It won't keep us apart

Chapter 6: The letter

"Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

...

Nothing gold can stay."

~Robert Frost ("Nothing Gold Can Stay")

Richelle's POV

My eyes trail down the letter that was slipped under the front door.

Richelle,

I know things aren't exactly on good terms between us right now, but I want to change things (and maybe you do too). Even if it means that things won't be the same as it was when we were younger. Getting to you was difficult enough, so I decided to put my thoughts down onto paper. In a way it's easier to write it down because words just flow from my pen onto the page. It's not as complicated as having to say this to you.

First of all, I'm sorry for putting my relationship before dance back when we were rehearsing our duet. As much as you don't want to remember this, I just want to let you know that I've learned from my mistakes then. Not just from what Emily told me, but from what you said too. As much as it hurt, I kept it in the back of my mind.

I've also realised that so many things have changed between us. Ever since the day we met, up until now, it's been such a long journey. There's still more to come, even though it hasn't happened yet. Remember our first duet? We were so young. Look at us now. We've grown so much since then. Not only as dancers, but as people too.

I know how badly you wanted to get a place on A-Troupe when I got on the team and you didn't. They still considered me as a mere J-Trouper until I got encouragement from Ella and Eldon. I showed them what I could do, and they helped me to become a better dancer. I also wished that Miss Kate let you join A-Troupe that year so I wouldn't be the only J-Trouper who made it in. I must admit that I felt lonely at times when I was with A-Troupe. They all knew each other for much longer than I did.

I think that ever since I started in A-Troupe I haven't really considered much of my friends. One of them being you. Even though we were on different troupes, that shouldn't have kept us apart. Over the next few years from then until now, I've realised how much I missed our friendship. It was always fun hanging out with you, whether it was for a duet or watching a movie at your place. Hopefully we can have something like that one day.

If you want to talk to me, I'm here for you. Now that I've realised my mistakes and you probably have too. I think it's time we need to have a serious talk Richelle. I mean it. But I'll give you a few days to think it through alright?

-N 

After reading this, my cheeks are wet with tears. With one hand I wipe the rest of my tears away. I carefully fold the letter up and I trudge back to my room.

I tuck Noah's letter into the box, along with my bracelet.

Am I ready for this?

Noah's POV

I feel a lot better now. The weight has been lifted from my shoulders. After writing that down for Richelle, all those crazy thoughts are no longer swirling around in my mind. I might hear from her, I might not.

"Noah! Dinner's ready!"

That was my mum. Not long after I came back home, my parents came back from work. Whereas I've been working on my music, something I like to do other than dance.

I stumble out of my room and make my way down the stairs to the dining room. When I get there, everyone's already there. My two brothers, Tyson and Kingsley, and of course, my parents.

"You're such a slowcoach," Kingsley teases.

I laugh in reply and sit down in a chair. Kingsley likes to clown around with me sometimes. He's only eight years old, so I can't blame him.

"How's everything going at the studio, Noah?" my mum asks.

After chewing, I reply, "It's not the best, since Emily and Michelle aren't the studio heads anymore."

"Then this Miss Angela isn't doing her job correctly?"

I shrug. "She's meant to be a fixer for the studio, but I don't see much change except for us dancers dancing like smiling robots."

"Smiling robots?!" Tyson splutters. "Even though I'm no dancer, that doesn't sound good to me."

I nod in agreement. It's the truth, Tyson.

"We'll just wait and see what she does," my mum sighs.

Once I finish eating, I go back upstairs in a hurry. I'm going to find the bracelet that Richelle made for me. My room is a little messy, but I think I can work with it. I walk towards the shelves with the trophies I earned over the years. Amidst my trophies, I spot a streak of blue. The bracelet. I carefully push a trophy to one side and hook my finger through the bracelet.

Yep, it still has its lightning charm. Richelle made a blue string bracelet with a lightning bolt charm for me because I'm one of the few people who understand her for who she truly is. I wasn't ignorant towards her then, but in the last two years I haven't really considered her.

Surprisingly I still remember the day we exchanged bracelets. We had both planned to make a bracelet for each other, but in total secrecy up until the day we gave each other ours. It took me a while to decide what I should do for Richelle's bracelet, but I got there eventually. I recall how happy we were that very day. How proud she was of this bracelet.

Although our bracelets seem meaningless to other people, it means a lot to me. Although we no longer wear them, they still hold memories of the past we shared. Who knew that a simple string bracelet could mean so much to me?

I take the bracelet into my hands and then I place it down on my bedside table. I wearily slump down onto my bed, not caring that I hadn't changed my clothes yet or even showered yet. After all, it's been a long day, so it's time to rest.

Ping!

My phone lights up with a notification. I prop myself up with my elbows. Then I reach out for my phone. I swipe on the notification to read it. My eyebrows go up as I reread the short message over and over again. I look up from my screen and stare straight at the wall, still trying to comprehend what just happened.

This changes everything. 

A/N: Longer chapter after the end of a long week!

The beginning of this chapter was so difficult to write because I had writer's block for a few days, and then I was indecisive of what I should include in Noah's letter. After dealing with that part, everything came together and I managed to finish the rest of this chapter the next day.