HEARTBURST,, The Next Step

[4.4] london calling

❝ You're not coming back, are you?❞

‧₊˚✩

The day for Maxie to move into her new life was getting closer and closer, practically banging down her door.

Either that, or the fact that West had knocked on the girl's door earlier that week, only to present a mysterious box he'd received in the post: one she'd seen in her dance career many times as older students at her old studio would come in with them.

That's why she had been dodging his messages surrounding the topic of the box, his many theories about things such as hidden money, or even the quantum cat-in-box theory, and anything to do with the box.

However, when she'd unknowingly answered James' call on fateful afternoon, she knew she couldn't avoid it any longer.

"Maxie, why didn't you tell us about this Bangers and Mashups stuff?" He asked her the minute she picked up the phone with excitement.

The girl sighed, "James, I've never been, how would I know about it?"

"Well, it's based in London," He urged, "There's a whole Union Jack flag on this thing."

"Okay?" Maxie followed up, "Not everyone from London knows everything that goes down in London."

She could tell James was rolling his eyes incredulously, "And that's why you've been ignoring West every time he asks you about it?"

"What do you guys want, because now isn't a great time?" Maxie was quick to shrug off his accusation. She looked around her at the multiple boxes in her room — the room itself was practically empty at this point due to how much she had packed.

"For you to come with us, duh," James stated, as if it were obvious, "They said dance teams of three. You, me, West, the dream team."

Maxie shook her head, despite him not seeing it as she spoke into the phone, "I'm not in the mood for a hip-hop competition, right now."

"Please, Max," West's voice sounded a little further away, but still came through clearly on the line, "We get to visit your home city together, it's basically a kickstart to our travelling."

"And when you do your couple-y stuff, you won't even notice I'm there," James chimed in.

Maxie could faintly hear Riley scoff in the background.

"Why can't you get Eldon to go instead?" She asked them, brows furrowed.

James paused for a moment, "Well, we haven't thought of that. I called you first."

"Well, call Eldon," She told him firmly, "I'm not competing in this competition."

"Can you at least come with us?" West suggested, and it had seemed to Maxie that he had taken the phone off of James at that point, "You don't have to compete, but it would be great to have you with us."

James then took the phone back off West, "Yeah! You could be our own personal our guide."

"Can I charge you the overpriced London rates for it?" She asked, a small smile had finally crept onto her face.

"As long as you take the aisle seat on the way there and back," James laughed and Maxie's smile quickly dropped. She hadn't thought about how the flights there and back would probably clash with her move-in date.