When new girl Michelle joins A-troupe, everything changes. What'll happen now that Emily's throne is up for grabs? With love comes scandal, sex and secrecy, and with these dancers, there's always a price to pay.
The Next Step TV show reimagined as...
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I take a deep breath as I look at myself in one of the mirrors in the locker room.
I can't help but be filled with nerves, I can't afford to back out of this now.
I agreed to be here, I agreed to do this with Chris. I hated myself for it, but I'm doing what I have to do to dance.
Almost getting caught by Michelle and Emily was a rough start to an already rough plan, but they were both too concerned about whatever they were arguing over to actually care about the way I was dressed.
I'm wearing a tightly fitted black dress that I stole from my mom's closet, and I have my hair loose with small curls at the ends.
I added some false eyelashes and a ruby red shade to my lips, I needed to look my best, and although the thought of dressing up for Chris disgusted me, I had to do it anyway.
I take another deep breath and walk out of the locker room, feeling my hands shake as I stroll nervously into studio A.
Chris told me to meet him here before he could drive us to the hotel. It was disgusting that he wanted to use me to cheat on his wife.
He is a father, and he still didn't see the problem with sexualising someone who is barely even an adult.
That's the worst thing about it, I'm an adult, and although I feel far from it, legally, I'm not a child anymore- which means what Chris is doing to me technically isn't illegal because I'm giving him my consent.
"You look hot," he tells me, and I jump out of my skin at the sound of his voice.
A sharp shiver runs down my back at his words, and my jittery hands shake more as I turn my head to face him.
He looks the same as he always does, dressed in his usual track suit and trainers.
He didn't even try to make an effort for this, which shows just how flippant he is about our unfortunate predicament.
I blink a few times to hold back the steam of tears that are currently threatening to soak my face, and I flash him my best attempt of a smile.
"Thank you," is all I can say, and even then I can hear my voice evidently breaking.
I can see from the look in Chris' eyes that he knows how much I'm hurting right now, how much I don't want to do this, but also how much I have to, and he doesn't even care, if anything, it makes him look happier.
••••
I spent most of the car journey to the cheap, run down motel with my eyes glued to the window.
I tried my best to control my shaky breaths, but I couldn't help but focus on the increasing beat of my heart, and how I felt like my entire world was collapsing around me every moment that we got closer to the biggest mistake of my life.
