Left or Right

Chapter 21

Riley's POV:

"Are you sure about this?" I ask James as he had his arm wrapped around both of my shoulders when we were walking down the hallway to get to Studio A. Somehow, he's convinced me to join A-Troupe again but I can't help but think this was a bad idea. Thalia's out. Meaning, I would have to fill in for her entirely. I've taken a break from dance for at least the past five months and now I'm expected to just get straight back into it?

James moves to stand in front of me and then when he does, he grabs hold of my hands, blocking my view so that he was the only person or thing I could see. He cups my cheek with one hand and smiles down at me softly, making me bite my lip nervously. I couldn't help it. I was anxious and we both knew it.

"Do you trust me, Riley?" he asks in a soft whisper, giving my hand a subtle squeeze. Rolling my eyes, I sigh.
"Of course I trust you," I tell him, to which he then nods his head.
"Then believe me," he mumbles, leaning his head forwards to rest against mine, his eyes looking directly into my light pupils. "You'll be thanking me soon enough," he says. He places a gentle kiss on my forehead before pulling away and when he does, I nod my head at him, slightly reassured. "You can do this," he says, before taking hold of my hand and then leading me into the studio I hadn't danced in, in what feels like forever.

As soon as we enter, I find not only A-Troupe stood in a circle, but two other people from B-Troupe, one being Cassie and another being Harry. Kate was stood with a clipboard in hand and Phoebe was stood by the stereo, connecting her phone to the speakers. I was beyond confused right now and quite clearly James was too.

"Rileyyy!" half of A-Troupe squeal before rushing over to give me a hug, causing me to let go of James's hand as I hug them back, still totally baffled as to what was going on.
"Hey," I breathe out. I see Michelle and then immediately hurry over to her before hugging her the tightest. She was my best friend and I hadn't seen her in a while, it was nice to be able to see her now.

"What's going on, guys?" James questions, looking around. Kate and Phoebe didn't look the most thrilled to see me. Instead, they looked quite the opposite; like me showing up was the last thing they would have ever expected.
I pull away from Michelle but she just bites her lip. James takes in everyone's facial expressions before taking a step forward, placing his hand on my back supportively. "What's going on?" he asks once again, looking at Eldon. They were best friends, out of everyone, it would be Eldon who would crack the easiest and spill the beans first.

"We're auditioning for a new member of A-Troupe," he mumbles, looking down. I look down, biting my lip a little. It was to be expected I guess. I couldn't have expected them to just stay put and wait around for me.
"Two actually," Giselle adds. My eyes widen and I raise an eyebrow before Michelle puts her hand up and begins to put in her two pence.

"I might not be able to go to Internationals with you guys," she says. "I'll talk to you about it later," she whispers to me directly.
Throughout everything, I had been there for Michelle. We were like sisters, she helped me when I moved and I've helped her through the divorce. There was a slight drop in the strength of our friendship when I moved from Toronto but we were still close friends. I just hope things haven't backfired too much.

"Well, have auditions started yet?" I question, swallowing the lump in my throat. I look around the room and each of the A-Troupe members nod their heads, causing me to cross my arms but stand my ground. 
"It was Cassie and Harry who got the spots," West says. I shake my head, setting my dance bag down on the bench nearest to me and then I nod my head firmly.

"I'm auditioning," I say sternly, looking towards Kate. "I can audition, right?"
"Are you even prepared?" Cassie cuts in before Kate has the chance to respond. My eyes immediately peel back to her and I nod, narrowing my eyes at her.
"I'm always prepared," I tell her, before walking over to the stereo, selecting a song, and then I make my way over to the centre of the floor. James smiles at me, a proud look on his face as he nods his head before giving me space, moving over to stand by the wall.

If they want a replacement for Thalia, I'll be that replacement. TNS is my home and A-Troupe is my family. It's been a while but nothing's changed and I'm not about to let someone else take the spot that was originally mine.
I will dance my hardest and I won't stop until that spot on the team is mine again.

I finish and turn around, a wide smile on my face as I look between the rest of A-Troupe who seemed to be in awe. It had been a long while since I danced like that but honestly . . . it feels amazing.
James immediately makes his way over to me and wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling my body close to his as I rest my head on his shoulder, laughing when he whispers how good I was into my ear.

Cassie was staring me down right now because I was going up against her. Harry was extraordinary, there was no changing that. It was all me against her.

"Okay, A-Troupe," Kate starts saying, looking at me with a smile on her face before hesitantly looking over towards Cassie. "You've seen what you've needed to see so the choice is yours. Is it going to be Riley or Cassie for the win?" she asks.
I sigh, breathing out and levelling each of my breaths. James continues to hold me by his side, his hand rubbing soothing circles over my back softly. Kate looks around the room as we wait for the response but it only takes a few seconds before all of A-Troupe start running over to James and I once again, wrapping their arms tight around us both. It was like a large family hug right now.

"Riley!" they all yell, and god it was a moment. It was such a nice feeling.

I was home. I was finally where I belonged.

And to top it all off, James uses his index finger to tilt my chin upwards so he could gain access to my lips before pressing his lips against mine passionately. Smiling into the kiss, I go onto my tiptoes and wrap my arms around his neck securely, causing the rest of our friends to slowly drift away and give us room.
"Be my girlfriend again?" he asks, breaking away from the kiss but resting his head against mine. I shake my head, smirking slightly as I use the tips of my fingers to carefully and lightly stroke the baby hairs on the back of his neck.

"I thought I never stopped," I whisper, then take no time to connect our lips once again.