"You can trust me." (The Next Step 8 x Oc) (Discontinued)

Another Suitcase in Another Hall

We are all warming up and I can feel tension from those Jude was on B-troupe with I understand how they are feeling but Nick wants a very good team. We are all stretching and preparing for the choreo round that Cleo taught Jude and myself before hand as I am a bit nervous and Jude's dyslexia doesn't help her.
"Okay, everybody, congratulations on making it through the first round and getting to day two of choreo for the audition." Nick begins and we all cheer. "Today, we are very, very lucky in that we have our superstar alum Michelle to help us with the choreography. Michelle, take it away."
"Hello, everyone. How are you?" Michelle asks and we all say hi. "I'm so happy to be here, but I need you to know that this round is going to be tough. So you need to bring your A-game today, because whoever survives this round is going to Nationals."
"We're going to be dividing you all into teams for this choreography and, no pressure, but some of you cakes may not rise." Nick says, I'm guessing it's a baking reference but we are dancers, it makes no sense to us. 
"I think what Nick is trying to say, in non-baking terms, is that not all of you are going to make the team." Michelle explains in a language we can understand. 

I never expected to be able to go to nationals with my sister and her girlfriend, much less with The Next Step. This is a big change and I could rise to the occasion and dance with people I will get to know and trust or I will fall and I will go another year without dance.

"Okay. Let's do it." Michelle says calmly. "One, two, three, four." She repeats pointing at people. 
I smile and turn around to see a person and myself wearing matching 'Cliffside sunset' shirts.
"Hey nice shirt! Did you get that at Cliffside Sunset's last show in town?" I ask them.
"Yo, I went. It was the most amazing show ever." They say I stand there and cover my mouth. "It was so good."
"Yes, it was so good. I went, too." I say to them. 
"My name's Izzy. My pronouns are they/them." Izzy tells me.
"Dani. She/They." I shake their hand. 

Izzy seems nice. Jude was right about them. I already know we have something in common and that's like halfway to making a new friend. 

"Let's go through it again okay?" Michelle says. "Just the first count of eight okay ready? 5, 6, 7, 8. Go. 1, 2 and 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and then you turn." Michelle explains while showing the moves. 
We all practice.
"Hey, Izzy, so, erm, what's your favourite album by Cliffside Sunset?" I chose to ask them. "I make fan cams of them. Do you want to see?" 
"Maybe after. Um, I don't really like the band that much." Izzy blows me off. 
"Oh, OK." I say disappointed.

I get that Izzy is nervous about the audition. So am I. But having a friend would make this whole thing a lot easier. That's why I befriended Antony, Jett, Dylan and Xander yesterday.

"Okay everyone. Let's do the groups." Nick calls out and everybody cheers and looks for their groups. 
The first group is Dylan, Xander and a girl I was yet to learn the name of.
The second group I learned was Grace, Ebby, Ethan and Lani.
Then it is myself, Izzy, Antony and a girl named Hayley.
Finally it's Pete, Jude, Cleo and Jett. 

This is going great. All that matters right now is crushing this dance.
All of my friends did great too, well I couldn't see Antony because he was behind me and Cleo seems a little off focus paying more attention to Jude. 

"Bravo!" Nick screams.
"Amazing." Michelle says at the same time.
"Bravo! Amazing work, everyone." Nick says very loudly. "We'll go deliberate and we'll be back in a couple of minutes. Take a break. You did amazing. You all did really, really well."
"Great job." Michelle adds. 

Izzy was probably a little stressed out before, even of one of us makes it and one of us doesn't, I still want to be friends with Izzy.

"Hey." I saw walking over to Izzy, phone in hand. "Hey, so did you know that Cliffside Sunset released a new single? Last night."
"I did. It was so good, wasn't it?" Izzy replies nodding her head yes.
"Yeah. I say excitedly.
"Remember how it went? It went like..." Izzy starts. 
"Dance, dance in the air, Dance, dance like it's OK." We both sing.
"That's so good and you're so good." I say to Izzy.
"Thank you so are you." They say back. "Yeah, I know, that's like exactly it." 
We laugh.

I'm glad they've chilled out and I think we could be great friends. 

"Okay, I need to show you this Fan Cam I made." I say looking at my phone. "Do you want to see it?"
"Yeah, I want to see it." Izzy says. "Can I put my number in your phone?" 
"Yeah, of course." I say giving Izzy my phone.
"Cool." I watch as they put it in. 

"You all should be so proud of yourselves." Michelle starts. "And don't be too hard on yourself if you don't make it. There's always next year to try out for A-Troupe. "
"When I call your name, step forward." Nick says. "Hayley. Lani. Sydney. Cleo. If I've called your name, I'm sorry, but we're not asking you to go forward to Nationals. Which means everyone else, you're on our new A-Troupe. Congratulations." 
Everybody starts celebrating.

Yes! I made A-Troupe. I did it, after my injury and my past.  But I have lost Cleo, I think Jude is devastated. 

(Dance, dance in the air. Dance, dance, like you don't care. Dance, dance in the air.  Dance, dance like you don't care.) (Talking heads is thoughts in this but had to include the vibing of two new A-Troupers.) 

We take a selfie as Nick walks over. 
"You did it." Nick says as we cheer. "So proud of all of you. So what do we do next?" 
"Er, practise?" Ethan says in a very sassy voice.
"Yeah." The team screams. 
"We practise and practise and then we win Nationals." Nick says and I turn and look at my sister who is very sad and she walks off after Cleo.

I walk down to Middle C with Jett, Dylan, Xander, Antony and Izzy. We are sat talking at a table about music, dance, video games anything really when the old A-Troupe walk in. Izzy tells us the one with the glasses is her brother, Ozzy. The guy he is kind of play fighting with is Heath, he's kind of cute not going to lie. I have heard of these people before on the Dance mania but they look different in person. I can't believe I'm at the same studio as them.