A/n: Not sure how popular this genre is but I have recently discovered this awesome pairing ;P I can tell this'll be really fun to write. Will try and update as frequently as possible. Please enjoy this first chapter and be sure to favorite/review! I will be alternating between the POV of Andie, Blake and me (the author).

Just Be You

Chapter I

"And We Listen"

[Andie's POV]:

Yeah so, I've pretty much been having a surprisingly good time at this freakin' school Tyler threw me into. I wasn't so sure at first but now I feel like there's nowhere I belong more. Last semester was rough and the adjustment was hard. Teachers hard on my ass and all that.

But this one's been going a lot smoother. Way smoother. The rebel in me's been tamed a little and I feel like I've finally found my footing. The classes are still too structured for my taste and Director Collins has been constantly telling me to slow down the tempo or whatever.

He can shove those words right up his a-

My thoughts short circuit as the man himself saunters down the hall like he owns the place. He kinda does, but whatever. He could at least descend every now and then to our level. Take a little detour from the high road. Chase often comes to me with all his latest little family drama stories.

Blake nods to me and then continues on his merry way. I return that formal gesture with only a smirk that I hope comes across as sarcastic. Who knows if he actually took it that way?

The pressure's been high for all us seniors to come up with something for the showcase. I had an idea that I personally considered to be the bomb but Director Collins shot it right down. Shame on me for thinking he actually learned something from what he'd witnessed during our performance at the streets.

Blake will always be Blake, I s'pose.

With a mental shrug, I readjust the strap of my duffel bag before pulling open the door to the cafeteria. I wave to Moose and he joins me in line, going on about how nervous he is about taking Sophie out on a date this Friday. Poor guy. The pressure's high for him too. Sophie's a high-maintenance chick.

"Would you quit worrying about it?" I say with a shake of my head and a grin. "I mean, the hardest part's already over, right?"

Moose only sighs, "I just know I'm gonna screw it up somehow."

"Hey," I nudge him. "Cut that out."

He smiles wryly despite himself but the concern's still there. I really don't know what to tell him though. He'll be fine once he's actually on the date and the next one'll be easier. That's how it always goes. It sure took the girl long enough to give him a shot though. The two kept going on and off last semester and now they've finally decided to make it official. Go figure.

Carrying our trays to the table we designated as our own, we greet the others and I plop down beside Chase, who eagerly leans over to plant a kiss on my cheek. I award him a smile and then make quick work of my stupidly healthy sandwich. The school staff's cruel. They starve us all day and then offer us this shit. Oh well. Could be worse. Sure miss Wednesday's nachos and chili at my old school though. That was a lunch.

"'kay so, you guys have any ideas for the showcase?" Chase asks as he picks at his food. He's seriously like the slowest eater ever.

"Face."

"Huh?" he looks to me with this cute expression and I tilt my head with a small, amused smile.

"There's ketchup on your cheek."

An actual blush takes Chase's face and he quickly reaches up to wipe it clean before licking it off his fingers. Sometimes he can be pretty gross, but whatever.

Moose speaks up then, absently spinning the bottle of Gatorade in his hand. Where'd he even get that anyway? Smuggling? I should try it sometime. It's not like they have bag checkers at the door or anything. Smart.

"We could play off what we did at the streets," he says. "That was a hit."

"I don't know if Blake'll go for that," Chase says with a frown.

"Yeah, no chance," I shake my head. "I already tried."

The skinny boy slumps in his seat and frowns. What does Blake even expect from us anyway? It's what we're best at. We're never gonna suddenly turn into the pro ballet frolickers he seems so intent on turning us into.

"Well, we've gotta figure something out," Chase continues. I suddenly remember how important this is to him. I have no idea where I'm going with my future, but he definitely wants to continue the professional dancing thing.

"We will," I assure him with another smile.

We finish our lunch and part ways to continue our scheduled day. It's always like that here but it's still fun. We keep it interesting. Our final class of the day is always with Director Collins, and all we've been doing is brainstorming and shit. That mostly turns into conversation time for our group. It's like a free period. It's awesome.

But today it seems the man has other plans for us. Guess we've haven't really been doing anything productive in awhile.

"Afternoon, class," he greets in his usual tone before setting his stuff down and taking a quick attendance. As if anyone would actually dare skipping. I can personally attest to how annoying it is to get your butt chewed out by him for that.

