Changes

Chapter 7

James's POV

It was Monday and Riley and I were entering The Next Step after missing the last few days.
Today we would tell A-Troupe that I was moving.
It wouldn't be an easy thing.

I put my bag in the cubbies.
"Could you put mine there too?", Riley asked looking sadly.
"Sure", I said taking her bag and putting it beside mine.

Riley's POV

James was talking to me, trying to distract me, but I wasn't even listening.
I was looking to the floor.

In some minutes A-Troupe would enter the Studio-A and I would hear it again, that James was moving to California, it was hard to hear it once, but now I was going to hear it twice.

"Riley?", James asked preoccupied.
"Yeah, sorry I haven't paid attention, what did you said?", I asked looking up.
"Are you okay?", he asked taking my hands in his .
"Yes, I was just daydreaming", I said smiling at our hands.

I loved the little signals he gave me.
The hand holding, the pecks, the looking in the eye and the concern he had about me, it all made me feel so special.

A-Troupe came inside the studio.
"Hey, why weren't you two here the last week", Giselle asked us and all the other A-Troupe members came to the bank we were sitting at.

"Guys, I have to tell you something, my mum got a job in California so we're moving there", James said.

James's POV

They all stared at me.
"What, you are moving?", West asked.
I nodded.
"To California.", Giselle asked.
"That's awful", Thalia added.

In all the disorder I suddenly heard someone sobbing and turned to the right to see Riley with tears rolling down her cheek.
I took her in my arm and kissed her forehead, while she was sobbing in my shirt.
A-Troupe kept arguing without noticing that Riley was crying.
"It's okay, we still have one month", I whispered to Riley trying to calm her down.

"Guys, stop arguing, Riley is crying", Michelle finally said.
The whole A-Troupe knelt in front of Riley and tried comforting her.
"Riley, James is returning, you are, right.", Michelle asked stroking Riley's knee.

"Yes, I'm returning", I said wiping Riley's tears away.
"Now stop crying and let's get a drink at Hidalgos", Michelle said.
Riley nodded her head and smiled a little.
We stood up and went all to Hidalgos.