❝ You've been here since my first day, I've never known The Next Step without you. I can't believe this is how it ends. ❞

‧₊˚✩

     It was officially the second day of the head-to-head competitions and tensions were already high. The first day had been rough on all of the dancers, they had lost some incredible members of their team; only time would tell if they were to face the same fate on day two.

  Currently, Mackenzie, a strong Elite member, was dancing her hardest to grab a spot on the Internationals team, despite the fact she had chosen the name of one of her teammates to battle against.

  As it stood, The Next Step was leading Elite in the competition four dancers to three with only five more dance battles left to go, meaning that if their studio were to have three more winning dancers, The Next Step would be free of Lucien and his mind games forever.

  Mackenzie's dance came to its swift end, meaning it was Shantel's turn — just by the determined look on her face, many dancers could tell that the girl was ready to battle and would be taking to prisoners.

  The girl began dancing as Straight to the Top played in the studio and the dancers could already make out just how strong her dance skills were. Shantel was focused, focused so much to the point that you could tell there was nothing on her mind during that solo other than that dance in that competition during that very moment.

  "I know how political she is, how ambitious she is," Amanda explained, almost as if she was in awe of the dancer, "And I know that she's got her eye on becoming Dance Captain one day."

  She finished her solo in a strong position, earning her much applause both from her own team, and also from the remaining Next Step dancers that had either already made the Internationals team, or were yet to compete for a spot.

  For Maxie, choosing between the two dancers was somewhat difficult. She knew very little about either Mackenize or Shantel, meaning the one solo they had performed was all she had to go off — even then, both girls showed hardly any emotion of personality in their performances.

  "Okay, who do you guys think it should be?" Miss Kate looked around the room, allowing the dancers to take a moment to conclude their final decision before the majority pointed toward Shantel, making it clear who their winner was, "Looks like it's you, Shantel. Congratulations."

  The next two names to be pulled from the hat were Chloe and Jen, two equally strong dancers from separate troupes who were ready to battle to reach the same goal. Quickly, the recommended hour had passed and as of current, the dancers were watching Jen perform.

  As much as The Next Step knew Chloe had what it took, Elite dancers were killer — they practically lived up to their studio's name.

  "I'm so nervous right now," Chloe admitted with a somewhat shaky tone, "I'm not even really paying attention to what's going on. A-Troupe means everything to me. I don't know what I'm gonna do if I don't make the team."

  "Yeah!" Lucien cheered along with the rest of Elite as Jen's solo came to an end, "Good girl, Jen!"

  The applause for Jen, however, was quickly drowned out by the cheers for Chloe as she took the floor, a look of fierce determination overtook her expression as she moved to the centre of the room, nothing else on her mind other than her solo and a possible spot on the team.

  She began dancing to Falling Behind as a rush of endorphins flooded her bloodstream. Chloe was a vital member of The Next Step; she'd helped them win Regionals and Nationals. So, to lose her at this stage in the game would be heartbreaking.

  Once she had started dancing, something seemed to have just taken over and she was doing incredibly well. The ballet dancer was competing with a certain fire to her moves that seemed to have pushed her performance that much further over the edge. When she finished her dance facing Lucien, it was a clear choice as to who deserved to make the team.

  As usual, the majority of the room pointed to their winner — in this case, Chloe — meaning it was now her turn to choose the next dancer to vie for their sport on the Internationals team, whether they were ready to or not.

‧₊˚✩

     Returning back to the studio an hour after Nick and Thalia's names had been pulled from the hat, Maxie couldn't help but feel the nerves slowly encroaching. The more names that were being pulled, the closer it came to her own turn to dance.

  And she wasn't saying she was unprepared, of course not, but there was always going to be the sinking feeling that something may go wrong, costing her the all-important place on the team.

  Nick's solo was good, as all Elite solos were, however, his large muscles and grand display of strength proved to be not enough to grant him his much sought-after spot when it came against Thalia's passionate moves and flexible agility.

  Staying unbiased, the dancers in the room mentally compared both competitors' solos one final time before coming to their final decision, the majority voting for Thalia.

  As a round of applause echoed across the room for the girl, the Next Step couldn't help but cheer in support. With yet another win for The Next Step, it was six points for Miss Kate, yet still, only four for Lucien, meaning one more Next Step win would mean Miss Kate would get to keep ownership of the studio — the only way Lucien could beat her would be to have three more wins.

  "Congratulations, Thalia," Phoebe grinned excitedly, holding the hat out for the girl to pull a name, "Choose wisely."

