Empire - The Next Step

and back downhill again

When Harper saw Michelle alone in studio A, she instantly knew that something had happened. Her older sister was never particularly good at keeping Harper in the loop regarding their parents, so when things went wrong Michelle often kept it to herself or confided in the other A Troupers so she wouldn't worry her sister. Despite her best efforts to hide it, Harper could instantly see through Michelle so she went to console her.

"Michelle what happened?" She asked nervously as she sat on the floor in front of her sister. Her big brown eyes didn't look the same, they didn't sparkle with joy and excitement like they used to. They were full of darkness and despair. Michelle sniffed and wiped her eyes that had become puffy and red from all her tears.

"Mom wants us to move back to Madison with her, which would mean that I won't be able to go to internationals with the team and we would both have to leave the studio and all our friends." Harper couldn't say she was entirely surprised, but it was devastating to hear out loud. The idea of leaving the studio was heartbreaking and Harper couldn't imagine not seeing Noah and Richelle every day. "And to make things even worse, Kate's making me decide by tomorrow. This is just so unfair, it's like they're making me choose between my passion and my family."

"I know Michelle, but I'm here for you no matter-" Harper began to console her sister but was instantly cut off.

"No you don't know Harper." Michelle snapped. Clearly the frustration of everything was getting to her, but she never took out her anger on Harper. The two sisters rarely fought so it was uncommon for them to be at odds, especially during the times when they really needed to stick together. "You're not the one making this decision, it's me. It's all on me."

"I understand that but you know this has been just as hard for me as it has for you." The younger blonde argued her sister who looked like a pot that was about to boil over at any point. Michelle was so overwhelmed with the stress of this huge decision that she had ended up putting their relationship in jeopardy because of it, but neither one of them could think straight. The words just kept flowing out.

"No you have no idea how hard it's been for me. If we leave, all you have to do is say goodbye to your friends, I would have to say goodbye to my dream. Dancing at internationals with the team is all I've ever wanted but you could never understand, you weren't even good enough to audition." Before she could help herself, the words had slipped out and Harper's face morphed into a look of the deepest sorrow. Michelle instantly regretted what she said once she saw the heartbroken look on her younger sister's soft features, but it was too late to apologise. Harper had already stormed off with tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.

As Harper ran towards the music room, which thankfully was empty, she felt the pain inside her intensify by the second. People shot concerned glances her way but decided that she probably wanted to be alone by the look on her face. There was nothing that Harper could do to make her feelings go away, but she knew that dancing would ease the pain. As she turned on the music to 'Empire' she felt it take her and flowed through the movement without really thinking about it, unintentionally creating a breathtaking solo through her heartache.

As she danced her heart out, she didn't notice that Noah had entered and was watching her as though he had been hypnotised. He couldn't take his eyes off her, paying attention to each detail. Despite its beauty, Noah could tell that it was far from a happy dance just from the pure emotion seeping out of the girl as she danced. She felt more vulnerable than she ever had before. Michelle was like her safety net at the next step so when things became too much to handle, she always had someone to turn to. After what had just happened, Harper doubted whether that would be the same again.

As she pulled herself to sit upright on the floor as the music faded out, she realised that Noah had been watching the whole time and urgently tried to dry her tears. It was far too late for that. The boy sat down beside his best friend and for a moment they sat in silence until Noah decided to speak.

"That was amazing." He complimented, but he got the feeling that Harper wasn't looking for someone to praise her, she was looking for a friend. "What happened?"

"Michelle and I got into a fight, but I don't really wanna talk about it." She said with a sigh as she tucked away the numerous strands of golden hair that had come loose from her ponytail. Noah understood that it was difficult to discuss things like this, especially for Harper when it came to her family, but he also knew that it wasn't healthy for her to keep it all bottled up inside.

"Well that's too bad, I was in a really talkative mood. I guess we'll just have to talk about my cat instead. Did I tell you his name is-"

"Montevideo, capital of Uruguay. You've told me at least seventeen times Noah." Harper responded with a hint of amusement laced through her tone. At least Noah was doing a decent job at cheering her up.

"Well unless you want to hear me go on and on and on and-"

"Okay fine! We can talk about it." The blonde responded exasperatedly as she let out a sigh of annoyance at Noah's persistence. Despite the harsh demeanour she was putting on, Noah could tell that Harper was thankful for his consolation deep down. "I'm just disappointed in Michelle. The two of us are supposed to stick together but I think the frustration and pressure of our parent's divorce is really getting to her and I don't know what I can do to help without her snapping at me again." The girl deliberately left out the parts about them potentially leaving Toronto and Michelle saying that she wasn't a strong dancer because Noah probably already had enough on his mind. he didn't need even more things to worry about.

"Maybe you should just let Michelle cool off for a few days, and then when the time feels right, you can talk to her and tell her that you need to stick together." Noah suggested and Harper couldn't help but agree with him. Giving Michelle some time to figure things out on her own would most likely be the best thing for both of them.

"Thanks Noah." She said in a still sad, but slightly brighter tone than before as she wiped her eyes to clear any remaining traces of tears from her face. Noah pushed himself off the ground and offered both his hands to help his best friend up. She stood them with a weak smile and Noah pulled her into a tight embrace.

"What are friends for." He mumbled into her shoulder as she held on tightly to him, almost like if she let go she would lose him forever. As the word 'friends' came from Noah's mouth, a strange feeling surged through Harper's body. It felt odd to hear him say that, despite the fact that he said it almost everyday, almost like it wounded her. She couldn't quite comprehend why things had suddenly changed, and she most certainly didn't like this new feeling.