𝖑𝖎𝖋𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖊 [nochelle & richola]

thirteen.

i wake up early, rolling over to see noah still sleeping. i realise i don't actually have anything on except underwear, and it's a little cold. i don't particularly want to put my pyjamas back on, they're not exactly going to cover much and keep my warm.

noah's t-shirt from yesterday is in a heap on the floor. he probably won't care if i wear it. i grab the t-shirt and pull it over my messy blonde hair. it falls to just above my needs.

i smile, because the t-shirt's soft and it smells like noah. i realise i must look like a mess though, so i tip toe over to noah's en suite bathroom, grabbing my makeup and hair stuff on the way. i pull out last nights messy bun, and look at myself in the mirror.

shit.

there's a massive hickey on my neck. "shit. fuck. fucking shit," i mutter.

i hear a grunt from behind me. i must've woken noah. "what's happened?" he mumbles, pushing the covers back and stumbling over to the bathroom. he looks where i'm looking in the mirror, and i point to the reddish purple mark.

"that's what's happened, thanks to you," i mutter.

noah bites his lip, "i'm sorry... can't you cover it?" he asks nervously.

i shrug. "probably. it'll take like twenty minutes though, so if you miss your flight, it's your own fault."

"you didn't seem to mind when you were moaning so hard the neighbours could hear," noah jokes, laughing softly.

i roll my eyes playfully. "go and get ready, i know how long it takes you to do your hair," i laugh, starting to moisturise and brushing my hair.

"well, i need to shower and you're in the bathroom," noah shrugs, "and you're wearing my shirt."

"i saw your dick last night, seeing it again isn't going to scar me," i say blankly, brushing my teeth, "and this shirt's comfy. it's mine now."

noah turns the hot water on as i start applying foundation to my face and neck, "fine. i guess my clothes look good on you."

"everything looks good on me," i joke.

"nothing looks pretty good on you too," noah says playfully, stepping into the shower and pulling the curtain over, so i can't see him.

"stop being a tease," i smirk.

twenty minutes later i've got a basic face of makeup, my hickey's invisible, and noah's just getting out the shower, a towel wrapped round his waist, his top half bare.

i pull noah's shirt off and throw it at him, just my bra and underwear underneath, "put this on. you're distracting me."

noah grabs the shirt and pulls it over his head, "i could say the same about you, you should probably put some clothes on."

"i'm about to," i tell him, matter of factly. i grab my jeans and a red top, pulling them on. once i'm dressed i start straightening my hair.

noah finally puts some pants on.

another thirty tedious minutes later and we're standing at the bus stop near noah's house. noah's dragging a suitcase and i'm carrying my dance bag, along with a lunch bag i made up for noah for the flight. am i his girlfriend or his mum?

we arrive at the airport and i'm a little anxious because of the amount of people around. noah takes my hand and i relax just a little. we go through all the checks until we get as far as i can go.

noah turns to face me, "i'll see you soon." he kisses me softly, and i just want to stay with him in the moment forever.

"i'm gonna miss you so badly," i whisper, pulling away.

"i'll be back soon," he says quietly. he kisses me one last time, and then he's gone.

i find my way back to bus stop with my dance bag, and get the first bus back to the studio. once i arrive i dump my stuff in my locker and rush straight to rehearsals. a troupe is just back from lunch.

"hey richelle!" lola smiles, running and hugging me. i hug back slightly. "so we've started the semi-finals routine, one of the ten person dances. we've got like a really cool idea for it, but henry and lily and sulking because they've been made alternates."

i'm away for three hours and i miss all that.

"also," lola starts, "lily's started saying stuff about how no one trusts her, which is true, and that she's just going to leave the next step."

honestly, i don't care, but i pretend to listen just so i can be with lola for an extra few minutes.

"and emily's heard the rumours, and i've heard rumours that if lily does leave, then emily's going to ask summer if she wants her spot back. but that's just going to cause drama with her and henry and amy again! in my opinion winnie should get the a-troupe spot because she's actually a decent dancer and she won't cause any drama. she'd be a perfect alternate! and now that ozzy and her are dating, they'd be great duet partners. obviously we'd still have our duet but-" lola rambles on and on, until she's cut off by emily shouting at us to warm up.

i nod at emily and start stretching. ten minutes later and we're running the ten person dance. emily's placed me in the front row, and i'm ecstatic.

we rehearse the semi-finale routine for about two hours, and i pick up the choreo pretty well. we're taking a water break when lola approaches me and taps my shoulder gently.

"you've sweated your makeup off," she says quietly.

i shrug it off, "everyone's seen me without makeup, i don't really care. my skins clear anyway."

lola bites her lip, "i mean the makeup on your neck."

shit.

"um," lola begins, "a few of the girls are talking about it. they've come to the conclusion that you skipped rehearsal this morning so you could see a boy."

that's not even technically a lie.

"who's saying that?" i ask quietly.

"jacquie and tate. they're trying to figure out who gave you the hickey."

"tell them to mind their own fucking business, and tell emily i'm going to the bathroom."

lola nods and i grab my makeup bag, quickly hurrying out of studio a.