Keep your shirt on, Noah.

Blurred Lines

The next day, Emily's troupe all entered their studio tired and aching. It was a Saturday evening rehearsal, but Noah had spent the whole day working on replacement choreography for his duet with Jacquie, and Richelle had led a J Troupe class. Lola and the others had been having intense rehearsals with Emily of the group dance. They were all exhausted, and luckily Emily had promised them that today would be a lot easier for them.

Nevertheless, the dancers knew the importance of stretching because no doubt Emily wouldn't make this evening's rehearsals too easy.  Richelle, as always, had been first in the studio, and had ten minutes of stretching already done. 

Lola entered and smiled to see Richelle alone. She hoped she'd be able to maybe make another break through to her, as she had a couple of days ago. 

Richelle rolled her eyes when she saw her enter, "Hey." She secretly did enjoy Lola's company but she wasn't too open to showing her true feelings.

"Hi! How was your day?" 

Lola was way too chirpy for Richelle, but she was extremely appreciative of how she had helped her and didn't want to completely cast her off, "It was fine... I got an A in my English essay. Highest in my class." 

"Well done!" Lola beamed and Richelle gave a small smile back, still apprehensive towards the whole idea of expressing emotion. She resumed stretching, and the other dancers entered, led by Noah and Jacquie who were laughing about something. 

Lola saw Richelle's attention go to them and knew she should offer some wise words. "Keep your cool. You're dance captain," she whispered in Richelle's ear before getting on the floor to continue stretching. Richelle nodded and smiled at her thankfully.  She looked around the studio space as everyone started to prepare themselves for rehearsal, and checked everyone's status.

There were no injuries visible, and no one's hair was loose. Perfect.

She held her gaze on Jacquie, who wasn't stretching like everyone else, but still standing whispering to Noah. She continued staring until Jacquie caught on and looked back at her.

Richelle remained calm and tried not to let her personal issues influence her role as dance captain. She had watched that happen to all the dance captains and studio heads she'd seen. Even Emily had let her drama affect the team before. "Jacquie. Noah. Stretch."

Lola looked up at Richelle and hoped she would handle the situation well.

Jacquie looked around to check Emily wasn't in the studio, "You're dance captain, not the studio head." She watched Richelle gulp, as she continued, "We're having a conversation." She turned back to Noah, who seemed taken aback at Jacquie's hostility towards Richelle. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it.

Richelle's eyes widened and Lola knew she had to step in, before Richelle exploded and made her relationship with Jacquie and Noah any worse. Without turning around, she remained in her cobra stretch and loudly told Jacquie, "When the studio head isn't here, dance captain has the highest authority. So have some respect, listen to Richelle, and stretch."

Richelle watched everyone turn their heads to Lola, in surprise, and then to Jacquie who was so overcome with embarrassment that within seconds got on the floor to stretch. Richelle looked at Noah, noticing he had gone pale, and Noah looked back at Richelle.

Looking in her eyes had jogged his memory and he had just remembered the date. It was the 24th. Richelle's birthday. For the first time in years, he had forgotten.