The Next Step Season 8

1 - Begin Again

Nick tapped his pen nervously on the desk as he looked out at the empty Studio A. It had been two weeks since A-troupe disqualified themselves from Dancemania, and Emily left him alone to run the studio. He had decided to give all the troupes some time off, whilst he tried his best to figure out what he was going to do.

On the one hand, B-troupe have been rehearsing for Nationals for months and they were improving so much. He had been so impressed with the quality of the dances they had choreographed so far - they were much better than he could do anyway. And after all, A-troupe had decided to give up their chance to compete.

But A-troupe now had nothing. They were the team that brought home the Regionals trophy, they were the team that qualified them for Nationals, and they were the team that had recently proved themselves to have matured beyond anything Nick could have expected. So maybe it was them who should represent TNS at the prestigious competition.

The decision was tough and every time that he even thought about making it, his stomach would writhe with anxiety. All he knew was that he could not do this alone. He loved dance, sure, but he didn't know the first thing about being a dancer and choreographing a winning routine. He needed a new studio head to replace Emily. The idea of this made Nick's heart twinge, as he and Emily had become great friends and she truly felt irreplaceable. However, he trusted her, so was confident in letting her choose her successor.

Nick began pacing around the room as he thought about having a new partner. What would they be like? Would they be able to lead the team - whichever one that may be - to victory?

Just as he was thinking this, he heard a knock on the office door. He jumped a mile out of his skin as he spun around.

"Hi, you must be Nick! I'm your new studio head."

*

Both A-troupe and B-troupe were nervous entering the studio again. They'd had two weeks off and now had been asked to return to receive some news.

"Maybe Nick has finally come to his senses and knows that we are the only team that can take The Next Step to Nationals." Richelle said to Piper as they both put their bags in their cubbies.
"Maybe. Whatever it is, I'm so stressed about it." Piper replied. "I've spent this whole time going over all the possible scenarios in my head. Finn is going out of his mind listening to me rant about it all day everyday."

As if on cue, Finn walked up behind Piper and put his arms around her waist.
"Pipes, I told you that no matter what happens we'll be okay. And besides, if we don't end up going to Nationals, that's just lots more time I get to spend annoying you." Piper rolled her eyes and laughed as she turned herself towards him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Richelle smiled at the two of them. They were good together, and seeing them finally getting over their fears and making it official was so heartwarming to see. Piper had become one of her best friends over the years at TNS, and Richelle couldn't recall a time where she had seen her as happy as she was now.

But as happy as she was for them, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Ever since her relationship with Elliot was a colossal disaster, Richelle had been very reserved when it came to boys and never allowed herself to be more than friends. It was easier that way; her heart could remain perfectly in tact. But it was still a little lonely.

The noise in the studio was rising now as more people entered. Lily and Kingston entered the room arguing - again - over which team they thought Nick was likely to pick. Ethan was confidently rapping every lyric to the song he was most recently obsessing over. Amy and Henry came running in throwing sweets at each other whilst laughing hysterically.

The atmosphere was buzzing - but there was a clear divide. A-troupe occupied the side of the room with the mirrors, whilst B-troupe remained sat underneath the windows. The tension was obvious to anyone walking in, as Cleo and Summer glared at each other out of the corner of their eyes.

It felt wrong somehow. The Next Step had always had such a family atmosphere and after the East vs West catastrophe a year before, they had all sworn never to fight each other again. And yet here they were.

Nick's footsteps cut through the noise as he left the office and walked towards the centre of the studio.
"Okay everyone, gather round, gather round. Come on, no need for you guys to be so dramatic, let's all be friends." The forced optimism in Nick's voice was apparent. Ozzy and Heath shared a glance and smirked, as they recognised that feigned positivity from when they'd been forced to work together before they became friends (ish).

Both troupes accumulated in the centre of the room and sat haphazardly beneath the chandelier.
"So are you going to tell us why you've finally let us back?" Kenzie said after a couple of seconds of awkward silence. Nick appeared to break out of a trance and lit up.
"Yes! I have some excellent news actually."
"It better be that B-troupe is going to Nationals, because I refuse to have them waltz back in here and take our spot." Cleo gestured at A-troupe as she made this declaration.

At that, arguments began to break out among all the dancers, as they were quick to defend their respective teams.
"Hey!" Nick shouted, which quickly caused everyone to shut up. "I know you all feel passionately about this, and it is a tough decision for me, but ultimately it is my decision. Not yours." Piper exchanged a worried glance with Amy.

"I do however have an announcement. You all know that Emily has sadly moved on from being the studio head of The Next Step, which leaves me in a tricky position. But I think I have found an acceptable replacement. So everyone, meet your new studio head." Nick gestured towards the door as an array of vibrant auburn curls came dancing in.
"I'm back!" exclaimed Giselle. Richelle immediately ran at her and enveloped her in a welcoming hug.
"Oh my goodness!! I can't believe it's you!"

The rest of the dancers were smiling excitedly. Giselle was a legend at The Next Step, and whilst some of them had met her at the Christmas reunion party last December, even those who hadn't knew exactly who she was.
"Okay, so I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I've been to Nationals and I know just how cutthroat it is. If we want to win, we need to take the best team," Giselle said. "And that's why I think we should do The Challenge."

Excited mutters echoed around the studio walls, as Richelle thought back to the first time The Next Step did The Challenge. She was so young back then, and now was the most senior member of the team. It was crazy how quickly things had changed.

"So what you're saying is that we're going to form a merged troupe? Some of A-troupe and some of B-troupe?" Winnie asked.
"Yes and no. All of you will have the chance to audition," Giselle replied. "But so will anyone else from the losing Regionals teams."