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.
It was the second and final day of the Regionals competition weekend. Only three teams were competing for the title of first place — Encore, AcroNation, and The Next Step. It all came down to today.
AcroNation was currently performing their final routine and, despite wanting to watch it, East wanted to find Richelle. She had barely seen or spoken to the blonde after her amazing performance in the duet, and all she wanted to do was congratulate her face-to-face.
Walking in one of the hallways of the building, East managed to find Richelle, but not in the best state. She was situated on the floor, leaning against a glass frame while her face was stained with tears. Concern overtook East and she quickened her steps toward Richelle. It was a good thing she passed by one of the bakery stands and bought a cappuccino muffin, Richelle's favorite (along with a bottle of water).
"Hey," East greeted Richelle, who glanced up at her and immediately wiped her tears, embarrassed by how fragile she looked. "I got you a victory muffin. It's your favorite."
She didn't wait for Richelle to say anything and she sat next to her, handing the muffin to her, and Richelle took it.
"Thanks," she said.
"I'm so proud of you, by the way," East informed her, causing a small but bashful smile to grow on Richelle, one she tried to bite back. "Don't hide your pride. Smile it out. You deserve to. I've never seen you dance like that and I couldn't be happier for you. You did it, Rich."
"A large part of me thought you were coming here to say 'I told you so,'."
"Do I look like Ozzy?" The curly-haired dancer joked, but Richelle didn't crack a smile this time. East had a feeling she knew who this was all about now. "He really did a number on you, huh?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Richelle let out a sigh, one that sounded like she just escaped a battle for her life. "I just wanna disappear."
Hearing this broke East's heart. All this time, she had been so focused on comparing her and Richelle's relationship to Richelle and Elliot's relationship, and how Richelle didn't react this badly over their breakup as she was reacting over her and Elliot. But it wasn't about East and she needed to stop making it about her. It wasn't about her feelings; it was about Richelle's feelings. She truly fell for Elliot, but he didn't feel the same and now she was heartbroken. As much as East wasn't a fan of Elliot, Richelle didn't deserve to go through this. She deserved to be happy. East knew exactly what she was going through, so maybe she could help.
"The heart is a fragile part of our body. The real one, obviously, but also the emotional one. The one you give to someone and trust that they'll protect and care for as you do with their heart. And when they don't and they drop it and watch it break into pieces... the after effects suck, because you would never do that to them," the dark-skinned girl spoke while Richelle glanced at her, wiping a few new tears. "I know that feeling. Heck, I've been there for a long time recently and it is the worst feeling in the world. But Richelle, yesterday you overcame something huge, something you've been struggling with for a long time. You emoted. I'm sorry, I'm gonna mention this a lot because I am so proud of you." Richelle smiled lightly. She knew everyone was happy for her, but seeing East look this happy and proud of her was something she needed. "I know this thing with Elliot hurts, trust me I know, but I also know that you are stronger than this. You know that you're stronger than this. You gotta keep reminding yourself that and you gotta push through this because if you don't, you're gonna be stuck in this ditch for a long time. And if you need a punching bag or someone to scream at... I'll let Kai know he'll have a busy schedule." Finally, Richelle let out a genuine laugh, bringing a smile to East's face. "There's that laugh I've missed." East stood up and outstretched her hand to the blonde. "Come on, we still got a Regionals title to secure, Miss Dancezilla."
