The first time she goes out of her comfort zone is when she asks Eldon to be her duet partner for Miss Kate's exercise. She tries to resonate with herself, saying it's because Eldon is one of the best dancer and a nice person. Nonetheless, she can't help feeling butterflies flying happily in her stomach when he says yes.

It's awfully similar at what she was feeling with Hunter, back in Madison, at the time where the dark-haired boy was her duet partner. Yet, it also seems incredibly different. With Hunter, everything felt familiar and safe: they've known each other since they were children, after all. With Eldon, it's new. And Michelle hasn't a great experience of "new" since she came at the Next Step. It almost sounds dangerous.

So she ignores her butterflies and her comparison with her relationship with Hunter. It's just because it's been some time since she did a duet. And because she wants to be friends – just friends – with Eldon. She doesn't even know why she works herself up with this.


The second time she has to dance a duet with Eldon, she's the one that got the idea. Again. But she doesn't mind, because she really feels comfortable around him. More than around any other A-Trouper anyway. She knows it's because she finds him really sweet and she loves the way he can make her giggle. She has a little crush – she can admit that, now.

But it's different than the first time. There is no Emily, no Chloe to disrupt the rehearsal. There is just them, and the music.

It makes her heart beat more than it should. Eldon's with Emily now. She has to remind herself of that. Michelle's rival is still here actually – in both of the dancer's heads. And even though Michelle doesn't like Emily, she couldn't make a move on Eldon. She isn't as despicable as the blonde seems to think.

But damn, when he's holding her by the waist like that, and stares right into her eyes, she really really wish she is.

Instead, she just waits for him.


The third time Michelle sees Emily after the blonde left The Next Step is when she comes back. She sees her, her smile too big for her face and her heart is left in a crumbling mess. She turns to look at Eldon and the few seconds that just passed flash before her eyes.

I can't stop thinking about you.

I really, really like you.

Everything was perfect. It was like one of her daydreams (or dreams, for what it's worth) coming true. If she listened to herself, she would have kissed him, right her, right now. He was talking about breaking up with Emily to be with her. And then, Emily came in.

Turning her beautiful dream into an awful nightmare.

She just watches Emily then Eldon, then Emily again. The boy in front of her looks as frightened as she is. But then, he starts moving. Towards her. He hugs her. She wonders how come he can claim his feelings for her and then going to hug Emily as if nothing happened. She feels her inferior lip tremble and she has to bite it to stop it. She takes a deep breathe and closes her eyes. She can't let herself crying.

Not now, anyway.

She waits until the end of the rehearsal. Then, as everyone is leaving, she runs to the bathroom. Locks herself in. The tears finally come roam freely on her face and she lets it. She pours all of her feelings into her tears, hoping that this way, her crush for Eldon could disappear with it.

She is well aware her naivety is one of her worst flaws.


The fourth time Eldon tries to talk to her about their relationship, they're waiting to know who's winning the Absolute Regionals competition. She looks at him with disbelief when he says he told Emily because she forced him too. She doesn't know how she feels, or how she should feel: her precarious relationship with Emily is thrown at the window, now. The whole A-Troupe is going to be teared up apart, she just knows. But for once, she can act on her feelings. She can be with Eldon. The simple idea make her heart beat with a new rhythm. So, she nods, not adding anything, but grabs his hand a little tighter.

She hopes he understands.

But then, when she thinks the pressure of the competition and everything else is going to crush her, they win the title and before she can comprehend the situation, Eldon lifts her up in a hug. She goes into it, closing her eyes and crying her heart out of joy.

They made it. They made it. After everything they got through – after everything she got through – they won. So she locks her arms behind his neck and as he twirls her around the stage, she buries her face in the crack of his neck. He smells of sweat, hair spray and something incredibly his and she swears she could inhale it forever. They stop, and Eldon put her down to look her in the eyes.

For a moment, she thinks he is going to kiss her and she thinks she is going to let him. But then, the other A-Troupers call for them and they're separated, being hugged by everyone else. And even if Michelle hugs them excitedly back, she can't help her eyes falling again on Eldon's. She's thrilled to see he's looking at her, too.

When they get out of stage, Eldon holds her back by her forearm and once A-Troupe are far enough, he kisses her.

It's her first kiss and the butterflies in her stomach suddenly turns in her fireworks. She kisses him back, kisses him deeper, desperately wants to get closer to him. She waited him long enough. She deserves this. She deserves to be happy.

When he lifts her up, her legs goes around her waist and she thinks no kiss could ever top this one.


The fifth time she comes to the studio since the Regionals, it's for the Challenge. She's so excited to do this, because it's the start of a ne competition season, and with Eldon by her side, she is untouchable. Nothing can disrupt the happiness that radiates through her body.

Even Emily, when she babbled about their relationship, just made everything easier; Now, they don't even have to hide their relationship from everyone else. They just have to deal with this.

Plus, what can be worst than what she already experienced last season? Nothing;

That what she thinks, until she feels strong arms pick her up and swirl her around. Strong arms that are definetely not Eldon's. It's Hunter's and she's so taken aback that she forgets for a moment she's supposed to breathe.

What the hell Hunter is doing here?

"You two know each other?" asks Eldon with disbelief and she's certain she can hear also some concern.

"Yeah" answers Hunter before she can react. "She's my girlfriend."

The look on Eldon's face makes her almost want to cry. At the moment, she wants to hit Hunter for saying stupid and untrue things that messes with Eldon. Can't she have a little rest for a while? It is too much to ask? So she takes a deep breathe. She has to make this right before it gets worse. She asks Miss Kate if she can borrow her office and when they have a little more privacy, she explains everything to Hunter. She's with Eldon now. She wants to be with Eldon. Hunter needs to understand. He seems to be crushed, but she doesn't care. She's not going to throw her relationship with Eldon simply because her childhood friend with whom she had a ambiguous relationship is coming back in her life.

