Shai & Emmie Star in Dancy Pants! Read online

  * * *

  When the big day finally arrived, Shai and her classmates boarded the school bus that would take them to the Robinson Arena. As Shai sat down in the front row, she thought about Dr. Holby’s words. She set her dance bag on the floor and wiggled her ankle. She rotated it clockwise and counterclockwise. No pain. So far, so good!

  Emmie scooted in next to her. She unzipped her dance bag, pulled out a pair of gray leg warmers, and stuffed them back in. She squirmed and fidgeted. “Are you nervous? I’m nervous,” she said.

  “Nah.” Shai giggled. “Actually, I lied. I’m super-nervous. I missed so many rehearsals.”

  “Don’t worry. You looked amazetastic at our run-through yesterday. And if you forget your steps . . . just improvise!”

  “Yup, that’s the plan.”

  “Go, Dancy Pants Trio!” Rio cheered as he boarded the bus. He tossed his dance bag onto the seat across the aisle, then reached over and high-fived Shai and Emmie.

  Gabby stepped onto the bus after Rio. She gave Shai a sideways glance as she walked by. She hadn’t said a word about the cupcake bet since Shai sprained her ankle. Shai wondered: Was the bet still on? Was Gabby still expecting to win?

  But really, it didn’t matter anymore. Shai would do her best today at the competition. So would Emmie and Rio. And they would get a ribbon or not. If she had to bake cupcakes for Gabby, so be it. In the end, all that mattered was that Shai was dancing again . . . and that the three of them were dancing together. A trio. A team.

  Ms. Englert counted heads, and then the bus took off. Thirty minutes later they pulled up in front of the Robinson Arena, and everyone got out.

  Shai stood on the sidewalk and blinked up at the hunormous silver building before her. Somehow the place looked even more massive than when Momma and Daddy had brought the family to see the women’s basketball championship. She couldn’t believe she and her friends were dancing here today! And in front of an audience and TV cameras, too!

  More buses pulled up, and more people spilled out onto the sidewalk. Dozens of boys and girls paraded past with their dance bags. Some ballet-walked with their feet turned out slightly in V shapes; some did twirls and jumps and sashays. Matching team jackets created waves of color: a wave of gold (Dalton Dance Academy), a wave of red (Big Apple School of Ballet), a wave of royal blue (Fancy Feet Dance Studio), and so on. Many of the girls had put on performance makeup and styled their hair in tight buns or high ponytails.

  Inside, the lobby was crammed wall-to-wall with more dancers, their teachers, and their coaches. Ms. Englert registered all the Sweet Auburn kids at one of the long tables staffed by volunteers.

  Then their group proceeded into the main auditorium to find their seats. The space was beyond hunormous. Shai and the others were like ants inside a football stadium. Audience members were beginning to filter in. A TV crew was setting up lights and cameras near the stage.

  Shai’s nervous feeling swelled inside her. She tried to do some yoga breaths, which was a calm-down trick that Ms. Englert had taught them. But the nervous feeling wouldn’t go away.

  Emmie hooked her arm through Shai’s. “This is not fun. This is scary,” she whispered.

  “I know. My stomach wants to throw up.”

  “Mine too.”

  The two friends huddled close as they followed Ms. Englert to their assigned seats. Shai began yoga-breathing again. Emmie yoga-breathed with her.

  Then Rio caught up to them and hooked his arm through Shai’s other arm.

  The three of them yoga-breathed together.

  Is the Dancy Pants Trio ready? Shai wondered.

  SCENE 11

  Onstage!

  “And now we have our next contestants in the Tap Small Group category. Please welcome Rio Garcia, Emmie Harper, and Shaianne Williams, who will be performing ‘Singin’ in the Rain’!”

