*This is set in season 7*
i apologise in advance for any mistakes!
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"Okay hold it! Great well done you guys!" Nick exclaimed with Miss Angela by his side, who was helping him with A-Troupe's rehearsal for Dancemania.
The dancers gathered up in different friend groups. Amy with Henry, Piper and Finn. Lily with Kingston, who were fighting over a movie they had watched on the cinema the previous day, and lastly Ozzy, Heath and Richelle. After Jacquie and Noah left, Richelle had felt pretty lonely at the studio. But gladly she had found somewhere she actually fitted in - the Funder Bros - specially after she lost her spot as the face of the absolute dance.
Richelle had her hair half up half down, her curls resting on her shoulders as she drank her water. She watched as Kenzie walked over her and her friends, after talking to Nick.
"Heyy" she greeted happily, laying her elbow on Richelle's shoulders "what's up?"
"We were just talking about the new videogame that came out last night, it is the absolute best... well after legends of lazers of course" Ozzy answered.
"No, you were talking about it because I couldn't care less about videogames" Richelle commented.
"Richelle you're just tasteless" Ozzy complains.
"No but I have this thing we like to call common sense, which is something you don't have" she rebucks.
"Actually I agree with Richelle, Legends of Lazers is just not it" Heathcliff adds.
"Oh really, I don't remember asking you anything Heathcliff" Ozzy turns to his enemy... or may I say frienemy?
"Oh really Ozzwald because in case you didn't notice, I am right here next to you, listening to your annoying voice very unfortunately, so don't tell me not to get involved in this conversation"
"Ooh tea" Kenzie mumbles.
"Anyways guys, before you two kill yourselves, I would like to ask you if you're having any troubles with the choreo or anything like that?" Richelle asks. Ever since Summer left A-Troupe, the team has never talked about getting a new dance captain. But truth is, Richelle has been doing the dance captain's job. She always tries to help the dancers and lead A-Troupe's matters.
"No not really, I guess hard work has payed off" Heath answers.
"Okay that's good"
"Richelle!" Nick's voice is heard, but before Richelle could even answer him, Lily storms out of the room after shouting "We're over!", almost bumping on Richelle.
The blonde raises her eyebrows, but then she remembers this was already part of A-Troupe's daily routine. Kingston and Lily break up around three or more times a day, over the stupidest things. It was annoying at first, however everyone got used to it at some point.
Richelle's attention is drawn back again to Nick, who had called her a few seconds ago.
"How can I help?" She politely asks when closer to him.
"I need you to get the speaker from Studio 1, do you think you can do that?"
"Sure" She accepts, shrugging her shoulders.
"Alright, thank you!"
Richelle walks to the east side of the room, wanting to get the speaker as soon as she could.
As she walks closer to Studio 1, she hears music.
'Great, the speaker is already being used' she thought.
She pushes the door open, and sees nothing more nothing less than her least favorite person. Summer.
Richelle rolled her eyes almost immediately. She hadn't forgiven Summer for what she did. She was very rude for rubbing on Richelle's face that she was the new face of the absolute dance, spot that she missed so badly.
Summer had finished dancing, when she noticed Richelle's presence.
"A-Troupe's needing that speaker. Would you mind if I took it?" Richelle asks politely, which was killing her inside. She didn't want to be polite to Summer, she wanted to be mean. But she knew she had to make an effort.
"Sure I guess" Summer says, while still catching her breath with her hands on each side of her waist.
"Great" She fakes a smile before rolling her eyes. Her presence irritated her.
Walking back to Studio A, this time carrying the speaker, she handed it to Nick. She noticed how everyone was gone, though.
"Thank you Richelle"
"You're welcome" She smiled slightly.
"Where did everyone go, by the way?"
"Oh they're at The Next Steep."
"Oh okay"
At The Next Steep, Richelle is sat down with her teammates. Everyone chatted happily, however she didn't seem interested in any of their conversations. Considering that, she started scrolling through Instagram.
"Richelle I'm going to get an iced tea, do you want anything?" Kenzie asks.
"Sure, bring me the same as yours"
Richelle looks back down to her phone, holding the back of her neck. Suddenly, a message from a private number drops in, making her frown. Who was that? She opens the message.
'hi :)'
Richelle frowns once again, confused, yet decided to type a response.
'hi? who's this?'
She waits for a reply, but nothing. 'Weird' she thought.
