Living the Dream

Three - James

The second round of auditions was duets and we spent just over an hour watching each one.

I technically wasn't supposed to be here but Riley hadn't kicked me out yet, so I was lingering around so that at the end of all of this I could ask her the question I'd been meaning to ask when I first came across one of the flyers to her studio.

Piper and Jake were the last duet. They were the last ones to perform. It was strange how neither she or I had approached one another yet. I guess she had a right to ignore me since I hadn't been the best older brother to her and Alyssa lately but now I was home, my aim was to bridge that gap and fix everything.

She seemed rather nervous. I could see it in her eyes and based on the way she was fidgeting with her hands.

Riley used to do that all the time to the point where she wore rings on almost all of her fingers to give her something else to fiddle with, but all Piper needed was a bit of encouragement to calm herself down.

I offer her a smile and her dance partner, Jake, places a hand on her shoulder for reassurance. I knew nothing about him other than the fact he was a hip-hop dancer who did a bit of acro and tumbling.

He was good. Anyone would be able to tell that just from his thirty second freestyle solo.

"I don't like this guy," Nate mutters beneath his breath, loud enough for only Riley and I to hear him. "He's solely hip-hop."

Ri and I exchange a look before rolling our eyes as she faces the front. "Whenever you're ready," she tells the two of them with a smile as we sat at the table in the studio.

Ri was sat in the middle and Nate and I were on either side of her as she scribbled down Piper and Jake's names on the piece of paper which rested on the clipboard.

Pipes breathes in, closing her eyes, but when the music starts, all of those nerves instantly leave her body and I can't help but smile as I watch her confidence build up again.

I smirk, leaning back in my seat as I stretched my legs out in front of me and rest my feet on the table, crossing one over the other. Riley glares at me harshly but I couldn't have cared less. "What was that about him being solely hip-hop?" I respond to Nate.

He rolls his eyes at me as Riley looks at my sister and Jake and offers them both a smile. She had a strict no-clapping policy for now so the room remained silent but based on the looks on everyone's faces, they could tell it was one hell of a good duet for two people who had only just met today.

"Thank you, you two," Ri says to them. "Those duets were amazing, the talent is unreal. I want you all to go and get some rest and then tomorrow I'll let you know how it turns out. There will be no cuts, remember. You'll all be put into a troupe, it's up to you to decide whether you want to stay or not, okay?"

They each nod their heads and then she smiles a little more at all of them. "Don't look so scared and worried. You all did well, don't even worry about it," she says with a wink before standing up and grabbing her clipboard at the same time as I do.

"Stealing my phrase now, hm?" I whisper into her ear as I place my hand on her back.

She smirks but doesn't say anything, just continues to make her way towards her pink and white themed office. Nate follows after her like a little duckling.

I would have followed after her if it wasn't for Nate. I needed to ask Riley the question when she was on her own. Something about the blond guy didn't sit right with me and I didn't need him influencing her answer.