Ava's POV

With my mind focused solely on the competition, the rest of the week flew past in the blink of an eye. By some miracle, this shy, new kid called Louis that just recently joined our dance studio came up to me the very same day that I confessed to a sleeping Ryan, and told me that he had secretly practiced and memorised my entire routine. He explained that because he was new, he hadn't been able to muster up the courage to volunteer when I pitched the idea to my crew weeks ago, and had been regretting that decision ever since. All I could do was thank him profusely and express how ecstatic and relieved I was that he was coming forward now. Once again, it seemed like Rose had been right about things working out, because Louis was extremely talented and had no trouble keeping up.

After that, everything else was a blur. The last thing I remember before I left school on Friday, was a glimpse of Rose and Ryan leaving their classroom deep in conversation. They could have been talking about anything; I wasn't in earshot of their words spoken in hushed tones. I could only judge by the grave expression on Rose's face as she listened to what Ryan was saying. Her head suddenly snapped up in surprise at something he said, and she promptly grabbed his arm and pulled him into an empty classroom.

I was desperate to know what they were talking about, but I couldn't afford to waste time that afternoon; it was my last rehearsal with Tatianna. Needless to say, it gnawed away at my curiosity so tenaciously. I was almost certain that they had been talking about me, and I knew Rose better than to think she would reveal Melissa's schemes to Ryan when I'd explicitly told her and Kim to keep it all on the down low. But Ryan was keeping secrets too, I could see it in his eyes as he teased and flirted with me all week, messing around with my emotions like he knew something I was oblivious to. It seemed like he revealed whatever it was to Rose, but when I tried to casually ask her about it, she simply explained that they were discussing a group assignment.

The thing is, Rose has never been a good liar.

And now here we are, Sunday. Competition day. The final showdown etc etc
I woke up before my alarm clock with a strange sense of peace. Maybe I just wanted everything to be over and done with already. The competition was open entry to the public, provided that a charitable donation is made to contribute to The Society's other charity work. I had originally planned to drive myself to Winston Preparatory School for the Elite aka the school the two Haywood brothers had once attended, but Brad insisted that he pick me up because he was leaving this evening. Back to Harvard.

I have to admit that I do feel sad; kind of like losing a family member I just recently gained.
"Hey you're going to be fine," He assured me as we pulled into the massive school parking lot in front of their performing arts theatre. "Just remember that you're here to kick that Viper's ass on behalf of everyone that you care about. We're all here to support you whatever the result."

"I'm sorry I ever called you an old jerk Brad," I apologised, grateful for all he has done for me.
"So you've only just discovered that I am a most extraordinary human being huh?" He asked smugly.

"No, I've come to realise you're just old. Period." I shot back nonchalantly as I got out of the car.

"Hey!" He protested as I ran away from him, grinning as I headed towards the theatre entrance.

_____________________________________________________________________

'Why am I so nervous?' I wondered as I waited in the wings, peering out through the thick, draping curtains. I was the last to perform in the first round of the competition, and my heart was thundering in my chest in the darkness.

Yes Ryan was at stake, as was my mom and Rose's mom, but it's not like any of them were going to die or disappear if I didn't win this competition.

I was nervous because the audience that usually awaited me before a performance was one full of family, friends and familiar faces, not a society of haughty strangers.

I hated to admit it, but Melissa was a pretty good dancer. Ballroom was not my style but she glided elegantly across the stage in a lavish crimson gown. The only problem was that her partner seemed to love the spotlight just as much as she did, and didn't seem to get the memo that his dancing ability wasn't being judged. I didn't fail to notice her 'accidentally' stomp on his feet after he nearly dropped her during a complicated lift. There's no way he had an easy time practicing with her!

"Is your mic working ok?" One of the backstage crew members asked me.

"Yeah I think so." I replied to her as I touched my cheek where a small piece of tape held the wire in place.

"Ok standby everyone, lights and sound must be absolutely on cue. This one has a live mic." She commanded.

"Time to knock'em dead Ava." Louis patted my shoulders encouragingly.
"We're gonna slay these princesses." Micah (my other back-up dancer) laughed confidently as we made our way on stage and psyched ourselves up.

Eyes closed.
Deep breath.
Tune out.
Game face on.

The restless whispers from the audience faded from my focus as I concentrated on steadying my heartbeat. Slower and slower and slower still. It was like meditation; every performer always has their own ritual for getting into the zone.