"Here's your iced tea" Kenzie hands her the cold drink.
"Thank you Kenz, here's the money" Richelle hands her a few dollars, which Kenzie rejected.
"No it's okay, keep it" She tells her, sitting down.
"Okay fine, but next time I will pay your drink!"
Kenzie giggles, taking a sip of her iced tea.
Richelle hears a bip coming out of her phone, which reminds her of the person who had texted her.
'why don't you take a guess?'
'what? lmao is this you jacquie? if this is a prank then it's not funny at all"
'i see you're still at tns. no this isn't jacquie'
'then who is this may i know?'
Richelle decides to take a sip of her drink, which had remained untouched until then. Who was that person? And how did they get her number?
Millions of thoughts invaded her mind, however those were soon interrupted by her phone bipping.
'it's me. lola.'
Lola? Richelle's ex-best friend? Why was she texting her after all that time?
Richelle unexplainablely felt something weird in her tummy. But it was something she had never felt before.
Deciding to ignore whatever she was feeling, the blonde thought of a reply. Being her defensive and cold self, Richelle decided to reply in a nochalant way.
'what?'
'it's been a long time huh?'
'why are you texting me lol'
'well..'
'?'
'i sort of miss you..'
'oh. nice. anyways, i have to get going.'
'i knew this was a mistake'
A wave of guilt immediately rushed through Richelle. She knew she was acting way too cold, and the thought of hurting Lola killed her inside. But...
Did she really want to have Lola back in her life? Even after all that happened between them? She had made a mistake, and she was aware of that. Truth is, Richelle always blamed herself for their friendship being ruined. She was selfish and manipulative. But if she could have a chance of going back in time, she would do everything differently. And then maybe Lola would still be in her life.
But time travelling isn't possible. At least not yet.
The best option is to take care of the present.
'lola wait'
'yeah?'
'i'm sorry. it wasnt a mistake texting me i promise. i miss you too and i hope you're not mad at me for being rude.'
'wait really?'
'yes really. i would really love to see you again. how about we meet here tomorrow at 4 P.M at the bar under tns? are you free?'
'you mean it? yes i am free!'
'great... so see you then :)'
'i cant wait 💖'
Richelle's lips inevitably curled into a wide, genuine smile. Her old, ruined friendship was finally having a chance of being fixed, after all those years.
And for the rest of the day, Richelle's mind wouldn't leave this subject. Richelle's mind wouldn't stop questioning every single thing. How was it gonna be? How was Lola after all this time? Was there a chance of them being friends again?
As much as she hated to admit it, Lola made her very happy. She was one of the best people she had ever met in her life. Lola saw in Richelle everything no one else did, apart from Noah. But after they stopped being friends, it was like the world made no sense anymore. Until she befriended Jacquie.
But now, things have changed. Both Jacquie and Noah left the studio. And even being a part of the Funder Bros, it just wasn't up for comparison to her friendship with Lola.
At night, Richelle was in her bedroom video calling Jacquie. She was wearing her pijamas, with her hair naturally laid down.
"Noah and I got back together" Jacquie tells her with a smile.
"Really? Oh my gosh I'm so happy for you guys!"
"I am very happy as well! I really missed him a lot"
"I miss you guys so much" Richelle playfully pouts "We should totally go out some day"
"Yeah totally! I'll talk to Noah first and then I'll let you know when we're free"
"Great"
"And how's A-Troupe?"
"It's great. I am obviously still the best dancer on the team" Richelle says confidently yet jokingly.
"Yeah sure, you're only saying that because Noah and I left" Jacquie laughs.
Richelle raises her eyebrows "I'm sorry to break it up to you but I was the best dancer even with you guys on the team."
The two start laughing together. They had almost forgotten how competitive they are. Yet they wouldn't have their friendship any other way.
Richelle looks down, before speaking up "Lola texted me earlier today"
"What? But.. why? What did she say?" Jacquie questions confused.
Richelle looks up at the tablet she was holding, sighing "She missed me, I guess. And... At first I was unsure but our friendship ended because of me. It was all my fault. I was selfish and didn't care about how she felt about lying. I still can't forgive myself until this day. And besides... I miss her too. A lot. So I may or may not have asked her to meet me at The Next Steep..."
"And...are you excited?"
