Empire - The Next Step

seperated by the battle

The day had arrived that TNS east would battle TNS west. It was decided very last minute that the dances would be cut down to five people because Noah had left, and Harper was one of those five. She could not have been more nervous, but she had a feeling the might win because the had Elliot on their team and as much as she hated the idea of stopping them from going to regionals, but she also wanted to go.

"Alright dancers, we'll have TNS west up first." Miss Kate announced as herself, James and Riley entered the studio. The dancers from the other studio walked out into the middle of the floor and their music began to play.

Harper couldn't help but watch Noah. Everyone else was amazing but he was just such a flawless dancer it was hard not to watch him. TNS west were a lot stronger than she had imagined and their hip hop was next level, but she really hoped they would beat them. When they finished, a large round of applause was given as they were really amazing and would be difficult to beat.

She gave Noah a quick smile to say well done as the TNS east dancers got in their place; it was herself, Richelle, Jacquie, Lola and their newest member Elliot. As they moved through the dance it felt amazing and Harper thought she was doing a pretty great job. Partnering with Elliot was great because he was such an amazing dancer. They also received a wild round of applause when they finished and Kate looked very impressed with both teams.

"Amazing job guys! We will go and deliberate in my office and get back to you in a couple minutes to tell you which team will be going to regionals." Kate announced with a wide smile as herself, Riley and James went off to the office to talk about who would be better for regionals.

"Guys that was amazing, I'm so proud to have each and everyone of you on my team." Said Emily as she hugged each of the performers, even Elliot who, as Michelle had told Harper, didn't like hugs.

"Good job Richelle! You were amazing, although I never doubted you would be." Harper told her best friend as the two embraced. Richelle sent her a smile and returned the compliment before both of them turned to face Elliot who had approached the pair.

"Great job out there, you guys are two of the strongest on the team." Elliot told them with his confident smile as he glanced over to someone behind them.

"Thanks Elliot, but you were really amazing out there. I can't believe how quickly you mastered that choreo." Richelle complimented the boy and Harper could have sworn she saw something different in her. She brushed it off as the two of them hugged and then Elliot moved to hug her. Michelle had told her what a horrible person he was, but this didn't seem too horrible and dancing with him felt amazing.

As Kate walked out from the office, both teams visibly tensed up, especially Harper. If the other team were picked them she wouldn't get to go to regionals, but if TNS east were picked then she would have to hurt both her sister and the guy she liked.

"Okay, we've made a decision." Kate said as she walked out from the office and everyone hushed to hear the announcement. "The team that will be going to regionals is...TNS east!" Harper couldn't believe they had won, she was beyond ecstatic. As the team was cheering and hollering, she tackled Richelle in a bone crushing hug out of excitement. They had won.

As the team was celebrating, Harper realised that their win had been a loss for Noah and his team. She glanced over to them all who were sat miserably on the benches and the boy she was looking for was looking anywhere but in her direction. She looked at Michelle who mouthed a 'well done' with a congratulatory smile, but her heart wasn't in it. The blonde had a feeling this would put another wedge between them.

As the team filtered out to go celebrate, Harper knew she had to go and talk to Noah as soon as possible. She could celebrate later. She found him ordering a juice from heather at neutral grounds and decided that they needed to sort out all the tension quickly before it developed into anything more.

"Hey Noah," Harper greeted him timidly as she grabbed his attention away from the barista. "Can I just talk to you for a second?" Noah nodded reluctantly, but something definitely seemed off. It was as though he would rather do anything or be anywhere else.

"What's up?" He asked nonchalantly, but she could tell he was hurting deep down. He couldn't even make eye contact.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I know it must feel awful right now but just know that I'm here for you." She told him soothingly, but Noah looked like nothing she said would cheer him up. More than anything, he looked angry.

"Well I'm fine. Why don't you go celebrate with your team and Elliot?" Noah said in a tone that Harper wasn't a fan of. She knew it must have been rough to lose but one of them was going to either way. She sent him a questioning glance as the girl wasn't sure what he had meant by that little comment. "I saw the way you danced together, and that hug. I'm not blind Harper."

"Noah, he was just congratulating me on dancing well, it didn't mean anything." The brunette scoffed and rolled his eyes, clearly he was taking this loss pretty badly but Harper wasn't sure why he had taken it out on her.

"I'll see you later Harper." Noah said as he dropped his money on the counter and stormed out of the bistro lounge. The girl had no idea why he was acting that way. Sure he had lost but why would he accuse her of flirting with Elliot? She turned to Heather and ordered a juice for herself.

"Here you go. Oh and Harper, just give him some time to cool off." The barista advised and the blonde nodded. Noah probably needed some time alone to come to terms with his loss so maybe approaching him so soon wasn't the best of ideas.

She walked back down the hallways to studio one where the team were all celebrating their big win, but she didn't feel like celebrating. Putting on a brave face, Harper places her drink down and joined in all the festivities. She even got a little excited when Elliot revealed he had bought them all new flashy uniforms, but it didn't feel quite as good as she thought it would. She just couldn't get her mind off Noah.