  Closing her eyes for dramatic effect, Thalia took her time rifling around in the hat, hoping that, for the sake of the studio, she'd choose someone that'd benefit the team at Internationals.

  Finally reopening her eyes, the girl read out, "Maxie," A large smile creeping onto her lips as she turned to look at her friend.

  Giving West one final hug, both for luck and support, Maxie strode towards the hat, confident that whatever name she was to pull out, she'd take them down without a fight. Of course, there was always the fear that she could choose either Giselle or Amanda, both strong members of The Next Step whom she didn't ever want to battle against.

  Taking one final deep breath, the British girl reached into the hat, hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. "Daniel." 

  If you were close enough, you may have been able to catch the slight smirk playing on Maxie's lips at the mention of his name. Ever since he had left them for a different studio for Nationals, there was a certain unspoken rivalry between the pair; this battle would not only determine the better dancer of the pair but, unbeknownst to the dancers, it would decide the very future of The Next Step itself.

  "Okay," Miss Kate turned to the pair standing beside them, "Take an hour and then we'll meet back here."

  The hour seemed to drag on like a snail's race as Maxie found herself sitting on her own in the music room, thinking a little too much about everything that was bound to go wrong during her solo. What if she didn't land her flips? Or, what if she did dance her best and it still wasn't good enough to beat Daniel?

  She took a breath, trying to expel the negative thoughts from her mind as she made her way towards the exit, knowing that she was due in the studio soon.

  Ever since she was little, Maxie seemed to have a bad habit of ignoring everything around her other than the performance she was about to give — especially when she was due to dance on her own, or even in a duet with someone else. So, as much as she hated to greet her peers was a blank expression, she knew it was the only way to secure her best performance.

  With her head held high, the girl sat on one of the cubes on the far edge of the group, watching as Daniel made his way towards the middle, waiting as Falling Behind started to play.

  "When I see Max sat on her own during Daniel's performance, I want nothing more than to be able to be there and support her," West explained, "But I know this is her game face, this is what she needs to do to ensure her spot. I can only hope it goes well for her, I can't even bring myself to imagine dancing at Internationals without her."

  Daniel's routine was majestic, no matter how much Maxie had despised him, she couldn't deny his talent and just how much he'd improved since his time at The Next Step — it was safe to say he'd be the toughest competition she'd faced yet.

  With each extension and turn, Maxie couldn't help but feel nerves creeping their way into her consciousness, no matter how hard she'd tried to fight it off. Daniel was an incredible dancer, there was no doubt about it, and she was once again beginning to question how she'd fare against the male dancer.

  Self-doubt was a killer. Every dancer knew it, and so did Maxie. Many missed opportunities had fallen victim to her lack of confidence both in herself and her dancing — many times back in England she'd found herself backing out of being a featured dancer, and over in Canada, she'd nearly missed out on the chance to be Miss National soloist. 

  Time and time again, self-doubt plunged its icy dagger into her love for dance, leaving her questioning whether everything, the downs and dramas that came with the good of it all, was really worth it.

  However, watching the Elite members cheer Daniel on once his song had ended, Max felt some sort of spark ignite inside of her, as if everything she had done that past year, every experience she and her studio had pushed themselves through had come down to there and then. She felt the harsh doubt of her self-inflicted mind slowly slip away as the realisation settled in.

  A round of supportive applause followed Maxie to the middle of the room; the rest of her team tried their best to encourage the girl. She was such a valued member of their team, and before she was set to battle for her spot, the others were determined to let her know how much she meant to them.

  My Turn began playing, eliciting the oh-so-familiar feeling within her as she began to purely just dance. As she moved to the music, her purpose wasn't to get to a certain place on the floor, but to enjoy each step along the way. Her face portrayed the raw emotion she put into each movement, each intricate detail that was enacted to bring the jumble of motion together into a beautiful piece.

  "I can't afford to lose, especially not to Daniel, of all people," She stated matter-of-factly, before her stone-cold facade started to slip, "I mean, this studio... I've grown here, not just as a dancer, but as a person. My best friends are here, my boyfriend is here, basically, my entire life is in The Next Step, I'm all in. All or nothing."

  With each movement along the dance floor, she couldn't help but let the realisation hit her. She was Miss National soloist, one of the best female dancers in her troupe, and one of the best in the Nation. She was Maxie Harding, a sixteen-year-old dance prodigy and Daniel had absolutely nothing on her, she had worked far too hard to allow him to pull that rug from under her.

  Thalia spoke with a somewhat mesmerised look on her face, "I know I've said in the past that Maxie is unbeatable, but I was wrong. She's somehow just bettered herself in every past performance she's danced without even realising."