"And we're all on time," Blake says with an approving nod before setting the stupid clipboard of his down. "I want to hear some ideas today. You've had plenty of time to discuss your options. We need to start putting it all together and practicing. This is a very important time for all of you."

I notice that Chase's eyes lower and he inhales sharply. Yeah…I probably should've tried a little harder to take all this seriously. I feel kinda bad now. Moose sighs and I know he's thinking about our streets performance. It'd be fun but I know it won't fly. I'm not really sure if we've got anything else going for us.

"Chase?"

And here he is. In all his stuck up glory.

The younger Collins looks up to his brother and I look between them a sec. It's not often they look very alike but right now, they sorta do.

"Yes, Blake?" He asks with forced sweetness and a coy grin that I know is fake. I almost laugh at the eye roll I imagine the director doing.

"Let's hear what you've got so far."

The boy only shrugs and I fight the urge to grimace. Oh man.

"Are you aware that you won't be going anywhere without a successful showcase?"

"Yes," Chases sighs. "Your constant reminders have finally started sinking in."

Blake opens his mouth to speak but thankfully Moose jumps in. Yeah, he pretty much just saved Chase's ass.

"Uhm," he scratches his head, "we were kind all wanting to do something together. You know, like at the streets."

It's out there. I already asked something along those lines and I know Blake'll shoot him down too. The man sighs and I brace myself for the assault. Here we go.

With a hand held on his waist and eyes lowered to us, the mangy trio, he explains and we listen. There's no speaking out or interrupting him allowed or you're practically asking for a personal lecture. I hate his lectures.

"Think of it this way," he says in that collected, condescendingly confident voice. I imagine him dropping his proper guard and saying something uncharacteristic. Something we'd say out in my neighborhood. It's hilarious and I almost laugh at myself before remembering to pay attention. "If you're all in one group, none of you are going to stand out. You can use underclassmen all you want but this showcase is about each one of you individually."

Moose still seems dejected and Chase actually looks like he agrees with it. I guess it makes sense. Blake could've at least explained it nicely to me earlier. All I got from him was a 'no, that's an absurd idea. This isn't the streets. Time and place, Miss West, time and place.' Yeah, not very gentle.

"I'll make my way back to you three," he warns. "Come up with something."

And with that he walks off to interrogate the next group. I look to the boys beside me and shrug. "So…we goin' for this solo, or what?"

"Well," Chase smirks and looks to me. "We can still partner. That's allowed."

"Oh thanks, guys," Moose nods. "Thanks for that."

I sigh and look between them before shrugging, "look, it doesn't matter to me either way. I mean, it's a lot more important to both of you than it is to me."

The truth is that I'm kinda struggling with these formal dances. If that's what everyone's expecting to see at the showcase then I'm screwed. Not to mention the fact that Blake keeps saying my movements are too fast. I'm actually starting to think he's right. No way in hell I'd ever admit that though.

Even if I was interested, I don't even know if I'd be able to do it. It's not really my scene. And I sure as hell don't wanna drag either Chase or Moose down with me. This is the real stuff. The serious stuff. It goes beyond just making a statement. This is the future here. I don't even have that shit planned out. Not even close.

I can manage a decent salsa, but that's the extent of it. Chase is gonna need more than that to make it. I wanna suggest that he partner with Sophie for this but I know Moose would slap me or something. Hell, I might even slap myself.

Chase and Moose are both silent and I wonder what they're thinking. They both really like the team idea but they also know Blake's right. They need to stand out.

The director returns to the front and says he wants everyone to think on it tonight and that we should all appreciate the fact that he's giving us extra time. Isn't that nice of him? Yeah, right. The bell rings and all I'm suddenly focused on is what Sarah's making for dinner. I hope it's chicken.

"Miss West, a moment."

My buzz is killed as soon as he calls out to me and the drama inside my head returns. I'm not in trouble or anything. I hope.

"Yeah?" I ask, turning and making my way over as he packs up his supplies. My bangs fall over my eyes and I blow at them and cant my head. I like 'em long and all but I don't appreciate that sting when they cover my face. It kinda sucks a little bit.

Blake scrutinizes me closely, like he always does when he's about to say something I don't like. I brace myself again. What'd I even do?

"You don't seem very motivated. This is important for you too."

"I know," I sigh and nod a bit sheepishly. The guy is trying his hardest for me after all. I guess I can at least act like I'm grateful. "I wanna try, I do, but…I just…" should I tell him I can't seem to encourage myself? Is that really the best idea?

