HEARTBURST,, The Next Step

[2.8] what'll i do?

[2X08]

{Auditions for the small group dance are held amid betrayals and misunderstandings all while Maxie finds comfort in an unlikely friend.}

❝Kisses don't just 'happen' especially when they're not with your girlfriend!❞

"I'm being serious!" Maxie exclaimed frustratedly, however, it was evidently clear she was trying her hardest to hold in her giggles as the boy in front of her doubled over in laughter.

"Are you sure?" he asked through breaths, finding it hard to take anything she had just said seriously.

At that moment, Maxie tried her hardest to get her friend to believe her, "Honestly! Honestly, my leg bent a funny way and they just made me sit and watch."

"They made you sit and watch as they played dodgeball..." he began, before bursting into laughter once more, unable to finish the sentence.

"And the ball bounced off my head!" she concluded, finally breaking into her own fit of giggles at how sad the story would sound to anyone nearby.

Maxie and Max were stood with each other at Max's front door whilst their mothers discussed this and that between each other, so they decided to make the best of it and get to know each other better: even if that did include sharing embarrassing school stories from when Maxie was back in England.

"I'm stood outside Max's house because his mum called mine over for some reason or the other and, I don't know, we're just chatting and that, 'cause we don't have a lot of time to do that nowadays seen as I'm busy rehearsing for Nationals," Maxie explained.

Max continued as he faced the camera, "Yeah, uh, not a lot of people know that we're friends, purely because we're on rival teams, but I think it's kind of cool."

"Maxie!" her mother called, making her way towards the front door with Max's mother in tow, "Have you seen this, love?"

When the woman didn't give any indication as to what she was talking about, both teens merely stood there, confused and concerned.

Max's mother quickly noticed why it was so silent and sighed, grabbing the flyer out of Rose's hands and passing it towards her son and his friend, "Here, it's being held next weekend."

Both Max and Maxie scanned over the flyer in record time and almost immediately shared a look between each other before shaking their heads at both their mothers. The flyer, a navy-blue sheet of paper covered in silver lettering, advertised a small duet competition being held at their local town hall: something their mothers believed they could easily do together with no consequences.

"Aw, why not?" Maxie's mother whined disappointedly.

Max's mum held the same expression as she added, "Yeah, it would be a nice way to sort of join the teams together."

The last comment made both Max and Maxie scoff.

"Mum, no," Maxie began, going on to explain why they couldn't, "I mean, first of all, we dance at rival teams. How do you think that would look to our studio heads if they caught us dancing together? And also, I'm busy rehearsing with A-Troupe for Nationals; I can't be learning a whole new duet on top of that."

"Yeah, so am I- I mean, I'm busy, too, with school stuff," Max cut himself off, turning a blind eye to the look Maxie had just given him due to how quickly he had joined in the conversation at the mention of Nationals.