The next day at practice Javier didn't know where to start. Malcolm had always run the crew's practices.
"I guess we should talk about music first. We have to decide on that before we do any choreography, right?" Javier said as Will set up the speaker.
"Of course! And I've got some great suggestions." The enthusiasm on Will's face faded abruptly as he looked up. "Oh, no. What are they doing here?"
Javier turned to see Malcolm and Marty peering through the narrow windows on each side of the gym doors. "I'll go find out."
But by the time he reached the doors, the ex-members of the crew were gone. Javier spotted them at the end of the corridor, talking to Harry and Christopher.
"Time for practice!" Javier yelled to the new crew members.
"Your mother's calling. You'd better run," Malcolm said, which got a good laugh from Marty.
Harry and Christopher walked slowly down the corridor, as if to show Malcolm that they didn't need to hurry.
"What did Malcolm and Marty want?" Javier was worried that Malcolm was trying to lure away their new dancers.
"Not much." Christopher shrugged. "They were just trying to find out who joined the crew and what music we're using."
"It's none of their business!" Will snapped.
"We're experimenting with some new music right now," Javier said. "You ready, Will?"
Will tapped his phone, and the latest hit from his favorite group, Emerald Toast, filled the gym. All five guys started freestyling, each one making up his own dance.
"Turn off that music right this minute!" Mr. D. emerged from the gym office, his face red with anger. "You can't play that stuff at school! In fact, you shouldn't be listening to that at all."
Will quickly turned off the music. "What's wrong with it?"
"Have you actually listened to those lyrics? Do you hear what that guy is singing? You'll have to find something else to dance to around here."
"A lot of hip-hop music is like that," Christopher protested. "What are we supposed to use?"
"What about something by Happy Banter?" Mr. D. ran his hands through his hair. "Or something with no words? Just not that stuff you were playing. And don't pick something really popular. Give the judges a break. You don't want to be the fortieth crew dancing to Moldy Bread, or whatever that band's name is." He went back into the office, still shaking his head.
"Happy Banter? The boy band from the nineties?" Pablo said.
"Their lead singer must be as old as Mr. D.," Christopher said.
"Remember when he used to just sit in the office and not bother us?" Will said. "What are we going to do now, Javier?"
"I guess we'll have to find different music."
Harry, who hadn't said anything, nudged Javier and held out his phone.
"Hey, everybody, look at this!" Javier said. "It's that really cool hip-hop crew that won American Dance Off last year. And they're actually dancing to Happy Banter in this new video!"
As the guys gathered around, Javier noticed that all the dancers in the video were wearing masks. His crew could do that too. Javier felt a sudden wave of optimism. "Now we just need music," he told himself. "This is going to turn out fine!"
In the past Malcolm had simply chosen the music without any discussion among the crew. Now there were five strong opinions, and everyone's opinion counted. The crew finally picked an electronic piece without words and a Happy Banter song. Will edited the pieces together. The final cut was two minutes.
Javier started working out the choreography with some help from Tessa. Then the rest of the crew helped him iron it out. Over the next two weeks, the crew practiced almost every afternoon. They weren't perfect, but at least they had a new dance. And they even had a "unified look." They decided to wear jeans and plain black T-shirts along with gold masks that Christopher found online.
As the first girls' basketball game was about to start, Javier tried to pump up the crew. They were waiting with Mr. D. in the gym office. "Is everybody ready? We're going to kill this performance!"
"Yeah!" Christopher shouted.
"Shouldn't Pablo be here by now?" Will squinted at the wall clock.
"Don't worry. He'll be here." Javier handed out the masks. "Is the music ready?"
Will gave a quick nod, but he was clearly distracted. "I'm texting Pablo because he's never late. He's usually the first person at practice."
The game started with the Benjamin Franklin girls winning the ball. It was a close game, but the guys weren't paying attention to the score. They were just nervously waiting for halftime—and Pablo.
By now Will was pacing the office. "There are only three minutes left before we have to go out there, and Pablo's not answering his phone! What are we going to do, Mr. D.? Pablo's supposed to freestyle in the middle of the dance!"
"I'm sure you boys will think of something," Mr. D. said.
"Okay, don't panic," Javier said. "How about if we all take turns freestyling?"
"I don't know." Christopher hesitated. "I'm not the best freestyler . . ."
Harry stared out into the bleachers. He didn't have to say anything. It was clear he wasn't confident about his freestyling either.
"You'll both be fine," Javier said. "You only have to dance for a few seconds each. And if you run out of moves, well . . . Will can fill in. Right, Will?"
"I guess so. If I have to." Will didn't look happy.
The halftime buzzer sounded. As soon as the teams cleared the court, the crew's music started playing. The guys ran onto the floor and began to dance. The spectators cheered.
"Hey . . ." Javier thought. He suddenly realized that the right number of guys was dancing. But wait a minute . . . that freestyling guy wasn't Pablo.
Will danced over to Javier. "Who is that guy in the white T-shirt?"
"I have no idea, but he's not bad. He doesn't have any big moves, but his footwork is amazing!"
"His toprocking is better than yours!" Will said.
"Thanks!" Beneath his mask Javier made a face at his best friend. It was hard to watch the new "Pablo" and dance at the same time. But Javier tried.
At the end of the dance, the music stopped, and the guys pulled off their masks. Javier gasped. The mystery dancer was Mr. D.!