The Ladder

The Next Step

"No."

Richelle turned on her heels and went to walk back to studio A but Noah groaned loudly then called her back, "Richelle, wait!"

She faced him, "Noah, it's a stupid idea."

"Richelle, why?!" Piper was confused, she thought this was what Richelle would have wanted! She and Noah walked up to Richelle but she rolled her eyes again as they got closer to her. Any more eye rolls, her eyeballs would roll back to studio A before she even got there.

Noah explained, "You have been dance captain, Piper has been dance captain, I have been dance captain..."

"Yes, thank you for taking my captaincy from me by the way." She hissed at him and looked at the ground while he continued talking.

Piper added, "Um... Took it from me too..."

"Yeah exactly, that wasn't very team spirited was it, Noah?" Richelle glared but Noah ignored her.

Noah told her, "We need to all campaign together to convince Kate to not go back to the UK and to be studio head again. We have a bit more authority to say something than Amy and Ozzy because we've been captains. TNS was great when Kate was leading it! How is the idea stupid?" 

"Noah, Kate doesn't want it! She has better opportunities than running this place!"

"But... Isn't that why Emily and Daniel are leaving?" Piper asked, targeting what Richelle just said herself. "To have better opportunities?" She hoped this would get through to her.

Richelle looked at Piper, "Even so... Wait, where's Michelle? Why can't she do it?"

Noah sighed and rubbed his head, knowing that what he was about to say was just going to make the situation worse. He covered his eyes with his hands, "Michelle's going back to Wisconsin to be head choreographer of her old studio."

"So everyone has given up on us. Great." Richelle turned and walked towards the locker room, Noah and Piper following her. 

Piper continued trying to convince her, "All we need to do is choreograph another group dance like we did when we merged TNS East and West. To show Kate what she's missing out on if she leaves!" Richelle sat on the bench and looked straight ahead while they spoke to her.

Noah tried, "Kate's a push over when you push the right buttons. She loves us. She's practically raised me. I'm here more than I am at home!"

"Well then you go and convince her to take the job! She doesn't care about me anymore Noah. She was thrilled when I took myself off A Troupe and she couldn't wait to use me as her slave when she got herself overwhelmed with work." Richelle told him. She was frustrated. "I don't even want to come back to the team if a complete nobody is running the place and if there's going to be more people on it that I don't know, than those I do."

Piper tried to be the voice of reason, "Richelle, the team needs you. As much as you'll deny it, the team needs and loves you. You just bring something to it that makes it complete." 

Richelle gave her a sarcastic smile, "I know the team needs me."

Piper grumbled, "Just let your hard exterior down for a second and stop pretending to be so conceited. I know you're a softy deep down. I see how you are when you're around Lola."

Richelle smiled awkwardly. She knew it were true. She did pretend to love herself, just to put a guard up. Truthfully, she definitely did not want to leave The Next Step.