flying • james and riley

| chapter four |

dance first, think later.
it's the natural order

"YOU WANTED TO TALK TO ME?" The voice of Raelynn Mendes filled the office of Kate, the owner of the Next Step — the best dance studio in the world. Kate looked up from her laptop and grinned, clasping her hands together.

"Yes, I did." Kate stood from her chair, walking towards the brunette who smiled warmly at her. Raelynn wasn't intimidated in the slightest by Kate; she wasn't someone strict — at least, not to the brunette.

"What's up?" Raelynn asked as she leant against the frame of the door, her arms crossed over her chest. Kate noticed how she was very laid back, and she knew that her decision was the right one.

"I first wanted to congratulate you on getting onto the team," Kate said with a kind smile on her lips. Her eyes held a sense of honesty, looking at the brunette with a motherly look, one she wasn't very familiar with. "You were amazing."

"Thank you," Raelynn smiled broadly, proud of her dancing skills. She knew that she was unique, and she also knew she was the best on the whole team. Nobody could compare to her.

"To the point where I want you to be the dance captain of A troupe."

There was a delicious moment where Raelynn's face washed blank with confusion like her brain cogs couldn't turn fast enough to take in the information from her wide eyes. Every muscle of her body just froze until a grin crept onto her face, stretching from one side to the other, showing every single pearly tooth that was aligned perfectly in her mouth.

"Yes! Of course!" Kate chuckled at the brunette's reaction. She may look cold and cunning on the outside, but inside she was genuine and warm. That's why her dance was terrific. Because she could pour her emotions into it, no matter what the dance was about.

"But, of course, it means that you can't participate in the small groups as you'll need to help choreograph them instead," Kate explained. "Since we don't have a choreographer," she grumbled, thinking about her sister, Phoebe, that left her alone to take care of the studio so she could dance with the dolphins or whatever it was.

"No worries."

Raelynn's whole body was lit with happiness.

She got to be dance captain of the best studio in the world. That just proved she was excellent, better than most. The brunette may seem cocky and arrogant, but it was the truth. Why should she lie to herself and say that she's okay? She's the best. Nothing could change that as long as she had a passion for dance.

"You also have to help the studio head with decisions and any other things. Since you're the captain and you'll know your dancers, your decision will have more influence than the studio head." Kate felt her lips spread into a smile. "Good luck," she said while looking at the brunette warmly. "You've got a lot of things to handle."

"Thank you!" Raelynn said as she rushed out of Kate's office, her mind busy with thoughts while her legs moved aimlessly. She was buzzing with excitement, her heart beating faster as adrenaline ran through her.

Since she was busy in her mind, Raelynn wasn't looking where she was going and crashed into somebody. Shutting her eyes on extinct, Raelynn waited to feel the feeling of the cold ground, but instead, she felt a pair of muscular arms wrap around her, holding her up.

Opening her eyes, Raelynn caught sight of Riley's boyfriend, James — the guy she saw at the open house. Her eyes widened in surprise, finding her heartbeat slowly begin to increase, a blush creeping to her cheeks.

James couldn't help but stare into her eyes. They were dark, not soulless nor lifeless. There were like a beauty in the night, and when they reflected the light, they made tiny stars. Raelynn always thanked the universe for having her coloured eyes; she thought God knew that she would have so many colours inside, that her soul would show best through black. Raelynn was like a rainbow and the stars. Everyone could see.

"Hi," Raelynn breathed as she continued to stay in his arms, the two frozen in place before the sound of someone clearing their throat snapped them out of their trance.

"H-hey, Riley," James said as he stood up straight while Raelynn fixed her attire. She turned towards the ombré-haired female with a kind smile as she recalled what her previous thoughts were.

"Riley! I was just looking for you!" Raelynn exclaimed, brushing the previous moment out of her mind for the moment. "I wanted to tell you that Miss Kate made me dance captain."

Riley and James looked at the newbie in shock. Kate had never given the role of dance captain to someone who wasn't apart of the Next Step for more than a year but then again, she gave the role of dance captain to Michelle before.

"That's incredible, Raelynn," Riley said as James wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his embrace. The brunette smiled warmly at them before excusing herself to find Alfie, eager to tell him the excellent news.

"So, what was that about?" Riley questioned James, who smiled nervously.

"She bumped into me, and I instinctively caught her before she fell to the ground," James replied honestly, shrugging his shoulders as it felt normal to him, but he knew that it wouldn't have appealed greatly to his girlfriend who witnessed the whole thing. After the whole Beth thing, James didn't want to get in a fight with the love of his life.

"Mhmm." Riley nodded her head, a teasing smile tugged on her lips. "Anyway, I'll see you later?" When James nodded, the two shared a kiss before Riley continued her way to Studio A, where Kate wanted to see her. What she didn't know, though, was that her life was going to change after their conversation.