"Very. But also really nervous. I'm afraid of what could happen"
"Don't worry Rich, I'm sure you'll be fine. I hope you two can fix everything"
"Me too... You know, when we texted, I felt very happy. I felt something inside my tummy that I had never felt before. It was... really weird."
"I don't know, maybe you really missed her and didn't even realise it"
"Yeah maybe... Anyways, I have to go, I'm really tired. Goodnight sleep well"
"Goodnight Richie, sleep tight"
***
"If Nick thinks I have nothing else to do other than replace him when he goes to the dentist then he is very very wrong" Emily complains, walking towards Studio A alongside Richelle "B-Troupe is my responsability right now, I can't just leave them by themselves"
"Yeah I understand but can't you ask their dance captain to run the rehearsals just for today?"
"They don't have a captain yet. The problem is that I have tons of paperwork" Emily sighs "I guess I'll have to find a solution."
They get to Studio A, where the team is already warming up. Richelle walks up to her bros, fist bumping them.
"Alright guys let's get to work come on!" Emily exclaims "Nick may be very smooth with you guys but I am not, so you better work hard" Richelle has always looked up to Emily, even though she can sometimes be a bit bossy. But she was just like a big sister to her.
Richelle started zoning out, remembering that she was meeting Lola later on, which brought a smile to her face. However, she started feeling something weird on her tummy again, which made her frown in confusion.
"Let's get into positions" Emily demands.
The dancers have been working so much harder than they ever have, and it was exhausting but they knew it would be worth it in the end. The rehearsal went fine, except for some little issues with the choreo, which were easily fixed. Richelle, as though, was impeccable as always. Her mind could be thinking about her meeting with Lola, but she knew how to focus easily.
Soon, the clock hit half past 3 P.M., and that's when the rehearsal ended. The dancers immediately hit the showers, happily chatting. But before Richelle could even reach her water bottle which was on the bench, Emily called her.
"Richelle I really, really need your help"
"Um.. how can I help then?" She forces a smile. She didn't want to help, she wanted to get ready to meet Lola. As fast as she could. If there's something Richelle praises is punctually. She's never late... but this could mean her first time being late.
"I have B-Troupe's rehearsals and I also have so much paperwork to do. I'd really appreciate if you helped me lead their rehearsal while I finish my paperwork? I won't take long I promise."
"Uhh I-" She barely started, when Emily cut her off.
"Great!! They should be here in no time" Emily exclaims, running into the office. What? She couldn't run the rehearsal, she had to go get ready. Well, Emily said it wouldn't take long so hopefully she'd be fine. Wouldn't she?
Richelle sighs anxiously and hopelessly. Soon, she hears voices in the hall, meaning the B-Troupers were coming. They started warming up and chatting happily.
"Alright guys uhh Emily asked me to run the rehearsal while she finished her paperwork, but she shouldn't take long" Richelle informs.
"And where's Nick?" Summer asks. Summer didn't want Richelle to lead her team's rehearsal simply because she wasn't her favorite person in the world. And also, she found Richelle way too bossy.
"I have no idea, come on let's get started, get into your positions"
The rehearsal was going fine, however, Izzy was not focused.
"Izzy what's going on?" Richelle asks, slightly annoyed.
"Sorry I remembered I needed to feed my fish"
"What?" Richelle asks again, not understanding anything at all. How could someone lose their focus just because of their fish? Is everyone in B-Troupe like that?
"My fish. I have a fish and I forgot to feed it" She explains.
"And?"
"It made me forget the choreo"
"Then remember it and focus. Nationals isn't just some stupid competition. You need to be mature enough to know that you need to be a hundred percent focused." She demands. She wasn't used to this. She was used to mature dancers, and this was annoying her.
"Okay sorry" Izzy apologises.
"It's okay, let's do it from the top"
She took a glance at Emily's office, yet all she saw was Emily with a pile of paper next to her. She took a glance at her clock. Oh boy....
"Come on guys this needs to be perfect. Cleo point your toes, Ethan I want those jumps higher and Jude you're messing up your right and your left again, you still need to work on that"
"Richelle I think that maybe it was better if Jude rested for a bit." Summer suggests.
"I don't recall asking for your opinion Summer" Richelle says, annoyed, shutting her up.
Meanwhile, on The Next Steep, we can see Lola entering. She looked around. That place looked nothing like Neutral Grounds. Her eyes ran through the place, but there was no sign of Richelle. Despite that, she decided to sit down and wait for her. Maybe she could call her?
