𝐒𝐇𝐔𝐓 𝐔𝐏 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 (𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞.)

ONE. a force to be reckoned with

THIRD PERSON'S POV.

The Next Step Dance Studio was legendary for being the place where the best dancers were made, especially after its win at Regionals and now at Nationals. Being a studio with great dancers meant that talent ran through the studio, whether it be in A-Troupe, B-Troupe or J-Troupe. And in the music room of the studio, three of its talent were dancing their hearts away.

East North turned into her fourth pirouette simultaneously along with her fellow J-Troupers, Noah and Richelle. Those three dancers were the best of J-Troupe. Sometimes, it was a shock that they were still in J-Troupe. Each dancer had their own unique flare but together, they were an unstoppable trio. A force to be reckoned with. Nothing and no one could take their power away, especially when they were dancing together.

The three teens weren't even doing a choreographed routine. They were just messing around to pass time, but they were still in sync. Whether it was East doing fouettés around the room, Richelle going into her impressive grand jeté's, or Noah throwing around his amazing back handsprings, they really did have the same vibe.

As the song was nearing to an end, East and Richelle stepped back for Noah, because he wanted to show them his back handsprings he'd been working on. The boy flipped across the room and landed as the song ended, receiving a high-fives from East and Richelle. The three teens didn't even notice Miss Kate, The Next Step's studio head, walk into the room.

"Noah," Miss Kate's voiced earned their attention, the three bodies turning to face her, "can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah," the boy in question responded before approaching Miss Kate.

East and Richelle stepped aside, although there was no need to as Miss Kate wasn't being very quiet. East wondered what the woman wanted to talk to about Noah.

"Okay, I've been thinking, and we may be rushing this a little bit, but I think you're ready for it," Miss Kate said. East shared a perplexed look with Richelle, wondering what the woman was on about.

"For what?" Noah asked, also confused.

"I want you to move up to A-Troupe so that you can compete against Elite for a spot at Internationals."

East's face fell in shock at the news. She did hear rumors about The Next Step and Elite merging to form the Internationals team because of Lucien. However, she didn't know if it was true, as she wanted to check with her brother, West, about it. But hearing Miss Kate say that, East saw that it was true and that maybe the rumor about Eldon leaving A-Troupe was also true.

East couldn't help but feel a little disheartened, too. She had started at The Next Step a year after Noah did; she thought that they were on the same level. Apparently, she was wrong. East had dreamt of being on A-Troupe since she started in J-Troupe. She had dreamt of going to Regionals and Nationals and Internationals with her team, just like her brother. She had dreamt of, maybe, becoming a dance captain, but she hadn't uttered that dream out loud as she knew how much her friend, Richelle, wanted that too. Maybe her dream would take longer than she thought.

"Of course," Noah immediately agreed. "I can do it."

"Perfect. Come, let's go," Miss Kate said. She and Noah headed toward the exit, but they immediately halted their steps when someone else spoke.

"Wait, Miss Kate," Richelle quickly called her. "I heard Eldon was leaving the studio too. Doesn't that mean another spot opens up on A-Troupe?"

"Yes, Richelle, it does, but we're dealing with one thing at a time, so you don't need to worry about that."

With that being said, Miss Kate and Noah left the music room, leaving two disheartened teens in it.

"Can you believe that?" Richelle inquired aloud.

East merely shrugged. "So Noah's competing for a spot on A-Troupe and we're not doing it with him. That doesn't mean we'll never get on A-Troupe."

"But we work just as hard as Noah does. I thought we'd all get on A-Troupe together."

"I thought so too, but we will," East assured her. She tried to look on the positive side of the situation, something that West always reminded her to do. "Hopefully, soon." Seeing that Richelle still had a frown, East nudge her with a grin. "Wanna go to Hidalgos? My treat."

Finally, a small smile crept in Richelle's face as she nodded. "Yeah, sure."

. . .

IMPORTANT QUESTION: how old do you guys think richelle is during this season or just in general?

please don't be a ghost reader :(
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