  "I can see the passion and skill in her dancing alone," Eldon claimed with a grin, "Every time she dances, she just absolutely kills it, and I'd hate to be Daniel right now."

  As soon as her dance had ended, the room was instantly filled with deafening cheers from her teammates, causing Maxir to drop her confident act as a giant smile encroached upon her lips, her heart feeling whole at the large amount of support she was receiving from the dancers.

  "I can't help but smile after watching Maxie's solo," Max told the camera solemnly, "I mean, she's a phenomenal dancer and, despite our differences, I know she only has the purest intentions at heart."

  Miss Kate clasped her hands together, turning to address the room as the applause dimmed down, "After such impressive performances, do we have our winner?"

  There was no hesitation as everyone called out Maxie's name, pointing towards the British girl as a large smile spread across her features. Not only had she beaten Daniel, meaning he had no place on the team, but she had also been the seventh win for The Next Step, meaning Miss Kate had secured her place as studio head once and for all.

  Almost immediately, her team ran forward, embracing the girl in a group hug as they squealed in excitement. Now, there were only four competitors left — Giselle and Amanda from The Next Step and Tess and Cian from Elite.

  Letting her excitement die down a little, Maxie made her way over to the hat, taking no time to pull out the next name, "Tess," She called out, the girl's name feeling bitter on her tongue as she watched the Elite Dance Captain stride forward.

  "Amanda," The girl smirked as she read out the name she had pulled, feeling the tension soak up the room as her old friend stepped out from the crowd of Next Step dancers.

‧₊˚✩

     All eyes fell on Tess as she began to dance to Straight to the Top, the girl trying everything within her dance abilities to secure the penultimate spot on the team. Anyone could tell just how passionate she was about both the dance and taking down the girl she was going up against: she and Amanda had been going at it ever since starting at Elite, so, in essence, their rivalry came down to that dance battle.

  As she watched the girl dance, Maxie jumped ever so slightly upon feeling a pair of arms wrap around her waist. "Hey," West breathed out, causing a smile to spread across the girl's face at the sound of his voice.

  Turning around, the girl planted a soft kiss against his lips before pulling away,  "Hey," She mimicked his tone, causing a similar grin to work its way onto his features.

  "Well, welcome to the Internationals team, Miss Harding," He then smirked, still overjoyed at the fact he and Maxie were set to dance together in Miami, of all places.

  "It's a pleasure to be here, Mr North," She responded, leaning into his touch as the pair held eye contact, both with equal-sized smiles on their faces whilst trying not to kiss each other once again.

  However, the pure moment between them didn't last long as West's eyes were quickly drawn to Maxie's shirt, or, more specifically, the jumper she was wearing over it. She had decided to sport a soft, stylish red tracksuit jumper, patterned with white stripes running down the arms whilst a zipper separated either half of it down the middle; something about the tracksuit seemed to catch the boy off guard.

  "Is that my jumper?" He asked, pulling back dramatically to catch a better look, confirming his suspicions truthful, "Oh, my days, you stole my jumper," The boy scoffed playfully, causing Maxie to smirk ever so slightly.

  With a mischievous glint in her eye, the girl flicked her hair over her shoulder, "What do you expect? If you're gonna forget it at my house and leave it lying around for anyone to take," Maxie told him, watching a small chuckle escape her boyfriend's lips as he shook his head in amusement.

  "I guess that's the price I have to pay for being in a relationship with the one and only Maxie Harding," He joked, moving back into his original position so that he could rest his head against her shoulder from behind, winding his arms around her waist.

  "I guess, it is," She smiled to herself, practically melting at his touch as the pair watched Tess finish up her solo.

  Amanda seemed so much more self-confident in herself as Fire started to play, initiating the beginning of her dance.

  Maxie seemed sympathetic as she spoke, "I can't imagine what's going through her head right now. Not only is she facing her old team, but also her old best friend, too. I have no idea what I'd do in that situation."

  As she performed her solo, the dancer felt amazing. Not only was her emotion shining through the passionate movements within her performance, but everything about her style had improved massively since either studio had last seen her dance; above all, most people could tell just how much the girl had grown in confidence.

  Once again, the studio filled with applause as the song dimmed to an end, meaning decision time was soon — almost everyone knew who the right option was. After Amanda had completed her solo, Tess knew that there was no vote needed, the choice was so clear.

  Seemingly as quickly as she had arrived, the Elite dancer made a hasty exit, not ready to put herself through further humiliation as she were to be voted off the team, either way, meaning one thing: Amanda was on the Internationals team.

