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.
"Attention," Emily's voice gained the attention of the A-Troupers who stopped rehearsing their routine and gathered before her. East stood beside Piper, wondering what Emily's announcement would be about since she seemed happy. "Okay, I have some really exciting news. I've decided that it is time for us to enter our first competition." East shared an excited smile with Piper. She remembered her first competition at The Next Step. It was a duet competition with Noah and they won! So she hoped Emily would consider her for this one. "It is really important that you understand the kind of pressure you'll be under at Regionals and the only way to truly understand it is to compete. So our first competition will be a duet!"
"So who'd you pick?" Jacquie asked.
"I've decided on Noah and... East!"
A delightful smile left East's face as everyone applauded for her and Piper squeezed her shoulders. She glanced over at Noah who held a small smile. He didn't seem too excited, but maybe East was reading into it too much. She and Noah dance amazingly together, so she knew this duet would be great.
. . .
Right now in Studio 1, Believe played through the room as East and Noah rehearsed their duet. The concept for their duet was that East was a black widow spider slowly seducing its prey being Noah until she finally gets him at the end. East felt amazing as she danced with Noah. The choreography was a challenge at first, but with more practice, she knew they'd nail it. Other than that, dancing with Noah always made her feel better. He was her first-ever friend and dance partner. It was nostalgic, but at the same time, it reminded her of how far she had come from J-Troupe and how strong their friendship had grown. Upon finishing, East and Noah rose from their final positions, both letting out small pants.
"How do you feel about it?" Noah asked.
"Awesome," East answered with a smile. "Yeah, it's great. I mean, with more rehearsals, we'll be good to go." Noah nodded, though East noticed that he didn't seem so sure. "You okay?"
"Oh, yeah. Why?"
"You look a bit distracted. Is it the dance? Should we change something? Or should we add something? Oh, maybe we could—"
"No, no, it's good," Noah attempted to assure East. "It's great."
A relieved smile spread across East's face. "Awesome!"
. . .
"So how's the duet with Noah going?" Piper asked East. The two friends sat on one of the purple couches in Neutral Grounds, drinks in their hands as East spent her break with Piper.
