Unfaithful

Chapter 20: West

I come back to find Kingston and Ozzy working on their duet in Studio One, while Emily sits in her office. Their duet looks really good and I'm impressed with how much Kingston has come on in such a short space of time. They also have a lot of chemistry and I'm reminded of me and Daniel dancing with each other when we first joined A troupe.

Smiling, I walk into Emily's office. "How's it going?" I ask. "Good" she murmurs. She doesn't look up but I don't expect her to. She's swamped in regionals paperwork at the moment, with the registration for the qualifier being so close. "Once Kingston and Ozzy are finished rehearsing, we watch all the duets and pick one." "Perfect" I say. "Oh, I almost forgot. I got you a brownie" I say, pulling the slightly squashed treat out of my pocket. Emily looks up as she takes the brownie and nods her thanks. She turns back to her paperwork, setting the brownie next to her carefully and I know it's my cue to leave and let her do her work in peace.

I come out into the studio space again and watch as Kingston and Ozzy work their way through the different sections. I'm really impressed but no matter how talented they are, I don't think they'll be able to beat some of the more experienced members of the team yet. But anything's possible.

"That looks really good guys" I congratulate them as they grab their water. "Thanks" Kingston grins back. Ozzy smiles too but seems slightly awkward. I guess we don't know each other too well, whereas I've mentored Kingston a lot over the time he's been on A troupe. There's silence for a few minutes before I realise they need to continue practicing so I say goodbye and head down to Neutral Grounds, hoping to find someone to talk too. I would call Daniel but he's working this afternoon, preparing for a ballet tour. It leaves in three weeks and I'll miss him loads, even though we've only been dating a month or so. It's funny how quickly someone can become such an important part of your life that you can't really imagine what life will look like without them.

I walk into the coffee shop and spot Noah sitting by himself. Great. I needed to talk to him. I take the seat opposite him, grinning in greeting and Noah smiles back but suspiciously. He must know what I'm about to say but I don't care; I need to know and he needs to hear it, and how bad it sounds.

"Are you cheating on Richelle with Jacquie?" I ask quietly. His face remains blank as he answers in a neutral voice. "No." "See, I don't believe you" I say. "In fact, I'd say the only person who would believe that is your so called girlfriend, Richelle." I pause for effect before continuing. "I'm not a violent person. But if you keep doing this and keep hurting Richelle, I will probably hurt you. You need to stop, grow up and start making decisions like a mature adult." I finish my speech and Noah still shows no sign of emotion. He simply stands up and walks off to bin his empty coffee cup. As he walks back past me though, he pauses. "If it comes to a physical confrontation, I could take you" he says, in that same annoyingly calm tone. As he walks off, I know I've failed as a friend. He's obviously cheating on Richelle and he obviously doesn't care. But he's wrong. If he thinks he could take an angry West, he's crazy.