"I thought we talked about this," Debbie said staring at her middle daughter. "You promised me that your dancing wouldn't get in the way of your schoolwork."

"Mom, Ms. Karger asked me to do this. She said I'm ready and this town is holding me back," Sara said zipping her suitcase shut.

"Bemidji has plenty of opportunities, more pratical ones even," Debbie said crossing her arms over her chest.

"Maybe to you but I wanna dance," Sara said a hint of a smile on ehr face. "Since I was a little girl, dancing has been my dream, my escape. You use to be thrilled that I danced. Why can't you be thrilled now?"

"I blame your father for this. Getting all these crazy ideas into your head. Didn't you learn anything from your farther. Dancing will not put food on the table, it will not pay for the lifestyle you are used to, and it will not satisfy you in the end," Debbie said marking each one off with a finger.

Sara sighed. "I guess we'll see." She walked past her mother and down the stairs. Her mother had changed so much since their dad had divorced her. She use to be so much better at understanding things but was now very closeminded.

"You aren't even going to say goodbye to your sister. Jesi looks up to you, admires you and you're just going to leave," Debbie said following her.

Sara didn't answer her until after she put her suitcase and duffle bag inside her trunk.

"I've already said goodbye to Jesi. She wished me luck and told me to go. Same thing with Niki, I called her in Minneapolis and got her input," Sara said opening the driver side door.

"So, I wa sthe last to know." Debbie stared at her daughter, desapproval clearly written on her face.

"Dad doesn't know yet," Sara said softly. "Mom, I don't want to leave with you mad at me." She watched as her mom rolled her eyes. "But I can see that won't happen. So, I love you and someday I hope you understand."

Sara got into her little blue geo metro and just sat there for a moment. Her mom just stood there on the front porch. Sara sighed and started the car. She couldn't sit here another minute, facing her mom's anger. Either her mom would learn to except Sara's choice or she wouldn't.

Five minutes later Sara as on the highway headed south.

Sara Grosfield, a ninteen year old college dropout as of yesterday, had been a dancing maniac since the age of four. Any type of dancing like tap, jazz, swing, and just plain old dancing. She loved listening to her cds and just acting like a teenager.

This past year her mom had pushed her towards a college degree in English. It had been Sara's best class in high school. Dancing had been put on the back burner and college had come first. Until Sara had heard the news that had changed everything.

Mrs. Karger, one of Sara's favorite dancec teachers had told her about a tryout in Orlando. A singing group was looking for four new backpup dancers, two guys and two girls, for their tour that began January 30th, 2001.

Sara had been speechless when Mrs. Karger had told her she stood a chance. She still remembered the words she had said that had changed her mind.

"You've got a talent, a gift that shouldn't be hidden. There's a beauty within you that is dying to get out. Go to this audition, dance your heart out and show everybody what I've known since you were little."

Sara had hung up the phone and began to make plans. Rehearsals were in four days and Sara was bound and determined to be there. But not for Mrs. Karger, for herself.

"C'mon Sara, you'll be there soon," she said talking to herself. Then George Straights Cross My Heart came on the readio. She turned it up so loud that she almost didn't hear her cell phone ring.

"Hello?" Sara asked pressing on the gas to accelerate.

"OMG! Girl, why didn't you tell me you were taking off?" Mindi, one of her closest friends, yelled.

Sara smiled. "It was kind of a pur of the moment thing."

"Sara! I would have come with," Mindi said. "I can't believe you're making this trip all by yourself."

"I'm okay, and you never would have left Chad," Sara reminded her.

MIndi and Chad had been a couple for two years and there was rumors that Chad was talking marriage. Sara couldn't be any more happy for her friend.

"Well, promise me that you will call as soon as you reach the hotel you are staying at. I know your mom isn't expecting you to call but do it," Mindi advised.

"I will," Sara said hanging up.

Mindi was right though. She should call her mom and she would, as soon as she had the guts to talk to her.

Sara was pulling into the Holiday Inn an hour later. She had a non-smoking room with a queen-sized bed. Nothing fancy but if everything went acoording to her plan, she'd be here a little while.

She set her bag down and sat down on the bed. The morning couldn't come fast enough.

Sara walked into the huge airplane hanger where tryouts were all over the place some stretching while others were practicing dance moves.

Sara wandered around 'til she came to the line that led to the regestration table. Ten minutes went by and Sara found herself talking to the girl behind her.

"Names Dani, Danielle but nobody calls me that," the girl said holding out her hand.

Sara smiled. "I'm Sara and yeah, you can call me that."

"This your first try-out," Dani said looking her over.

"Yeah," Sara mumbled. "Is it obvious?"

"Only to people like me, this is my fifth," Dani explained.

Sara stared at her. Her fifth! If Sara had been turned down five times before, she most likely would have quit. Especially since she had her mom's nagging still running like a broken record through her head.

They reached the head of the line and gave the two guys there their names.

"Okay, you two can audition around siz p.m.," Matt said giving them their cards.

Sara looked at Dani. Six o'clock, it was only ten a.m. right now. Sara walked over to the corner by these two big speakers. She glanced at Dani who was sitting by her.

"How do you do this?" Sara asked after three people had done their auditions.

"Let's see, I'm a dancer and I won't turn out like me mom," Dani said leaning back. "She gave up after a one or two auditions and then quit when her big break wouldn't come. I'm not going to be like that. I will make it."

"Oh," Sara said dying to ask more questions but she didn't want to be too nosy.

"What about you?" Dani asked turning the tables. "Why do you do it?"

Sara gave her a half smiel. "I don't know how to not do it. Dancign is me and I can't just stop."

"Then how come you've never tried out before," Dani said confused.

"I'm from a small twon in northern Minnesota," Sara said quietly. "And I have a mother that's, ah, not exactly supportive."

"Oh, one of those cases," Dani said nodding her head. "Trying to prove something."

"To myself," Sara said simply.

They both watched another group go by before Dani broke the silence. "How old are you anyway? You look sixteen."

"I'm nineteen," Sara said. "How old are you?"

"Twenty," Dani replied.

They went on to talk about a number of topics ranging from their dancing backgrounds to Sara's reaction to Orlando. Dani even stayed to watch Sara's tryout. It seemed Sara had made a friend, her second day in Orlando.

Sara sat in the middle of the bed staring at the phone. She wanted to call her mom and let her know she'd made it to Florida and the tryout but a part of her knew her mom wouldn't care.

Sara layed down and stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. She had been so nervous at the tryout. Her palms had been sweaty and she swore some of the judges could hear her heart pounding. But even that didn't stop her from being one of the best dancers there.

Sara wasn't egotistical and she usually was pretty honest but sometimes she stretched the truth. But this wasn't one of those times.

Dani had even looked suprised. She told her afterwards that she had some talent. Sara had blushed and denied it even though she agreed.

The list of the top fifty dancers, twenty-five girls and twenty-five guys, would be posted at ten a.m. tomorrow. Sara was nervous and excited at the same time. She didn't know how they'd narrow it down to just fifty people but she had heard that this business was rutheless and almost as hard as the music industry itself.

Sara glanced one more time at the phone. She was dying to call someone and tell them about today but Mindi was out with Chad tonight and Niki had a class.

Sara picked up the whole phone set and set it back down on teh bedside table. Maybe tomorrow she would give her mom a call. Tomorrow night she would know for sure if she even ahd a chance.

She layed down and closed her eyes. Tomorrow morning would come all too soon.