"Just what?" he asks. It's more of a question intended to pressure me rather than from concern. He's my teacher though; I guess it's sort of his place to know if his student's struggling a little. It's just so goddamn embarrassing.

I shrug, trying to be as offhanded about it as possible. Sure…like that's even gonna work. The guy can see right through me. "I don't…really even know what I wanna do with all this, you know?" I lift a hand to my hair uncomfortably. This is hard for me but it's better than saying it to Chase or Moose. No feelings being hurt here.

"I mean, with the streets, it was something I believed in. There was a point. I'm not so sure what the point is with all this other stuff. I dance just to dance, not to secure a future or whatever we're supposed to be doing." I lower my eyes, "besides, I haven't really been improving or anything anyway."

Man, saying all this out loud, really puts it into perspective for me. This shit really bothers me.

Director Collins is silent for a bit and I wonder what he'll say. Will he tell me to man up and stop my bitching? I kinda actually hope so. That's what I need.

Then, he sighs, and I look up at him and see his sincerity. Wow. This is one of those rare nice guy moments of his. This is much better than a scolding. I've missed this guy.

"I suppose I'm partly to blame," he says. "I've been preoccupied with cleaning up the matter of last year's fundraiser and determining a new direction for this school without completely changing it. I haven't had time to focus on the individual needs of my students."

I say nothing, only appreciate this moment. It's rare. Like a falling star or something. It reminds me that Director Collins isn't just a heartless statue who uses the slave-driving method of teaching. He does but, times like this help me to forgive him for it. I'm sure I'll feel like killing him again tomorrow, so this might help me resist that urge.

"I have a little more free time now though," he says with a nod. "Would you like to resume your sessions with me?"

I consider carefully. He's always annoying and preachy with those sessions and I haven't had to deal with that since last semester. But this might be the best thing for me. The guy's a good teacher. He's really risking his life though. I can't promise anything with this added expo time.

It's not a punishment this time around, and so that's nice. He wants to help. I should probably let him.

With a slow nod, I relent and sigh. "Yeah, that'd probably be a good idea."

He takes out his phone and I can only assume that he's scheduling the session in his planner. Freakin' straight-laced dude. It'd drive me crazy to be in his head. He returns it to his pocket and lifts the strap of his bag over his shoulder before motioning me forward.

We walk out of the studio and into the hall and I feel like I should thank him. He's doing me a favor. Again, though, I find it hard to do. But… "Thanks, Blake."

"Show a little respect, Miss West. You're dating my brother but that hardly makes it appropriate for you to call me by my first name."

Right. I screwed that up again. I always refer to him by first name when I talk to Chase and it's kinda hard to remember not to do that when I'm addressing him directly. Still, he's rude for correcting me when I was trying to thank him. That was tough. I shouldn't have done it at all.

He opens the front door and we step outside. It's afternoon and rush hours in full swing. It's always such a joy to deal with. Chase might be waiting for me with Moose, but he might've just decided to book it once his brother asked me to stay behind. Guess I'm about to find out.

He pauses on the step and looks to me and I wonder what else he has to say. That sincerity hasn't disappeared. It's a good sign.

"Dancing's always about feeling, Andie," he says. I think it's ironic that he of all people is saying that but I decide not to comment on it. "That's what drives a great dancer. Call it ambition, passion, whatever. You need to have some sort of drive. I'll help you practice technique, but you'll have to find that drive on your own. It separates the good from the best."

I nod. It makes sense, but I don't like it. It's too close to home. I mean, with the streets, I had a drive. But the type of dancing he wants me to do taps into something else. I resist letting myself learn it. I dance fast because I'm closed off and it's safe. It's an energetic drive. It's…closed off. I dunno. All that other stuff is slower. It makes me think and feel things I'm less comfortable with.

This stuff's pretty deep though and I don't wanna talk about it anymore. "I'll try," I tell him softly.

He seems satisfied with my answer and continues to descend the steps before again turning back to me as he heads in the opposite direction. "I'll see you tomorrow morning at six a.m."

My eyes feel like they're literally bulging out of my skull. Come again? "What? Why? I am not getting up that early."

"I don't have time to teach you after school. You'll have to come before."

Well, gee, if I had known that I would've thought twice about agreeing. "…fine. Don't get onto me if I'm late though."

"The rules still apply."

I only glare and resist flipping him off. Jerk.

"Oh and," he smirks slightly, "you're welcome, Miss West."

Oh yeah. The guy's so dead.

To be continued…

REVIEW! :D