all!” I shouted.

“If I can make it there—” Trina started singing.

And suddenly we were kicking Rockettes style. The official nationals photographer who had taken our group shots with Trey Thompson was now pointing his camera at us too.

“It’s up to you, New York, NEW YORK!” we all sang. My old and new friends together.

There was no better way to wrap up our visit to New York City. This was the sweetest send-off I could’ve imagined.

Chapter 19

CHAPTER

19

I spoke too soon. The sweetest send-off I could’ve imagined was the one that happened next. To make up for not inviting the Squad along the first time, I planned to pull Vanessa and the moms aside and ask if Eliza and I could take them to the famous Cupcake Queen place we went to earlier in the trip.

We had just come from the final farewell on the nationals stage and were headed to the chill room to grab our things and go. Our heads were still buzzing from the excitement of the past three days. And it was strange knowing that we would be catching a flight back to Florida in about six hours. I was excited to see my family, but of course, I would miss being in New York.

The memories we made here would always stay with me. The Squad and I had visited so many places we could reminisce about over and over again. I remembered how Trina had said she liked to go to this one cupcake place with her grandmother, and I wanted to do what I could to make a visit happen. First, I had to get the chaperones on board. Eliza was with her mom. She said her mom wanted to come to personally meet the team that would be taking home the nationals champ award.

A lot of audience members who had exited the ballroom about a half hour ago or more had apparently been hanging out in the lobby. When we exited the backstage door leading to the hall, we hadn’t anticipated this. People recognized us and greeted us. As strange as it sounded, folks even asked to take pictures with us. A few little girls asked us to sign their programs. It was pretty unexpected and incredible.

In all of the activity, while Megan, Riley, Trina, and Eliza were speaking to moms, little girls, and summer program coaches, I’d managed sneak in quick side conversations with the chaperones.