To enter, we had to submit a video of us doing original choreography to a song from the musical. Then the top five would be chosen, and they’d get a chance to perform an originalpiece in front of the producers and cast. Then, of course, the best would be chosen for the job.
I was excited, mainly because I’d always been praised by dance teachers and professors in the past for my ability to craft a sequence of dance moves as if I were born to do it. So, I submitted it and made it to the final round along with Trelyn. I was stoked for both of us, and we celebrated our accomplishment, then agreed to help each other with our dances for the last round.
And that was the biggest mistake I ever made.
I don’t know why I trusted her, but never in a million years did I expect her to have recorded my dance, learn it, and then performed it before me on the day of the final round. I was shocked, hurt, and felt like the world was crashing down around me. She got standing ovations and compliments on the choreography thatI’dspent hours trying to perfect. I tried protesting that she’d stolen my choreography, but she argued that I was lying because I was unprepared. Then the producers said that even if I was telling the truth, I should always have a backup plan.
So, I performed a different dance, but I knew that my heart wasn’t in it anymore. I tried my hardest to give it my all, but with Trelyn standing off to the side with a smug look, and all these industry professionals scrutinizing my every move, it was probably the worst performance I’d ever given. I was embarrassed, hurt, and all I could do once it was over was go home and sob into my pillow.
It took me a few days, but I finally confronted her about it, and all she did was laugh in my face. She stated that she’d always hated how much attention I got, all because I could “come up with a few dance steps.” When I asked her why she stole my dance, she said that there was no way that she was letting a junior outshine her and steal an opportunity that she’d beenworking towards her whole life. She admitted to deliberately sabotaging me and shaking my confidence because she knew it was the only way she’d win.
I was distraught for a long time, and she was right about my confidence taking a hit. For the remainder of my time in college, I refused to get too close to anyone else. I felt so dumb and used for being so nice to someone, only to be stabbed in the back when I least expected it. But that’s what I got for wearing my heart on my sleeve, right?
It wasn’t until after I’d graduated that I ran into someone who also went to school with us that I realized that I wasn’t the only person whom Trelyn had sabotaged. Turns out, she’d been doing it since her freshman year in an attempt to get ahead of everyone who she deemed a threat. She played dirty. Sabotage was her favorite pastime. From cutting up the costumes of the competition, to paying group members to mess up, to stealing choreography, and all the way down to falsifying drug tests, she’d stop at nothing to make sure those who were better than her never got a chance to show it.
Why hadn’t she been caught? Well, she’s also a nepo baby with family members on the university board as well as in the industry, so they always turned a blind eye. It made me sick to my stomach when I heard Dawn talk about how far she’d gotten with all of her lies, dirty tricks, and mediocre dance skills.
Then for her to pretend like she didn’t know me when we both knew that wasfarfrom the truth...I couldn’t stand it.
“Oh my god, Raine Williams. We meet again,” Trelyn smiles as she finally makes it over to the table. Her smile was as fake as plastic as she put her stuff in front of a seat a few chairs down from mine. “How have you been, friend?”
“First of all, we’re not friends,” I reply, staring at her like she’s lost her mind. “Any chances of us being friends got tossed out of the window when you stole from me.”
“Oh, you’re still on that?” she chuckles, tossing a few of her braids over her shoulder. “That was, what, seven years ago? I thought you would’ve been over that by now.”
“You stole my damn choreography and ruined two years of friendship,” I argued in a hushed tone. I didn’t want to draw any more attention. “I don’t care if it was sevendaysago. Do you not understand how fucking shitty that was? Do you not understand how used I felt? I did nothing but show you respect and care, and you shitted on me the first chance you got. You were supposed to be my friend, Trelyn.”
“See, and that’s what you get for thinking that everyone is your friend,” she states as she chuckles. “You should’ve known what it was when you decided you wanted to be part of this industry. This isn’t some high school dance club, Raine. This is the real world, and if you wanna get ahead and get your name out there, then you need to be willing to do whatever it takes.” She sits back in her chair and preoccupies herself by checking her makeup in the mirror. “Not everyone has what it takes to survive in this line of work. Honestly, you should be thanking me.”
“Thanking you?” I ask, taken aback.
She closes her compact and turns to me with a smile. “Well, of course!” she states. “I showed you early on that you weren’t built for this, and it seems like I was right, because last time I checked, you never even got another opportunity like that afterwards, did you?” I didn’t reply. “Exactly.” She smirks. “I do miss the way you screamed my name, though. We could always relive those moments instead. What do you say?”
“In your dreams, bitch,” I said through clenched teeth.
“I’m just kidding,” she replies. “You’re not really worth my time anymore. You’re lucky you even got this gig, because if it were up to me, you’d still be teaching dance classes forexperience, further proof that you’ve never been fit to be in this world. You’re not good enough, and you never will be.”
You’re not good enough, and you never will be.
I sat there in silence as that sentence played over and over in my head. It was something my sister used to tell me all the time. Now to hear that same thing from the woman who used to mean so much to me years ago. I wanted to scream and maybe knock some stuff over, but I kept my composure. For every negative thought that floated around my head, a positive one surfaced.
I could hear my mom telling me that I was good enough to do whatever I put my mind to.
I could hear Ginger telling me that I deserved all of the good things that happened in my life.
I could hear Dawn’s invitation to be the lead dancer for her tour loud and clear.
I smiled to myself, my nerves finally subsiding. There was no reason for me to believe anything that Trelyn said because I knew how she was and how she operated. I knew that, at the end of the day, she was only intimidated by me. If she weren’t, then she wouldn’t have stolen from me all those years ago.
I knew that I was right where I needed to be at the time that I needed to be. There was no point comparing my journey to my peers because we were different people living different lives. One door closing didn’t mean that all of the doors would stay closed forever, and my being here in this room was proof of that.
Screw Trelyn and her mind games. I refused to let her ruin another chance for me. So, I did the only thing I knew how to do. I took a deep breath, plastered a smile on my face, and turned to give her my undivided attention.
“Trelyn, thank you so much for showing me that no matter what, you’ll never change,” I stated, clearly. “But you’re wrong. I know that I’m good enough and I deserve to be here just as muchas you. Actually, I deserve to be here more than you, since I waspersonallyinvited by Dawn. Why areyouhere?”
Her smile drops, and an intense look settles on her face. I could tell she was two seconds away from snapping, but right as she opened her mouth, the room began to fill with people. Leading the pack were Dawn and her manager. Trelyn rolled her eyes at me before turning away. I watched as she strutted over to where Dawn was. They exchanged hugs, and she planted a kiss against Dawn’s cheek. I rolled my eyes and busied myself with the papers in front of me.
Not even a minute later, I could feel someone standing over me, and the light was partially blocked. I glanced up to find Dawn leaning over the table with a smile on her face. She took in the seating arrangement, and her face lit up even more. Within seconds, she had hopped over the table to claim her seat beside me. I stared at her with a mix of amusement and surprise.