  Yet another chorus of cheers was strung across the room, causing a giant smile to spread across Amanda's face, and, despite her win, securing the twelfth spot on the team, there was no need for the dancer to pull out the penultimate name of the hat.

  There were only two dancers left to fight for one spot. Giselle and Cian. The Next Step against Elite for the final time. Two dancers, who were both so opposite, yet so alike in their styles, with Giselle holding more comfort for acro, whereas Cian was more based around strong hip-hop and jazz dancing.

  The compulsory hour had soon passed like sand in a glass, for the twelve confirmed dancers of the Internationals team, bar Michelle, had gathered back into studio A, awaiting the final battle that was to decide the final member of their troupe.

  Dwindled cheers of encouragement were thrown toward Cian from the three remaining Elite dancers as they watched their friend take the floor with his head held high. Despite the strong advantage Giselle held in the competition, the boy knew he was practically evenly matched with her in skill, if not even better, giving him a boost of confidence that was much needed.

  Getting Lost/Danica began playing as Cian began his dance, using his height and muscles to his advantage in an attempt to showcase his best, hoping that it would be enough to top whatever Giselle had waiting up her sleeve.

  "Cian is an amazing dancer," Cierra grinned, proud of her friend's performance, "He was my inspiration and best friend back at Elite, and I'm confident he'll be able to make it to the Internationals team with me, too."

  Chloe seemed almost sceptical as she spoke, "He is a very talented dancer and, when I'm watching his solo, I'm blown away. But, how do we know whether or not he's a team player? Elite dancers have taken any opportunity to take us down before, what's stopping them from doing it again?"

  Max shook his head in amazement, "Cian's grown so much since I first met him, and this solo is gonna be almost impossible for The Next Step to top."

  "His dance is incredible," Giselle explained with a shaky posture, "Which just makes me extremely nervous for mine."

  Once again, the room was filled with applause from Elite's side as Lucien cheered for one of his star dancers, "And that's how it's done, people!" He called out, noticing just how hesitant Giselle seemed as she stared at the dance floor before her.

  "You've got this, G," Her teammates motivated her as Giselle made her move towards the centre of the room, taking one final breath of confidence as Fire began to play.

  "This is probably the most important solo I've ever had to do," Giselle claimed, both doubt and hope laced within her words, "The spot for the International team is right there and I need to take it."

  Her solo was powerful, it sent a message that didn't need to be spoken aloud, however, everyone somehow understood. With each movement, the girl seemed to feel her heart quicken, pushing herself closer to the finish line — the one thing she had been dreaming of ever since hearing of dance.

  There was a certain type of intensity and emotion that she'd brought to the dance that nobody had seen come from her before. Every time Giselle had danced before, it was amazing, of course, but this time was different. Despite her solo's high-pressure conditions, she was still killing it.

  "Dancing is such an incredible feeling," The girl smiled, her worries and concerns somewhat drifting away as she spoke, "It's like you're on cloud nine. When I'm doing my solo, it feels like I'm meant to be on that team."

  The song ended just as Giselle found herself standing before Cian, a silent stare of competition had been shared between the two, somehow already telling Cian what he wasn't ready to hear — he had lost, Giselle had taken the battle by storm, no matter the outcome of the vote.

  Despite the thunderous applause Giselle had received, Cian still found it within him to make his way to the middle, awaiting his already decided fate.

  "Okay, there's one spot left on the Internationals team," Miss Kate stated the obvious, making sure everyone was clear, "Who's it gonna be?

  "Giselle!" Everyone cheered, pointing towards the girl, whose face immediately morphed into that of shock and excitement.

  Her emotions seemed to be overflowing as she turned to the camera, "When everybody points at me... It's such a good feeling. I've been through so much. A-Troupe, B-Troupe, back to A-Troupe," She explained as happy tears slowly rolled down her face, "It's my time." 

  Once both Lucien and Cian had fled, leaving the rest of The Next Step to envelop their final member in a hug, Miss Kate cheered, "So, that means the competition is over. This is officially the Internationals team!" She had exclaimed, followed by yet another chorus of cheers as both studios came together to celebrate.

  It was nice for the dancers to know that the competition was finally over, but it had definitely led to a lot of changes. Many Next Step dancers had been lost, their spots being filled by three strange faces that the majority were yet to know. It was time for a new era of The Next Step; they were finally going to Internationals, no matter how many people they were missing.

‧₊˚✩

     The competition was long over, and almost all of the dancers had gone home, as per Miss Kate's request, stating that there were a lot of things to do in a little amount of time, meaning the dancers needed to rest up for the long road ahead of them.

