HEARTBURST,, The Next Step

[2.23] better than this

[2X23]

{James gets his driving licence for Riley, but it's not all smooth sailing when his driving instructor turns out to be stricter than he expected, whilst the studio struggle with finally accepting the loss of their ex-dance captain.}

❝You see, I could never picture you playing a game of soccer.
Well, for one, that's because I've never played soccer in my life.❞

The invading sound of shoes hitting off the rehearsal floor flooded the studio. It was another day where one of the dancers had opted to bring in another dance troupe to perform for their peers and this time, it was Maxie's turn. 

Maxie had recently gotten in touch with her old Irish dancing troupe in England — the one that she had trained with for all but one dance season — and had been told that they had a studio over in Canda if she wanted to join.

Obviously, she didn't want to start the dance style again, for more reasons than one, but she did, however, take the opportunity to bring the Irish dancers in to show her friends the style of dance she used to train with and just how clean it was.

As Maxie nodded her head along enthusiastically to the rhythm of their steps, West stepped beside her with a grin, his eyes glued to the sequin outfits and neatly-done hair. "You seriously used to dance and dress like this?" He asked with a chuckle, grabbing Maxie's attention.

"Yeah," She nodded sheepishly, almost as if she didn't want to rehash the memory, "I mean, compared to this studio, mine was brutal, but I don't think anything would ever beat the stamina Irish Dancing brought me."

"So you actually wore your hair like that?" West then followed up, gesturing to the extravagant hairpiece one of the girls in the middle was fashioning, "Like some modern-day Marie Antoinette?"

Casting her gaze back to the girl's hairstyle, Maxie shrugged, "I mean, I did wear hair extensions for the one comp I did, but, yeah, a lot of girls in the sport have their hair like that. What about it?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing." West brushed it off, trying to hide a laugh at the thought of Maxie in a glittery outfit dancing completely in time with other dancers in similar costumes. 

Giselle looked astonished as she took a seat before the camera. "Maxie's friends performed this Irish dance and it's so amazing. I mean, it's my roots." She boasted with a grin, gesturing to her hair.

"Giselle, just because you're ginger doesn't mean you descend from the Irish," Maxie scoffed, "I mean, if that were the case, Prince Harry's ancestors have some explaining to do."

Whilst the others continued to admire the timing and unison the Irish dancers displayed through their piece, Maxie looked around the room in search of the studio's most popular couple-to-be.

"Hey, where's James and Riley?" She asked, turning to West with confusion imprinted on her features. Over the past few weeks, James had been spending most of his non-rehearsal time completing Riley's 'get back together' list, so the girl wouldn't be surprised if he was tackling one of the items at that time, or prepping himself for number seven.

Remembering what his friend had messaged him earlier on, West informed Maxie. "Oh, right, James is doing his driving test — another one of Riley's tasks."

"I should've known," Maxie nodded, "She's been complaining about taking the bus to their dates almost their entire relationship, I don't blame her, though, the buses in this area are... Questionable." The girl shrugged, remembering the hefty amount of times Riley had caved in and ended up calling Maxie to drive them around, just to avoid experiencing the bus repeatedly.