The Next Step- Nochelle and Jiley One Shots

The Next Step Season 8 Episode 8

Richelle's Perspective:

"Oh, hey, Noah." I say. I didn't expect him to be here so early, I'm usually the early one. Like I do every morning, I drop off my navy-blue purse on the chair near the desk and go and sit across from him in my chair.

"Hey, Riche."

"So, why are you here so early?"

"I actually wanted to have time to give you something." he says, a smirk growing on his face. I'm a little puzzled. Why would he have gotten me something? I didn't think we were in the stage of our relationship to give gifts yet...

"What is it?" I ask.

"Ummm... well, this." he answers, and pulls something out from the inside of his jacket. I instantly recognize it, how could I not? The little green book was the most important thing to me for so long. I had had it, then lost it, then got it, then lost it again, to the person who apparently had it still. Until now.

"The Dance Captain Diary!" I exclaim, rushing out of my chair to grab it. Once I have it in my hands, I hold it close to my chest.

This book had all of the wisdom from all of the Dance Captains of The Next Step written into it, including mine. I used to keep it with me all the time, I studied it vigorously. I knew it inside out. It was the tiniest bit of hope for me when I had it in B Troupe, I had a hard year that year. This book was my rock, I felt like the people who had written in it were my only friends.

And when I had it back, when I was the Dance Captain of TNS East, it was the happiest day of my life. Until it was taken away from me then too, from Noah. I remember hating him so much that day. Dance Captain was all that I had been working for, since I was 7 and joined the studio, and in a matter of seconds, it was gone.

Now he's given it back to me. I choke back a few happy tears and run at Noah, throwing my arms around his neck—with the Diary still in one of them. "Thank you so much." I whisper against his chest.

"You're welcome, Riche. I know that the day you gave it back to me was a terrible day for you. I could see the pain in your eyes when you gave it away. I've always regretted taking Dance Captain away from you—"

"Noah, stop," I say, looking up at him and cutting him off. "You were a great Dance Captain. I don't regret that day. You deserved it."

"You didn't let me finish, Riche. Do you know why I gave it to you?"

I think for a moment but don't come up with an answer. "No."

"I gave it to you for 3 reasons. Firstly, because it meant to you and regretted taking it from you. Secondly, because I wrote my section and I want you to read it. By the way, I read yours, Riche. It was so heartfelt and it really felt like you poured yourself into those pages. I couldn't really relate to your message, but I remember being so sorry about how you felt..."

He stops when he sees the look in my eyes. A rogue tear finally escapes down my face as the memories flood back. I remember exactly what I wrote. My advice was that, even if the whole team is against you, even if no one thinks you should be Dance Captain, even if you feel so alone that you can't even deal with it, that you were chosen to be Dance Captain for a reason. Not to let the negatives from your peers influence how well you do your job.

"It's okay, Noah. You didn't know. Nobody did."

"It just made me regret taking it from you even more. I'm really sorry for that. Just so you know, I voted for you. I believed in you. I still do."

He has no idea how much this means to me. I never had any idea who voted for me. I just always assumed it was Lola, myself, and maybe Ozzy. But someone else did vote for me. Someone else did believe in me. And it was Noah, the whole time.