  The master-of-ceremonies man’s voice boomed over the speakers, and the audience broke into loud applause. Shai barely noticed that he had pronounced her name “Shy-Anne” instead of “Shay-Anne.” As she, Rio, and Emmie walked onto the stage, all she could think about was the terror that filled her brain and heart and every other part of her. They didn’t belong here. She didn’t belong here. She had no business competing in a national dance competition. She had barely made it through “I Wish” at the community center four years ago.

  “Break a leg,” Rio whispered to Shai and Emmie as they took their positions in the center of the stage.

  “Actually, it’s ‘break an egg,’ ” Shai whispered back. “Break an egg” was her and Emmie’s private, personal version of “break a leg,” which was “good luck” in dancer-musician-actor language.

  “Yeah. Break an egg, guys,” Emmie added.

  The familiar music sang out over the speakers:

  I’m singin’ in the rain

  Just singin’ in the rain

  Shai began to dance. Step-ball-change to the right . . . step-ball-change to the left . . . repeat seven more times. The glare of the stage lights made the rest of the auditorium barely visible. She knew that the judges were out there, and all the dancers from the other schools and studios, and the audience members, including her whole entire family. She knew, too, that the TV camera people were filming.

  But after a while she forgot about them. She was thinking about the video of the Atlanta Dance Ensemble that she had watched over and over again. What she remembered about those dancers now was not how hard their choreography had been or how expertly they had performed their steps. What she remembered was how happily and joyously and energetically they had moved together, like they were having the most fun they’d ever had in their lives.

  Shai closed her eyes for a moment and felt that happiness and joy and energy too. Her feet were tapping like crazy . . . her arms were swinging this way and that . . . and her body was leaping and twirling through the air. She was in control and not in control at the same time.

  And when Shai opened her eyes, she saw that Emmie and Rio were right there with her. They all grinned at each other as they tapped and whirled and jumped in rhythm . . . and sometimes not in rhythm, which was okay, because being perfect wasn’t the point.

  The song slowed and faded. Shai’s footsteps slowed and faded too.

  When the music stopped, the audience burst into applause. Shai and Emmie and Rio grabbed each other’s hands and took their bows.

  “That was amazetastic,” Shai said to her friends as she smiled at the audience.

  “Amazetastic,” Emmie agreed.

  “Yeah, that,” Rio added.

  They bowed again and tapped off the stage.

  Afterward they sat together in the audience and watched the rest of the dances. Shai had to admit that the dancers from the other schools and studios were pretty incredible. She, Emmie, and Rio got to watch most of their classmates’ dances too. Shai especially loved Ezra, Nya, and Sarah’s ballet, “Dance of the Flowers,” and Glenn, Garrett, and Molly’s contemporary dance, “Circle of Life.”

  They also got to watch Gabby, Isabella, and Jay’s tap number. Their trio was really good. And their choreography included lots of difficult steps, like double wings and buffalos.

  Later the judges announced the ribbons in each category.

  The Sweet Auburn School got two ribbons: one for Gabby, Isabella, and Jay’s trio, which got third place in their category, and one for Ezra, Nya, and Sarah’s trio, which also got third place in their category.

  Everyone gathered around the six winners to congratulate them. Shai took a deep courage breath and marched up to Gabby.

  Shai held out her hand. “Congratulations. You did great.”

  Gabby frowned. “Um . . . but this means you lost, Shane.”

  “Yeah, I know. I owe you a lot of cupcakes.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Gabby said after a moment. “You had a broken foot or whatever.”

  “Sprained ankle. And no, it’s fine. A bet’s a bet.”

  Shai and Gabby shook
hands.

  Emmie and Rio came up to them. “I’ll help you bake,” Emmie said to Shai.

  “Yeah, me too,” Rio offered. “Cupcakes are my specialty!”

  Grandma Rosa and Aunt Mac-N-Cheese had joined the group. Momma, Daddy, Jamal, Samantha, and Jacobe were right behind.

  At the mention of cupcakes, Grandma Rosa and Aunt Mac-N-Cheese turned to each other and winked.

