Fly With You - TNS Season 7

chapter 6

Richelle was acting... weird, I guess. She seemed flustered, which was really unlike her. And she couldn't sit still - her right hand was playing with a strand of her hair, and her left was drumming quietly on her thigh. It unnerved me a little - why was she behaving so out-of-character? What on earth did she want to talk to me about?

"So," I said slowly, still feeling on edge. "What's up? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine," she reassured me hastily. "I just wanted to ask how you were getting on."

I was taken aback, to say the least. She'd dragged me all the way to the costume cupboard to ask how my day was? "Okay, I guess," I said. 

She pulled a face, relaxing into the conversation a little. "Okay? That's it? No drama?"

"I mean, the whole Summer thing earlier was weird. I feel so bad for Jude."

There was a hint of vulnerability on her face, but it was gone in an instant. "Me too. I actually wanted to ask you about her - how's she getting on? She seems really uneasy here."

Tell me about it. "I don't know. She's getting on really well with Cleo, but there was something going on earlier, when she wasn't picking up the choreo... maybe she was distracted, I don't know?"

"Distracted?" Richelle echoed. I could practically see the cogs turning in her head, and wondered why she was snooping and what she was up to. When I only responded with a shrug, she changed track quickly. "Anyway, what about you? How are things with Dylan?"

Wait, what? "What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know," she said. "I just noticed you guys talking earlier. You seemed close."

Had we really been that obvious? Wow. And it wasn't like anything had happened between us. We'd gotten along well last night, sure, and he'd held my hand today, but that was it. I'd just considered us... good friends. Like Henry, or Jude. Or maybe Richelle? 

...Nevermind.

Anyway, why was Richelle asking me about my personal life? We weren't good friends. Not yet, certainly. And I was sure she had much better things to be doing - running for dance captain, or perfecting a new solo, or even just talking to more interesting people than me. Summer, for example. 

"I should go check on Henry," I said suddenly, standing up and moving to the door. She looked confused - and no wonder, I'd completely changed the subject, getting lost in my train of thought as per usual. "He must be worried about Summer."

"He was pretty worked up earlier." Richelle's tone was distant. 

I turned back to her, an apologetic look on my face. "How about we catch up later? I'll... meet you in The Next Steep after rehearsals."

She gave a small smile. "It's a date." 

My face flooded with colour, and I left the costume closet before either of us could say another word. I headed straight for the locker room, where I knew it would be cooler, and give me a quiet place to think. But as I walked (or rather, ran) there, I kept replaying that last sentence over again in my head. Why was I so embarrassed by that comment? It wasn't actually a date, so I had no reason to worry. Right?

*

God DAMN it, Richelle. You've really done it now, haven't you?

It had been a couple of minutes since Lena had scurried out of the costume cupboard, and I was still sat here, running my hands through my hair furiously. She'd actually made an offer to meet up with me, and I'd completely scared her away. If I could just keep my mouth shut for ONCE in my life, that would've been great. But nope, I had to call it a date. A date. For all I knew, she was probably interested in Dylan.