  However, Maxie couldn't bring herself to leave. After saying goodbye to her friends, the girl found herself sitting at the same spot on the same bench she was on not even twenty-four hours ago as she had watched many people try and fail at pursuing their dream.

  "Although I'm not leaving, it feels weird looking at this place and still calling it home," Maxie admitted to the camera, "I mean, I've been here for so long and the studio has never seen a change as big as this one, I have no idea how we're gonna handle it."

  The content silence of the room was soon broken by footsteps approaching the benches, "Fancy seeing you here, Max," The figure smiled, catching Maxie's attention as she turned to see who it was.

  "Em," She couldn't help but let the grin spread across her face as she rose from her seat to hug her friend, "What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be, like, living life as a retired dancer," She chuckled, pulling away so that the two of them could sit together.

  "As much as I'd love to kick my legs up and catch up on criminal minds, I thought I'd congratulate my best girl on making the Internationals team," Emily claimed, watching as Max giggled lightly at her joke.

  Turning around to look at the door, Maxie mocked, "Yeah, well, I think you just missed Riley, she's getting a lift back with James."

  "Well it's a good job you're still here, then," The blonde shrugged, brushing her shoulder against the girl's playfully as the two of them laughed, "But, uh, congratulating you wasn't the only thing I had to do tonight."

  "Oh?" 

  Nodding, Emily pulled a book out of her bag, "I came here to give you something," She explained, gesturing towards the old-looking book that seemed to have been passed from person to person for quite a while. When Maxie gestured for her to continue, she did, "It's the best-kept secret of The Next Step."

  "Well, you know me, love my secrets," Maxie nodded unsurely, growing somewhat concerned as to what was in the book, "As long as it's not a cult-ish secret, though," She added, a serious tone to her voice.

  Emily shook her head with a chuckle, No, no, nothing like that. It's the Dance Captain diary," She said, passing the book to Maxie, who marvelled over the antique paging and strong binding material of the book, "Every Dance Captain that's graced the floor of The Next Step has written something in it."

  "Seriously?" Maxie scoffed, almost as if she were in disbelief of what Emily had told her, "Even Miss Kate?"

  "Even Kate," She chuckled once again, finding Maxie's fascination amusing, "It was passed onto me halfway through my first year here, before you joined. And, well, I was pretty much Dance Captain ever since."

  Her smile of awe soon turned to that of confusion, "I don't see why I should have this, though. I mean, I'm not the Dance Captain, Michelle is. I think she'd benefit from this, especially with Internationals coming up, too."

  "Well, technically, the Dance Captain is supposed to hand it down to the next Dance Captain," She explained, trying to make Maxie see her reasoning, "And, with everything that's going on with Michelle, right now, I have a feeling it might be you."

  For Emily, letting the Dance Diary go was extremely hard; she'd had it for so long and it'd been with the girl through so much. It was almost as if she was saying goodbye to the studio, along with the book.

  Maxie couldn't help but feel her eyes well up as she looked back towards her friend, "Emily," She let out a shaky sigh, placing the book down on the bench beside her, "You've been here since my first day, I've never known The Next Step without you. I can't believe this is how it ends," She frowned, wiping the tears that had threatened to fall away.

  Emily also couldn't help but let the waterworks switch themselves on as she pulled Maxie into a hug, "You're one of the first people who actually saw past my stupid mean girl act, you've been here for me through so much. I'm gonna hate not hearing your voice every morning," She sniffled, letting a watery laugh escape as the two girls pulled out of the hug.

  "I'm gonna miss you so much, Em," Maxie told her, giving up on wiping her tears away as she finally let them trickle down her face, causing both of them to let yet another chuckle slip.

  "I'm gonna miss you more," The blonde admitted, "Don't forget me when you win Internationals, okay? Don't let the win get to your head," She giggled again, wiping away her tears.

  Taking a deep breath, Maxie hugged Emily tightly for what felt like it could be the last time in a long time before standing from the bench, placing the book gently into her dance bag before making her move to leave. The British girl knew that if she turned back to look at Emily, it'd break her heart even more, so she left with her head held high, trying her best to dry her face as she left her best friend to have her final goodbye in the studio.

‧₊˚✩

author's note,,

omg finally completed the chapter! i hope you guys are happy with the outcome and i've seen you're all picking up on some foreshadowing i've been (hopefully successfully) dropping.

also, maxie and emily's friendship has me
:((

as for chapter updates, i've started my final year at secondary school (a very important year or my future) an i'm obviously prioritisng that at the moment

as always, vote and comment if you enjoyed the chapter and have a great day/night wherever you are!

stay safe <3