Lola had her hair straightened, and was wearing a cute dress. She waited for 10 minutes, yet still no sign of Richelle - therefore she called her. Weird.
With this happening, Lola started worrying and overthinking. What if Richelle regretted meeting her? What if she didn't want her to be a part of her life again? Maybe texting her was a mistake.
Lola eventually gave up on trying to call her. Lola texted Richelle by a simple impulse. She missed her badly, and she hated how things ended up. When Lola first stepped into the studio, she had no friends, and the first person who changed that was Richelle - even despite her being her antisocial self. She saw in Richelle what others couldn't see - her soft side. No one else knew it by then. And when Lola saw Richelle's duet with Noah, she couldn't be any prouder of her - she had showed her soft side to the world.
Lola felt inevitably sad though. Richelle wasn't coming. Maybe it was a mistake.
Lola checked the time. Half past 4.
Hopelessly sighing, she grabbed her stuff and stood up. Sadness had invaded her soft heart. She tried walking faster. She didn't wanna be there anymore.
However, as soon as she turns the corner, she bumps into someone.
"Shit sorry" she apologises.
"Lola?" She looked up. It was Kingston.
"Kingston! Oh my gosh hi!" She exclaims with a wide smile on her face, embracing her old friend in her arms.
"Hey I missed you so much!" He hugs her tighter "What are you doing here?" He asks pulling away.
Lola's smile faded away. He reminded her of the reason why she came back and the reason why she was leaving. She looks down at her hands, which were anxiously playing with the scrunchie she previously had on her wrist.
She looked up, trying to come up with an answer. 'I came to see Richelle but she didn't show up so I am leaving and never coming back!!' No. It embarrassed her.
"What are you doing here?" She fakes a giggle.
"Ozzy is my ride home and he's waiting for his sister to finish her B-Troupe rehearsal so..." He explains, to which she nods before looking down again.
"What's wrong?" Kingston asks, noticing both her anxiety and sadness.
Lola looked away at the stairs that lead up to TNS. "I came to see someone" She earns the courage to look into his eyes again.
"Who? Emily?"
She shakes her head "No. I.... why don't uhh we go somewhere else I don't wanna talk about it here in public"
"I mean sure. But is everything alright?" He asks worried, starting to walk towards TNS. He wanted to go to Studio 1, since it was free and more peaceful.
"I think so. I mean, I don't know."
Soon, they get to Studio 1. It was empty and silent. Perfect.
They sit down on the bench.
"Alright. Tell me. Who did you come meet?"
"Richelle" She nervously answers.
"Richelle? You guys speak to each other again?"
"No. I mean we could've if she showed up."
"Oh so that's why you're sad. I get it... Our best friends mean the world to us no matter what. We could be miles apart, we could be mad at each other, we could stop speaking at all but - they will always have a special place in our hearts"
"Best friend." she repeats.
"Yeah, best friend" he confirms.
"Kingston... Is it normal to... you know, find your best friend like... really beautiful?" She asks, looking at him in the eyes.
"What? I mean yeah I think so. I mean it depends. But why? Do you find Richelle beautiful?"
She nods.
"Understandable, she is very beautiful. Why does that bother you?"
"Kingston..." she sighs. He wasn't understanding. Not at all. "Everytime I looked into her eyes, it was like I got lost on them. At the time I didn't really understand why. And I ignored it. But now, when I see her in interviews or in pictures, it is different. The way her hair falls down her shoulders. The way her eyes shine when she flashes a smile. The way I just want to see her happy. That is not how a best friend is supposed to be seen."
Kingston doesn't know what to say. He knows that feeling. He has felt that when he had crushes. But... wait... Lola has a crush on Richelle?
"Lola... have you ever liked a girl before?" He asks.
"No. And that is why this is so scary. I don't know what this is that I am feeling. But... part of me does."
"You...?" Kingston hints, not feeling comfortable with actually asking it, as it was a sensitive subject for his friend.
But she nods. She simply nods. "I do"
She does. She does like her best friend.
In Studio A, Emily has finally finished her paperwork.
"Emily can I go now please?" She begs. She knew Lola wouldn't be there waiting for her anymore. But part of her wanted to go
after her.
