The narrator, a teenager from Chicago, shares her story of growing up with a famous dancer mother. She wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps, but her mother's reputation was ruined when a competitor accused her of bribing producers. The family moved to New York, where the narrator attended a new school and befriended a girl named Tina, who was obsessed with the school's football captain, Mason. However, Mason was cheating on Tina and treated her poorly. The narrator tried to warn Tina, but she didn't listen.
The narrator also reconnected with an old friend, Sam, who had wronged her in the past. They decided to participate in a dance competition together, with the goal of winning $50,000 to help the narrator's struggling family. However, things took a turn when a judge accused the narrator's mother of bribing producers, which was a false rumor. The narrator stood up for her mother and got disqualified from the competition.
After the competition, the narrator was arrested and charged with intentional assault. Her mother bailed her out, but the news of her arrest and Sam's alleged theft of the competition prize money went viral. The narrator returned to school, where she was bullied and confronted by Tina and Mason. However, she stood up for herself and eventually, Tina saw the truth about Mason's infidelity and apologized to the narrator. The story concludes with the narrator and Tina reconciling and seeking help from Tina's father to deal with the aftermath of the competition and the judge's accusations.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator's mother was a famous dancer.
2. The narrator wanted to be like her mother and learn dance from her.
3. The narrator's mother initially trained her in ballet, but she found it painful.
4. The narrator preferred hip-hop dance and eventually convinced her mother to let her pursue it.
5. The narrator's mother arranged for her to take dance classes with a teacher, but she was surprised to find that the class was all boys.
6. The narrator's best friend, Sam, was in the dance class, and they became close friends.
7. The narrator's mother liked Sam because he was not rich and his family worked for their neighbors.
8. The narrator and Sam practiced dance together, but they had a falling out when Sam crashed into a closet and broke some of the narrator's mother's prizes.
9. The narrator's mother was furious with Sam and told the narrator to stay away from him.
10. The narrator and Sam secretly met every day and eventually became friends again.
11. The narrator's mother was accused of bribing producers for main roles, which affected her image and led to her losing projects.
12. The narrator was bullied at school because of her mother's reputation.
13. The narrator's only friend at school was Sam, but he stopped coming to their secret meeting spot.
14. The narrator moved to New York with her mother and started attending a new school.
15. The narrator met a new friend, Tina, who was obsessed with the school's football captain, Mason.
16. Tina and Mason started dating, but the narrator realized that Mason was treating Tina poorly and flirting with her.
17. The narrator confronted Mason and punched him after recording him talking badly about Tina.
18. The narrator's mother was stressed about money, and the narrator decided to look for a part-time job without telling her.
19. The narrator saw an Instagram post about a dance competition with a prize of $50,000 and decided to sign up.
20. The narrator was surprised to see Sam at the competition, and they decided to team up and split the prize money.
21. The narrator and Sam practiced together, but they had to keep it a secret from the narrator's mother.
22. The narrator's friend Tina was going through a tough time with Mason, and the narrator tried to warn her about his behavior.
23. The narrator and Sam's dance routine was not perfect, but they made it to the final round of the competition.
24. The narrator was disqualified from the competition after throwing water at a judge who was accusing her of cheating.
25. The narrator was reported to the police and had to be bailed out by her mother.
26. The narrator went back to school and confronted Tina and Mason, who were bullying her.
27. Tina finally realized the truth about Mason and stood up to him with the narrator's support.