  Shai raised one eyebrow—or she tried to, anyway.

  Why did they wink at each other?

  Shai had put the mystery on hold for the past few weeks. But that wink just now had awakened her detective brain.

  It was time to solve the mystery once and for all!

  SCENE 12

  101 Cupcakes

  The next morning, Shai went around the corner to Grandma Rosa’s house, her notebook tucked under her arm. The air was balmy and warm and smelled like spring flowers. Along the way she passed her next-door neighbors, the Wallises, strolling their new baby. She passed Mrs. Katy walking her hunormous dog, Max.

  When Shai got to Grandma Rosa’s, she saw Aunt Mac-N-Cheese’s car sitting in the driveway. Good! She would be able to ask both of them the detective questions that she’d written down in her notebook:

  Whose phone number was on the yellow index card?

  Why are you getting the house ready? Ready for what?

  What’s so important about Jacksonville, Florida?

  Why did you wink about cupcakes yesterday?

  Why can’t you tell Momma and Daddy (or anyone else) about your big secret?

  Shai headed back to the kitchen door and raised her hand to knock. But just then, she spotted something mysterious through the window.

  Grandma Rosa and Aunt Mac-N-Cheese were baking . . . cupcakes!

  Rows and rows of cupcakes covered the table and counters. There were pink ones and yellow ones and chocolaty ones. Aunt Mac-N-Cheese was opening the oven door and taking out a fresh batch. Grandma Rosa was mixing something in a bowl.

  Shai was more confused than ever. Now she understood why Grandma Rosa and Aunt Mac-N-Cheese had winked at each other last night during the cupcake discussion.

  But what did cupcakes have to do with the big mystery?

  Forget about knocking . . . . Shai opened the door and marched in. “Aha!” she said in a loud voice.

  Grandma Rosa and Aunt Mac-N-Cheese stopped what they were doing and gazed at her in astonishment.

  “Shaianne! What are you doing here?” Grandma Rosa asked.

  “I’m here to int—interro—” Shai tried to remember how to pronounce “in-ter-ro-gate,” which was detective language for asking detective questions. She’d learned it from a TV show. “What are you guys up to? I know you’re keeping a secret!”

  Grandma Rosa and Aunt Mac-N-Cheese exchanged a glance.

  Then they burst out laughing.

  “What’s so funny? And why are you baking a billion zillion cupcakes? Are you opening up a cupcake shop in Jacksonville?” Shai guessed.

  Grandma Rosa blinked. “Jacksonville? How do you know about Jacksonville?” She wrapped her arm around Shai’s shoulders. “You’re a clever one, aren’t you? I guess we’d best let you in on our secret.”

  “Definitely!” Shai agreed. She was about to solve the mystery!

  Aunt Mac-N-Cheese explained, “You’re all coming over here later for Sunday night dinner, right? Except . . . it won’t be Sunday night dinner. It’s a surprise party for your momma and daddy’s twentieth wedding anniversary!”

  “Oh!” Shai gasped.

  “We’re sorry we didn’t tell you and the other children before. We really wanted to keep the party top-secret so Momma and Daddy wouldn’t find out,” Grandma Rosa said. “Oh, and that yellow card? It had the phone number of your grandpa Ben and grandma Marie’s retirement home in Jacksonville. We hired a car service to drive them here for the party.”

  “Oh!”

  Shai was crazy-surprised by this turn of events. But not as crazy-surprised as Momma and Daddy were going to be tonight!

  * * *

  At five o’clock sharp, Shai, Samantha, Jamal, Jacobe, and Momma and Daddy arrived at Grandma Rosa’s front door.

  Daddy glanced up and down the street with a puzzled expression. “Sure are a lot of cars parked here,” he remarked.

  “Maybe there’s a nighttime wedding at the church,” Shai improvised.

  Momma rang the bell. The door opened, and Grandma Rosa stood there. She was dressed in a fancy velvet dress, and her eyes were bright with excitement.