When they goes back into Studio A, and Eldon asks her about Hunter, she says it's handled and he just needs to focus on his audition. She'll explain everything later. She doesn't want hunter to mess more with Eldon's head.

But when her boyfriend walks away she can't help to feel a little insecure, like he's starting to slip away from her somehow.


The sixth time Eldon avoids her, she decides to confront him about it. She's doing her best, and she needs to knoif she's doing something wrong. She's getting a little tired of his childish behavior.

"Well things have become really complicated lately and with Nationals around the corner, I don't know if I have it in me to balance both things at the same time."

Michelle can't believe what he is saying. He's staring at her without so much of an ounce of emotion in his eyes. Like he's giving up on her, on them.

"So you're breaking up with me?" she asks.

Her voice is higher than normal, and she has to control it to not make it tremble.

"Can I get a little more time to think about this, at least?"

At that question, she almost snorts.

"Not really! I've given you so long and you've been avoided me this whole time!"

This time, she does't hide from how she feels. She almost feels like this whole time, this whole relationship was just a joke. Just something Eldon liked to pass the time;

"It's just not fair, I don't understand! Things were going so well between us" her eyes are becoming more and more watery and she knows she's on the verge of crying. "Can't you just tell me what's going on?"

"Yeah, I guess we're done."

He looks down, and before she can react, before she can scream that this is unfair, Eldon storms out of studio A and she's left alone.

She's completely and utterly alone, and she doesn't know where she went wrong.


The seventh time they talk since their break-up, it's because she has no one else to turn to. She really, really, really wish she had someone else, but she had thought this through and through: as much as it hurts to admit it, Eldon is the one to know her best.

He doesn't want to talk to her, though. He rejects her, still bitter that she voted for Hunter to get the Nationals' Solo. She plaids her cause, trying to explain that as a dance captain she did what she needed to do for the team, but here, right now, she is just Michelle.

A girl who's completely lost.

She explains to him, eyes pleading. She explains how hard it is to dance when she's so down. How she's not sure the Next Step – no, the world of dance – is her second home anymore. And she doesn't know if she should fight for it. I need you, she wants to add. I just need you to give me reason to stay. Give me a reason to fight for dance.

But she doesn't, because she knows it can't end well. Eldon sighs, trying to get the words right. She stares at him, trying not to be too hopeful.

"It's gonna be the hardest decision of your life" he admits simply.

She thanks him as he leaves, but she wants to scream and crash and burn at the same time. They were really thrown. She bites her lips and she knows what her decision is.

She knows she can't stay here without being with him.


The eight time she sees Thalia after the Dance Battle with Elite, her teamate starts to ramble about bears before suddendly asking about Eldon. Michelle feels like someone just dropped a bucket of ice water on her. Does that mean that Eldon, after all this time, still likes her? She suddendly has trouble with speaking, and she doesn't really understand why her heart flutter in her chest. They did still talk with each other after all they gone through. But she thought he moved on, that all this was just small talk between friends. She moved on, after all.

Right?

She decides to talk to him. So she does. She slips away from Thalia and starts to look for Eldon. She finds him near the Studio A lockers. Before coming up to him, she stares at him, his lean stature, and his blond hair. Her heart still flutters in her chest, and she hopes, as she walks up to him, that he doesn't hear it.

"Hey! I wanted to talk to you about something. Have you been feeling okay lately?"

He looks at her a little surprised.

"Yep" he answers simply.

He stares at her and oh, she forgot his eyes were so blue.

"No strange, odd feelings between us?"

There is a moment of silence before he answers.

"Nope"

"Okay" she turns to leave before he can see that her heart is suddendly is her stomach. She doesn't know what she was expecting.

"Why are you asking?"

She suddendly feels her face redden.

"I -hum- I just want to make sure that we have no relationship feelings between us and we're just friends and um- you know no awkwardness" she babbles lamently. This is getting ridiculous, now.

"Yeeaaaah, no. All I have is your regular we're friends feelings. Why are you asking this?"

And she thought she just drowned the fish. He was a better swimmer that she thought.

"It's just my silly imagination. I'm sorry."

And then, before she can overthink this, Michelle goes for the hug. It feels so wrong and so right at the same time.


The ninth time Michelle sees Eldon since he left The Next Step studio is just before he takes the flight to London. They sit on the bench and she inhales deeply.

It's so weird. It's been a long time since they just are together, enjoying each other's presence. There always has been other A-Troupers around before. She missed this.

So they talk. About everything and anything, about his time at the Next Step. About their time together and Emily and Hunter and Thalia and drama. They laugh. Their hands brush a few times, but Michelle is not bothered by the contact anymore. It's familiar and safe. She regrets that she has to let him go.

But she does, because she can't be selfish with him. She lost this right a long time ago.

Before he leaves for London, he hugs her, and she feels like she's saying goodbye forever.


The tenth time she feels like crying since she became Studio Head for TNS West, she calls him. She doesn't know why she does, especially after the whole mess with Eldon choregraphing for both TNS West and TNS East.

But there is no more TNS West, nor there is TNS East. She just failed. Everything she had worked for was gone. So she calls him.

"I'll be here in an hour or so" he says softly.

It's late and she tries to protest but he hungs up without listening to her. She roams her little studio, biting furiously her nails. She can't believe she just did that.

He rangs exactly 45 minutes later. She opens the door and he's here, his cheeks reddened by the cold and his hair ruined by the wind. He stares at her without saying anything, and she breaks into tears. He comes inside and he puts his arms around her. She clenchs unto him like she's afraid she's going to drown. But he holds her tightly and she feels like she's finally home. At least.