HEARTBURST,, The Next Step

[3.4] the times they are a changin'

  She began dancing to Falling Behind as a rush of endorphins flooded her bloodstream. Chloe was a vital member of The Next Step; she'd helped them win Regionals and Nationals. So, to lose her at this stage in the game would be heartbreaking.

  Once she had started dancing, something seemed to have just taken over and she was doing incredibly well. The ballet dancer was competing with a certain fire to her moves that seemed to have pushed her performance that much further over the edge. When she finished her dance facing Lucien, it was a clear choice as to who deserved to make the team.

  As usual, the majority of the room pointed to their winner — in this case, Chloe — meaning it was now her turn to choose the next dancer to vie for their sport on the Internationals team, whether they were ready to or not.

‧₊˚✩

     Returning back to the studio an hour after Nick and Thalia's names had been pulled from the hat, Maxie couldn't help but feel the nerves slowly encroaching. The more names that were being pulled, the closer it came to her own turn to dance.

  And she wasn't saying she was unprepared, of course not, but there was always going to be the sinking feeling that something may go wrong, costing her the all-important place on the team.

  Nick's solo was good, as all Elite solos were, however, his large muscles and grand display of strength proved to be not enough to grant him his much sought-after spot when it came against Thalia's passionate moves and flexible agility.

  Staying unbiased, the dancers in the room mentally compared both competitors' solos one final time before coming to their final decision, the majority voting for Thalia.

  As a round of applause echoed across the room for the girl, the Next Step couldn't help but cheer in support. With yet another win for The Next Step, it was six points for Miss Kate, yet still, only four for Lucien, meaning one more Next Step win would mean Miss Kate would get to keep ownership of the studio — the only way Lucien could beat her would be to have three more wins.

  "Congratulations, Thalia," Phoebe grinned excitedly, holding the hat out for the girl to pull a name, "Choose wisely."

  Closing her eyes for dramatic effect, Thalia took her time rifling around in the hat, hoping that, for the sake of the studio, she'd choose someone that'd benefit the team at Internationals.

  Finally reopening her eyes, the girl read out, "Maxie," A large smile creeping onto her lips as she turned to look at her friend.

  Giving West one final hug, both for luck and support, Maxie strode towards the hat, confident that whatever name she was to pull out, she'd take them down without a fight. Of course, there was always the fear that she could choose either Giselle or Amanda, both strong members of The Next Step whom she didn't ever want to battle against.

  Taking one final deep breath, the British girl reached into the hat, hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. "Daniel." 

  If you were close enough, you may have been able to catch the slight smirk playing on Maxie's lips at the mention of his name. Ever since he had left them for a different studio for Nationals, there was a certain unspoken rivalry between the pair; this battle would not only determine the better dancer of the pair but, unbeknownst to the dancers, it would decide the very future of The Next Step itself.

  "Okay," Miss Kate turned to the pair standing beside them, "Take an hour and then we'll meet back here."

  The hour seemed to drag on like a snail's race as Maxie found herself sitting on her own in the music room, thinking a little too much about everything that was bound to go wrong during her solo. What if she didn't land her flips? Or, what if she did dance her best and it still wasn't good enough to beat Daniel?