Missing Moments

Finn and Piper's Awkward Car Ride

7x11

"I can't believe we're going to be dancing on the same stage as legends like Chris Walker!"

"And don't forget Darrell!"

"Obviously not." Finn grinned as he handed Amy her green tea latte then took his own iced tea from The Next Steep barista. He turned to Piper, who was resting against the counter on his other side, and asked, "You sure you don't want anything, Pipes?"

Piper looked up at him, raising her eyebrows like she hadn't heard him at first. Quickly processing his words, she shook her head and gave a tight-lipped smile. "Yeah, I'm trying not to drink caffeine too late. My mom thinks it'll help with my insomnia."

"Is it?"

Her smile faded. "Not really."

Together, the three of them made their way out of The Next Steep and down the hall to the lobby. Most of the time, Finn found himself following behind Piper and Amy as they chatted together, but tonight, both of the girls seemed set on staying on either side of him, almost like they were avoiding each other. He glanced from his girlfriend to his best friend, wondering what exactly was going on with them. Today had been weird enough without Piper and Amy acting strange around each other.

The quiet stretched on as they reached the stairs, and Finn had taken to gulping down his tea in the tense silence. Piper had clenched her jaw next to him but finally broke the silence with, "I can't believe Summer would do something like that."

Finn chewed on his straw, sighing internally. The whole bus ride from the Dancemania audition back to the studio had been spent ranting about Summer's decision to audition as a soloist, and Richelle and Piper had been the ringleaders of it all. Finn understood that they were upset about it. He was too, but couldn't they leave it to rest now? They'd already said everything there was to say about it. Summer hadn't even made it onto the show. It was time to lay the subject to rest and move on.

Amy was the one to respond to Piper's comment. "But I get where she's coming from. What we did really hurt her."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean she should turn her back on the team. She's supposed to be our dance captain!"

Amy heaved a sigh, a tired look in her eyes as she simply said, "It's really unlike Summer to do something so selfish."

Amy had been standing up for Summer the most all evening, and Finn supposed he could understand why. Of everyone on A-Troupe, Amy was the one person who could relate to Summer's decision to see what she could do on her own. After hearing what Summer had to say for herself in Studio A that evening, Finn found himself somewhere in the middle. He still thought it was low of Summer to audition as a soloist without even letting anyone know beforehand, but maybe Amy had a point. Summer had done one selfish thing in her entire time at the studio, but hadn't they all?

Piper didn't seem to think so. Agitatedly, she grit her teeth and muttered, "But you'd know all about that."

Finn and Amy just barely heard the words, but they did hear them. His eyebrows shot up, and he looked at Piper in surprise as Amy suddenly stiffened next to him. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, a hard edge to her tone.

Seeming to realize that she'd uttered the words out loud, Piper's eyes widened, and she quickly shook her head. "Nothing."

"No, you definitely meant something. What did you mean, Piper?"

Piper simply stared at her, looking very much like a deer caught in headlights. Finn could practically see the gears turning in her head as she tried to figure out a way to take back what she'd said. Amy had stopped walking, an eyebrow raised as she waited for her best friend to say something.