I barely registered the MC's introduction as I got into position and waited in anticipation of the first note.

The spotlights shone down, white light illuminating our figures one after another as we stood behind 3 microphone stands.

As soon as that light hit me I felt a spark inside, like a switch had been turned on and everything was going into auto-pilot. There was something thrilling about standing before a mass of people who had no idea who you were or what you were capable of, maybe even looked down you, and completely shattering their preconceptions. But at the heart of it all, I had worked so hard for the sake of the people who are most important to me, and I'd be letting them down if I didn't do my best to fight against the one who put us all in this f*cked up situation in the first place.

"Bring the beat in." My voice projected loudly through the speakers as we launched into the routine we had practiced for days and nights on end.

And everyone gasped as the soundwaves hit their ears. A smirk played out on my lips as I saw bewilderment and surprise spread over their faces.

The choreography began simple and unassuming, incorporating the mic stands as I sang the first verse. I registered the loud whispers and hushed murmurs as my eyes scanned the crowd for familiar faces. Rose, Kim and Brad were in the front row looking up at me, the 2 girls almost squealing as the song built up to the chorus; the most exciting (and complicated) section.

'Here we go' I thought as I twirled the mic stand behind me effortlessly. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and mentally visualised the upcoming series of rapid movements, before the 3 of us executed each step in perfect sync. It was no easy feat continuing to sing smoothly as I fought the urge to pant, but somehow made it to the end of the first chorus. A smile ripped across my face as I sensed the audience's astonishment. It was at this point that I found myself in my element.

This is fun, this is exhilarating! This is the thrill I can't forget that's been making me have second thoughts about my application to Julliard for Arts & Theatre journalism...

And yet I still couldn't completely shake free of the fear that I wasn't good enough.

My talent not good enough to be on Broadway, my attitude and behaviour not befitting of a good daughter for my own mother (let alone a future mother-in-law...). And every part of me, my weaknesses and my strengths, the parts I try to show and those I'd rather hide, maybe I'm not good enough for Ryan either.

But who am I to decide that all on my own? Until I put everything out there and hold nothing back, I am going to stop condemning myself to failure and deciding what other people think of me.

And that's when I saw him.

As if it was right on cue, I spotted Ryan sitting right on the corner of the judging panel next to his mother only a few rows of seats from the stage. There was a fair distance between us, but he was close enough that I could see him clearly. There was pride and adoration written all over his face as he watched my every move, and a blazing smile that slowly spread across his face as our eyes met unexpectedly.

At that moment, it suddenly felt like I came alive on that stage. I hadn't anticipated that Ryan being proud of me would feel quite like this. It felt a little bit like being invincible.

It didn't matter who else was in the audience because the moment I knew his eyes were on me, he became the only one I was performing for; the only one whose reactions I wanted to see, and the only one whose approval meant anything to me.

Each movement became more energised, my voice grew louder, and I began to really enjoy myself.

All eyes were on me, but I only had eyes for him.

Swaying behind the mic stand again before the second verse began, it was like a spell had been cast. We kept eye contact as the words I sang travelled the distance between us, directly from my heart to his ears.

'Boy your lips taste like a night of champagne, as I kiss you again and again and again and again...'

And as if no one else was watching, I sent him a sultry wink, insinuating that those lyrics would become more than just words after all of this was over.

I watched him sink down into his seat and lean into the palm of his hand, trying to hide his shy, bashful reaction. He was trying to hide his blushing cheeks even under the cover of darkness, and I found a wicked smirk tugging at the corner of my lips as I sashayed across the stage.

I had to stop myself from laughing as I spotted Brad who was on the edge of his seat next to Rose, enthusiastically holding up a piece of paper with a 10/10 scribbled on it in bold, black sharpie.

I could feel the energy in the theatre rising as I hit the first key change, and suddenly I noticed that I wasn't the only one singing anymore.

As my gaze travelled back to Ryan, I instead saw Melissa who had made her way to the judging panel table. Her face was livid as she tried to argue with one of the judges, her finger pointing towards me furiously. The way she was carrying on was as if I had committed a heinous criminal offence by deciding to sing as part of my performance.

But despite my great joy at her displeasure, I was running out of steam. It is honestly not easy to sing and dance simultaneously, as my burning lungs reminded me painfully.

