flying • james and riley

| chapter thirty three |

she was beautiful in the way
forest fires were beautiful

RAELYNN STAYED UP THE WHOLE NIGHT crying into Kelsie's shoulder. She didn't bother showing up to the studio the next day or the day after that either. She knew that she would break down if she saw the people that caused her the most trouble.

The brunette ignored the multiple texts and calls she was receiving. She wasn't bothered to check her phone, knowing that most of them would be from Alfie anyway. Raelynn didn't want to see him. In fact, she didn't want to see anyone. She was too busy drowning in her own despair. Her sadness flowed through her veins and deadened her mind.

Raelynn refused to leave her bed because of it. It was a poison to her spirit, dulling her other emotions until it was the only one that remained. It was as if a black mist had settled upon her and refused to shift, and no matter how bright the day was, she would feel no sun and hear no bird song. For the world was lost to her, and she knew of nothing that would bring it back into focus.

"Won't you at least get up and take a shower?" Kelsie asked as she watched her roommate from the door. "You're going to smell bad if you don't." she tried to be humorous, but it didn't work as no laugh or comeback came from the brunette, that would usually always have one. Begrudgingly, Raelynn dragged herself off the bed and into the bathroom.

"What happened to me?" she questioned herself, looking at herself in the mirror. She stood there, sunken eyes staring back at her. The makeup was gone from her face, her hair was frizzed, and she was clad in years-old pyjamas, showing off her toned midriff and too-loose sleeves. "I shouldn't let this affect me as much as it is." she stripped off her clothes and slipped into the shower, hoping the warm water would allow her to collect her thoughts.

However, before she could turn on the water, a loud knock was heard on the door. Knowing that Kelsie left earlier, Raelynn sighed and slipped on the oversised jumper again as well as her undergarments. She made her way to the door, dreading to see who it was. "Yes?" she questioned as she opened the door to an unfamiliar person.

The blonde in front of her scrunched up her nose at the appearance of the brunette before her. "Are you Raelynn?" the said girl nodded. "Good. My name's Emily. Mind if I come in?" Raelynn shrugged and moved out the way as the girl welcomed herself inside.

"How can I help you?" she asked as the blonde plopped onto the sofa.

"You can start by taking a shower. You look horrible." Raelynn glared at the girl but sighed nonetheless. Deciding that the girl wasn't any threat, she mumbled that she could make herself at home while she took a quick shower. The brunette hoped to stay in the bathroom for longer, but because of the unknown person sitting in her living room, she hurried up. She slipped on another oversised hoodie with some shorts before making her way to the girl, sitting opposite her.

"So, who are you, and how do you know me?"

"I'm Emily, Riley's sister." Hearing the name of the ombre-haired studio head brought another wave of pain that crashed on her.

"If you're here to talk about what happened, then I suggest you leave. I'm not in the mood."

"Neither am I." she spoke, shocking the brunette. "I'm here to tell you to get your butt to the studio. You still have a responsibility as dance captain to show up every day, not to mention that you need to focus on the qualifier."

"Oh. I forgot about that," she mumbled, drying her hair with the towel in her hand.

"My question is, though, can you do it?" Raelynn bit her lip, thoughts running wild through her head. Could she do a duet with Alfie after everything that happened? The conclusion she came up in her head was that she had to make it work. She and Alfie were the best dancers on the team. They had the best shot of getting the Next Step into Regionals.

"Yeah. I can." Emily grinned broadly.

"Excellent. You'll start tomorrow with Alfie." Raelynn nodded, her mind wandering over to thoughts about the male and how he was feeling about everything. Emily hummed, glancing at the girl that was obviously suffering from what happened between James, Riley, Alfie and her.

"A piece of advice. Focus on dance for now. Deal with everything later," was all that Emily said before she excused herself out of Raelynn's apartment, leaving her to her crowded thoughts. She spent the rest of the day organising her emotions, after checking up on Alfie and making sure he was okay. She made sure not to mention anything that had happened recently, and he figured that she didn't want to talk about it either.

Raelynn was going to face everyone tomorrow. She just hoped it would all go okay.