HEARTBURST,, The Next Step

[2.5] the girl is mine

[2X05]

{Hunter challenges Eldon to a secret dance battle; Kate asks James to dance a duet with Beth, choreographed by Maxie, when her partner drops out.}

❝Pick it up, or pack it up, okay?❞

It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since the results for the final cut had been announced and Maxie had already been called into Kate's office once again. Maybe it was because she had done something wrong. Maybe she had been kicked off the team entirely. Or maybe it was because she left one of James's shawarma's in Riley's locker on accident and now the pungent meaty stench was the only thing she could smell whenever she walked past it.

Maxie was just about ready to opt for the third option as she entered the office to find James and Riley already there before Kate offered her a welcoming smile and gestured for her to take a seat on the fourth chair that Max could've sworn was not there during Regionals.

"Hi, Maxie," Kate smiled at her as she sat down next to Riley, giving the brunette a 'good morning' smile as she did so.

"I didn't keep you waiting, did I?" she muttered through a yawn, after all, she still wasn't used to getting up so early after her month or so off.

As James attempted to hide a snicker, Kate sighed, "No, no, only fifteen minutes."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Anyways, as I explained to James and Riley, though she's probably long gone now, Beth was pretty upset about not making it into A-Troupe," the woman explained exasperatedly; it was becoming more and more clear to the three dancers just how much Kate was having to deal with because of those auditions.

Rubbing at her eyes, Maxie shrugged it off, "Yeah, well, it is what it is, right? Not our problem that she didn't make it, is it?"

A sharp elbow to the ribs, courtesy of Riley, snapped Maxie back into reality as she slightly chuckled to play it off as a joke, obviously not fooling anyone in the room, for James was still trying to contain his laughter.

"Do you want to, uh, tell us why we're in here then?" Riley asked hesitantly, still wary about how Beth and James used to date.

"Oh, yes," Kate corrected herself, "She was so upset when she didn't make it, so, to cheer her up, I decided to give her a duet at a small dance competition. But then her duet partner, Charlie, bailed on her and she's gone all... Beth again."

With a scoff, Maxie muttered under her breath, "Curse the Charlie's of this world for dragging me out of bed in the morning. I shall find where he lives and that boy better sleep with one eye open tonight-"

"Anyway," Kate cut her off, giving Maxie a look to tell her to stop mumbling violent things again, "That is why I brought you guys in. James, I would really appreciate it if you stepped up and decided to be her dance partner for the competition."

As both girls turned to look at James, both with different expressions on their faces, the boy himself looked like a deer in headlights when turning back to look them in the eyes.

On the one hand, Riley seemed highly uncomfortable about the idea as she told the camera, "James should not take the duet. You know, I don't wanna say anything 'cause Kate's right there, but, hopefully, he'll say no."