I glare at her, and she laughs harder, then threads her arm through mine. “Come on.” She drags me to the dance studio door and knocks on it. Amelia’s no longer in the big room with the windows, but she comes out of a side room when Lizzie keeps knocking.
Opening the door, she cocks an eyebrow at her best friend. “Shouldn’t you be on the road by now?”
Lizzie raises a shoulder. “Meh, we don’t have a set schedule. It’s Seattle, it’ll be there all damn day. Let us in.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“Your sign says ‘Walk-ins Welcome’.”
There’s no such sign. My lips turn up at their banter.
“It lies. We hate walk-ins.” Amelia moves out of the way with a smile for Lizzie, but like our new normal, she avoids my gaze.
“Your mom said you’re working on some twenty-year anniversary show thing, and I wanted to see it,” Lizzie says.
“Come on then.” Amelia leads us through a maze of hallways until we get to a room with dance costumes hanging on the walls.
“Holy shit, I remember most of these!” Lizzie exclaims, glancing around the room. “I even wore a couple of these.”
“Technically, I wore them. Yours are in my closet at the house. A few of these are Haven’s, and that tiny one is Raelynn’s.” Amelia points at the smallest costume among the collection.
Lizzie looks at Amelia, eyes wide. “Wait, you still have mine? I thought Mom got rid of them as soon as a season was over.”
“After she tossed the first one, my mom started grabbing yours along with mine at the end of the shows in case you wanted them later.”
“Tiffany didn’t want to keep them for her trophy room?” I ask bitterly.
Lizzie turns to me. “We didn’t do competitions, and she doesn’t count recitals for anything. But I took tap until a couple of years ago. It was what I did for the talent portions of pageants and was the only part of those damn things I liked.”
“You just liked making noise,” Amelia teases.
“It’s the best part!”
“Why’d you quit?” I ask her.
“I just got busy.” Lizzie shrugs and shifts on her feet. There’s more to that story. “Anyway, what’s up with all our old costumes?”
“We wanted to see if we have at least one from each big recital, like a timeline in costumes. Show the progression and growth of the studio and the dancers. It’s kind of wild to see them all like this.” Amelia reaches out and touches a small costume. “I don’t even remember the first couple.”
“‘Cause you were a freaking toddler when you started. Fucking adorable shit, though. Ten tiny tots spinning around while Angela runs up and down the front of the stage to make sure they don’t fall off. They’re still my favorites to watch.”
“Mine, too. I can’t believe Raelynn’s already moved beyond that class. Henry, though, that kid is absolutely diving off the stage at the next show. Probably naked. Now, you need to get out of here and start driving. I have a whole day of dance camps to help with, and I’m teaching three classes today, so go away. Have fun, remember to write letters home.” Amelia waves her hands in a ‘scoot along’ motion.
“Alright. See ya later, alligator,” Lizzie says.
“Don’t meander, salamander,” Amelia replies with a smirk.
“God, you’re a dork, Minnie.”
“Yeah, but you love me.”
“That I do, Min. That I do. I’ll send you selfies at the gum wall.”
Amelia cringes. “Gag. Don’t do that. For the love of god, don’t send me any pictures that include the disgusting wall of gum!”
“Sorry, can’t hear you, too far away now. Love you, see you later, selfies coming very soon.” Lizzie laughs the whole way as she leads me back through the maze.
“Elizabeth Dawn Boyd!”