  “Come in, come in!”

  Momma walked in first, then Daddy, then the rest of them.

  “Surprise!”

  A whole lot of people jumped up from behind couches and chairs and tables and beamed at Momma and Daddy.

  Momma and Daddy gazed in shock at the faces in the room and then at each other.

  “W-what’s this?” Momma stammered.

  “I-I don’t understand,” said Daddy.

  “Is this my birthday party?” Samantha spoke up, even though her birthday was months away.

  “Cake!” Jacobe cried out—and another piece fell into place as Shai recalled how often her little brother had been saying that word lately. He, too, must have overheard Grandma Rosa and Aunt Mac-N-Cheese discussing the party.

  Then Grandpa Ben and Grandma Marie stepped out from the crowd.

  “Happy anniversary, you two lovebirds,” Grandma Marie said to Momma and Daddy.

  “Hi, son. Hi, Annemarie dear,” Grandpa Ben added.

  “Mom! Dad!”

  There were shrieks and laughter and happy tears as Momma and Daddy rushed up to Grandpa Ben and Grandma Marie and gave them squeezy hugs.

  The other guests swarmed around Momma and Daddy with more hugs and kisses and shouts of congratulations. Shai recognized some people from Daddy’s restaurant . . . and other people from Momma’s veterinary clinic . . . and tons of friends and neighbors. Ms. Englert was there too; she and Aunt Mac-N-Cheese had been roommates at their college and were still close friends. Emmie had come with her mom and her little twin brothers, Justin and Joseph. The boys rushed up to Jacobe, and the three of them sat down on the floor and covered each other with stickers from Jacobe’s sticker book. Also present were Rio and his sister, Celeste, who was in Jamal’s class at the middle school.

  Grandma Rosa crooked her finger at Shai and Emmie and Rio. They all hurried over to her.

  “I need your help in the kitchen. Follow me!”

  They trailed after her, weaving through the thick crowd. Once in the kitchen, she gestured grandly at the counter. “MacKenzie and I baked a hundred and one total this morning!”

  The 101 cupcakes were arranged on several platters, including the one that Shai and her siblings had made for Momma for her fortieth birthday.

  “Your parents will be so delighted,” Emmie said to Shai.

  Shai giggled. “Yes, these cupcakes are quite splendid!”

  Grandma Rosa got a box of matches from a drawer and lit twenty cupcakes—one for each year Momma and Daddy had been married. The candles flickered and glowed in the evening light.

  Then she, Shai, Emmie, and Rio carried the platters into the living room, toward the happy, mingled voices of their friends and family.

  About the Authors and Illustrator

  Quvenzhané Wallis knows a thing or two about creating memorable characters. For her feature film debut, Beasts of the Southern Wild, she was nominated for an Academy Award. Shortly after, she received a Golden Globe nomination for her work as the title character in Annie. She has also appeared in 12 Years a Slave, The Prophet, and Fathers and Daughters. Quvenzhané has many talents and is always willing to try something new. She lives in Louisiana with her family. Shai & Emmie Star in Dancy Pants! is the second book in her debut middle-grade series that began with Shai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg! She is also the author of A Night Out with Mama, her first picture book.

  Nancy Ohlin has written more than a hundred books for ch
ildren, teens, and grown-ups. She lives in Ithaca, New York, with her family (which includes a professor, a Juilliard student, a future veterinarian-superhero-author, and many, many pets). Learn more at nancyohlin.com.

  Sharee Miller is an illustrator living in Brooklyn. She grew up on the island of Saint Thomas before leaving to study at Pratt Institute in New York, where she earned a BFA in illustration. Though she has remained in New York, she is still very much inspired by the colors and patterns of Saint Thomas. Learn more at shareemiller.com.

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  Also by Quvenzhané Wallis

  Shai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg!

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2018 by Jarece Productions, Inc.

  Illustration copyright © 2018 by Sharee Miller

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