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now—when we could actually use that big mouth to defend our team and Miss Toni, you zip it?”
    â€œI agree with them,” Liberty said. “Our costumes are lame; our dances are lame. I mean, come on, have you seen Bria and Anya’s star dance?”
    â€œHey!” Anya piped up. “I know the costumes are ridiculous, but the dance is pretty good.”
    â€œExcuse me?” Bria shouted. “My mom and Iworked for hours on these costumes. They are not ridiculous.”
    â€œMaybe ridiculous is a strong word,” Scarlett said, trying to calm them down. “Maybe what Anya meant to say is that they’re a little loud.”
    â€œLoud?” Bria bristled. “You think my costumes are loud, Scarlett? I thought you were on my side.”
    â€œLook, your dance is no worse than our monkey routine,” Rochelle offered.
    â€œI like monkeys.” Gracie tried to put her two cents in.
    â€œStay out of this, Grace Face,” Liberty shot back.
    â€œHey, don’t call my little sister that,” Scarlett said, stepping between them.
    â€œYou do!” Liberty said. “On the bus this morning, you said she was an annoying baby.”
    Gracie’s lower lip started to quiver. “I am not a baby!” She burst into tears.
    â€œGracie, cut it out,” Scarlett said, frustrated. “If you don’t want anyone to call you a baby, then don’t act like one.”
    Just then, a voice boomed over the loudspeaker. “Next up in Junior Group Dance, Dance Divas with ‘By the Beautiful Sea.’ ” The girls were too busy arguing to even hear their team being announced.
    â€œYoo-hoo,” Mandy said, waving at them. She and her teammates were watching all the fireworks they’d caused. “I think that was your cue, Dance Dummies. Oopsies!”
    Scarlett froze. “What? Did we just miss our entrance?”
    â€œYou did,” said a stern voice. Miss Toni had come backstage to see what was holding up her team’s performance. She looked furious. “Get out there this instant!” She tossed the beach ball at Rochelle.
    The music was already playing and they were a beat behind and had to fight to catch up. Gracie was standing a foot too far to the left.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” Scarlett said, grabbing on to the back of her bloomers and trying to pull her into line with the others.
    Gracie tugged and Scarlett felt the fabric rip in her hands. The bloomers tore in half, and peeking out from under Gracie’s costume was a pair of pink pig undies!
    â€œOh my gooshness!” Gracie yelped when she felt a draft and realized half of her costume was missing. She ran offstage in a hurry.
    As the rest of the girls struggled to continue the dance, the ball soared over their heads. Each Diva was supposed to catch it midair and pass it on.
    It was Scarlett’s job to hold the ball as she did a side aerial. “Watch it, Anya!” She tried to warn her teammate as she accidentally kicked it out of her hands doing her fouetté turn.
    â€œI got it!” Rochelle whispered as she did a graceful split and stretched forward to retrieve the ball. It rolled away from her fingertips and wound up under Bria’s feet.
    â€œWhoa!” Bria exclaimed, as she started her reverse leg hold turn. The ball rolled under her foot, and she lost her hold and toppledover. Still, she managed to pick it up and throw it at Liberty, who wasn’t about to let anything detract from her
grand jeté
. Instead of catching it, she kicked the ball out of her way with all her might.
    This time, the ball flew off the stage and bounced right off the lead judge’s head. Scarlett couldn’t look—not at the audience, not at the judges—as the Divas took their bows and walked back to the wings.
    â€œThat was a complete train wreck!” Rochelle said. “The audience was laughing at us.”
    Scarlett rubbed her temples.