*James' POV*

Riley. All I could think of, was Riley. As much as she had broke my heart, as much as she had left, I couldn't help but keep loving her. West and Eldon were counting on me, and in a competition of this caliber, I couldn't afford to be unfocused.

I know I couldn't do it. I didn't want to fight for it anymore. I didn't have her to fight for anymore. The boys tried. I know they did. But my heart was with Riley, and Riley was gone.

"James, it's not just whatever."

It was nice of Eldon, to try comfort me, but he didn't know the pain. His girlfriend was sitting in the front row smiling.

"It know it's been hard on you, and I know your heart isn't in it, but maybe..."

West's voice disappeared in the background noise, and I fiddled with the ring in my pocket, warm, as if it had only been on a finger a couple minutes ago. Then again, it was always in my pocket.

"Ready dancers?" The judges called for the next round, and I just stood, emotionless.

I wouldn't let the tears get the better of me, not here, not now.

"James. You can do it." A faint whisper, in my head.

Flashbacks whipped through my head, Riley believing in me, sticking with me, forgiving me. And the fateful day she left, and shattered my heart with it.

"Dance James. Dance."

To the voice's command, I did. I danced like I had never danced before. I danced for myself, for the boys, for Riley. I couldn't ever let her go.

We won. I beat the last two dancers. I didn't cry when we had returned to the studio, when I had walked through her office, just the same as the last time I had seen it, when we were so in love, when we thought nothing would ever go wrong.

What happened to us?

I didn't cry, on the day after that, when I had picked up the rose that would last forever, the glass bottle of spring mountain water, a painting of her, a picture of us at Internationals and walked up to where I would find her.

"Hey," I choked out. "I got you something."

A lump grew in my throat, that I swallowed quickly.

"It's from the top of a mountain."

I didn't start crying until I sat before her gravestone and reminisced about the happy times we had.

When she was alive.