It won't keep us apart

Chapter 26: Nothing more

Noah's POV

This morning, we discovered that TNS still had one more chance to redeem ourselves at Regionals because Encore was disqualified for cheating. Imagine if we didn't get that chance. All of us will be distraught. I wouldn't have wanted to end my time on A-troupe on a bad note.

Acronation and TNS have two hours to choreograph a whole new ten person dance as a tiebreaker to see who takes the Regionals trophy home. Since we've got the stage for rehearsal first, I've been shooting out my ideas and bringing them to life. This dance has never felt so easy to choreograph because it's based on my time at TNS.

The year I joined A-troupe for the first time, I was overjoyed. I later felt lonely. Outcasted by everyone else. They all knew each other so well, having been on A-troupe previously. Maybe it was because I was younger than most of them. Taking the step from J-troupe to A-troupe was a huge challenge for me. I constantly had to prove myself to show that I was no longer a J-trouper, especially to Eldon, who eventually admitted that he had underestimated my abilities. 

In the following year, TNS was back on square one: the road to Regionals. Majority of the Internationals team moved on to bigger things in their lives, while I stayed and kept my place on A-troupe. After being an Internationals winning studio, it brought in a whole load of fresh faces. Eager and ready to dance, we had to compete in Qualifiers to guarantee our place in Regionals. The first qualifier didn't go how I wanted because I thought that my back would've healed. Then I had to have minor surgery on my back and recovered completely, in time for another qualifier. Instead, Riley pulled us out, fearing that I wasn't ready. When the third qualifier came around, it certainly was worth bringing up the bar and there we were. Qualified for Regionals. However, we didn't make it past the final round, and Gemini took home the title.

Big changes came after that. The old rehearsal space was renovated and became Studio One. Emily and Michelle going their own ways and forming their own troupes for Regionals, which only proved that us dancers were more capable of working with each other than they were. To convince Miss Kate to keep the studio open, the remaining dancers of Michelle's troupe and Emily's troupe choreographed a dance to showcase. As a result, we were lucky to have her approval and we were a full troupe with Michelle and Emily as our studio heads. 

When dance captain votes came around, I was elected to be dance captain. I remember I couldn't register how shocked I was. I wasn't even a candidate. I helped lead the team towards Regionals by working with them to create the dance for the qualifier video. After we found out we qualified, Miss Kate fired Michelle and Emily because they let an injured Richelle dance. I heard that Emily had hid it from Michelle, so things didn't exactly go too well between them.

This year was a started off quite awfully. With Miss Angela as studio head, no one thought we were going to get anywhere, besides Lily. I accused Richelle wrongly of being a traitor when she wasn't one. Then I had to show her that I wanted to make things right again, which worked out and we're friends. She formed a plan to end Miss Angela's time at the studio. To our luck, Miss Kate had gotten rid of her after her true plans were unveiled. On the path to Regionals again, it wasn't a smooth journey that's for sure. 

Today, A-troupe is back on the Regionals stage. Ready to dance the hardest we've ever danced. It's the final round and my last dance with A-troupe. The music begins with an instrumental part that matches perfectly with my story. We are the keys on a piano, and I'm the odd one out. Throughout this dance, I slowly turn the other dancers into the same key as I am. We move across the stage and that's when I realise something.
They're so strong together that they no longer need me anymore.

A/N: I rewatched the final episode of season 6 for this chapter and cried all over again. Watching Noah dance for the last time and A-troupe singing to Noah for his departure, was honestly so moving. This chapter I wrote in a different style to how I usually write because I usually have dialogue, but this time I wrote a monologue (for those who don't know what it is, it's an insight to a character's thoughts and feelings).

Here's a quick announcement: the final part of this book is coming next week, so keep an eye out for the update!

Again, thankyou for reading this chapter. I hope you guys are having a good week so far :)