i felt it in my chest as she looked at me,
i knew we were bound to be together.
East North goes through the ups and downs of what it really means to be an A-Trouper, while dealing with her own drama.
（ 𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 ）
（ 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!�...
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THIRD PERSON'S POV.
A-Troupe gathered in Studio A for two reasons. One, Noah was finally coming back to The Next Step after his successful surgery. And two... Well, East didn't know the second reason. Riley said she had an announcement but no one knew what it was.
East got pulled out of her conversation with Piper and Cassie upon hearing Michelle's happy exclamation, "Noah!"
She turned around and saw that Noah had arrived into the room with Amanda by his side. Cheers erupted from the dancers upon their teammate's return, happy to see him back and looking well. The happy atmosphere amongst the dancers failed to disappear. However, everyone soon went silent when someone cleared their throat.
East faced the front, expecting to see Riley ready to tell everyone what was going to happen today in rehearsals. Instead, she was met with a surprise when she found that the studio head wasn't alone. Standing right beside her was her older sister and former A-Trouper, Emily. Not only was East surprised to see Emily, but she was also confused. What was she doing here?
"Thank you," Riley whispered to her sister before turning to the team. "Okay, so I would like to introduce all of you to my older sister Emily. She was a former dance captain here at The Next Step and she's gonna be helping out, so if she tells you something, listen to her. It's time for the team to start focusing on Regionals."
"But we haven't even qualified for Regionals yet," Richelle raised the point.
"Well, all the other teams who have qualified for Regionals are already working on those dances," Emily pointed out. "So do you want to be the team that starts from behind or..."
"Right. So when do we start then?"
"I will be choosing all of the dancers who will be performing in each of the routines. There'll be no more auditions for all of the spots," Riley explained the process. "Okay, Michelle, you will be doing the solo. As Miss National soloist for two consecutive years, I think you deserve it."
"Thank you," Michelle said and the team applauded for her.
"And for the five-person routine that will be performing once we win the solo round, I have chosen Cassie, Piper, Kai, Sloane, and Skylar," Riley informed the team. Another round of applauds went around the room. East nudged Kai who stood next to her and wore a happy grin. She knew how much he wanted to be in a featured dance and now he finally was chosen. "For the trio, I have decided on Michelle, Amanda, and Amy." Again, another round of applauds was heard around the group. "And for the duet, it will go to Richelle and Noah." As the dancers clapped, East was happy enough to give Noah a high-five and send a grin over to Richelle. "And for the small group, I have chosen East, Alfie, Noah, Henry, Sloane, and Skylar."