And yet, oblivious to the fuss Melissa was creating, Ryan's concentration was entirely on me and somehow he knew I needed help; he began clapping in time with the beat.

Everyone stared at him as he clapped loudly, but he didn't seem to care. And pretty soon, to my utter astonishment, the whole theatre joined in. My heart swelled in a way I had never experienced before and, despite my desperate urge to stop and gasp for air, I found it in myself to belt out the final key change; the hardest of them all.

Just when I felt like I might faint if I kept going any longer, the song finished; I was still standing. And for some reason, so was the audience as they cheered loudly.

My chest was heaving as I tried to catch my breath. I was stunned, in a daze as I gazed at the rows and rows of strangers cheering for me. It wasn't until Louis and Micah came up beside me and gave me a nudge that I snapped back to reality and took a deep bow before stepping back into the darkness and walking off stage.

"Ava that was insane!" Louis exclaimed as he bounded down the stairs, his platinum-blonde fringe flicking this way and that way. I didn't know how he still had the energy to jump around when I felt like jelly, or maybe that was just the adrenaline-crash. "I can't believe you pulled it off!" Micah added, a little more calmly.

"I can't believe we pulled it off. I never could have done any of this without you guys." I thanked them wholeheartedly with a group hug when I returned to my senses. I was still in a state of disbelief because I really couldn't fathom that this risk I took, had actually paid off.

The backstage crew detached my mic and ushered us towards the dressing rooms as the MC announced that there would be a short intermission before the contestants that had made it to the next round would be announced.

I said goodbye to Louis and Micah, thanking them again before I retired to my dressing room. I shouldn't have been so surprised that Winston prep was so large and extravagant that it had individual change rooms. Our high school had 1 big communal change room that everyone crammed into to help each other get ready.

But before I even had a chance to grab a drink of water and sit down, Rose and Kim were already at my door, ready to attack me with hugs.

"Girl you should have seen Melissa, she looked like she was going to explode with anger because you slayed so hard." Kim laughed freely.

"Brad told us that she was apparently trying to get you disqualified for singing, but the judges refused to because there was nothing in the rules that stated you couldn't!" Rose added excitedly.

I didn't know whether to be pleased or concerned that it seemed like Brad had managed to charm my friends so quickly, but regardless I felt blessed to have something of a cheer-squad that was 100 times better at being encouraging than any Bumblebee ever could.

"Wow, she has more levels of crazy that I thought." I laughed tiredly as my mind decided to fly back to the memory of Ryan's eyes on me, not paying one shred of attention to Melissa screeching at the judges during my performance. My heart squeezed a little...or more like a lot.

"Have you guys...seen Ryan today?" I asked tentatively. I wished he wasn't on the judging panel so that he could come visit my change room. I wanted to share my excitement and my relief with him, and I wanted to confess that I'd been fighting to win him back.

My two friends exchanged a look before replying to my question. "Not yet Sweetpea." Kim stroked my arm comfortingly.

"I haven't spoken to him today, but I did on Friday." Rose revealed.

I know that. I saw you guys talking so seriously and I'm not sure if I want to know what exactly you were discussing...

I wanted to believe the best of Rose, but I couldn't conquer my damn curiosity. "Rose can you please just tell me what you guys talked about?" I asked reluctantly, trying not to seem frustrated.

"All I'll say for now is that you don't need to worry about how he feels about you." She replied teasingly with a cheeky grin. Geez this girl was deliberately trying to push my buttons!

I was just about to say something sarcastic back to her, for giving me such a purposely vague answer, but I was interrupted by the backstage manager calling out from the hallway.

"All competitors stand by stage right for the announcement of the finalists for the next round." they ordered.

"Ok guys, that's my cue to leave." I said as I hugged Rose and Kim goodbye.

_____________________________________________________________

As we filed on stage one by one, I somehow ended up standing right next to the one person I wanted to stay as far away from as possible. I refused to acknowledge Melissa and I would have thought that likewise, she wouldn't want to address my presence either. However, with her eyes ahead and a fake smile plastered on her face, she spoke to me menacingly through gritted teeth.

"You're going to get disqualified for that stunt you pulled." She hissed.