"Yes, I am sorry for this but you can go now" As soon as Richelle hears it, she runs to her cubbies, slightly hearing Emily talk to the dancers "Alright B-Troupe let's talk a bit now before we keep on with the rehearsal..."
Richelle starts running to the changing room, hitting the showers as fast as she could. She changed into her casual clothes, as fast as she could as well.
She ran to The Next Steep. But her heart broke as she didn't see the person she missed so dearly.
She understood Lola. If it was her she probably would've left by now too. And it was all her fault. She should've spoken up to Emily. If she had done that then maybe Lola would've stayed.
Ozzy, who was on The Next Steep, texted Izzy to know how much more time her rehearsal would take. Izzy responded that it wouldn't take long as Richelle ran most of it already.
Ozzy was annoyed at Kingston since he didn't know where he was. He always disappears mysteriously. "So irritating" he thought. Considering that, he decided to call him.
Kingston, who was still talking to Lola, picked up his friend's call almost immediately.
"Hey bro what's up" he spoke into the phone.
"Don't bro me where are you? Izzy is almost done and may god know where you are"
"Chill out Oz, I am in Studio 1. And how is Izzy almost done, B-Troupe's rehearsal is only finished by 5 P.M.."
"I don't know, I think it's because Richelle ran most of it. Anyways, I am at The Next Stee-" Kingston cuts him off.
"Richelle is here??" He asks hopeful.
"Yeah why?"
"Where is she?"
"I don't know man, she is probably leaving by now"
"Ozzy please I need you to do me a huge favour. Find Richelle and tell her come to Studio 1. Please it is very important" He begs.
"Okay I think I can do that. Anyways, don't be late"
"Alright thank you Oz"
He hangs up, excitedly turning his body to Lola.
"Richelle is coming"
"What?"
"I think I know why she didn't show up. Emily commented she had lots of paperwork, and now Ozzy told me Richelle was the one who ran B-Troupe's rehearsal. So maybe Emily asked her to stay and help her!"
"So she didn't want to avoid me?"
"No. This was all a misunderstanding. But don't worry I just told Ozzy to bring her here"
A wave of happiness rushed through Lola's body. Maybe it wasn't a mistake after all.
At the building's entry, we can see Ozzy running frenetically towards Richelle.
"Richelle!! Richelle... Kingston... just... told me to... tell you to... go to Studio 1..." he mumbled out between breaths. Running around the whole building was very exhausting indeed.
"What why?" She asked confused. She just wanted to go home and cry herself to sleep. And then maybe she'd give Lola an explanation.
"I have no idea, just go" Richelle started walking fastly towards Studio 1. What did Kingston want from her? "And fast because my mum is already coming to pick us up!!!" He yelled when she was already far.
Confused, Richelle ran to Studio 1. She was really curious to know what was going on. As she got closer, she heard voices. It couldn't be.
There, as she turned around the corner, she saw the person that she had wanted to see the most for the whole day, with her back facing her.
Richelle dropped her bag. She wasn't believing it.
"Lola?" She asked softly.
She turned around. Her heart immediately skipped a beat. There she was, looking perfect as always. How couldn't she not have a crush on such a beautiful human being? She was different. She looked more mature.
"Richelle" Lola mumbled out.
Soon, both of them ran into each other's arms.
"I missed you so much" Richelle whispered. Kingston had already left the room, attempting to give them privacy.
"I missed you more"
They pull away. Richelle stared at Lola. She looked so beautiful, that dress really fit her well.
"It was here where we started being friends, remember?" Lola questions.
"How could I ever forget..." Richelle smiles, looking into her eyes. "I am so sorry. It was all my fault. I was the reason why our friendship ended. I was so selfish with you Lola. I hope you can forgive me" Richelle begged. She wanted to fix everything so badly.
Lola took a step closer, which made Richelle feel butterflies in her tummy once again. Her heart started beating very fast.
Lola held Richelle's soft cheek, and caressed it, making her smile genuinely. She looked into Lola's lips as their noses touched.
As soon, as their lips finally touched, it was like everything had fallen back into its place. Their kiss was so sweet and tender, that both of them wished that moment would never come to an ending.
A few seconds after, they pulled away, smiling at each other.
It definitely wasn't a mistake.
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4287 words (ya i think ive broken my fingers)
(a/n: dedicated to gianna 💖 lmao sorry its so bad but i had really missed writing 🥰)
stay safe :)