Being Baxters by Kingsbury Karen

Author:Kingsbury, Karen [Kingsbury, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Childrens
ISBN: 9781797152912
Goodreads: 61271828
Publisher: Simon Schuster Audio
Published: 2023-02-21T08:00:00+00:00

* * *

“Five, six, seven, eight!” Miss Lizzy called out over the music.

Kari’s dance class was nearly done learning the moves for “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Kari smiled when it came time to run through the number. Because she knew her solo perfectly.

Each time they went through the entire dance, Miss Lizzy had complimented Kari. So much that Kari wondered when the teacher was going to have the backup dancers take a seat.

She spun around and threw her hands in the air, stepping and clapping with the beat. Kari pictured dancing in Italy. Again, her mind wandered to cannolis and lasagna and—BOOM!

Suddenly Kari ran into Alice. Both girls fell flat to the ground.

“Ow!” Alice cried out as she struggled to stand.

Kari jumped up. “Are you okay?” She helped Alice to her feet.

“Everyone good?” Miss Lizzy hurried over.

Alice nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Yes. Sorry. I got distracted.” Kari waved off the class. “I’m good. Really.”

“That can happen to anyone.” Miss Lizzy shot Kari a kind smile. “Let’s all take a quick water break.”

During the break, Alice walked up to Kari. “You should spin right then left.” She demonstrated.

“What?” Kari took a few deep breaths. Dancing was very tiring.

Alice stared at her. “You’re getting the moves wrong. I could help you?” Alice did the steps again.

Sweet Alice, Kari thought. Trying to help with her solo. Kari smiled and shook her head. “I don’t need help. Thank you, Alice.”

Alice shrugged and headed for her water bottle on the bench. Kari walked up to Miss Lizzy. “Excuse me?”

“Yes, Kari?”

Kari leaned in close. “I think I’ve got the solo moves down. I don’t think I actually need my backup dancers anymore.” Kari motioned to the other girls.

Miss Lizzy looked confused. She bent down to Kari’s eye level. “Backup dancers?”

“Yes. The other kids. They’re good. And I know you had them there because you didn’t want me to be nervous. But I don’t need them. I can do it all by myself now.” Kari smiled. “Because that’s what a solo means. By yourself.”

“Oh.” Miss Lizzy blinked. “No, Kari, your solo is only the bit at the end, while the rest of the group dances with you. This is not a solo piece. It’s a group piece with a highlighted solo moment.”

A trembly feeling hit Kari’s stomach. “So… so it’s not really a solo?”

“Not in that sense.” Her teacher was clearly sure about this. “I hope that’s okay.”

“But…” Kari thought about her family and friends. She’d told everyone she was doing a solo in the dance recital. “I really wanted to dance by myself.”

A no-nonsense look came over Miss Lizzy’s face. “I’m happy to give the solo to Alice if you’re unable to do it, Kari.”

“No, no.” Kari shook her head. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. Thank you, Miss Lizzy.”

“Solos are a responsibility.” Miss Lizzy raised her eyebrows. “Don’t let me down.” She walked to the center of the dance floor and gave instructions on what to do next.

But Kari wasn’t listening very well. She didn’t feel like a girl from Italy anymore.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.