Centre Stage: A Novel

band her brother Tom is in might get to play at the Junction.’
    ‘Wow!’ Eve said, looking at me. ‘That’s brilliant! My cousin’s in a band and they used to play there. He’s gone to university now.’
    ‘Your cousin’s in a band?’ Ally questioned, looking interested. ‘What’s it called?’
    ‘The Scream,’ Eve replied. ‘They’re really good. They’ve just got a record deal.’ She hung up her coat. ‘They’re doing some gigs around here at Christmas time. One of them’s for charity at our village hall.’ She looked almost shyly at Ally. ‘I could try and get you a ticket as well if you like.’
    ‘Yeah!’ Ally said eagerly.
    Eve smiled at her. ‘Are you coming into the classroom?’
    Ally hesitated and looked at Harriet and me. She had got into the habit of coming into our classroom before morning registration. ‘Umm… yeah, I guess. I’ll… er, see you two later.’
    Watching Ally head off with Eve felt strange.
    ‘Eve seems nice, doesn’t she?’ Harriet said slowly.
    ‘Yeah,’ I agreed, feeling weird. ‘Yeah, she does.’
    We walked towards our classroom. ‘So, when’s your next rehearsal?’ Harriet asked me.
    ‘Tomorrow night,’ I replied. ‘It’s another dancing rehearsal, worse luck.’
    Harriet looked at me sympathetically. I’d told her all about being picked out on Saturday as we’d travelled to school on the bus. ‘You’ll get better at the dancing,’ she said comfortingly. ‘You just need to practise.’
    I nodded in determination. Yes , I thought. That’s all I need to do .
    Over the next two weeks I practised and practised. Every night after school I went over the dances and, to my relief, I seemed to be managing to keep up with the others. But then, one Tuesday night, Dizzy broke the news about Lucy’s ballet solo.
    ‘OK, tonight you’re going to start learning your solo,’ she said to me and Justine as everyone else took a drinks’ break.
    ‘Solo?’ I echoed.
    Dizzy nodded. ‘It comes in the scene at Mr Tumnus’s house. After you have had tea you dance a kind of ballet.’
    ‘Cool!’ Justine said, looking really pleased. ‘I love ballet.’
    I gulped. This sounded difficult.
    Dizzy seemed to see the worry on my face. ‘Don’t look like that, Sophie; you’ll manage just fine. Although it’s going to be based on ballet-style movements I’m not expecting either of you to look like trained ballet dancers. In fact, what I want you to look like is a little girl dancing naturally out of sheer joy.’ She went to the tape player. ‘Now I’ll play you the music and show you the dance.’
    I felt slightly better. And then I saw Dizzy dance.
    As she spun and jumped my mouth dropped open. I was going to have to do that ? It was impossible. There were pirouettes, lots of jumps and an arabesque — that’s where you balance on one leg with the other leg out behind you. I was never going to be able to do it.
    As the music ended and Dizzy spun to a halt, her arms outstretched, the watching dancers all clapped and cheered and a few of the boys wolf-whistled. She grinned at them. ‘OK, OK, settle down, guys.’ Then she turned to Justine and me. ‘Right, now it’s your turn.’
    I felt rooted to the ground in horror. She wanted me to do that — in front of everyone!
    I swallowed. This was a nightmare. It had to be a nightmare.
    ‘You start over here, feet in fifth position,’ Dizzy instructed. ‘Come on, Sophie,’ she called as Justine eagerly hurried over and stood in fifth position, her right foot neatly placed in front of her left, her toes turned out.
    I walked towards them, feeling sick.
    ‘So, from fifth position,’ Dizzy said, walking slowly through the first sequence of steps, ‘you start with a simple glissande derrière , so that’s a demi-plié , slide your left foot to second position, raise your left foot and spring, as you land stretch your right foot off the ground and then slide it back to a demi-plié in fifth…’
    What? I stood motionless as Justine followed the instructions easily.
    ‘Come on, Sophie, what are you waiting for?’ Dizzy frowned.
    It took me four attempts to get that first sequence even vaguely right.
    ‘It’s not that hard,’ Dizzy told me. ‘Just try and relax.’
    Relax? With everyone watching me?
    ‘OK, and on to the next sequence,’ Dizzy said. ‘It’s an assemblé dessus followed by two changements .’
    It was the worst fifteen minutes of my life. I just couldn’t get the dance at