The Next Step Oneshots

Annihilated

"Okay, guys." There's something about Richelle. When she talks, people listen. The team quickly gather round.
"Yeah?" Kenzie asks, curious to what she has to say. She likes to be in the know.
"I have some news. I want this to be totally drama free so I'm telling you all now. No one is allowed to judge."
"We won't." Piper gives an encouraging but concerned smile.
"I'm dating Heath!" She takes his hand and he grins at her. There's a moment of silence as this sinks in.
"Congratulations!" Amy replies. She gives Richelle a small hug, and to everyone's surprise, she hugs back. The team all begin react in the same manner, with various "congrats" and "I'm happy for you"s.
"I'm glad you're happy." He says, following suit, but he doesn't take his eyes off the ground.
"Thanks, Oz." She tries to make eye contact but he doesn't let her.
"I just need to-" He doesn't finish his sentence. Instead, still looking at the floor, he starts to walk out of the Studio. As soon as he's out of sight, his walk turns into a run. He just needs to be anywhere but here.
"Are you serious?" Kingston directs at Heath. Lily tries to shush him but she shakes his head. "Are you?"
"Yes. I'm serious. I liked her, so I asked her out."
"Richelle?" Kingston turns to her. She doesn't respond. The glow that previously surrounded her has gone.

☆

Richelle stands, radio silent, as Kingston looks at her accusingly. In that moment, Piper realises that Ozzy is alone. And heartbroken. She delicately removes Finn's hand from her shoulder and he looks at her, questioning. She holds up one finger and slips out of the Studio.

She heads in the direction of the locker room. She sees him immediately. He's curled up in a corner, tears sliding down his cheeks and head pressed up against the wall. She stays quiet and seats herself down next to him. She offers him her shoulder. He rests his head on it obediently. She knows this pain. When the person you love is with your best friend. Or, in his case, and rival?  It feels like your heart is collapsing. It hurts.
"You're not alone." She says, because that is what she needed to hear.

☆

Richelle was so caught up in being asked out for the first time in a year and the excitement of first attraction that she didn't stop to think about him. Not one part of her thought 'They're good friends, this could be messy.' And for that, she feels guilty. She would never intend to hurt Ozzy. They'd become close friends recently and he was there for her when she really had no one. She'd always sort of pushed aside that he really liked her and that she might be playing with his feelings because she genuinely valued his friendship.

And now she'd completely annihilated anything they had.

"I'm sorry." She says to Kingston, because there's nothing else she can say.
"It's not me who you should be apologising to."

☆

Finn checks his phone subtly. Piper had been gone for quite a long time. Knowing her, she went to console Ozzy. She's good like that. He follows in the direction that she left to see if everything's okay.

☆

Amy notices Finn head out and does a quick room scan. Piper's not here. She can't help but be interested. She's one step behind him.

☆

"I don't like how this feels." He whispers.
"It's not a good feeling." She affirms.

☆

Finn is outside the locker room and he's about to walk in when he hears her comforting Ozzy. He doesn't want to intrude on that. He hears footsteps, and he's a little confused to see Amy.

☆

Busted.

☆

"What are you doing?" He questions, only audible to her.
"What are you doing?"
"I asked first."
"Following you!"
"That's not at all creepy." She blushes.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to know what you were doing."
"Checking on Pipes. Listen."

☆

"I just, I really love her."
"I know."
"But she seems happy with him, you know. And him and I have been getting on recently."
"Mm."
"So, I'm just going to have to let them be. And it honestly…"
"Feels like you're dying." She sounds dramatic, she knows, but it's not really an exaggeration.
"Yeah. But then you feel guilty because you don't want to mess them up."
"So you decide to try and avoid your feelings. I promise you, it doesn't work. Because the pain returns." Her stomach twists at the memory.
"What I just take a few days off rehearsal?" He suggests.
"Avoiding it just makes it hurt more. Trust me, I was committed to it. I'd decided. I was never going to tell anyone, even if my feelings didn't go away. Finn and Amy would fall in love, and I'd watch. They'd get married and I'd be the maid of honour at their wedding. Their children would call me Aunt Pipes and even if I was alone and sad it was okay, because they'd be happy. And I would be in their life. And I would wear his hoodie and hear his stupid, stupid jokes. And then maybe," She's holding back tears.
"Hey, Piper." He puts an arm around her. She tries to shake it off. She's supposed to be making him feel better.
"Maybe, he'd be dying. And I'd wish it was me because it would hurt everyone less if I died. And on his deathbed, he'd laugh and ask if I had any secrets I needed to tell him. And I'd tell him that I was in love with him. And that I had been in love with him since that ridiculous bicycle. And then, he'd die and it would be the worst day of my whole life. But at least they were happy together."
"That sounds terrible."
"That's avoiding your feelings." She smiles sadly, "Ozzy, you need to tell them both how much this is affecting you. You need to get a sense of their reactions. Even if she still wants to be with him, once you honestly know, you can start to move on. Healthily."
He knows she's right.
"Thank you."
"I'm sorry that you're in this situation."
"I'm sorry that you were."
"Do not apologise to me. I'm somehow lucky enough that I have my boyfriend who is kind and who I'm in love with and also have my best friend, who is the most generous, forgiving person in the world."

☆

Amy feels like she's been shot in the stomach when Piper tells Ozzy how she felt, and from the look on his face, Finn feels worse.

Ozzy emerges from the locker room and raises his eyebrows as he sees them both.
"You're both lucky too." They nod. He walks back in the direction of the Studio.

☆

Piper collects herself and heads out of the locker room. Her jaw drops as she sees that they're both standing there. She hopes desperately that they didn't hear her.
"Hey, guys." She says, her attempt to sound casual plummeting.
"I didn't know you felt that bad." Amy says finally. Piper's heart falls.
"It's…you…everything right now is…" She looks at them and lets herself smile. Widely. Because nothing that she said is actually happening. "It's wonderful. Everything is resolved and I'm happy and you're happy, I think, so, we don't need to think about what could have been."
Amy matches Piper's smile. As usual, she was totally right. It was wonderful. She looks to Finn. He still looks sort of sad.
"I need you to promise me," He says to Piper, taking her hands in his, "You don't avoid your feelings anymore. Okay. Because I don't want you to ever feel like that again. Okay, Pipes?"
"Okay." She says. "I promise." She looks at him honestly. The colour seeps into his face again.
"Me too." Amy adds, "You don't have to keep things from me either." Piper just smiles in reply.
"Also," She says, turning to Finn, "Friends?"
"Friends." He says.

All three of them give massive sighs of relief. And then laugh. The laughter feels good, healing.

Did I put a ridiculous amount of time and effort into this mediocre oneshot? Of course I did.

Also, WE HIT 5K! 5000 READS! A BIG THANKS TO EVERY READER, COMMEMTOR AND VOTER. YOU ALL ARE SO SWEET AND I APPRECIATE YOU SO MUCH. HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK. :))

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