'Exactly like a viper!' I thought to myself as I recalled Brad's 'creative' nickname for her, not to mention the sour face he pulled whenever her name was mentioned. An irrepressible laugh came bubbling up as I remembered the wiggly snake-like movements he would make with his arms. This only served to infuriate Melissa even further because it seemed like I wasn't taking her seriously at all.

"You won't be laughing for long!" She hissed again indignantly before the MC began to address the restless audience.

Though I continued to ignore her, I couldn't dispel the anxiety and uncertainty that tied knots in my stomach. There was still another round and still a chance that I might not win at all.

But that didn't mean Melissa was guaranteed to win either, did it?

One by one, the MC announced the names of the finalists and Melissa shot me a sickeningly saccharine smirk when her name was called out early on. My façade remained composed despite the sinking feeling (that began to turn into more of a drowning feeling) in my stomach when my name still hadn't been called and the MC was about to announce the last finalist.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Maybe Melissa did manage to get me disqualified!

Maybe she –

"Ava Maxwell." The MC announced.

Huh? That's my name right?

'Are you an idiot, of course that's your name!' I mentally slapped myself.

"Congratulations to all finalists, please proceed to your dressing rooms and prepare for the final round." The MC concluded.

I let out a huge sigh of relief, inaudible amidst the thunderous clapping of the audience.

"This isn't over yet! You were just lucky..." Melissa sneered viciously as she pushed past me to get of stage first. Clearly she had been more shocked than I was to hear that I had made it to the next round. She was right that it wasn't over yet, but she was wrong about my luck; I had another surprise in store for her and anybody else in The Society that thought they knew a damn thing about who I am.

As I walked off stage yet again, I stole one last glance at Ryan who was having a conversation with his mother seated next to him.

Though we had never been formally introduced, I already knew that Emily Beauchamp – Haywood was elegant and eloquent and definitely someone that the other socialites desperately wanted to associate themselves with. She was extremely capable and efficient at her role as president of The Society, overseeing all sorts of gatherings and events and charity work. And as I had heard from Brad, she knew everything about anyone and everyone that she met. Names, birthdays, likes, dislikes and various other facts, were all noted neatly in a giant leather-bound planner. She didn't neglect her motherly duties either, attending every school event that her sons were involved in, demanding that the whole family be present for dinner etc etc

How could one woman do so much!?

To be honest, she intimidated me; her standards must be so high.

I wonder what she thought of my performance?

She had a beautiful poker face that could break into a genuine smile one minute, and tense into a frosty mask of thinly veiled displeasure the next. And from the few times I'd observed her, I honestly couldn't tell what she was really thinking.

That was what made me the most anxious;

Brad & Ryan's mother seemed like the type of person who wouldn't sit still until she knew everything there was to know about her sons' prospective love interests. I didn't know what kind of girl she hoped her youngest son would choose to be his girlfriend, but if she did find out everything there was to know about me...what would she think?

What would she say to Ryan? Would she approve of me if I ever met her officially? Would she see right through the 'good girl' I was trying so hard to be right now, and tell me to stay away from her son? Did she have another girl in mind for him?

Truthfully, I don't know the answers to any of these questions.

I watched the two of them laugh at something she said and it was obvious that they had a pretty good relationship; something I wouldn't want to ruin. Her face crinkled up the exact same way as both of her sons when they laughed, and her espresso-brown hair made Brad's resemblance to her undeniable.

Melissa's blackmail was one thing, but if Emily Beauchamp-Haywood decided to come between Ryan and I...well I'm not confident that he would pick me over his own mother.

I don't know if I'm ready to meet another Haywood just yet, but I do wish I knew more about the woman Ryan inherited his beautiful ocean-blue eyes from...

****************************************************

Hello Hello! IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME I UPDATED RIGHT?!

As usual please vote and comment and let me know what you're thinking right now!
Is Ryan's mom going to be yet ANOTHER obstacle for Ava and him to overcome? Or is there more to her than you think?? PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

Life update: I went on holidays and couldn't bring my laptop with all my TBGGG notes and drafts, but in addition to that I was working so much when I came back that I couldn't find the time to write!

And now I'm back at uni, so I can't promise when the next chapter will be up :(
I'm seriously the worst, but I'm trying my best!! Uni isn't easy...

Anyway I would just like to say that you're the best readers anyone could ever ask for and it honestly amazes me that any of you have stuck around for so long :')

I promise I'll do a better job of keeping you guys in the loop.

Take care, 
Cerise xx :)