𝖑𝖎𝖋𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖊 [nochelle & richola]

one.

i sit in shakes and ladders and check the time on my phone, 12:51. noah agreed to meet me here 6 minutes ago. he knows how much i hate when people are late.

then suddenly he comes bounding in, "i'm sorry i'm late richelle!"

i roll my eyes. "sorry isn't good enough noah." i thought he'd be here early, we've barely seen each other since regionals two weeks ago.

"i know. i just want you to know that i am sorry, i was talking with jacquie."

jacquie?! he was late to see me because of jacquie?! "i thought she broke up with you," i say grumpily.

"i was on my way here and i passed through studio 1 and she stopped me. i promise i told her i had to see you, but she didn't listen," noah says. he's obviously making excuses.

"sure," i sigh.

"what did you want to talk about anyway?" noah asks.

"i wanted to tell you how much i'm gonna miss dancing with you and being with you all the time, but obviously all you care about is jacquie and she's not even your girlfriend anymore!"

"richelle, listen to me, i came to see you. i promise."

"why is jacquie even here? she obviously knew you were coming else she wouldn't be here."

"uhh," noah starts, "i'm pretty sure she was practicing for a-troupe auditions. they are in two days."

"that lying bitch! she's auditioning?" i exclaim. she'd told me she wasn't auditioning because she wanted to audition for the same studio as davis, to save their mom driving extra all over the place.

"yes, she's auditioning..." noah says hesitantly, "is there a problem with that?"

"i mean no, she's a good dancer and an asset to the team, but she told me she was auditioning for encore to be with davis," i explain, lowering my voice after my outburst.

"oh," noah says, almost comically. an awkward silence fills the air between us for a few seconds before he speaks up again. "richelle, please don't take this the wrong way, but you seem awfully jealous of her lately. i don't understand why. you're a better dancer than her, and you're just as pretty as her."

"i'm not jealous of her," i say, folding my arms and rolling my eyes.

"yes you are."

"fine," i admit, "i'm jealous of her because... i like you noah. like, a lot."

he's expressionless. i immediately regret telling him i like him.

"wait, hold up, you like me."

"yes that's what i just said." i roll my eyes again. "were you listening?"

"are you sure you like me?" noah questions.

"yes!" i swallow, "noah i'm sorry, please don't let it ruin our friendship."

"richelle, listen, nothing could ever come between our friendship, but the truth is, i like you too."

"so why did you act so surprised?" i inquire.

"well... i sort of thought you were gay."

i almost burst out laughing. "you thought i was gay? i dated elliot!"

"i thought that was a cover up! how could you actually like him?"

"well, i promise you noah, i am not gay."

"but you liked lola. and skylar. and abi." noah protests.

"i did not!" i exclaim.

"you and lola were practically married! and you and skylar definitely had something going on."

"you're delusional, noah," i giggle.

"and with abi, you were so jealous that i liked her, you always tried to come between us! the logical thing to think is that you liked her!"

i shake my head and face palm. "noah, you're not very bright, are you?"

"i got a B in chemistry," he announced.

"wow, well done, 10 points to gryffindor," i say sarcastically.

"i'm a hufflepuff."

i sigh. of course he's a hufflepuff. "noah, i liked you, not abi."

"ohhhh. that makes sense."

i bite my lip, "so you actually like me? you're over jacquie?"

noah nods, "and you actually like me?"

i nod as well. "god this is so cliché, best friends longer than they can remember, then just happen to like each other."

noah smiles, "i thought you loved clichés."

"i do."