Page 90 of Wicked Dance
Rather than making us all change, which would be very hard for Giselle, since her dance and the elimination are back to back, we are to stay in our costumes for this one. I wait backstage with Jessie. Mariah and Christy, who have already danced, are also in the wings.
Giselle passes, wearing a red and black dress that looks like a rose. They must be doing a tango, which would make sense for them. That was always their dance.
Jessie comes up beside me. “You were great!” she whispers.
I nod and watch the stage. Our order isn’t as much about strategy on voting as Blitz’s outfits and how much change needs to happen. He rushes back by in black satin pants and a matching shirt. He carries a rose.
They are good. I wouldn’t call their dance extraordinary. But clearly it is a crowd pleaser, as the audience hoots and cheers for every dramatic turn. When it ends, Giselle and Blitz head over to Barry.
A girl motions to me, and I follow Christy and Mariah to the edge of the stage. We don’t go out until the commercial.
Barry announces the break and we three girls walk forward.
Blitz takes a long pull of water as he heads to center stage. I don’t know how he does so many dances in a row. He must run on pure adrenaline.
The crew rapidly removes the tango set.
The four girls line up together and hold hands like we were instructed during practice. I’m between Christy and Mariah.
It’s strange and intimate, holding their hands. I’m just glad I’m not near Giselle.
Blitz passes his water to a crew member and they rush off.
The lights come back up. Barry says, “And now it’s time for one of these lovely ladies to go home.”
The crowd makes a collective “awwww” sound.
“Your votes have been tallied from last week. First we are going to announce the two girls who led the numbers.” He opens an envelope. “These girls will definitely be back next week. Mariah and Giselle.”
My face burns a little. So I’m not a fan favorite after all. If what Barry says is even true. Who knows? This is television.
Mariah and Giselle hug each other and move closer to Blitz.
Barry looks over all of us with a dramatic pause. “And the third girl who gets to stay another week is…”
Another pause. A musical pulse plays in the silence, like a heartbeat.
“Livia Mays!”
I let out a breath and hug Christy. Then I step over next to Mariah and Giselle.
Christy starts crying. Blitz comes up to her and brushes a tear off her cheek.
Barry says, “That means Christy will not be back onDance Blitz. She and Blitz Craven will do their final dance together tonight for all of her fans.”
Mariah, Giselle, and I head offstage. We’re done for the night.
I turn to watch Christy dance with Blitz. It’s nothing fancy, just a tight slow dance. She is crying hard. Blitz pats her back and pays close attention, murmuring things in her ear.
“Another week, another paycheck,” Giselle says as she passes by me to head to the hall. “Expect next week to get a lot crazier.”
Now that the show is over, I’m dying to know if they aired the lunch clip. I follow Mariah out into the hall.
“Did they show the lunch footage?” I ask her. “I couldn’t bear to watch.”
“Yeah,” she says. “They showed Giselle’s meltdown. It was all geared to make her look dramatic. She’s getting a lot of airtime.”
“She makes good Tweets,” I say, then bite my lip as I realize I’ve made a gaffe. Blitz’s Tweet is what got us in this whole mess.
